Andrew:

Drawing Trumps when it might seem Wrong

We have looked several occasions where it is correct to delay drawing trumps. My guess is that if you take these lessons to heart, generally you will probably be drawing trumps later than before.

There is a flip side of the coin, however: deals you may have been reluctant to draw trumps, when in fact draw trumps you must. Straight away. Take our featured deal.

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South Deals
None Vul

♠	K 6
♥	9 6 4 2
♦	A 6 2
♣	A Q J 4

♠	J 9 7 5 2
♥	A Q
♦	J 10 9 8 4
♣	9

N
W		E
S

♠	Q 10 8 3
♥	K J 10
♦	7
♣	10 8 6 5 2

♠	A 4
♥	8 7 5 3
♦	K Q 5 3
♣	K 7 3

West	North	East	South
			1 N
Pass	2 ♣1	Pass	2 ♥
Pass	4 ♥	Pass	Pass
Pass

Stayman – a request for four-card majors in the quest for a 4-4 heart fit. It is moot whether North should bother, given that his hearts are so feeble. At Teams/Rubber I’d say it was reasonable simply to jump to 3 NT, as nine tricks look a heavy favourite (14 points facing 12-14). At Duplicate Pairs, however, I would bid Stayman, because there is a strong likelihood that 3 NT makes precisely nine tricks whereas 4 ♥ makes ten (indeed the reality). +420 (4 ♥ making) v +400 (3 NT making) is no big deal at Teams/Rubber, but at Pairs the difference is huge.

4 ♥ by South

Lead: ♦ J

West leads J♦ v 4 ♥ . You baulk when you see that you are missing ♥ AKQJ10. You may wish you were declaring 3 NT (nine top tricks). Perhaps – however it is worth pointing out that at Duplicate Pairs 4 ♥ is superior: 3 NT will make only nine tricks (unless diamonds are 3-3), whereas 4♥ will make ten (provided trumps are 3-2).

WRONG THINKING: Yikes, my trumps are terrible, I cannot possibly play them. Let me play out my minor suit winners and see what happens...

You win J♦ with (say) ♦ Q and lead (say) ♣ K then ♣ 3. Disaster! West ruffs (with ♥ Q) and leads a second diamond. East ruffs (with ♥ 10) and leads a third club. West ruffs (with ♥ A) and East must score ♥ KJ. The defence make all their five trumps separately – down two.

CORRECT THINKING: I am missing ve trumps, which will normally split 3-2. By leading trumps, two of their high cards will fall together; I will merely lose three tricks.

Win (say) ♦ A and lead ♥ 2. West wins ♥ Q and although he can lead a second diamond for East to ruff, as you’d expect [the defender with short diamonds holding longer trumps], East is ruffing at the cost of a trump trick. You can win any return, then lead a second trump and watch ♥ A and ♥ K crash together. 10 tricks and game made.

There is just one (unlikely) way to beat 4 ♥ . West must lead ♣ 9 [although holding ♥ AQ he does not seemingly want a ruff]. Declarer wins in dummy and leads ♥ 2, whereupon East must rise with ♥ K (!) and lead a second club for West to ruff (with ♥ A). Down one.

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Andrew:

Drawing Trumps when it might seem Wrong

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