This article is part of a series on Declarer Play. Each article builds on concepts introduced in the previous ones, creating a logical progression of skills and strategies. For the best learning experience and a thorough understanding, it’s recommended to study these articles in sequence.
Trumping is an advantage for declarer
In theory, both Declarer and the defenders have opportunities to win tricks by trumping. However, in practice, it’s uncommon for the defenders to gain additional tricks this way. Declarer, on the other hand, has several significant advantages that allow for far more frequent use of trumping. Let’s explore some of these key advantages that enable Declarer to outmaneuver the defenders in this regard.
- 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
| Dummy ♠ A J 5 2 ♦ 8 6 |
| You ♠ K Q T 9 4 ♦ 7 5 4 |
With spades as trumps, you anticipate a 3-1 or 2-2 split, allowing you to draw all the opponents’ trumps in two or three rounds while still leaving a trump in Dummy to ruff the third round of diamonds if needed.
Once the trumps have been drawn, there’s no immediate urgency to ruff that third diamond. Instead, you can shift your focus to managing the play in clubs and hearts, addressing other priorities before returning to the diamond suit.
Avoid playing a fourth round of spades, as it would remove Dummy’s last trump. This would prevent you from ruffing the third round of diamonds and allow the defenders to cash three diamond tricks instead of just two. Maintaining control in Dummy is crucial to minimizing your losses in the diamond suit.
Taking inventory in trump contracts
Taking inventory for trump (suit) contracts differs significantly from the approach used in no-trump contracts.
First, there’s no need to worry about the defenders establishing and cashing a long suit. If they attempt to cash tricks in a long suit, you can simply ruff (trump) them.
This principle also applies to the defenders’ high-card “winners.” If you or Dummy have a shortage in their suit, you can ruff even their highest cards, including aces and kings.
For this reason, it’s essential to take note of how many cards Declarer holds in each suit. This count determines how many rounds Declarer must follow suit before gaining the ability to trump. Understanding this is key to planning your play effectively in suit contracts.
For example, if your hand contains only the ♦5 and ♦4, the defenders can take a maximum of two diamond tricks before you gain the ability to trump diamonds.
Even if the defenders hold ♦A, ♦K, ♦Q, and ♦J, they will only win two tricks before you start ruffing. In a no-trump contract, those four high cards would indeed count as four defensive winners. However, in a trump contract, the focus shifts to counting how many potential losers Declarer has in the suit, rather than the total number of high cards the defenders can play.
Example 2
| Dummy ♦ 8 6 2 |
| You ♦ 5 4 |
When taking inventory in a trump contract, we count only 2 diamond losers. Focusing on the losers in your own hand provides a more accurate representation of what is likely to happen in a trump contract, compared to counting the number of diamond winners the defenders might have in a no-trump scenario. This method reflects the impact of trumping and better aligns with the strategy required for suit contracts.
Example 3
| 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.
This assumes that Dummy will still have a trump available when the third round of diamonds is played. However, let’s not jump ahead—deciding how to handle that third diamond is part of the planning stage.
For now, during the inventory phase, you have three diamond losers. In the planning stage, we’ll explore strategies to reduce those diamond losers from three to two—or possibly even fewer—depending on how the hand develops.
Example 4
| Dummy ♦ A 5 |
| You ♦ Q J T |
When taking inventory, we base our evaluation on the number of cards in your hand. Since you have 3 diamonds, we will assess 3 rounds of play in that suit.
Unlike earlier examples, this hand includes high cards that have the potential to win tricks. As a result, our inventory will account for both potential winners and losers over the 3 rounds of diamonds. This distinction helps create a more accurate picture of the situation and informs better planning for the hand.
To assess potential winners, we’ll consider the high cards from both hands. For three rounds of diamonds, the strongest cards available are the ♦A, ♦Q, and ♦J.
When taking inventory, the primary goal is to identify all possible losers so we can devise a plan to convert some of those losers into winners. To create a realistic and robust strategy, we will make conservative assumptions: all finesses will fail, there will be no favorable splits, and the defense will play flawlessly. This approach ensures that the plan is prepared for the most challenging scenarios.
Let’s determine the winners and losers in this suit. The ♦A is a winner, the ♦Q will lose to their ♦K, and once the ♦A, ♦K, and ♦Q have all been played, your ♦J becomes a winner. That accounts for three rounds of diamonds, resulting in two winners and one loser.
On this deal, clubs are trump.
Example 5
| 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 |
Taking inventory:
Your hand contains 3 spades, 2 hearts, 3 diamonds, and 5 clubs, commonly referred to as a 3-2-3-5 distribution. The hand used to take inventory is called the “master” hand.
Using your hand as the master hand, let’s evaluate the winners and losers in each suit.
In spades, out of your three cards:
- 2 are winners: the ♠A and ♠J.
- 1 is a loser: the ♠Q loses to their ♠K.
After the ♠A, ♠K, and ♠Q have been played, your ♠J becomes a winner.
“This situation sounds just like the diamonds in example 4,” comes the observation.
In your master hand, you hold:
Two hearts:
- 1 winner (one honor wins).
- 1 loser (the other honor loses to their ace).
Three diamonds:
- 0 winners and 3 losers (as previously discussed in example 3).
Five clubs:
1 loser.
4 winners.
Example 5 (repeated)
| 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 hand (with its 3-4-2-4 distribution), although most declarers prefer to use their own hand for this purpose.
Let’s take inventory again, this time using Dummy as the master hand. How many winners and losers are there in each suit now?
Example 6
| 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:
Across all four suits, the total is 6 winners and 7 losers. To fulfill your contract, you’ll need to convert at least two of those losers into winners.
For practice, let’s take inventory again, this time using Dummy’s 3-4-4-2 distribution as the master hand:
Making a plan to reduce losers
Example 7
| 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 |
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)
| 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.Do they have any trump left?
- 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!
Do they have any trump left?
How many unplayed trumps are left in your hand.
“I enjoy being the only one left with a trump,” comes the reflection. “It feels like having a secret reserve of something special. But I’m curious—what’s more advantageous: trumping one of their ‘winning’ cards or simply taking the lead away from them?”
The answer is straightforward: when you use a trump to ruff something the defenders lead, you achieve both—you neutralize one of their winners and regain control of the lead. It’s the best of both worlds!
Example 8
| 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 start with a split assumption for hearts, such as 5-3. Next, we would analyze the opening lead and review the bidding to determine whether the assumption should be adjusted. Split assumptions are valuable for estimating the number of potential defensive winners and planning accordingly.
In a no-trump contract, how many heart winners would you estimate the defense can take?
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?
The objection comes quickly: “I’m not going to let them win that third round of hearts!”
That’s great—you’re already thinking ahead to the planning stage. However, during the inventory phase, the ♥6 is still counted as a potential loser, and if Dummy runs out of trumps too early, it could remain a loser.
Let’s see if we can create a plan to ensure that Dummy retains a trump long enough to address this issue effectively.
Example 8 (repeated)
| 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 draw trumps first and ruff the ♥6 later, or ruff the ♥6 first and draw trumps afterward?
If the trumps split 3-2, it’s possible to draw them first while ensuring Dummy still retains a trump for the ruff.
However, if the trump split is 4-1, we must ruff the ♥6 first. Drawing all the opponents’ trumps in this case would also exhaust Dummy’s trumps, leaving no way to ruff the ♥6 later.
To make the right decision, we need to determine how their trumps are divided rather than relying on a guess.
A puzzled expression follows: “You mentioned we don’t want to guess, but then you said a split assumption is just an educated guess that can sometimes be wrong. So, what’s the best approach in this situation?”
Exactly! Instead of relying solely on a split assumption, we’re going to determine the actual distribution by testing the spades.
Draw only two rounds of trump. If there are no defensive discards, what does that indicate about the split, and how will you proceed?
But if you see a defensive discard on the second round of trump, what’s the split and what will you do?
A smile appears: “This is just like so many other aspects of being Declarer. We have to pay attention to spot cards and keep counting!”
Exactly right, my attentive 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
| 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 currently have 11 winners and 2 losers. To secure your 12th winner, you can ruff the third round of hearts in Dummy.
First, count how many trumps the opponents hold. If you draw all of their trumps, will Dummy still have a trump remaining to ruff your third heart?
That conclusion gives us our plan:
- 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
| 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:
The three missing aces are beyond your control, so there’s nothing you can do about them.
However, if you can reduce your spade losers from 3 to 1, you’ll be able to secure the 10 tricks you need. Dummy appears to have enough trumps to support this plan, provided you delay drawing them.
You visualize leading spades once to remove them from Dummy and then ruffing the next two rounds to handle your spade losers. However, there are some challenges with executing this strategy.
The opening lead is a spade, which seems to work in your favor. It helps clear spades from Dummy, making it easier for you to ruff your spade losers later.
How will the play go?
| 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.How many trump does the dummy have left?
How many trump does the dummy have left?
- 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 ruff losers in Dummy, the defensive strategy is to lead trumps as frequently as possible. This approach is often summarized with the phrase: “Lead trumps, lead trumps, lead trumps.”
The cross-ruff
Example 11
| 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.
Begin by cashing the ♠A and ♥A. Next, lead a small heart and ruff it in Dummy. From Dummy, lead a small spade, which you ruff in your hand. Continue alternating between heart and spade leads, ruffing each time. With four small hearts in your hand and four trumps in Dummy, you can ruff all the hearts. Similarly, with three small spades in Dummy and trumps in your hand, you can ruff all the spades. This sequence allows you to manage both suits effectively.
When all the ruffing is done, you will still have the ♦A left in your hand for one more sure trick.
How many tricks will you win?
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?
When executing a cross-ruff, it’s important to use high trumps strategically to prevent the opponents from overtrumping and disrupting your plan by leading trumps themselves as a defensive countermeasure.
If you need to ruff with low trumps, do so early while the defenders still have cards in the suit you’re ruffing.
Save your high trumps for later when the defenders have also run out of that suit, as they’ll be more likely to attempt an overruff.
In this hand, start by ruffing with the ♦3 and ♦6. All your remaining trumps are high, ensuring you maintain control as the play progresses.
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.
In the upcoming sections, we will explore additional strategies for reducing losers.