Mighty

In my opinion, the friend role is not easy for players who lack experience with Mighty. You can avoid becoming the declarer, but you cannot avoid being a Friend at will - even if you want to. If you hold the Mighty, you have no choice but to become a Friend, and when you make a mistake, you will almost certainly hear complaints from the other players.

As a friend, the most difficult question is when to help the declarer. My approach is simple: when the declarer clearly needs help in a difficult situation, I help immediately by playing the Mighty card without hesitation. For example, if the declarer leads the opening trick with a low-rank card, the Friend should respond right away by playing the Mighty.

Similarly, if the declarer wins the opening trick and, on the second trick, leads with a low trump card, the Friend should help by playing the Mighty or Joker rather than discarding, even if there are no point cards on the table.

There are only a few exceptions: when the Friend holds the trump A, or the Friend is seated last in the play order and can win the trick with a low trump. Except for these cases, the Friend should use the Mighty to support the declarer when a trump is led. Playing the Friend role properly in this way often leads to good results for the team - and the Friend's score as well.

Occasionally, you may see a Friend who deliberately hides their role. Because there are no point cards on the table, or for dramatic effect, they suddenly reveal themselves later by saying, "Wait! I had the Mighty - I was your Friend!" Some players may enjoy this style of play, but I believe it should be avoided.

Hidden play by the Friend can easily be misunderstood as ignoring a declarer's signal for help. This disrupts the intended flow of the game, where the declarer takes the lead, and the Friend supports them. Remember: the Friend is a secondary role. Let the declarer control the game, and help immediately when the declarer asks for support.

After a Friend has helped by playing the Mighty or Joker, what should they do next? If the Friend holds any trump cards, they should generously lead a trump as soon as possible, in line with the declarer's intention to draw trumps from the defenders. 

For example, suppose diamonds are trump, and the Friend holds ◆K, ◆10, and ◆8. Which trump should they lead? In this situation, it is recommended to lead with the highest one -◆K. If the declarer holds ◆A and chooses not to play it, ◆K will still win the trick. Even if the declarer does not have ◆A, leading ◆K may force ◆A out of a defender's hand.

When the declarer selects Joker Friend or First Help Friend, the Friend's role is to lead with a trump suit. Although the Mighty is the strongest card, it cannot, by itself, draw out the defenders' trumps. By leading a trump as intended by the declarer, the Friend allows the declarer to use the Mighty effectively on that turn.

There are cases, however, where the Friend holds no trump cards at all. Unfortunately, there is little the Friend can do in this situation. The Friend should play another suit appropriately so that the declarer can play a Kan.

There is one important thing a Friend should consider before leading a trump. When a Friend wins a trick by using the Mighty or Joker, and they also hold a top card in another suit, it is often better to play that top card first. This is called "one assist."

Because a Friend does not often get the lead, one assist allows them to return the lead one with a top card and then lead a trump on the following trick. If there is a signal that the declarer does not hold the Joker, the Friend may also use a Jocall (if they hold ♣3) immediately.

However, caution is required in the following situations:

1. One assist by playing ♠K:
   This may trigger a Mighty attack if the declarer is holding the Mighty.

2. One assist by playing ♣A after the declarer has signaled that they do not have the Joker:
   This may accidentally draw out the Jocall if the declarer is holding ♣3.

3. Winning a trick without using the Mighty or Joker:
   In this case, it is better to lead a trump immediately. The Friend can still perform one assist later when they win a trick with Mighty or Joker.

4. Holding multiple top cards:
   One assist is possible if the top card is from a different suit than the one just played. However, leading the same suit consecutively carries the risk of being Kan.

After completing one assist, the Friend should lead a trump suit as soon as possible.

After helping the declarer and leading a trump suit, if there is nothing more to do, the Friend should discard point cards carefully at moments when the declarer is likely to win the trick. Ambiguous point cards from a suit, with only one remaining card, should be discarded first. (But, no-trump play, please refer to the basic no-trump strategy.)

If the details feel overwhelming, remember these two key points:

1. When the declarer leads a low trump, the Friend should help by playing the Mighty or the Joker. Even if there are no point cards on the table, the Friend should not withhold the Mighty when a trump is led.

2. When the Friend wins the lead and holds trumps, they should return a high-ranking trump whenever possible. If the Friend also holds a top card, consider playing one assist first.