Endplay

When a defender is placed on lead (Thrown In) at a point in time during the play when anything he is able to return will create an extra trick for declarer, the defender is said to be End Played.  This normally happens towards the end of the play of the hand, but can happen much earlier, and may on occasion happen more than once on the same hand:

                                            W      N        E     S

                    KJ543                                       1

                    876                X      2      P      4

                    Q2                         (all pass)

                    T82

2                                     Q6

K943                              JT2

KJ863                            T975

KQ5                               7643

                  AT987

                  AQ5

                  A4

                  AJ9

West leads the 2. Declarer draws a 2nd round of trumps and runs the 10 to West's Queen who is now end played.   Forced to give up a trick on the return, West selects a heart. Dummy wins the Queen, heart to the Ace, and exit a heart to East's Jack.  Whichever minor East plays, South wins the Ace and exits that minor End playing West, gaining yet another trick.  So Declarers 5 losers have been reduced to 3, because of 2 Endplays.

To learn more about endplays refer to Clyde Love's classic Bridge Squeezes Complete , now available in a fully interactive computer program.

Compiled by Lorne Russell 2005