Cross Ruffing

 

When embarking upon a cross-ruff Declarer's goal is to score his trumps separately by ruffing back and forth without drawing trumps.  Side-suit tricks are usually cashed early in the play.  The defensive counter to an impending cross-ruff is to lead trumps at every opportunity.

 

Related Play Problems        Play Problem 25

                                             Play Problem 34

                                             Play Problem 73

                                             Play Problem 157

                                             Play Problem 269

                                             Play Problem 272

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

 19

♠ T9832

8742

9

♣ J54

 

 

 

2nd March, 2011

QT63

AQ43

♣ K9832

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A54

AKJ95

J72

♣ Q7

 

Dlr     South
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ KQJ76

KT865

♣ AT6

West    North   East     South

                                    1♠

Dbl      4♠        5        5♠

Pass    Pass    Dbl      Pass

Pass    Pass

 

It’s often said the five-level belongs to the opponents, but in this case N-S have an excellent 5♠ save against their opponents’ vulnerable game.  South can escape for down two and -300 as follows:

            Heart ruff

            Lose to the J

            ♠A is cashed

            Spade won by Declarer

            Diamond ruff

            Finesse ♣T, losing to West’s King

Now Declarer has two Club winners, and can merrily cross-ruff away.  East can take his trump at some point, but four tricks are all that the defense can manage.

 

 

 22

♠ 432

KT65

KJ

♣ KJ86


 

 

7th April, 2010

♠ AKJ65

7

62

♣ AT943

          North

West             East

          South

♠ T87

A843

AQT753

 

 Dlr     East
 Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q9

QJ92

984

♣ Q752

West    North   East     South

                        1        Pass

1♠        Dbl      Rdbl    Pass

4♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

As it happens, there are 13 tricks available.  Let’s say that North finds the best opening lead of a low Heart, knocking out a Dummy entry.  Even so, Declarer can win Dummy’s A, finesse the ♠J, finesse the Diamond Queen, cross back on a Spade, draw the last trump, run the Diamonds and claim all the tricks.  But that is a dangerous way to play the hand and could result in defeat if the ♠Q and one of the Diamonds were offside.  A far safer line would be to cross-ruff as follows:

            Win the A

            Ruff a Heart

            Cash ♣A

            Finesse the Q

            Cash the A

            Ruff a Heart

            Ruff a Club

            Ruff a Heart

            Ruff a Club

            Ruff a Diamond (North pitches a Club)

Declarer has 10 tricks under his belt, with a high Spade still to come.  He now leads another Club and gets lucky when South turns out to have the missing Club and the ♠Q.  Making 12 tricks!

 

 

 5

♠ 3

A9

KQT742

♣ J954

 

 

 

3rd December, 2008

♠ J62

KT742

9865

♣ K

          North

West             East

         
South

♠ Q9874

865

AJ3

♣ A6

 

Dlr     North
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AKT5

QJ3

♣ QT8732

West    North   East     South

            1        1♠        2♣

2♠        3♣       Pass    5♣

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

We confess that we would have bid 3NT with the South hand but 5♣ is not unreasonable and it has the added benefit of being cold.

 

The Play in 3NT: If West leads a Spade (which seems most likely), then Declarer has an easy route to 9 tricks.  The killing lead is a Heart after which the defense gets the Hearts going before Declarer establishes the Clubs … that’s down two.

 

The Play in 5♣: This contract always makes when Declarer plays on cross-ruff lines.  For example:

            Spade lead to the Queen and Ace

            Q (trying to tempt a cover) to the Ace when West craftily plays low

            Diamond ruff

            Cash A♠ (pitching a Heart)

            Ruff a Spade (setting up Declarer’s Ten)

            Cash A

            Diamond ruff

Now Declarer leads the 10♠ and, whether or not West ruffs in with his King, Declarer can merrily scramble her way to 11 tricks.

 

 

 9

♠ T8763

T954

AKJ7

 

 

 

From 4th February, 2009

♠ K5

KQ63

8642

♣ T96

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 94

AJ8

T53

♣ KQ532

 

Dlr     North
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AQJ2

72

Q8

♣ AJ874

West    North   East     South

            Pass    Pass    1♣

Pass    1♠        Pass    2♠

Pass    3♠        Pass    4♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

If East leads a Heart against 4♠ then the defense has three obvious tricks.  But the Heart lead is far from appealing, and he’ll probably start out with the ♣K or a low Diamond.  It makes little difference, so let’s assume a Diamond lead.  How would you play the hand?  You could take the trump finesse, here’s what could happen:

-         If the finesse loses (45%) then it’s 10 tricks when the defense promptly cashes its Hearts.

-         If the ♠K is offside and 4-0 (5%) then there will be no finesse and Declarer will probably make 10 tricks.

-         If the finesse wins and the suit if 4-0 (5%) then it’s probably 10 tricks

-         If the finesse wins and the suit is 3-1 (19%) then it’s 11 tricks

-         If the finesse wins and the suit is 2-2 (20%) then it’s 12 tricks

 

Can these odds be improved by playing first on Diamonds, trying to get the Hearts away?  Indeed they can, especially if the opening Diamond lead suggests a 4-3 break in the suit.  If that is the case then four rounds of Diamonds are played, Declarer pitching two Hearts.  The defense will ruff the 4th Diamond in one hand or the other but now Declarer has 11 tricks by cross-ruffing (he won’t finesse the Spade), and 12 tricks under some circumstances (for example if East has 3 Diamonds and ♠Kx).  Definitely a better line!

 

 

 6

♠ AK87

K75

T6542

♣ 6

 

 

 

From 4th March, 2009

♠ QJ95

Q64

3

♣ K7532

          North

West             East

          South

♠ T84

J982

KQ8

♣ QJ8

 

 Dlr     East
 Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 32

AT3

AJ97

♣ AT94

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1

Pass    1♠        Pass    1NT

Pass    3        Pass    Pass

Pass

 

3NT and 5 both turn out to be reasonable contracts, each one requiring that Declarer hold her Diamond losers to just one.  What’s the percentage play in that suit?  The three ways to play this suit combination are:

-         Cash the Ace: Here the hope is that the suit is 2-2 or that someone has a singleton honor.  The chance of success (for one loser) is 66%.

-         Finesse, and if that loses, play the Ace on the second round: This wins when trumps are 2-2 or when East has KQ.  A 70% chance.

-         Finesse, and if that loses, finesse again: This wins whenever East has at least one honor, and gives the best odds, 76%.

The better percentage is also the winning line on the actual hand.  Playing in Diamonds, the Spade opening lead is won in Dummy, the Diamond finessed, and when that wins Declarer cashes the A and cross-ruffs the hand.

 

We are not saying that East should split his Diamond honors on the first round (that would look very foolish if West held the singleton Jack or Ace!), but on this hand he’ll make Declarer’s life more difficult.  She could win the Ace and lead another trump, hoping that the suit is 2-2, but that’s only 10 tricks when East wins and plays a third round of trumps.  A more successful line is to leave both missing trumps at large, cash the side-suit winners and try for a cross-ruff.  But the timing must be just right:

            Win ♠A

            Trump to the Queen and Ace

            Cash ♣A and ruff a Club

            Back to the A and ruff another Club

            Cash ♠A and ruff a Spade

            Cross to the K

Now, when the last Spade is led from Dummy, East is helpless.  11 tricks!

 

 

 25

♠ AKT3

5

JT743

♣ 974

 

 

 

From 6th May, 2009

♠ Q874

J97

AQ986

♣ A

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 2

AK862

52

♣ KT652

 

Dlr     North
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ J965

QT43

K

♣ QJ83

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1        Pass

2        Pass    3♣       Pass

4        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

East has a classic Rule of 20 opener, with 10 HCP and 5-5 distribution.  And a decent hand, wouldn’t you say, with all the HCP in the long suits.  That propels E-W into a difficult 4 contract, and let’s suppose that South leads a Spade, won by North, who shifts to a low Heart.  That’s a nasty shift, but Declarer can still prevail by cross-ruffing.  Here’s how the play could develop:

            Spade won by North’s King

            Heart shift won by A

            Club to the Ace

            Spade ruff

            Cash ♣K

            Club ruff

            Spade ruff

            Club ruff

            Spade ruff

            Cash K

            Cash A

South claims the last two tricks with her good trumps, but Declarer has his 10 tricks.  It was fortunate that the Q was in the hand with the long Clubs, so that there was no overruff on the 4th round of Clubs.  But even if there had been an overruff, Declarer still had the Diamond finesse to fall back on for his 10th trick.

 

 

 16

♠ A876

AT54

2

♣ KJT4




10th October, 2007

♠ Q932

962

AT6

♣ Q76

          North

West             East

          South

♠ JT54

KQJ3

KJ8

♣ 95

 

Dlr     West
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K

87

Q97543

♣ A832

West    North   East     South

Pass    1♣       Dbl      1

1♠        Pass    Pass    3♣

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Against 3♣, East will surely lead the K after which Declarer can scamper to 10 tricks via a cross-ruff:

            K lead won by Declarer’s Ace

            Concede a Diamond

            Q is cashed

            Trump shift, won by Declarer

            A♠ is cashed

Now, Declarer can merrily cross-ruff, scoring 3 side-suit tricks, a natural trump trick, and 6 ruffs.

 

 23

♠ 6543

KJ8754

3

♣ A6

 

 

 

From 2nd January, 2008

♠ 872

QT96

T642

♣ 82

         Dummy

West             East

          South

♠ K

A32

KQ85

♣ KQJ93

 

Dlr     South
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AQJT9

AJ97

♣ T754

South   West    North   East 

1♠        Pass    3♠        Pass

4♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Against 4♠, let’s say that West starts out with a trump.  11 tricks will now follow with a cross-ruff:

            Declarer wins the A♠

            A and a Diamond ruff

            Heart ruff

            Diamond ruff

            Heart ruff, and so on

Declarer scores 5 trumps in her hand, three Diamond ruffs on the board, A♣, A, and the K is a surprise 11th trick when the A comes down in 3 rounds and when East cannot ruff the established K.

 

 

 25

♠ AT9

JT32

5

♣ AT943




21st May, 2008

♠ 87

Q9865

T642

♣ 75

          North

West             East

          South

♠ K632

AK74

K87

♣ Q8

 

Dlr     North
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ QJ54

AQJ93

♣ KJ62

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1NT     2

Pass    2        Pass    2♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

2 was DONT, treating the hand as a two-suiter in Diamonds and an undisclosed major, simultaneously bidding her best suit and giving her side a chance to play in the better-scoring major.

 

Playing in 2♠, Declarer can scramble her way to 10 tricks in this fashion:

            Heart ruffed by Declarer

            Cross to Dummy’s A♣

            Finesse the Q (a certainty to win on the bidding)

            Cash A

            Ruff a Diamond

            Ruff a Heart

            Cash K♣

            Ruff a Diamond with the Ace

            Ruff a Heart

Declarer has the first 9 tricks and is down the just two trumps, one in each hand.  She leads a Diamond winner ruffing on the board with the Ten.  East can overruff but that just promotes the 10th trick for Declarer’s Queen.  Nicely timed play by Declarer!

 

 

 24

♠ KT6

985

972

♣ KT53




6th February, 2008

♠ A43

J76432

K85

♣ 6

          North

West             East

          South

♠ QJ875

A

AT4

♣ AQ82

 

Dlr     West
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 92

KQT

QJ63

♣ J974

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    1♠        Pass

2♣       Pass    4♠        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

Against 4♠, South might well lead a trump, after which Declarer can score 12 tricks this way:

            Win the A♠

            Club finesse

            Cash A

            Ruff two Clubs and two Hearts

            Q♠ losing to North’s King

            Win the return in hand, draw the last trump, enjoy the Hearts

What do you think of that line of play?  Pretty optimistic we would say!  If the Club finesse loses the defense will play two rounds of trumps, holding Declarer to a paltry 8 tricks!  Here’s a more sensible line where Declarer sets his sights lower:

            Win the A♠

            Cross to the A♣

            Cash the A

            Ruff a Club, ruff a Heart, ruff a Club

            Cash A and K

            Ruff a Heart high

            Exit with the Q♣, hoping that the K♠ is with North or that South is end-played

The cross-ruff is safer but it ends up providing only 10 tricks.

 

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