Contract Bridge

When and when not to draw trump is a problem you face almost every time you’re declarer in a suit contract. Unfortunately, there is no pat formula that tells you when to do one or the other; what you do in each case depends entirely on the circumstances you face.

Consider this deal where the defense starts out with three rounds of hearts, and you ruff the third one. Should you draw the opposing trumps at this point? First let’s see what happens if you do.

You play three rounds of trump followed by the A- K and another diamond, hoping the missing diamonds are divided 3- 3. In that case, you’d have 10 easy tricks. However, it turns out that the diamonds are divided 4-2, and down you go. This is not really a surprising development, as the odds are approximately 2-1 against a 3- 3 break.

Now let’s suppose that you don’t draw trump at the outset but begin by playing the A- K and another diamond instead. If the diamonds are divided 3- 3, you’re virtually certain to get home safely. Whatever is returned, you win and draw the outstanding trumps to finish with 10 tricks.

And what happens if the diamonds break 4-2, as in the actual deal? In that case, you plan to ruff the fourth round of diamonds in dummy (with the ace of spades if necessary) and then draw trump, hoping for a normal 3-2 division. In the actual deal, you make 10 tricks without even breathing hard.

Given the circumstances of this particular deal, it is therefore better not to draw trump at once. By playing diamonds rather than spades first, you become a distinct favorite to make the contract rather than an underdog.