Thursday, February 10, 2005 9:42 AM
Rule of 11
PITBULLS:
The rule of 11 should be an automatic
reflex as either declarer or defender. Playing with a
tormentee , I lead the heart 7 against Susan in 3NT . The board had Q1082 of
hearts and partner held K53 . Susan played low on the heart so what is your
play ? Subtract from 11 and if my card is an “honest” 4th best it should win the trick ! 4th
best would be AJ97 . If it is not 4th best, you are just helping
declarer by playing the King. Declarer has AJx or maybe AJ frozen if I was
leading from a 4 card heart suit to the nothing 7642 for example. Playing a small heart is a discovery play and
makes declarer use entries to pick up your King. The board was AQxx Q1082 xx Jxx on a 1NT – 3NT auction.
What if Susan had Kx of spades ? She would have to play them to get to the
board and finesse twice to pick up the heart King. Then she can not get back to
the board for the 4th heart !! Do not make it easy for declarers !!
The rule of 11 meshes with patterns to plan your defense .
Playing
with Leslie I led the diamond 7 against 3NT and the board came down with Q109 and Leslie had K832 of diamonds . Leslie subtracted from
11 and knew it could not
be 4th best so she ducked and the jack won in declarers hand . I got
in again and continued the diamond 6 and Leslie ducked again and this time the
diamond Ace won ! I got in again and led a diamond and Leslie won her King and
we cashed 2 diamonds to defeat 3NT for a top board. I lead the diamond 7 from
7654 as I did not want to show an honour. If Leslie had played “3rd tormentee high” it would
have been a disaster.
The following is an article on the rule of 11 from the Internet.
“Ever
since Bridge became a popular game, players have been trying to come up with
new ideas to improve the game. Some have succeeded and some have not succeeded
very well. The bridge community is quite selective and sometimes a new idea
takes a long time before becoming accepted.
This is
especially true if the new idea is based on
mathematics. Anyone who can count up to 13 can play bridge. There
are 13 cards in every suit and once they are gone, there are no more to be
played.
Here is
another mathematical calculation, equation, formula. Its application becomes
active, only when you are absolutely sure that the lead is the fourth down from
the suit lead. Once you have ascertained this possibility, then you start applying patterns.
This
formula was devised by someone who was actually playing Whist at the time, Mr. Robert Frederick Foster in 1890, and also
by Mr. E.M.F. Benecke of Oxford
around the same time. Mr. Robert Foster established his reputation with his
publication of the book Foster's Complete
Hoyle, 1897, and a copy of which was embedded into the time capsule
at the 1939 New York World's Fair. However, his Rule of Eleven was published in
his writing of the Whist Manual.
Their
Rule of Eleven states that you subtract the number of the card lead from the
number 11, and then the result is the number of cards HIGHER contained in the
hands of the Partner of the Leader and the Declarer and the Dummy. This
information is useful not only to the declarer, but also to the Partner of the
Leader, who can apply the same mathematical calculation. This information can
be useful in deciding to play which card, either from the hand of the Partner
of the Leader, or the hand of the declarer or from dummy.
Declarer: South
Contract: 3 No Trump
Vulnerability: None
Lead: 6 of Diamonds
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According
to the Rule of Eleven, the Partner of the Leader subtracts 6 from 11 and the
result is 5. There are 5 cards HIGHER than
the 6 of Diamonds in the hands of the Dummy, Declarer and the Partner of the
Leader. Likewise, the Declarer subtracts the number 6 from 11 and the result is
5 cards HIGHER than the 6 of
Diamonds in the hands of the Dummy, of the Declarer, and of the Partner of the
Leader.
The
Partner of the Leader looks at Dummy and his hand, and counts 3 cards HIGHER than the 6 of Diamonds. The Partner
of the Leader has 1 card HIGHER
than the 6 of Diamonds. The Partner of the Leader is not happy about the lead.
Declarer
looks at Dummy and his hand, and counts 4 cards HIGHER than the 6 of Diamonds. Declarer has 4 cards HIGHER than the 6 of Diamonds. Declarer is
happy about the lead.
Declarer: South
Contract: 3 No Trump
Vulnerability: None
Lead: 7 of Spades
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Declarer
sees the 7 of Spades, and assumes it is the fourth down from the longest and strongest
suit. Declarer subtracts 7 from 11 and counts 4 HIGHER cards than the 7 of Spades. Declarer counts only 1 card
in his hand and Dummy HIGHER than
the 7 of Spades. This spells trouble for the Declarer.
The
Partner of the Leader also assumes that the 7 of Spades is fourth down from the
longest and strongest suit of his Partner. East also arrives at 4 cards HIGHER than the 7 of Spades. East can see
all of these 4 cards: King of Spades in the Dummy, Ace-10-9 in his own hand. If
Declarer calls for the King of Spades, East plays the Ace of Spades and returns
a Spade. With this lead, East-West win 4 Spade tricks and the setting trick is
the Ace of Clubs.
If
Declarer decides to play low on the first trick, East lets the 7 of Spades
ride, because he knows that there is no HIGHER
Spade than the 7 of Spades in the hand of the Declarer. West continues to play
the 8 of Spades, and Declarer plays low, as does East. There is no way that
Declarer will take one Spade trick. East-West set the Contract by applying the Rule
of Eleven.
The
Rule of Eleven has a lot of merit and can be used effectively. Each partner
must be attuned to recognize when it is appropriate to use it, or even to
consider it. The Rule of Eleven has its most application against a No Trump
contract since it is generally accepted that the Leader plays the fourth card
down from his longest and strongest suit. If you wish to make this a part of
your Partnership Agreement, then practice this Rule of Eleven beforehand with
your partner and see how it works and recognize when it is best used.