In dummy play, the most important safeguard that needs to be looked into is being aware of the enveloping danger that looms ahead after an obvious lead has signs of immediate Danger. Many a declarer have gone down in sheer innocence, quite unaware of the danger looming ahead. It is because their minds are pre-occupied by what looks so visible in front-taking in the possible losers and winners. But what about the hidden danger luring around the corners?
It is easy to overlook them in the heat of the battle. This is the one blind spot that a good declarer must avoid at all costs. Mostly the danger in a suit contract lies in the impending ruff that looks imminent on a particular lead of card that has all the ominous signs of being a singleton. It is here that a clever tactician of bridge will try to find counter measures to prevent that obvious ruff, which otherwise may look unavoidable. But there are always some ways and means to come out of this trauma. The obvious 5 ways to avoid an adverse ruff are:
(a) Fake a trump finesse eg with, If in with the lead and fearing a ruff, lead jack of trumps towards dummy. If west ducks, you avoid an adverse ruff.
(b) Strip the hand as on the following hand:
If on north's 1 NT east shows both majors by 2C and south lands in 5C with singleton lead of deuce of spades for a possible ruff, which with the diamond loser and trump ace would sink your contract, here the solution lies in stripping hearts first before leading a trump so that west gets end played when in with the ruff.
(c) Transfer the entry with After west overalls 2D over south's 1D opening to show both 5-5 major, his lead of deuce of clubs in your contract of 5D is an obvious singleton, which if it succeeds for a ruff will sink the contract giving opponents the obvious 2 aces.
Here you must make it difficult, almost impossible for west to put east in with the ace of hearts for a club ruff. How? By playing 3 rounds of spades first, discarding your KH giving west a trick at the cost of ace of hearts but with no danger of a club ruff.
(d) Deceive your opponents. In a 5D contract if west leads an obvious singleton of 3S after his partner had opened a weak 2 spades on the following hand:
Here the solution lies in deception. Drop king under the ace. East will think 3 of spades is from a doubleton holding of 32.
(e) Ruff a winner high.
The last example below:
East opens 1D and you as south land in 4 hearts. West lead his doubleton spade 8 to his partner's ace who returns a spade to your jack. Your other obvious losers are the trump ace and a club besides AS already given.
Here the danger of a spade ruff looms clear if east comes in with trump ace of hearts and gives his partner the spade ruff. The solution may not be easy to spot. Did you spot it? Play 3 rounds of diamonds, discarding dummy's last spade and ruff your spade king high with heart 9. You make your game with no more ruffs please.
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North West East South
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K93 A5 64 QJ10872
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North West East South
===================================
J764 3 AQ109XX K2
A53 98XXX J107 KQ
98 A5 2 KQJ107643
Q765 KJ9XX 1083 A
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North West East South
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AKQ 2 J10XXX XXXX
A2 K9XXX QJXXX X
XXXX KJ10XX XX AQ
QXXX XX A KJ10987
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North West East South
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653 82 A109X KJ4
93 XXX AXX KQJ108
K4 J98XX 10XX AQ5
AJ6543 Q98 K10 72
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North West East South
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K102 QJ9XX XXX A6
86 Q109XX AJXXX K
QJ104 AX XX K98XX
KQJ5 2 XXX A019XX
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