Tarneeb strategy

Bid low

A made contract scores every trick you take, so a bid of seven that becomes ten tricks scores just as much as a bid of ten. One trick too many in the bid, though, costs the whole bid. Bid what you are sure of, not what you hope for.

Only outbid the other side when their contract would cost you more than a risky one of your own.

Count on your partner for two or three

You do not know your partner's hand, but on average it is worth two or three tricks. Count your own sure tricks — aces, kings with support, the length of your best suit — and add that much, not more.

If your partner bid before you, they have shown a good hand; raising them is a statement that you add more than the average.

Choose trumps by length

Name the suit you hold most of, not the one with the highest cards. Six spades to the queen make a better tarneeb than the ace and king of hearts alone, because a long suit is one the others are short in.

As declarer, lead trumps early to draw the opponents' trumps, then cash your long suit and your aces.

Defend to break the contract

With the usual scoring the defenders score nothing unless the contract fails, so every trick has the same purpose: get one more than the declarer can afford. If they bid nine, you need five.

Lead the suits the declaring side is short in and keep your aces for their long suit.

Keep thirteen for when it is certain

A made bid of thirteen wins the game outright, and a failed one loses thirteen. Bid it only with a hand that cannot lose a trick, which happens about once in a long evening.

Near the target, though, remember that a small made contract may be enough: count what you need rather than what you could take.