CONTRACT BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22946, 26 January 1938, Page 20

CONTRACT BRIDGE

TIMING A CROSS-RUFF PRESERVATION OF ENTRIES BY 0. L. EASTGATE To some players the greatest joy is to have a hand to play where they can work a cross-rulf, irrespective of whether there is a better line of play for the contract. Such hands should always be examined with great care in order to visualise every possibility. Hands where the cross-ruff play is correct often require great delicacy in timing, in conjunction with the proper handling of requisite entries. The latter should, if possible, be prepared before the cross-ruff is started, as once the opponents regain the lead they will endeavour to minimise the cross-ruff by leading trumps. Top cards, also, in suits other than those which are to be ruffed, have to be cashed early, before the defenders can void themselves in the suit. The following hand is illustrative of those points:— South dealer. Both sides vulnerable.

Lot it be pointed out that North's double raise is open to question, but lie probably thought it the best bid available. The point is that South might only have four trumps, which, however, would not stop him bidding four spades, expecting four trumps in his partner's hand. North should have bid three clubs, hoping that South could rebid three spades, thus indicating at least a five-card suit. His singleton diamond and three trumps were valuable for ruffing purposes, but, obviously, if they were needed as trumps, they could not be used for ruffing as well. West opened the diamond king and then shifted to the heart jack. Declarer saw that his contract was pretty safe, hut, as it was match-point duplicate, he wanted, naturally, to make as many tricks as possible. There were two lines of play to consider: one the establishment of the club suit, and the other a cross-ruff. With nothing to guide him he might well have chosen the former, but there was an objection to this in that West, who was a fairly conservative player, had made a vulnerable overcall of two diamonds. He _ could have no ace or king in any suit but diamonds, and, therefore, it appeared likely that he held at least a six-card suit. This, in turn, implied that a three-three club break and a three-two spade break were improbably. Since the club establishment plan depended upon both these breaks, declarer very rightly decided to abandon this line of play for the cross-ruff. Winning West's lead with the ace of hearts, declarer mffsd a diamond with dummy's low trump, then cashed the heart 'king and ruffed a third round with the spade three. Another diamond was ruffed with the queen, and declarer carefully noted East's discard of a club. It became more and more probable that East bad long spades, including the jack. A fourth round of hearts was ruffed with the spade eight, 1 East discarding another club. Now, to prevent East from getting rid of any more clubs, he played the king and then over to the ace. He then led a third round of clubs, and East, down to trumps, had to ruff. Declarer overruffed, and ruffed his last diamond with jiis spade king. Now East was forced to nnder-trump. With the play in dummy, all declarer had to do was to lead a club and again over-ruff East. Only one trick, the first, had been lost. A slightly different sequence of plays on the part of declarer would have held him to 11 tricks, and this was confirmed by the fact that most other players only succeeded in making one over contract.

South is plaving a contract of six notrumps, and West loads the heart king. With no more than 10 certain tricks showing, declarer's only chance for the contract lies in a squeeze. He should duck the opening lead. Since one trick has to be lost, in squeeze play it should be lost early. Now, if West continues hearts, or shifts to diamonds (the normal defence), the declarer is home. Ho wins the second trick, and th.en runs seven spades. Dummy is finally reduced to tho heart nine, the diamond nine and a club. East's holding is immaterial. Declarer holds the A—-Q —9 of clubs. West, with tho high heart, tho high diamond and K—J of clubs, must make a discard which will ruin his hand, and declarer will win the remainder of the tricks. If, however, at trick two, West should shift to a club, right up to the A —Q tenace, the squeeze can never be fulfilled. NEXT WEEK'S HAND North dealer. Neither side vulnerable.

South is in a contract of seven henrts, and West loads the queen of diamonds. Can he make his contract against any defence? *