False Card

A defensive or offensive maneuver of playing a card which one would not normally play in order to mislead declarer/defender in the hopes of defeating the contract or gaining an additional trick.   Many books have been written on this topic.

Some false cards are mandatory plays in a suit:

                    J93

     752                    QT

                   AK864

In this layout South plays the Ace.  East must false card with the Queen to stand any chance of making a trick.  If South plays this as a true card he will play West for T752 and finesse the 9 on the next round.

                AQ95

2                            KT83

               J764

South leads low the Queen, and East must play the 8.  South may decide that East started with doubleton 10-8 and return to hand in another suit and lead the Jack, creating an extra trick for East.

Some dramatic results can occur when a trick is won with an unnecessarily high card:

                      KJT52

                      54

                      QJ752

                      K7

842                             AQ6

J876                           KT932

T9                               6

QJT9                          432

                     97

                     AQ

                     AK843

                     A865

South plays in 5 on the Queen lead.  Trumps are drawn and a low spade goes to the J.  If West timidly wins the Queen and returns a heart, South will be forced to finesse.  But East wins the Ace!  Now South will reject the heart finesse and may take another spade finesse. This loses to the Queen and East can cash the King for the setting trick!

Declarer may also gain from a false card:

                   532

                   J76

                   QJT954

                   A

K8764                          JT

KQ3                             A9854

K2                                63

872                              6543

                  AQ5

                  T2

                  A87

                  KQJT9

West leads the 6 in South's 3NT contract.  East plays the 10 and south wins the Ace !!!!  A club to dummy and a diamond finesse loses to West's King.  So West plays a low spade to his partners known QJ !!!!  Had declarer not won the first trick with the Ace, west, staring at all those diamond tricks in dummy would likely switch to the King.

Compiled by Lorne Russell 2005