FORCING
To force is to make a player trump. This will, of course, reduce his trump strength and weaken his hand. It is as a rule good play to force the adversary’s strong trump hand. It will often prevent his exhausting the trumps, and hinder his bringing in an established suit.
The beginner hesitates to force the strong trump hand. He feels that he is wasting a high card and allowing the adversary to make a small trump, not realising that no card of this suit can make, unless the trumps are exhausted.
If no force be given to the strong hand, it is, ordinarily, an easy matter for the dealer to exhaust trumps and make a suit; unless there is unusual length in trumps, judicious forcing will do more than anything else to break down a strong trump hand.
Do not lead a suit with the intention of forcing the strong hand unless you hold the commanding card or can mark this card with your partner; you may give the dealer an opportunity to win the trick and to discard a worthless card.
You should hesitate to force when by doing so you establish the remaining cards of the suit for your opponent.
You should not attempt to force the strong hand when there is an established suit against you, particularly when it can be inferred that the dealer has all the high cards in the trump suit. At this time, make what you can in the remaining suit before you give up the lead.
It is wrong to force the weak hand. You lose one of your high cards, and the maker’s trumps are still intact. Do not continue a suit when it is shown that the weak hand can “ruff.”
In playing against the make, if you infer that your partner is weak in trumps and also short in a side suit, it is usually advisable to allow him to make small trumps by forcing him. This should always be done when a short suit has been led by your partner. His lead practically asks for the “ruff.”
If, however, your partner has doubled, be more careful about forcing him. By reducing his trump strength you may severely injure his hand.
It is bad play to lead a suit that both the dealer and the dummy can trump. It allows the dealer to trump in one hand and to discard a worthless card in the other.