Bridge Starter Pack 5
Declarer, dummy, defense: Who does what in Bridge?
1. Attack, defense, and new roles
At the end of the bidding phase, one partnership becomes the declaring side (two partners trying to make a certain number of tricks), and the other becomes the defending side (the two opponents trying to stop them).
The declaring side chooses the trump suit or decides to play in No-Trump.
The player who first named that trump suit (or No-Trump) during the bidding becomes the declarer: they are the one responsible for fulfilling the contract. Their partner also receives a special role, very different from that of the defenders.
2. The dummy and the opening lead: Beginning the play
The declarer’s partner becomes the dummy. After the opening lead – the first card played by the defender to the declarer’s left – the dummy lays all their cards face-up on the table, arranged by suit from highest to lowest, for everyone to see.
From that moment on, the dummy remains silent: they no longer decide which cards to play. The declarer plays both hands – choosing cards from their own hand and indicating which cards the dummy should play.
The two defenders keep their cards hidden and play normally, each for their side, following suit and trying to defeat the contract.
3. Planning a strategy to win
The detailed example in the video shows how card play brings together everything you’ve learned: managing the trumps, choosing which suit to play, accepting that defenders will sometimes win tricks, and building a plan of play to secure enough tricks.
Every deal requires a specific strategy, demanding the ability to think ahead in both space and time. But don’t worry—general principles, which you’ll discover step by step, will quickly help you avoid the most common pitfalls.
You now have the complete foundations of card play… ready to be connected with the bidding, which forms a true symbolic language between partners.
WBF Academy Quiz
1
Who becomes the declarer in a bridge deal?
A
The player who deals the cards
B
The player who wins the first trick
C
The first player of the declaring side who named the trump suit during the bidding
D
The player sitting North
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Attempts: 0
2
What does the dummy do after the opening lead?
A
Keeps their cards hidden from the defenders but visible to the declarer
B
Places all their cards face-up on the table and lets the declarer choose which cards to play
C
Continues playing their cards like a normal player
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Attempts: 0
3
Why might the declarer choose to play the trump suit?
A
To score more points per trick
B
To trick the defenders into discarding a good card
C
To draw the opponents’ trumps and prevent them from ruffing
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Attempts: 0