Crashing Honors

The action of crashing honors, and the execution thereof, is a deceptive play of a suit by the declarer, which results in the defense wasting two high honors on one trick. The high honors do not include the 10 of any suit.

Mr. Jeff Rubens, experienced bridge player and theorist, described this action in The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, published by the American Contract Bridge League, Third Edition, page 82. This particular article follows in its entirety owing to the essential and important psychology of deception, which is generally not applied at the bridge table. Mr. Ely Culbertson, the early campaigner and promoter of the game of bridge, uttered famous words when asked which conventional methods he prefers. He answered that he seldom plays conventional methods, but rather the bridge player.

Within this statement lies the hidden truth that the study of behavior, behavioral characteristics, and even body language is essential at the bridge table as opposed to employing only learned card combinations, learned conventional methods, learned play technique, and applying percentages. In this regard experienced bridge players, who play often, seek clues by observing attitude, facial expressions, body movements in order to execute a deceptive play, to execute the action known as false carding.

Some bridge players and authors refer to this action as a phenomenon, or exceptional, or even unusual in technique, but it is rather, and better described, as mental awareness, presence at the table, deducing or determining by deduction, inferring from a general and/or perhaps specific principle of behavior and expectancy. All text quoted, preserved, and archived on this site for future reference and for the benefit of the reader.

The deceptive play of a suit by declarer resulting in the defense wasting two high honors on one trick

The most common situation in which the declarer can crash honors occurs when the declarer holds concealed length in his hand. The lead of an honor from dummy may cause second hand to cover with an honor, crashing still a third honor in the other defender's hand. For example

	North 9876
West K4		East A
	South Q109762

If the Jack of Spades is led from dummy (NOrth), East may play the King in the hope that West holds 10-x, 10-9, or 10-x-x of Spades

Declarer may also crash honors with a lead from his own hand toward the dummy. This play is most likely to work if dummy is apparently (or actually) short of entries, as the defenders may believe declarer did not have the option of taking a finesse. Thus:

	North J853
West A		East K4
	South QJ10532

With dummy (North) barren of entries, South leads the Queen of Hearts. If West believes declarer is trying to avoid a loser in the suit by leading the Queen from
Ace-Queen-Jack, he may play the King.

More subtle examples of crashing honors can be found in holdings, in which the declarer is missing several top cards. The choice of card to lead might not seem too important in this suit:

	North J853
	South 109764

If possible, declarer (South) should start the Diamond suit be leading the Jack from dummy. East may play the Ace from A-Q-2, or may split honors from K-Q-2.

Sometimes it helps declarer's plan if the defenders know about his length in a suit. In the example below, South has indicated a six-card Club suit.

	North J8
West Q53		East AK
	South 1097642

South leads the two of Clubs toward dummy's Jack. As he would make the same play with A-K-7-6-4-2 of Clubs in his hand, West is faced with a guess. If West takes the wrong view, the defense will crash honors in Clubs.

In a slightly different sense, declarer may sometimes crash a single honor by making it fall on a trick with low cards, so it will not interfere with the trick-taking potential of declarer's honor cards.

	North
West A5		East J109
	South KQ876432

South, who has opened with four Spades, can afford to lose only one Spade trick. His only chance is to lead the Queen of Spades from the closed hand. West may suspect that South has an even longer suit than he actually holds (or may make a mistake), and so play low. South can now crash the Ace of Spades with one of East's minor honors by leading a low Spade, preserving his King for the third round of the suit.

J. R. (Mr. Jeff Rubens)

In the game of bridge the element of strategy enters often into the picture during the play period. The reader, however, should be aware not only of the designations crashing honors and deceptive play, but also of their more technical and singular definitions. Technically the designation crashing honors is a deceptive play of a suit by the declarer, which results in the defense wasting two high honors on one trick. The high honors do not include the 10 of any suit.

In contrast with this the designation deceptive play generally describes any action in play, that aims to mislead, bluff, fake out, and misguide an opponent. At the bridge table the declarer has two opponents and both defenders normally have one opponent. However, if one defender perceives or somehow becomes aware that a deceptive play can influence the outcome, preferably in one's favor, then the defender will employ this action without the full knowledge of partner.

The fact must also be made that several discriminating, differentiating, and distinguishing bridge theorists in previous evolutionary stages of the game of bridge determined that the designation should refer only to plays by the declarer, not the defenders. As the game of bridge evolved to its present level most written or online publications, if the feature is at all addressed, include the feature of crashing honors play as part of their description about deceptive plays, but not vice versa.

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