Drawing Trumps or Not?

 

Sometimes the route to success is to postpone the drawing of trumps, perhaps for the purpose of setting up a side-suit (see also Trump Control).  Other times the postponement is for the purpose of maintaining communications.

 

Related Play Problems            Play Problem 15

                                                  Play Problem 90

                                                 Play Problem 145

                                                 Play Problem 147

                                                 Play Problem 190

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

17	♠ KQ73 ♥ 9 ♦ QT82 ♣ 9743	14th November, 2007
♠ A9854 ♥ 875 ♦ 9643 ♣ K	North West             East           South	♠ 2 ♥ AKQT4 ♦ A75 ♣ QJ85	Dlr     North    Vul     None
© BES, Inc All Rights Reserved	♠ JT6 ♥ J632 ♦ KJ ♣ AT62	West    North   East     South             Pass    1♥        Pass 1♠        Pass    2♣       Pass 2♥        Pass    3♥        Pass 4♥        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Assume that South leads the J♠.  Declarer can count 4 side-suit tricks, with no prospect of more, and so must come to 6 trump tricks.  That’s easy enough if trumps are 3-2, just one ruff is required on the board.  But why not try for two ruffs on the board, making 10 tricks even with a bad trump break, and 11 if trumps behave?  Here’s how Declarer might play the hand:

            J♠ lead won by Dummy’s Ace

            K♣ won by South’s Ace

            Spade ruffed by Declarer

            Q♣ and J♣ pitching two Diamonds from Dummy

            Club won by South, Dummy pitching a Diamond

            Spade ruffed by Declarer

            A♦ and then a Diamond ruff

            Heart to the Ace

Now, Declarer leads his last Diamond.  South is down to nothing but trumps, so is obliged to use her trump winner to ruff Declarer’s Diamond loser.  Making 10 tricks despite the bad trump break.  The key plays by Declarer were:

-         not drawing trumps, with the hope of getting two ruffs on the board.

-      playing the 4^th round of Clubs and pitching a Diamond; this loser-on-loser play was an essential preparation for getting two ruffs on the board.

 

 

9	♠ 3 ♥ AJ ♦ J5432 ♣ KT943	5th March, 2008
♠ AKQT5 ♥ KQ8742 ♦ 8 ♣ J	North West             East           South	♠ 8764 ♥ 3 ♦ AKT96 ♣ A86	Dlr     North Vul     E-W
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ J92 ♥ T965 ♦ Q7 ♣ Q752	West    North   East     South             Pass    1♦        Pass 1♥        Pass    1♠        Pass 4NT     Pass    5♦        Pass 6♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

The slam that West probably thought would be a slam dunk when he was bidding the hand turns out to be somewhat hair-raising in the play of the hand, due to the 3-1 Spade break and the appalling absence of high (or even middling) Spades in the East hand.  Let’s say that South leads a Club won by Declarer’s Ace.  Now the slam can be made if Spades are 2-2 and Hearts no worse than 4-2.  Alternatively, if Spades are 3-1, Declarer will need some luck in bringing home the Hearts.  At Trick Two, Declarer plays a Heart to Dummy’s King and North’s Ace, and the Club return is ruffed on the board.  Now what?  Yes, a Heart ruff is next, followed by two rounds of trumps.  When trumps turn out to be 3-1, Declarer could just draw the last trump, hoping that Hearts are 3-3.  But he can do better than that!  If Hearts are 3-3 then he can ruff a Heart without fear of being overruffed.  What’s the point, you ask?  Well, maybe (as on the actual hand) the Hearts are 4-2 but the hand with the last trump is also the hand with the 4^th Heart.  Nicely played for 12 tricks!

 

 

23	♠ AQT ♥ AJ93 ♦ QJT63 ♣ 5	5th March, 2008
♠ 94 ♥ KQ8 ♦ AK4 ♣ AQT62	North West             East           South	♠ J76 ♥ 642 ♦ 875 ♣ J943	Dlr     South Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ K8532 ♥ T75 ♦ 92 ♣ K87	South   West    North   East  Pass    1♣       Dbl      Pass 1♠        Dbl      Pass    2♣ 2♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

We must say that West showed admirable restraint in the above auction, and we expect that some of his counterparts will push on to 3♣.  Here is how Declarer might wriggle out of 3♣ for down one:

            Defense cashes two Spades

            The third Spade is ruffed

            K♥ is won by North’s Ace

            Q♦ is won by Declarer’s Ace

            A second Diamond is cashed

            Q♥ is cashed

            Declarer exits a Heart

            North cashes a Diamond

At this point Declarer has cleverly stripped his and Dummy’s hands down to nothing but trumps.  Now, when North exits with a red card, Dummy will ruff with the Nine and Declarer will underruff, and that will be followed by the running of the J♣.  Nicely wriggled for down only one!  That line of play was somewhat obscure, a more obvious (and less successful) line of play is to play on Clubs immediately, hoping that trumps will provide two entries to the board for Heart leads towards the KQ.

 

The only way that the defense can ensure a two trick set is to refrain from playing that third round of Spades until the last moment, after all the red suit tricks have been played.  This far from obvious defense ensures that Declarer will be forced to play the trump suit from his own hand.

 

 

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