Bridge Card Play on Defense


Prerequisites: How To Play Bridge beginners lessons and Acol or Standard American Bidding lessons.

NOTE: The lessons below are short extracts from our full-featured interactive lessons in our members area. See the table below for details.

When you play Bridge you spend 50% of your time as the defense, trying to score points for you side by reducing the amount of tricks the declarer can make. The purpose of these lessons is to help you and your partner win as many tricks as you can possibly even taking the contract light!


Beginner Defensive Card Play Lessons
1A. Opening leads
1B. The rule of Eleven
1C. Which suit?
1D. Which Card?
1E. Attacking Leads
1F. No Trump Opening Leads
2A. High-Low and Low-High Count Signals
2B. Counting as you play
2C. Counting Cards

Intermediate Defensive Card Play Lessons
3A. Attitude Signals
3B. Lavinthal Discards
3C. Suit Preference Signal
3D. Odd – Even Roman Discard System
3E. Revolving discard system
4A. Rules for the second player to a trick
4B. The rule for third player to a trick
4C. On defense leading to a new trick
4D. Returning partners opening lead