LettheOpponentsDotheWorkForYou! By 2013 Barry Crane Top 500 Champion Chris Compton PLANNING A STRIP AND END PLAY The idea is to give up the lead with a certain loser at such a time that the opponent who takes the trick has to lead something that costs the defense a trick. This is done by eliminating all safe exit cards before giving up the lead (the strip). Each suit has a specific job when attempting a strip-endplay: Never-Ever Suit – A suit that is better led by the defenders. ♣Q x x ♦K J x ♥K x x ♣J x x ♦A 10 x ♥J x x x Trump Suit – Trump still remaining in declarer and dummy’s hands after trumps have been removed from the defenders’ hands. Elimination suit – A suit that can be eliminated from both declarer and dummy’s hands. eXit Suit – An EQUALLY divided suit with one loser. RECOGNIZING THE TRUMP SUIT POSSIBILITIES There is a great advantage in the play if trumps can be drawn leaving at least one trump in each hand. If given the lead, the opponents can no longer lead any suit without giving declarer an extra trick (ruff/sluff). A ruff/sluff allows you to trump in one hand and discard a loser from the other hand. ♠A K Q x x ♠x x x x ♠x x x ♠A K Q x WHAT TO DO WHEN GIVEN A RUFF AND A SLUFF If your never-ever suit is unequally divided, discard from the short side and ruff on the other side. ♥K x x Discard from the shorter never-ever suit side. ♥J x x x Trump in the longer never-ever suit side. If the never-ever suit is equally divided, it seldom matters which side takes the ruff and which side takes the discard. T rumps * E X liminate * e it www.BridgeInDallas.com Visit the BAND website for upcoming Land Cruises and Workshops Bridge on the Santa Fe Plaza – August 20-25, 2014 LettheOpponentsDotheWorkForYou! By 2013 Barry Crane Top 500 Champion Chris Compton Dlr: East Vul: E-W North ♠ 7652 ♥ 54 ♦ J432 ♣ K109 West ♠ 984 ♥ AJ98 ♦ 96 ♣ J732 East ♠ AJ ♥ KQ732 ♦ AKQ ♣ Q54 South ♠ KQ103 ♥ 106 ♦ 10875 ♣ A86 East 2NT 3♥ South West North Pass 3♣ Pass Pass 4♥ All Pass Opening lead: ♠K Bidding Commentary: East does best to open 2NT rather than 1♥ for two reasons: (1) Partner may pass with 4-5 HCP and a game could be missed; (2) partner may respond 1NT forcing opener to raise to 3NT thus putting the super strong hand on the table, a bridge no-no. The risk is perhaps losing a 5-3 heart fit, which may or may not play one trick better in hearts. Defensive Commentary: North plays the ♠2 at trick one to deny an honor. When the king is led from the KQ and dummy has small cards, third hand signals encouragement with the jack or ace, but not with a doubleton. You can't do everything with one little signal. Play Commentary: This hand has all the ingredients of a strip and end play: (1) Trumps can be drawn leaving trump in both declarer's and dummy's hand. (2) There is an elimination suit (diamonds), a suit that the declarer can strip from both hands (3) There is an equal length suit (spades - once a spade is discarded on a diamond) that can be used as the exit suit. Win the ♠A, draw trump, play three rounds of diamonds discarding a spade and exit a spade. South, on lead, must break clubs or concede a ruff-sluff. Either play limits East's losses to two clubs and one spade trick. The key play is the spade discard from dummy, rather than a club, on the third diamond. With one spade remaining in each hand at the time of the throw-in, South cannot safely continue a spade without conceding a ruff and a sluff. Evenly divided side suits were born to be used as throw-in suits. www.BridgeInDallas.com Visit the BAND website for upcoming Land Cruises and Workshops Bridge on the Santa Fe Plaza – August 20-25, 2014
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