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Entries
What are entries and why do I need them?
Definition
When you lead a small card toward a winning card, you have gained entry to the hand with the winning card. It is a means of getting the lead in the hand of the winning card. Entries are the means of getting from one hand to the other.The Problem
In a heart contract and the spades in dummy are high,t you have no way of getting to dummy to use them. You will end up trapped in declarer's hand leading out your low diamonds for the opposition to win.North
West
East
South
The contract is 3H and South is Declarer
Example
On this hand South is declarer and hearts are trumps.The declarer has a good chance of winning 13 tricks on any lead if he remembers to guard entries.- a club is lead,
- win the AC in Declarer's hand
- play two rounds of trumps (not three because you need the 2 of trumps in dummy to enter Dummy
- lead the 3C which is ruffed in dummy - an entry play.
- lead the three top spades in Dummy discarding Declarer's losing low 7D, 6D, and 5D cards
- lead a low diamond from Dummy to Declarers high diamond cards (all the diamonds left in South's hand)
- lead out your last round of trumps dropping East's 7H
- the rest of the tricks are yours

This hand in 6 hearts makes 13 tricks if you do not draw all trumps but instead ruff a club in dummy to run all the high spades - see if you can do it.