Declarer play-cross-ruffing

Cross-ruffing means ruffing in both hands, sometimes from the initial  stages of the play if it seems that drawing trumps will yield insufficient tricks. This strategy requires a short suit in both hands and often accompanies a fragile trump suit. Two important principles apply if this is to be your line of play.

1. Cash your side-winners before embarking on a cross-ruff; otherwise, opponents may discard in this suit and you may never make them.
2. In the latter stages of a cross-ruff, there is always the danger of over-ruffing. If you can afford to ruff with a master trump and still have enough tricks for your contract, don't ruff low, running the risk of being over-ruffed and destroyed by a trump return.

The shaky contract is four spades and the lead is the Queen of Diamonds. A cross-ruff offers the prospect of 10 or 11 tricks. Start off by ruffing the hearts in dummy and the diamonds in your hand. After seven tricks, the position is this.

When a diamond is played from dummy, one of the opponents must be out. If it is north, you can safely ruff with the jack, but if north follows, you must ruff with the ace and you still make the king of spades and the ace of clubs for ten tricks.

Now try this one.

The contract is five diamonds and the jack of spades is led. A play on cross-ruff lines obviates the need for kind breaks. After ruffing two spades and two clubs, the ace and king of hearts must be taken leaving this position.

The lead is on the table and can be a heart or a spade. Whichever you choose, if second player follows suit, you must ruff with the queen to avoid being over-ruffed. The club lead will then be ruffed with the king . This way, you are guaranteed your eleven tricks.

When you are ready, have a look at these practise hands which encompass concepts from all aspects of declarer play.