Play basics. With 9 cards play for the Q to drop
When the Queen is missing: finesse when you have 8-cards, but with 9-cards you should play for the drop.
The reason is that when the opposition have 4-cards, it is slightly more likely that they will have Qx on either side, rather than Qxx on the "right" side.
Exceptions: You can often deduce both the position of the missing queen, and the distribution
- the bidding shows the 4 cards split Qxx, with Q on the wrong side ('offside)'
- a takeout double shows shortage in one suit, placing the Q in the other hand
- a takeout double shows at least 3-cards in the other suits
- the high bidding shows the opponents have a distributional hand, which allows you to work out that a 3-1 split is more likely
- the play, so far, plus the bidding, shows that the vital queen must be in a certain place
- the opponent point count and cards already played shows the Q is in the wrong place
- a 2-suited overcall shows two short suits, placing the queens in the other hand
When finessing, play the Ace first to strip out a "bare" queen.
With 11 cards, play for the King to drop
When the King is missing: finesse when you have 10-cards or fewer, but with 11-cards you should play for the drop.
The reason is that when the opposition have 2-cards, it is slightly more likely that they will have a bare King on one side, rather than Kx on the "right" side.
Exceptions: As above when finessing the Queen, you can often deduce both the position of the missing King, and the distribution
