Trumping Losers
By Ralph Welton
This is one of a series of Declarer Play articles. These articles build upon each other, so I recommend that you study them in order.
Trumping is an advantage for declarer
In theory both sides can win tricks by trumping. But in practice the defenders rarely make extra tricks by trumping. Let's consider some of declarer's advantages allowing him to trump far more often than defenders.
- Declarer and Dummy have more trump cards than the defenders. Normally we consider an 8-card fit to be the minimum for choosing trumps, leaving a maximum of 5 trumps for the defenders. That's a big advantage for declarer. A trump fit of 9+ cards is even better.
- Having more trumps means declarer has fewer non-trump cards making up his and Dummy's 13 card hands. So he will run out of other suits and be able to trump them sooner than the defenders. That's another advantage for declarer.
- The declaring partnership outbid the other side, so they almost always have more high cards than the defenders. That makes it more difficult for the defenders to win the first round or two of a suit to clear the way for trumping. Again, advantage declarer.
- When your partnership found a trump fit in the bidding, you counted extra points for short suits. So you had enough total points to outbid the defenders and choose the trump suit on exactly the deals where you have short suits and can trump before they can. Advantage declarer.
- And finally, declarer can lead trump until the defenders run out, while he still has trump cards left. We call this tactic "pulling trump." It prevents the defense from trumping any of your winners, while you can still use your remaining trumps to advantage.
example 1
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Dummy ♠ A J 5 2 ♦ 8 6 You ♠ K Q T 9 4 ♦ 7 5 4 |
Spades are trump. You expect a 3-1 or 2-2 split, so you can pull all their trump in two or three rounds, while still having a trump in Dummy to trump the third round of diamonds.
After pulling trump, there's no rush to trump that third diamond. You can turn your attention to whatever you need to do in clubs and hearts.
Just don't play a fourth round of spades. That would pull Dummy's last trump, spoiling your ability to trump the third round of diamonds, and allowing the defenders to cash three diamond tricks instead of only two.
Taking inventory in trump contracts
Taking inventory for trump contracts (suit contracts) is very different from no trump contracts.
To begin with, you don't need to worry about the defense establishing and cashing a long suit. If they try to cash skaters, you can just trump them.
The same is true for the defenders' high card "winners." If you are short in their suit, either in your own hand or in the dummy, you can trump their high cards. Even their aces and kings might get trumped.
So it's important to note how many cards declarer has in each suit, which determines how many times he must follow suit before he can start trumping.
For example, if you have only ♦5 4 in your hand, then the defenders can only take two diamond tricks before you start trumping diamonds.
Even if the defenders have ♦A K Q J, they will only get two winners before you start trumping. In no trump we would indeed count ♦A K Q J as four defensive winners, but in a trump contract, we look at how many losers declarer has in the suit.
example 2
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Dummy ♦ 8 6 2 You ♦ 5 4 |
When we take inventory in a trump contract, we count only 2 diamond losers. Counting losers in your own hand is a more accurate way of counting what's actually going to happen on a trump deal than trying to count how many diamond winners they would have in no trump.
example 3
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Dummy ♦ 5 4 You ♦ 8 6 2 |
I've switched your hand with Dummy's.
Now, when taking inventory, we count 3 diamond losers in your own hand.
It's likely that you will be able to turn the third one into a winner by trumping it in the dummy.
That assumes Dummy will still have a trump when the third round of diamonds is played. But let's not get ahead of ourselves... what you're going to do with that third diamond belongs as part of the planning stage.
When taking inventory, you have three diamond losers. In the planning stage we'll look at ways to reduce your diamond losers from 3 to 2, or sometimes even fewer.
example 4
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Dummy ♦ A 5 You ♦ Q J T |
When taking inventory we'll use the number of cards in your hand. You have 3 diamonds, so we will evaluate 3 rounds of the suit.
Unlike examples 2 and 3, this example has high cards that might be winners. So our inventory will include winners as well as losers in 3 rounds of the suit.
We'll use high cards from both hands to assess winners. Our 3 best cards to play for three rounds of diamonds are the ♦A, ♦Q, and ♦J.
When taking inventory, our goal is to identify all possible losers so we can make a plan to turn some of them into winners. To do this we'll assume all finesses lose, there will be no lucky splits, and the defense will make no errors.
So, what are the winners and losers in this suit? The ♦A wins, your ♦Q loses to their ♦K, and (with the ♦AKQ all played) your ♦J wins. That's three rounds of diamonds. Two winners and one loser.
example 5
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Dummy ♠ A 6 5 ♥ K 6 4 3 ♦ 5 4 ♣ Q J 8 3 You ♠ Q J T ♥ Q 8 ♦ 8 6 2 ♣ K T 9 4 2 |
On this deal, clubs are trump.
Taking inventory
Your hand has 3 spades, 2 hearts, 3 diamonds, and 5 clubs. This is often referred to as 3-2-3-5 distribution. We call the hand we use to take inventory the "master" hand.
Using your hand as the master, let's see how many winners and losers you have in each suit.
For your three spades, 2 are winners, 1 is a loser (The ♠A wins, the ♠Q loses to their ♠K, then, with the ♠AKQ gone, your ♠J wins.) Little Bear says, "That sounds just like the diamonds in example 4."
You have two hearts in your master hand. 1 winner, 1 loser (one of your heart honors loses to their ace; the other one wins).
You have three diamonds. 0 winners, 3 losers (as we discussed in example 3)
You have five clubs. 4 winners, 1 loser
example 5 (repeated)
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Dummy ♠ A 6 5 ♥ K 6 4 3 ♦ 5 4 ♣ Q J 8 3 You ♠ Q J T ♥ Q 8 ♦ 8 6 2 ♣ K T 9 4 2 |
It's possible to use Dummy's hand as the master (using Dummy's 3-4-2-4 distribution), but most declarers prefer to use their own hand.
Let's take inventory again, using Dummy as the master. Now how many winners and losers are there in each suit?
example 6
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Dummy ♠ 7 6 5 ♥ Q J 7 4 ♦ A J 8 3 ♣ 9 7 You ♠ K J 4 ♥ A T 9 6 ♦ 7 4 ♣ A K 6 2 |
Your contract is 2♥.
Let's count winners and losers, using your 3-4-2-4 hand as the master:
The four suits add up to 6 winners and 7 losers. To make your contract, you'll have to turn two of your losers into winners.
Just for practice, let's take inventory again, using Dummy's 3-4-4-2 hand as the master:
Making a plan to reduce losers
example 7
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Dummy ♠ A 8 7 ♦ 5 4 You ♠ K Q J T 3 ♦ 8 6 2 |
Spades are trump.
Take inventory:
The split assumption for spades is 3-2.
How many losers in the two suits?
Make a plan:
What can be done to reduce your diamond losers?
Can you pull trump before trumping your diamond loser?
example 7 (repeated)
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Dummy ♠ A 8 7 ♦ 5 4 You ♠ K Q J T 3 ♦ 8 6 2 |
This is the best way to reduce your diamond losers:
- You lead diamonds, and lose the trick.
- They see that you are trying to clear diamonds in the dummy, preparing to trump. They can't tell how many diamond losers you want to trump, and they don't want you to succeed. So they lead spades, hoping to get rid of as many of Dummy's spades as they can before you can do the trumping you want.
- You win their spade lead, and lead a second round of diamonds. Dummy is now out of diamonds.
- They win this second diamond, and lead another spade. How many spades does Dummy have left?
- You win this second spade lead in your hand so the lead is in your hand where you want it.
- You lead a third diamond and trump it in the dummy. Success!
How many unplayed trumps are left in your hand.
Little Bear says, "I like having the only trump left. It's like having an extra jar of crystalized honey saved for a special occasion. But I'm wondering, which is better, squishing one of their "winners," or taking the lead away from them?"
Well, my crazy-for-honey Friend, when you trump something the defense leads, you get both!
example 8
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Dummy ♠ K J 8 4 ♥ 7 4 You ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ A 6 2 |
Spades are trump. The opening lead is the ♥K.
If we were declaring this hand in no trump....
...we would do a split assumption for hearts (5-3). Then we would look at the opening lead and review the bidding to see if we should adjust the assumption. Split assumptions help us count the potential defensive winners.
In a no trump contract, how many heart winners would you count for the defense?
In a no trump contract, we would very likely hold up the ♥A until the third round, hoping to make one opponent safe when he runs out of hearts and cannot lead his partner's suit.
But in a trump contract...
Take inventory:
The ♥A is obviously a winner. And the second round of hearts is a loser.
But what about the third round? When taking inventory, should we count the ♥6 as a winner or a loser?
LIttle Bear objects, "I'm not going to let them win that third round of hearts!"
That's good, Little Bear. You're thinking ahead to the planning stage. But when taking inventory, the ♥6 is a loser, and if Dummy runs out of trump, it may stay a loser.
Let's see if we can make a plan so the dummy won't run out of trump too soon.
example 8 (repeated)
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Dummy ♠ K J 8 4 ♥ 7 4 You ♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ A 6 2 |
Making a plan in a trump contract:
The question is, should we pull trump first (and ruff the ♥6 later), or ruff the ♥6 first (and pull trump later)?
If trumps split 3-2, we can pull them first and the dummy will still have a trump left.
But if the split is 4-1, we must ruff the ♥6 first because pulling all their trump would also pull all of Dummy's trump.
We don't want to guess, so we need to know how their trumps split.
Little Bear looks puzzled, "You said we don't want to guess. But you've also said that a split assumption is just a smart guess that's wrong part of the time. So, what's a Bear to do?"
That's right Little Guy, we're not going to rely on a split assumption. We're going to figure out the actual split by testing the spades.
Pull only 2 rounds of trump. If there is no defensive discard, what's the split and what will you do?
But if you see a defensive discard on the second round of trump, what's the split and what will you do?
Little Bear smiles, "This is the same as lots of other declarer stuff. We have to watch spot cards and count! "
Correct, my Fuzzy Friend.
One last question before we move on to a new example: Why won't we hold up the ♥A until the third round?
example 9
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Dummy ♠ K 7 3 2 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 6 5 2 ♣ K Q 3 You ♠ A Q 4 ♥ A 6 2 ♦ K 7 ♣ A J T 4 2 |
Your contract is 6♣ . The opening lead is the ♦Q.
Take inventory:
Make a plan:
You have 11 winners, and 2 losers. You can get your needed 12th winner by trumping the third round of hearts in the dummy.
Count how many trumps they have. If you pull their trump, will Dummy still have a trump left to trump your third heart?
That conclusion gives us our plan:
- Win the opening diamond lead.
- Cash the ♥A and lead a second heart to clear away both of Dummy's small hearts. They win your second heart lead.
- Win whatever suit they lead next.
- Lead your third heart and trump it in the dummy.
- Pull all their trump.
- Cash your winners.
A defensive counter-measure
example 10
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Dummy ♠ K ♥ Q 9 2 ♦ Q J 7 3 ♣ 8 7 5 4 2 You ♠ T 8 4 ♥ A K J T 2 ♦ K 6 4 ♣ K Q |
Your contract is an ambitious 4♥.
Take inventory:
There's nothing you can do about the three aces you are missing.
But if you could reduce your spade losers from 3 to 1, you could make the 10 tricks you need. Dummy seems to have enough trump, as long as you delay pulling them.
You imagine leading spades once to clear the suit, then trumping the next two rounds. Except, there are problems with the execution...
The opening lead is a spade. That seems to help you, because you want to clear spades from the dummy so you can trump your spade losers.
How will the play go?
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Dummy ♠ K ♥ Q 9 2 ♦ Q J 7 3 ♣ 8 7 5 4 2 You ♠ T 8 4 ♥ A K J T 2 ♦ K 6 4 ♣ K Q |
- They win the first trick with their ♠A, and notice that Dummy has no more spades. They don't want you to trump all your spade losers. So they begin their counter-measures immediately – they shift to a trump lead.
- You win this second trick in your hand, and play a second round of spades, trumping in the dummy.
- You would like to lead another spade loser to trump it, but you won the last trick in the dummy so you cannot lead from your hand. Whichever minor suit you try, they win with their ace, and lead another trump.
- Dummy has no more trump to ruff your last spade.
When declarer plans to trump losers in the dummy, the defensive counter-measure is to lead trump as often as possible. Sometimes this is described as, "Lead trump, lead trump, lead trump."
The cross-ruff
example 11
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Dummy ♠ A 8 4 3 ♥ 3 ♦ J T 9 3 ♣ 9 7 5 4 2 You ♠ 6 ♥ A 8 7 6 4 ♦ A K Q 6 ♣ 8 6 3 |
A cross-ruff is trumping (ruffing) in both hands alternately.
Your contract is 2♦
Take inventory:
Totals: 6 winners; 7 losers. That's a lot of losers!
Make a plan:
Let's consider three possible plans for your 2♦ contract:
- Plan #1: Pulling trump.
A 3-2 split would allow you to pull trump in three rounds, and still have a trump left in each hand. Then you could cash your two major suit aces to clear the way for trumping with the two trump you have left. How many winners is that?
- Plan #2: Suppose you don't pull trump, and start cross-ruffing right away.
Start with cashing ♠A and ♥A. Then lead a small heart and ruff in the dummy. Dummy leads a small spade, which you ruff in your hand. Continue alternating between heart and spade leads, each time ruffing. You have four small hearts in your hand and four trumps in dummy to ruff all of them. You have 3 small spades in Dummy and can easily ruff all of them in your hand.
When all the ruffing is done, you will still have the ♦A left in your hand for one more sure trick.
- Plan #3: Finally, suppose the defenders lead a trump on the opening lead.
Suppose the dastardly defenders decide to take counter measures, and lead a trump on the opening lead. That makes you play two of your trump on the same trick.
You would win that trick and start cross-ruffing the same way as for Plan #2. How many tricks will you win?
Note: when you cross-ruff, you want high trumps so they cannot overtrump and switch to the defensive counter measure of leading trump.
If you must make some of your ruffs with low trumps, use them first, before the defense runs out of the suit you are trumping. You will need to ruff with high trumps later when the defense is also out of the suit.
On this hand, we ruff with the ♦3 and ♦6 first. All the rest of our trumps are high.
Summary
- In trump contracts we take inventory by counting winners and losers in our master hand.
- Then we make a plan to reduce losers.
- On this page we have seen how to reduce losers by trumping them in dummy.
- When we plan to trump losers in the dummy, we evaluate whether to do this before or after pulling trump.
- Sometimes we must hurry to ruff a loser in dummy, before the defense has the chance to start leading trumps themselves. If trumps are led too many times, Dummy will run out and we will not be able to ruff our loser.
- Cross-ruffing is an alternative to pulling trump, but only for hands where there are short suits in both your hand and the dummy.
On the next several pages we will look at other ways to reduce losers.
Go to the next topic:
Bridge Bears is run by a retired teacher and ACBL life master who has 35 years teaching experience and who's been playing bridge for over 50 years. I don't claim to be one of the top players, but I do understand how slowly beginners need to go when they are trying to learn how to play bridge.