Bridge maxims

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This article concerns Contract Bridge and uses terminology associated with the game. See Contract bridge glossary for an explanation of unfamiliar words or phrases.

This article includes a miscellany of short "laws", "rules" and rule of thumb advice (in alphabetical order). Each has some merit but none is always true:

• Cover an honour with an honour. May set up a trick for partner.
• Eight ever, nine never. Finesse the queen with a total of eight cards in the suit, don't finesse but play for the drop with nine cards in the suit.
• Hamman's Law - If you have a choice of reasonable bids and one of them is 3NT, then bid it. Devised by Bob Hamman and published among other places in English Bridge, June 2006, page 19.
• If in doubt, lead a spade. This applies to NT contracts and works on the assumption that declarer or dummy would likely bid spades if they had them.
• Lead round to weakness. Gives partner more chance to play the right card.
• Lead through strength. Gives partner more opportunity to lay the right card.
• Prefer length to strength. Bid long suits before short suits.
• Prefer majors to minors. Bid a major suit before a minor suit.
• Second hand plays low. Prevents wastage of useful cards.
• Third hand plays high. Prevents opponent winning a trick cheaply and may help partner.
• With a misfit bid cautiously; with a good fit be bold. Avoids chasing a poor contract with a misfit, but enables a surprisingly high contract with a good fit.