Safety play
Encyclopedia
Safety play in contract bridge
is a generic name for plays in which declarer maximizes the chances for fulfilling the contract (or achieving a certain score) by ignoring a chance for a higher score. Declarer uses safety plays to cope with potentially unfavorable layouts of the opponent's cards. In so doing, declarer attempts to ensure the contract even in worst-case scenarios, by giving up the possibility of overtricks.
Safety plays adapt declarer's strategy to the scoring system. In IMP-scoring tournaments and rubber bridge
, the primary concern is to fulfill the contract, because overtricks are of secondary interest. Therefore, safety plays are an important part of declarer technique at quantitative scoring.
In matchpoint games, which use comparative scoring, overtricks are very important. Therefore, although safety plays have a certain role at matchpoints, they are normally avoided if the odds for making the contract are good and overtricks are likely.
glossary defines safety play as "the surest line to make the contract, disregarding extra tricks that might be made in some other way." Marshall Miles
has defined it as "playing in such a way as to lose a trick with average breaks in order to avoid losing additional tricks with bad breaks."
Conflating discussions from various sources yields the following points, each descriptive of safety play characteristics:
South plays 6NT against the lead of the 10. Dummy's K wins, and the A and K are played. East discards a small spade on the second club trick.
This particular hand is one of a relatively small group of (non-trivial) deals in which perfect safety is available after the third trick. Single-dummy, using a safety play in diamonds, it is possible to guarantee the contract against any remaining distribution and play of the E-W cards.
South started by expecting to win five clubs, one or two diamonds, four hearts and two spades, but the 4-1 split in clubs complicates matters. Still, a safety play in diamonds will bring in twelve tricks.
It's just coincidence, but the proper diamond play on this hand is the same as the percentage play with this diamond holding, considering the suit in isolation. The best play for three diamond tricks is to play the A, and then lead toward either the Q or the J. This play brings in three diamond tricks 73% of the time.
Using that play on this deal brings in twelve tricks 100% of the time. Cash the A, and lead small toward the Q. Then:
Note that South gives up the 14% chance of four diamond tricks (finessing the J and then cashing the A, hoping for the K onside and doubleton) in exchange for insuring the contract against any diamond break. If South begins the diamonds by finessing the J, the contract fails against king-fourth in the East hand.
Suppose that, at pairs, declarer is in a standard contract, one that the majority of the field will surely reach. However, the defense makes an unorthodox opening lead, presenting declarer with a possible overtrick. There may now be a way, unavailable to other declarers, that will guarantee the contract while retaining good chances for the overtrick.
Or declarer might be in an unusually good contract. Hugh Kelsey
gives this example:
The bidding goes 1 — 2; Pass, and West leads the K and continues with the 10.
South is in an unusually good matchpoint contract. Most players will open the South hand with 1NT rather than 1. And it is very difficult to reach a heart contract if South opens 1NT or 1: either way, North signs off in diamonds.
In any case, 2 is both an exceptionally good matchpoint contract and difficult to reach. Assuming reasonably competent defense, plus 130 is the limit playing in diamonds, and plus 120 in notrump contracts.
But there's an easy way to score plus 140 in 2: take a safety play in hearts by ducking the first round. This gives up the chance of plus 170 (if hearts break 3-3) in exchange for the best chance of plus 140 (if hearts break either 4-2 or 3-3). Note that playing hearts from the top leads to defeat if hearts are 4-2, the most likely split.
South declares 3NT and gets the lead of the Q. After winning the A, declarer leads the 2 and East plays a small spade. The play of the 9 now assures the contract.
If West wins the trick he cannot play another heart without giving the ninth trick to declarer and the tempo to develop more in spades. West therefore switches to a diamond and South wins in hand. South overtakes the K with the A – the key play on this hand – and the A assures an entry to two more spade tricks. If spades are played from top the hand might not make if East holds Q J x x and both minor suit
s fail to break.
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
is a generic name for plays in which declarer maximizes the chances for fulfilling the contract (or achieving a certain score) by ignoring a chance for a higher score. Declarer uses safety plays to cope with potentially unfavorable layouts of the opponent's cards. In so doing, declarer attempts to ensure the contract even in worst-case scenarios, by giving up the possibility of overtricks.
Safety plays adapt declarer's strategy to the scoring system. In IMP-scoring tournaments and rubber bridge
Rubber bridge
Rubber bridge is a form of contract bridge and is played with four players. It is most often played for fun but is also played seriously for money...
, the primary concern is to fulfill the contract, because overtricks are of secondary interest. Therefore, safety plays are an important part of declarer technique at quantitative scoring.
In matchpoint games, which use comparative scoring, overtricks are very important. Therefore, although safety plays have a certain role at matchpoints, they are normally avoided if the odds for making the contract are good and overtricks are likely.
Definition
The term safety play is difficult to define crisply. The Bridge WorldThe Bridge World
The Bridge World , the oldest continuously published magazine about contract bridge, was founded in 1929 by Ely Culbertson. It has since been regarded as the game's principal journal, publicizing technical advances in bidding and the play of the cards, discussions of ethical issues, bridge politics...
glossary defines safety play as "the surest line to make the contract, disregarding extra tricks that might be made in some other way." Marshall Miles
Marshall Miles
Marshall Lauren Miles is an American bridge player and author.-Bridge career:Miles' crowning achievement was winning the World Senior Teams Olympiad in Istanbul in 2004...
has defined it as "playing in such a way as to lose a trick with average breaks in order to avoid losing additional tricks with bad breaks."
Conflating discussions from various sources yields the following points, each descriptive of safety play characteristics:
- A safety play is made in a single suit. In the context of that suit, it can often be described using other terms that might or might not pertain to the full deal, such as avoidance playAvoidance playIn contract bridge, avoidance play is a play technique whereby declarer prevents a particular defender from winning the trick, so as to eschew a dangerous lead from that hand. The dangerous hand is usually the one who is able to finesse through declarer's honors, to give a ruff to the partner or to...
, percentage playPercentage playPercentage play in contract bridge is a play influenced by mathematical factors when more than one reasonable line of play is available. It is a generic name for plays in which declarer maximizes the chances for obtaining a certain number of tricks or the maximum number of tricks when considering...
, coupCoup (bridge)In contract bridge, coup is a generic name for various techniques in play, denoting a specific pattern in the lie and the play of cards; it is a special play maneuver by declarer.There are various types of coup which can be effected.- Pure Coups :...
or duckDuck (bridge)In the card game of contract bridge, to duck means to play low to a trick to which one has lead, losing it intentionally in order to set up a suit or to preserve a control or entry. While mechanically identical, a duck is a manoeuver in one's own suit, while a hold up is in a suit played by the...
.
- A safety play, although made in a single suit, is intended to maximize declarer's chances to make the contract.
- A safety play usually gives up the opportunity to win as many tricks as possible in a particular suit in order to gain an advantage on the full deal. It therefore is sometimes compared to an insurance premium.
Examples
Safety plays have a role at both comparative scoring and quantitative scoring, although they are used more often at quantitative scoring because they tend to give up on overtricks.Safety play at IMPs
This hand is from a team of four game:South plays 6NT against the lead of the 10. Dummy's K wins, and the A and K are played. East discards a small spade on the second club trick.
This particular hand is one of a relatively small group of (non-trivial) deals in which perfect safety is available after the third trick. Single-dummy, using a safety play in diamonds, it is possible to guarantee the contract against any remaining distribution and play of the E-W cards.
South started by expecting to win five clubs, one or two diamonds, four hearts and two spades, but the 4-1 split in clubs complicates matters. Still, a safety play in diamonds will bring in twelve tricks.
It's just coincidence, but the proper diamond play on this hand is the same as the percentage play with this diamond holding, considering the suit in isolation. The best play for three diamond tricks is to play the A, and then lead toward either the Q or the J. This play brings in three diamond tricks 73% of the time.
Using that play on this deal brings in twelve tricks 100% of the time. Cash the A, and lead small toward the Q. Then:
- If diamonds are 3-2, South will always win three clubs, three diamonds, four hearts and two spades.
- If diamonds are 4-1 and West has the singleton, East cannot play the K on the second lead without setting up both the Q and the J. If East plays low and West shows out, concede a club and take four clubs, two diamonds, four hearts and two spades. The same play works if East began with five diamonds.
- If diamonds are 4-1 and East has the singleton, West can capture the Q with the K. But in that case West is known to hold four cards in each minor, and on the run of the major suits will be squeezed out of his guard in either diamonds or clubs. In with the K, West can attack dummy's entry in diamonds or in clubs, but not both. The same play works if West began with five diamonds.
Note that South gives up the 14% chance of four diamond tricks (finessing the J and then cashing the A, hoping for the K onside and doubleton) in exchange for insuring the contract against any diamond break. If South begins the diamonds by finessing the J, the contract fails against king-fourth in the East hand.
Safety play at matchpoints
Safety play usually involves giving up the chance of the maximum result in exchange for the best chance of making the contract. So one seldom sees safety plays made at matchpoints or board-a-match. But even at those forms of scoring, there can be good reasons to make safety plays.Suppose that, at pairs, declarer is in a standard contract, one that the majority of the field will surely reach. However, the defense makes an unorthodox opening lead, presenting declarer with a possible overtrick. There may now be a way, unavailable to other declarers, that will guarantee the contract while retaining good chances for the overtrick.
Or declarer might be in an unusually good contract. Hugh Kelsey
Hugh Kelsey
Hugh Walter Kelsey was a bridge player and writer. He won the Gold Cup, the most prestigious British competition, twice, in 1969 and 1980. He represented Scotland twelve times in the Camrose Trophy, played between the constituent countries of the British Isles...
gives this example:
The bidding goes 1 — 2; Pass, and West leads the K and continues with the 10.
South is in an unusually good matchpoint contract. Most players will open the South hand with 1NT rather than 1. And it is very difficult to reach a heart contract if South opens 1NT or 1: either way, North signs off in diamonds.
In any case, 2 is both an exceptionally good matchpoint contract and difficult to reach. Assuming reasonably competent defense, plus 130 is the limit playing in diamonds, and plus 120 in notrump contracts.
But there's an easy way to score plus 140 in 2: take a safety play in hearts by ducking the first round. This gives up the chance of plus 170 (if hearts break 3-3) in exchange for the best chance of plus 140 (if hearts break either 4-2 or 3-3). Note that playing hearts from the top leads to defeat if hearts are 4-2, the most likely split.
Safety play at notrump
Safety plays, of course, are not limited to trump contracts. Here is an example of a safety play at notrump.South declares 3NT and gets the lead of the Q. After winning the A, declarer leads the 2 and East plays a small spade. The play of the 9 now assures the contract.
If West wins the trick he cannot play another heart without giving the ninth trick to declarer and the tempo to develop more in spades. West therefore switches to a diamond and South wins in hand. South overtakes the K with the A – the key play on this hand – and the A assures an entry to two more spade tricks. If spades are played from top the hand might not make if East holds Q J x x and both minor suit
Minor suit
In contract bridge the minor suits are diamonds and clubs . They are given that name because contracts made in those suits score less than contracts made in the major suits , and they rank lower in bidding. In particular, one can make game with a bid of 4 in a major suit, while a bid of 5 is...
s fail to break.
See also
- Scoring and tactics in duplicate bridge
- Loser on loserLoser on loserLoser on loser play is a type of declarer's play in contract bridge, usually in trump contracts, where the declarer discards a loser card on an opponent's winner, instead of ruffing....
- Hold up
- Avoidance playAvoidance playIn contract bridge, avoidance play is a play technique whereby declarer prevents a particular defender from winning the trick, so as to eschew a dangerous lead from that hand. The dangerous hand is usually the one who is able to finesse through declarer's honors, to give a ruff to the partner or to...
- Suit combinationsSuit combinationsIn the partnership card game contract bridge, a suit combination is the holdings of one suit in declarer's and dummy's hands. The holdings in two opposing hands are unknown; one suit combination covers all possible lies of the remaining cards in those two closed hands. A bridge deal diagram usually...
- Belladonna coupBelladonna coupThe Belladonna coup is the play of a low card away from an accompanying high card, giving the opponents the impossible choice between setting up a winner for declarer and abandoning an attack on another suit....