Spades Strategy: Offering a Trump Promotion

Now that we know the situations in which we should ask partner for a trump promotion, it's time to see things from the other side of the table and respond to a trump promotion request from our partner.

Partner has led the 13th club, asking us for a trump promotion.

We should be more obligated to comply when our spade holding will not take a natural trick. Our J♠ would easily lose to the A♠, K♠, and Q♠.

Because our J♠ is not going to win a natural trick, it is best used to try and promote our partner's spade holding by forcing out a higher honor from the opponents.

Now that the A♠ is out of the way, partner's Q♠ (or 9♠) should be worth a trick despite being only a two card suit.

And we have gained a trick we normally would not have.

We should also be more inclined to comply with partner's request when we have a natural spade trick, but it has a supporting honor such as KQ♠, QJx♠, or JTxx♠.

Once again, partner leads the 13th club, and we have a natural spade trick with the QJ4♠.

We can compete for this trick because it once again likely won't cost us much.

Partner will either have one of the missing honors, or West will be forced to lead to our still natural spade trick if it gets overtaken.

And it turns out our side always had 2 spade tricks, regardless of our choice.

We should be reluctant to offer a promotion when we have a natural spade trick, but it is unsupported - holdings such as Kx♠, Qxx♠, or Jxxx♠.

Partner leads the 13th club again, but it would be harmful to offer a promotion from our spade suit that will already win a trick.

With the A♠ and Q♠ gone, partner's J♠ is normally worth a trick being the second best spade left in a three card suit.

But we have given the opponents a finessing situation.

If partner covers West's spade, East will win the King and our team's spade trick has vanished.

And the opponents have only winning spades left.

Alternatively, if partner plays low to West's spade, East would be wise to let his partner's T♠ ride, only overtaking if the J♠ is played.

And the opponents have cleverly set us.

Going back to before when partner originally requests a trump promotion from us...

Our best choice would be to discard a loser, and have partner's inadequately guarded honor sit across from ours.

And now there is no finessing position. The opponents must concede a spade trick to either our Q♠ or partner's J♠.

The last situation we should often cooperate with partner is when partner has a very large bid. With such a huge bid, partner surely has an impressive spade suit.

Partner leads the 13th diamond, begging for us to break open spades as high as possible and leading the suit, promoting his spades in the process.

Notice how if we do not comply, the opponents will win an undeserved trick and make their bid.

Going back to when partner requested us to trump high...

Partner will surely be relieved to see the K♠, and even if we are overruffed, partner would surely love to have the A♠ and K♠ knocked out.

And after winning, we lead spades to give partner control of the hand.

And partner will be able to claim the remainder after pulling the remaining spades.

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