While I'm a firm believer in the defensive mantra that 'aces are made to capture kings and queens, knowing when to use one of those prime cards to win a trick while capturing a monarch can be just as important.
As declarer, you should absolutely love it when the opponents tell you they play "jack denies a higher honor and 10 or 9 promises zero or two higher" as their opening lead convention.
A sure indication a declarer can have that he is up against top-class opponents is that his attempts to force out their high cards early will meet with failure. Most defenders recognise the advantage of...
