Bridge by Frank Stewart
If you have nine trumps to the opponents' four, you're in good shape. Eight against their five is adequate and may be ideal: At a 4-4 fit, you can ruff something in either hand and draw trumps in the other.
If you have nine trumps to the opponents' four, you're in good shape. Eight against their five is adequate and may be ideal: At a 4-4 fit, you can ruff something in either hand and draw trumps in the other.
If you have only seven trumps, the advantage of owning the trump suit is diminished. Still, to play at a Moysian 4-3 fit (so named because Alphonse "Sonny" Moyse, longtime editor of The Bridge World magazine, was an advocate) may offer the best chance.
In today's deal, six (or seven) diamonds would have had a play, and maybe North-South should have reached a diamond slam. Instead, they landed at six spades, and South had to cope with a 4-3 fit. West led the king of clubs.
Question: The defenders won one trick. Which card won it?
Suppose South assumes that trumps will break 4-2 (as they will most often). If he maintains control, he has 11 tricks: three high trumps, a club, five diamonds, and two hearts. The 12th winner will be a club ruff in dummy. But if South ruffs a club early, then tries to draw trumps and finds a 4-2 break, East-West may cash a club when they win their trump trick.
South found the best play: At Trick Two he led a trump and played low from dummy. East was surprised to score his five, but South won the heart return with the ace, ruffed a club, took the king of trumps, and led to the king of diamonds to draw trumps with the A-Q. He could then run the diamonds to make the slam.