SpadeHeart  DiamondClub
Release 2.19p
0 0 0 0 0 0
Pages viewed in 2024
Contact us

New players welcome.

Please Contact Us

Discards

The purpose of a discard system is to try and ‘pass information’ to your partner on where you may hold values useful in defence.  Note it is not an instruction for partner to lead the suit, it is information, rely on partner to determine if switching to the suit offers the best line of defence.  Most of the time partner will make the right choice, but when they get it wrong do not berate them (unless you are looking for a new partner!).

Whichever, discard method you adopt please ensure you give the opponents a full explanation of the possible meanings of the discard.  When the opponents asked what system you play, it is polite to say something like ‘DODDS, do you want to know what the card could/should mean’?

Remember that declarer is allowed to know what the discard system is and could gain from the ‘information’.

Natural (or Attitude) Discards

In a natural (or attitude) discard system you throw a high card to encourage a suit and a low card to discourage it.  This method has the disadvantage that it is sometimes difficult to throw (waste) a high card.  Suit preference methods may provide some improvement over natural discards.

Lavinthal or McKenney Discards.

Lavinthal (after Hy Lavinthal the inventor) is a well known suit preference discard system also known in the UK as McKenney (after the publicist).  With this system you throw from a suit you have no interest in where the value of the card shows the ‘rank’ of the remaining side suit you like.  Note, it is usual to ignore the trump suit.

Assume you are in No Trumps and discarding on Spades, then you can show a suit as follows:

  • Clubs; throw a low Heart or a low Diamond.
  • Diamonds: throw a high Heart or a low Club.
  • Hearts; throw a high Club or a high Diamond.

The downsides of this method:

  • Difficult to show a ‘neutral’ or discouraging discard.
  • Playing a high side suit card may help declarer.
  • No way to encourage in the suit discarded.

Revolving Discards

A similar, and perhaps simpler, suit preference discard system based on the side suits forming a ‘ranked’ circle.  This time you throw a high card to show the higher (clockwise) suit, and a low card the lower suit.  Note, the circle usually ignores the suit on which you are discarding.

Discarding on Spades, the circle of suits is formed by Clubs-Diamonds-Hearts and you show a suit as follows:

  • Clubs; throw a low Diamond or high Heart.
  • Diamonds: throw a low Heart or a high Club.
  • Hearts; throw a low Club or a high Diamond.

This method has the same downsides as McKenney/Lavinthal.

Odd and Evens

This suit preference system is more complicated than both McKenney/Lavinthal and Revolving but has potentially more card selection options to show a suit.  An odd card shows a liking for the suit played and an even card shows suit preference for a side suit (low even card low suit, high even card high suit).  Assume you are in No Trumps and discarding on Spades:

  • Clubs; throw an odd Club, a low even Heart or a low even Diamond.
  • Diamond; throw an odd Diamond, a high even Club or low even Heart.
  • Heart; throw an odd Heart, a high even Club or a high even Diamond.

The downsides with this method are:

  • Difficult to show a ‘neutral’ or discouraging discard.
  • May not have the right odd/even card available.
  • Playing a high side suit card may help declarer.

DODDS

This suit preference system is popular in Wiltshire and similar to Odd/Even but with less card selection options; however, there is an ability to play a neutral card.  An even card is encouraging in the suit played and an odd card encouraging in the suit of the same colour.  Assume you are in No Trumps and discarding on Spades:

  • Clubs; throw an even Club (only option!).
  • Diamond; throw an even Diamond or odd Heart.
  • Heart; throw an even Heart or an odd Diamond.
  • Neutral; throw an odd Club (asks for Spades!).

No discard system is fool-proof and the downsides with this method are:

  • May not have the right odd/even card available.
  • Reduced options to show a suit with the same colour as the one you discard on.

An Alternative Approach

The problem with any discard system is that it also passes information to declarer, and this may help in the line of play.  An alternative approach is to discard from a suit(s) that the defender has no interest in partner leading, i.e. discards are in principle discouraging, and defenders are required to work out which other suit(s) their partner may hold defensive tricks in.  This method usually provides the defender with a wider choice of discard options to limit the potential information given to Declarer.