The Hidden Dummy By Mel Colchamiro

Source: ACBL

Most players learn early on that a way to make extra tricks is to «ruff losers in the dummy.» For example, if we have a trump suit consisting of A–K–Q–x–x in our hand and x–x–x in the dummy, we can create a sixth trump trick by playing a side-suit loser from our hand and ruffing with one of dummy’s trumps if dummy is void in that suit.

We still should be able to take five trump tricks in our hand, given a 3-2 division of the outstanding trumps, for a total of six tricks. But strangely, this idea of «ruffing losers in the dummy» is sometimes a bubbe maisse, a Yiddish expression for an old wives tale.

«But, wait a minute, Mel. Just how can that be? I know ruffing a loser in the dummy gives me an extra trick.» Let’s look at this more closely. What’s a dummy? I pose this question to alert us to the fact that the hand lying on the table may not be «the dummy.» The actual dummy may be the cards we’re cradling in our hand as declarer! The truth is this: the dummy is the hand with the fewer trumps. Sometimes, therefore, the dummy is hidden from view.

[box]The dummy is the hand with the fewer trumps.[/box]

Ruffing in the «long» hand, no matter where it is, is a waste of time at best and damaging at worst. We could miss the best line of play as declarer if we don’t see things for what they really are. A typical example of how we could get tricked into inferior play is when we have an everyday Jacoby transfer auction, as with these hands:aaxx

North South
1NT 2
2 Pass

Suppose we get the lead of the K. When the dummy comes down our eyes may trick us into thinking we should immediately start ruffing hearts in the dummy. No! The dummy isn’t really the dummy. Our hand is the dummy. Remember, the dummy is the hand with the fewer trumps. On this deal, the real dummy is the hidden dummy in our hand. If we could mentally walk around the table and sit behind the table-dummy’s cards, we would better see that no ruffing is required in the strong hand — we have no shortness there.

If we were to win the heart lead, ruff a heart in the (false) dummy, cross to the A and ruff another heart in the (false) dummy, we would be down to three trumps in the long hand. It would then be impossible to collect trumps with a finesse and still be able to play two more rounds of diamonds to set up the fourth-round winner. We’d be out of trumps. The correct line of play is to win the heart lead and take the trump fi-nesse. If the finesse works, we could play the high trumps. Assuming a 3-2 division, we could then go to work on the diamonds. If the finesse didn’t work, we could play the high trumps upon regaining the lead and then, as before, attack diamonds. Let’s look at another Jacoby transfer auction:

aaxx

With the same K lead, the correct line of play is to win the ace, cash the  A K, play the  A K and then ruff a diamond in the «hidden dummy»(our hand) before trying to draw the last trump. Our goal is not to ruff hearts in the (false) dummy. When do hidden dummies appear? Hidden dummies appear all the time, much more than most players realize. They appear any time there are more trumps on the table than we have in our hand. They appear when we use:

1. Jacoby or Texas transfers.

2. Any bid that shows two suits after which the eventual declarer chooses between the two long suits. Examples include the unusual 2NT, Michaels cuebid and DONT.

3. When a 1 opening bid has been raised by partner, responder frequently has more trumps than opener.

Be on the lookout for hidden dummies and try to be aware of the best line of play. Avoid ruffing in the long hand and risk running yourself out of trumps. Try to ruff in the short hand, no matter where it really is.

Te puede interesar

Going to Bed with an Ace Time to Remember Victor Mollo by Nikola Tcholakov (BUL)

You clearly remember this board you watched in your favorite club last weekend. All three players at the table were the most competent Hogs in the club, the fourth was a newcomer with unknown skill from a distant country. You were in the South-West position seeing this:

The Saga Continues: EBL Investigation Developments

The investigating committee of the EBL has completed its examination of material relating of the partnerships of Fisher-Schwartz (Israel), Fantoni-Nunes (Monaco) and Piekarek-Smirnov (Germany).

Counting at Bridge By Larry Matheny

Do you wonder how the experts always seem to guess right against you? One of the reasons is

How would you play it ? By Milton Work

At most of the tables South became the Declarer with a four-Heart contract. A few Wests had the nerve to risk a contract of five Clubs, which...

Bridge y Humor: Historias de Bridge III por Lee Hazen

Como presidente del Comité de Ética de la ACBL, puedo responder por el hecho de que la conducta...

Mas Articulos

Festival Sudamericano Cali 2022 – Parejas

Desde el 21 al 28 de Mayo de 2022 se jugó el X sudamericano transnacional, la sede fue el Club Campestre de la ciudad de Cali Colombia y la organizacion estuvo a cargo de Doña Elsa de Castillo y su hijo Juan Carlos Castillo, ambos hicieron de este evento algo memorable que vivirá en el recuerdo de los participantes por siempre.

X Campeonato Sudamericano Transnacional Cali 2022 por Fernando Lema

Desde el 21 al 28 de Mayo de 2022 se jugó el X sudamericano transnacional, la sede fue el Club Campestre de la ciudad de Cali Colombia y la organizacion estuvo a cargo de Doña Elsa de Castillo y su hijo Juan Carlos Castillo, ambos hicieron de este evento algo memorable que vivirá en el recuerdo de los participantes por siempre.

Festival Cali 2022 – Santiago de Cali – Principales atractivos

Cali, oficialmente Distrito Especial, Deportivo, Cultural, Turístico, Empresarial y de Servicios de Santiago de Cali.

LXX Sudamericano Festival Cali 2022

Faltando menos de un mes para el inicio de...

2022 WBF/CSB & CAC NBO Officers’ Seminar

Seminario Cali 2022, 19 y 20 de Mayo de...

Campeonato Zonal Sudamericano 2021 – Resultados Finales

Sudamerica, 31 de Octubre de 2021 Finalizado el 71° Campeonato...

Articulos Relacionados

Popular Categories