How to Unblock a Suit to Avoid Entry Problems

A long suit is only worth tricks if you can reach the hand that holds it. If the short hand holds high cards in that suit, they can block it: you win a trick in the short hand and can't get back to cash the rest. Unblocking means playing the high cards from the short hand early, so that the lead ends up in the long hand.

Why unblocking works

Look at the suit from the side with fewer cards. Every honour there must be played at some point. Play them early, while the long hand still has small cards to play under them, and the last winner falls in the long hand. Hold on to them and one may win the trick late, leaving the lead in the short hand when the long suit still has winners.

A worked example: high from the short hand

You are in 3NT. West leads the ♣Q and you win the ♣A.

Dummy (North): ♠ 7 5 3 ♥ 8 6 4 ♦ A Q J 10 9 2 ♣ 5 (7 HCP)

Declarer (South): ♠ A K 4 ♥ A K 5 ♦ K 4 ♣ A 9 8 6 2 (21 HCP)

Dummy has no entry outside diamonds. You have five top tricks outside diamonds, and diamonds can give six.

Right: cash the ♦K first, playing dummy's ♦2. Then lead the ♦4 to dummy's ace and run the queen, jack, ten and nine. That's six diamond tricks whatever the split, and eleven in all.

Wrong: lead the ♦4 to the ace first. When dummy leads the queen next, you have to play your king and win in hand. Dummy's J 10 9 are stranded. Two diamond tricks, seven in all: two down.

Overtaking when you have to

Declarer (South): ♠ Q Dummy (North): ♠ A K J 10 9 (no outside entry)

Lead the ♠Q and overtake with the ace. Dummy's K J 10 9 are then all winners: five tricks. If you let the queen win, you are stuck in hand and dummy's spades never score. Overtaking "wastes" your queen, but it is the only way to make the suit.

Four common mistakes

• Winning the first round in the long hand.

• Keeping a high card in the short hand out of habit.

• Not checking whether the long hand has an outside entry before starting the suit.

• Relying on an outside entry that the defenders can knock out first.

When the rule does not apply

Sometimes you keep an honour in the short hand on purpose because you need it later as an entry, for example to take a finesse in another suit. That only works if the long hand has a separate way back. If the long hand has a sure outside entry, the order matters less. Always count your entries and plan the whole hand before touching the suit. On defence, the same idea applies when partner leads a long suit: see "How to Unblock Honours for Partner".

Key takeaways

• Play high cards from the short hand first.

• The lead should end in the hand with length.

• Overtake when the short hand has a lone honour and the long hand has no entry.

• Count entries before you play the suit.