Cashing Winners vs Establishing Suits

A common novice error is grabbing top Aces and Kings as soon as dummy hits the table. Master declarers balance cashing winners vs establishing suits. The rule is: establish your long suits while you still have outside top winners to regain the lead.

Why establishing first works

If you need to knock out the opponents' Ace to establish your long suit, the opponents will win the trick and immediately attack your weak suits. If you already cashed your outside Aces, you have no stoppers left! By keeping your Aces, you use them as shields to stop the opponents' counterattack while your long suit becomes active.

A worked example: Holding the Ace

You are in 3NT. You have a solid 5-card Diamond suit missing the Ace. You hold the ♠A.

Caption: Do not cash the ♠A! Lead Diamonds immediately to force out the ♦A. The opponents will win and likely return a Spade. Now, you use your ♠A to win the trick, and your Diamond suit is ready to run.

Four common mistakes

• Cashing top tricks at Trick 1 out of fear.
• Stranding established suits because all outside entries were cashed.
• Failing to cash winners when the contract is about to go down.
• Letting the opponents establish their suit before you establish yours.

When the rule does not apply

If you are playing a suit contract and your only goal is a rapid crossruff, you must cash your outside winners immediately before the opponents win the lead and draw your trumps.

Key takeaways

• Establish your working suits early.
• Keep top winners as stoppers against counterattacks.
• Do not destroy your own entries.
• Cash out only when taking your final tricks.