ACBL31 – Declarer: Crossruff Ward Trumbull
May 16, 2011
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ACBL Encyclopedia of Bridge
CROSSRUFF: A method of play whereby rufffing tricks are made in
both of a partnership’s hands, thus using trumps separately.
When a crossruff is played, ruffing tricks are being taken in two side suits. It is usually a good idea to cash winners in the remaining side suit at an early stage.
ACBL Example North
S - A Q 5
H - 3
D - A J 8 5 3
C - K Q 10 5
East West
S - 6 4 3 2 S - 10 9 8
H - K Q 10 6 4 H - J 9
D - 4 D - K Q 10 7 6 2
C - 6 4 3 C - 7 2
South
S - K J 7
H - A 8 7 5 2
D - 9
C - A J 9 8
The contract is 6 clubs and the best defensive opening lead is the 6 of clubs. Let’s do ARCH.
A - The opening lead is to thwart a crossruff.
R - The RHO opened with a 3 diamond preempt.
C - If 3 rounds of trump are pulled, declarer will take:
3 spades 3 clubs (pulling trump)
1 heart 1 heart ruff
1 diamond 1 diamond ruff Total = 10
H - Play the hand this way for down 2.
ACBL31 – Declarer: Crossruff May 16, 2011
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Suppose we don’t jump out and pull trump and crossruff instead.
Tricks
Taken
1. Take the opening club trick in either hand. 1
2. Cash the 3 tricks of the “remaining” side suit (spades). 3
3. Cash the heart ace and ruff a heart. 2
4. Cash the diamond ace and ruff a diamond. 2
5. Ruff a heart and ruff a diamond. 2
6. Ruff a heart and ruff a diamond. 2
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Total 12
Note: After trick 1, you never lead trump again.
Problems
1. Many players just can’t see a crossruff possibility because they don’t
look for them. It’s a crossruff situation if:
Each hand (declarer and dummy) has a singleton or
void in different side suits (i.e., non-trump suits).
2. You may have to give up the lead to clear a singleton in one or both
hands.
3. Good defenders will smell a crossruff starting, will discard wisely and
may later ruff a side suit ace you failed to cash early.
ACBL31 – Declarer: Crossruff May 16, 2011
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Example Hand 2 (actually occurred)
North
S - A J 2
H - 10
D - A J 10 4
C - K Q 9 8 5
East West
S - 4 S - Q 9 5 3
H - A Q 6 4 3 H - K 9
D - 9 5 D - K Q 7 6 2
C - J 7 6 4 3 C - 10 2
South
S - K 10 8 7 6
H - J 8 7 5 2
D - 8 3
C - A
The contract was 4 spades, and the opening lead was the 3 of clubs (small from an honor). Let’s do ARCH:
A - Either a singleton (5 in dummy) or small from an honor.
R - No competitive bidding.
C - Winners: 5 spades if you guess the queen of trump
0 hearts
1 diamond
3 clubs Total = 9
H - Don’t pull trump. Crossruff instead.
However, you have to give up a heart first.
ACBL31 – Declarer: Crossruff May 16, 2011
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The play of the hand:
1. Take the club lead with your singleton ace.
2. Cross to dummy’s ace of diamonds. Cash outside ace early.
3. Lead the 10 of hearts like you are finessing, and LHO will take the
trick with the queen.
4. To cut down dummy’s heart ruffs, LHO leads trump. This gives you
a free finesse for the queen of spades. In actual play, RHO only
went up with the 9, keeping the queen for later.
5. Ruff a heart in dummy with the jack of spades.
6. Cash the king of clubs and discard declarer’s last diamond.
7. Cash the queen of clubs which RHO ruffs and declarer overruffs.
8. Ruff a heart in dummy with the ace of spades, and RHO can’t
overruff.
9. Ruff dummy’s 4th club which RHO will not ruff because LHO has the
jack of clubs.
Note: At this point declarer has taken 8 tricks and:
RHO holds:
S - Q 5
Declarer holds: D - K Q
S - K 8
H - J 8
10. Declarer now gives up the lead to the LHO with the jack of hearts,
and RHO will discard the queen of diamonds
11. With the K 8 behind the Q 5, declarer will get two more spades
tricks.
Tricks
Results: 1 spade pulling trump (trick 4) 1
2 heart ruffs by dummy 2
2 club ruffs by declarer (1 an overruff) 2
3 Ace/king of clubs and ace of diamonds 3
2 spades in final overruff of RHO’s spades 2
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Total 10