When you are defending a contract and your partner leads a suit, the “3rd Hand High” adage generally applies when you are playing to the trick (i.e. not encouraging or discouraging with an attitude signal). The suit layout below illustrates this principle. If West leads the 3, East must play the King, 3rd hand high, to prevent declarer from winning 2 tricks in the suit.
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987 |
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QT432 |
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K65 |
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AJ |
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There are many exceptions to 3rd hand high. A common exception is when you need to finesse against the 2nd hand. When West leads the 2 in the suit combination below, A 2nd hand high play would allow North-South to win 2 tricks. East must play the 10, finessing the Queen when West holds the Jack. This limits declarer to one trick in the suit.
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Q54 |
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J932 |
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KT6 |
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A87 |
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Don’t play 3rd hand high when it squanders an honor. In the suit combination below, West leads the Queen, top of a doubleton in a suit you bid. If East plays the Ace, 3rd hand high, East-West will win just 1 trick in the suit. Playing low allows East-West to win 2 tricks in the suit.
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765 |
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Q2 |
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AJ43 |
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KT98 |
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Don’t play 3rd hand high when it has no upside. West’s opening lead against a suit contract is the 9 in a side suit. West wouldn’t under lead an Ace against a suit contract. So East infers declarer has the Ace. There is no upside to playing the King. In the suit combination below, East should play low to avoid setting up North’s spades as winners.
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QJT8 |
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92 |
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K7654 |
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A3 |
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When your partners leads top of a side suit doubleton against a suit contract and you have the Ace and no outside entry, don’t play 3rd hand high. Save the Ace to use an entry to give partner a ruff.
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KJ98 |
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92 |
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A543 |
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QT7 |
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Don’t play 3rd hand high when it creates an entry to dummy and would make a hold-up play ineffective. Playing the Queen creates a club entry in dummy and make 3NT even if East holds up their ♦Ace.
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♠753 |
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♠Q62 |
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♠T984 |
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♠AKJ |
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