How do we choose which side suit to develop? - with Curt Soloff

[@gracielajuda9659]

Thanks Bajir and Curt! I think a little of good luck is welcome too.

[@billmartin2237]

Bajir has a wonderful way about speaking and a beautiful smile!❤️

[@johnworf]

he is a great host for sure...you can tell he loves the game...and why not - it is a great game!

[@juliapalmer757]

Interesting hand. Why would West not grab their club Q from Qx when you play towards Tx in dummy?!

[@gracielajuda9659]

Thanks you Bajir. I ll play More relax

[@magicmerl7749]

When you get dow to 5 cards left, those spades on the table are the only ones left and there are only two hearts out. Cash KH, then cross to the AH and run the spades.

[@johnworf]

yep - spot on - they were risking the contract not drawing trumps.

[@ramonquennell3229]

Not all. There was 1 low spade which would have been pulled by the king

[@magicmerl7749]

@@ramonquennell3229 What I meant was, they were good.

[@ramonquennell3229]

@@magicmerl7749 yeah of course

[@archiewoosung5062]

Perhaps the title should have mentioned cross-ruffing?

[@julietfrench6309]

That was interesting Bajir

[@pbandj7764]

Spade has only one problem, the A. Clubs has two problems A, Q. Both have the same distribution problem… so spades is project suit KISS. But is bridge a KISS game????

[@timcapes5916]

Cross ruff seems a bit risky compared to playing for 3-2 trumps. Worked on this hand but the only 4-1 trumps you can pick up are stiff JH or stiff TH as if the JHTH are with east they can ruff high twice in spades to force a trump winner. To go for the cross-ruff you need the opponents to play a diamond and give you a ruff-sluff so it seems a bit strange to let them talk you into this line of play since they don't need to defend this way when trumps are 4-1. Even if they just play AC and a club you will go down on most cross-ruff layouts because you need to play one extra round of clubs and there is too much risk in dummy getting overruffed. I generally don't like taking lines of play the defenders give you as options when they go down on some layouts you'd otherwise make the hand on. You're going to feel pretty silly for example if E has JTx of hearts and you ended up taking the losing option defence specifically created for you. Here on the third round of clubs W ruffs with the Jack to force you to ruff with the A or Q and then on the fourth or fifth round of clubs you can never ruff with the 3H since E can overruff. Only the ruff-sluff reducing the number of rounds of clubs you play by one lets you even play this line. It seems a bit much to play for the defenders having made a mistake that lets you make the contract against 4-1 trumps when the cross-ruff line goes down a fair amount of the time even when trumps are 3-2. For instance if the doubleton spade is with W instead of E then your 6H should get overruffed reasonably often (unless W has stiff 5H).

[@BP-kx2ig]

I would find this difficult to play unless I knew what the bidding was?

[@ramonquennell3229]

This is good but towards the very end ge could havw just won the trumps and been in dumby and then play of the spades which were good

[@ajaymehrotra8096]

Well, of course a tricky hand. The contract was achieved due to poor defence. If west had stuck to the basic principles of play, they could have got 4 tricks. When club was led from the hand, west should have covered it by queen as he had only two carder queen in clubs. No use saving singleton queen and letting go a sure trick which would have defeated the contract. Rest everything was nice😊

[@johnworf]

I don't think this was the right way to play the hand - the spade was correct and the diamond ruff...but I think declarer should play the King of hearts and then cross to the hearts and play for a normal 3-2 heart break and a normal 4-3 spade break. Of course this line goes off - but it doesn't mean it is technically the wrong line. The trouble with hands like this is - when you are told you went off - then clearly the correct line is clearly the wrong line - as why would you be asking me about the hand...sometimes in bridge you go off when you play perfectly and somebody else makes when they take a bad line - that's just bridge. The danger of playing across ruff is - you could easily get over-ruffed....as Curt says when missing 3 aces and the trumps break 4-1...you are likely going off. I would be going off in this contract for sure...and I wouldn't be losing sleep about it.

[@gracielajuda9659]

Jajaja I always compare! And think that I was wrong

[@johnworf]

how would you play it graciela - because I don't agree with this method...the result was good - but I think that is largely irrelevent.

[@dale29head]

This is like watching a film which is 3 hours long but would be just as good if it was only 2 hours.