Reversing the Dummy: And It's Cousin, the Cross Ruff

By James Marsh Sternberg MD

When discussing declarer play, the first thing I always suggest is for declarer to try to determine what kind of hand he is dealing with. Proper play of the hand starts with planning your play at Trick 1. After identifying/counting your losers, you need to look for ways to eliminate them. Counting winners too sometimes makes things easier, especially for dummy reversals. After all, there are only a finite number of types of hands, with variations on the themes. Typical hand types include a finesse, ruffing some losers in the dummy, setting up a second suit, a crossruff, and a few others.
But usually when I add a squeeze or dummy reversal to the list, that’s when I find
I have lost their attention. Dummy reversals are much easier to execute than most squeezes but often harder to recognize. Yes, perhaps the latter two are a bit more complex. This book is going to simplify the dummy reversal for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665553483

James Marsh Sternberg MD

Dr James Marsh Sternberg is a radiologist in Palm Beach Gardens Florida & Professor of Radiology at two northern universities. He currently teaches bridge in Florida. He has won several North American National Championships and has written extensively for many bridge publications. He is the author of “Playing To Trick One”, There Are No Mulligans In Bridge. “Dr J” lives in Palm Beach Gardens with Vickie Bader.He can be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

Reversing The

Dummy

AND IT’S COUSIN, THE CROSSRUFF

JAMES MARSH STERNBERG MD (DR. J)

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2022 James Marsh Sternberg MD (Dr. J). All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/28/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5349-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5348-3 (e)

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Also by James Marsh Sternberg

Playing to Trick One; No Mulligans in Bridge (2nd Ed)

Trump Suit Headaches; Rx for Declarers & Defenders

The Finesse; Only a Last Resort

Blocking and Unblocking

Shortness – A Key to Better Bidding (2nd Ed)

When Michaels Met the Unusual

Zero to Three Hundred – A Bridge Journey

Reversing the Dummy

James Sternberg With Danny Kleinman

Second Hand High; Third Hand Not So High

An Entry, An Entry; My Kingdom for an Entry

L – O – L Loser on Loser

In Search of a Second Suit

Elimination and Endplay

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

General Principles of Dummy Reversals

Chapter 1. Example Deals

Deal 1. Easy Ten

Deal 2. Too Ambitious?

Deal 3. Thanks For the Help

Deal 4. Wrong Suit

Deal 5. No Finesse

Deal 6. Pesky Opponents

Deal 7. Lucky, Lucky

Deal 8. Nice Spot Cards

Deal 9. A Mirage Queen

Deal 10. Two Ways to Skin a Cat

Deal 11. Wrong Suit

Deal 12. Three Doors

Deal 13. No Finesse Please

Deal 14. A Little More Effort

Deal 15. Where is the Tenth?

Deal 16. Trump Control

Deal 17. Trump Control II

Deal 18. What Can Go Wrong?

Deal 19. Oh No, Not Again

Deal 20. What Can Go Wrong?

Deal 21. No Finesse, More Ruffing

Deal 22. Piece of Cake

Deal 23. Preparation

Deal 24. Using Your Trump Wisely

Deal 25. Good Try

Deal 26. Trouble?

Deal 27. Too Easy

Deal 28. Count Your Tricks

Deal 29. Wrong Suit

Deal 30. Breaking The ‘Rules’

Deal 31. Too Much Knowledge

Deal 32. Overbid? Better Play It Well

Deal 33. Wishful Thinking

Deal 34. A Similar Theme

Chapter 2. Defense

Deal 35. Good Defense

Deal 36. Caught Napping

Chapter 3. Advanced Example Deals

Deal 37. Don’t Uppercut Yourself

Deal 38. Hope for the Best

Deal 39. The Missing Tenth Trick

Deal 40. Multiple Choices

Deal 41. Extra Risk

Deal 42. An Exotic Try

Deal 43. Annoying Lead

Deal 44. The 4/3 Fit

Deal 45. Another 4/3 Fit

Deal 46. Lot to Do

Deal 47. Changing Lanes

Deal 48. Thanks For The Nine

Deal 49. Declare or Defend?

Deal 50. Plan Ahead

Deal 51. Two Ways Home

Deal 52. A Declarer Reversal

Deal 53. Making Use of Your Trumps

Deal 54. An Easier Road Home

Deal 55. Glad I Bid

Deal 56. Plan B

Deal 57. Plan Ahead

Deal 58. Better Timing

Deal 59. Count Early

Deal 60. Cash Your Winners

Deal 61. Count Your Tricks

Deal 62. Do What You Must

Deal 63. Overcoming Good Defense

Deal 64. Do What You Gotta Do

Deal 65. Whoops

Deal 66. Watch Those Entries

Deal 67. What Can Go Wrong?

Deal 68. Which Suit First?

Deal 69. Watch Those Entries

Deal 70. Opening Lead Problem

Deal 71. Who Needs Them

Deal 72. Handling The 4-3 Fit

Deal 73. Another Touchy 4-3

Deal 74. Take What You Can

Deal 75. Avoiding the Trump Shift

Deal 76. An Unusual Finesse

DEDICATION

This One’s For:

DANNY

KLEINMAN

My Friend and Frequent Co-Author

Who Has Made My Books Better

By Being ‘DANNY’

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book would not have been possible without the help of several friends. Frank Stewart, Michael Lawrence, Anne Lund, and Eddie Kantar, all provided suggestions for material for the book.

I am forever indebted to Hall of Famer Fred Hamilton and the late Allan Cokin and Bernie Chazen, without whose guidance and teaching I could not have achieved whatever success I have had in bridge.

I want to thank my editor Willie Fuchs, who makes my writing much better than it really is.

And Vickie Lee Bader, whose love and patience helped guide me thru the many hours of this endeavor.

James Marsh Sternberg, MD

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

[e-mail]

INTRODUCTION

When discussing declarer play, the first thing I always suggest is for declarer to try to determine what kind of hand he is dealing with. Proper play of the hand starts with planning your play at Trick 1. After identifying/counting your losers, you need to look for ways to eliminate them. Counting winners too sometimes makes things easier, especially for dummy reversals. After all, there are only a finite number of types of hands, with variations on the themes. Typical hand types include a finesse, ruffing some losers in the dummy, setting up a second suit, a crossruff, and a few others.

But usually when I add a squeeze or dummy reversal to the list, that’s when I find I have lost their attention. Dummy reversals are much easier to execute than most squeezes but often harder to recognize. Yes, perhaps the latter two are a bit more complex. This book is going to simplify the dummy reversal for you.

Assume you are playing in a suit contract. Spades are trump and you hold in hand:

You will take five tricks, with a normal 3-2 trump split. On the other hand, with

You will take one or two extra tricks, depending on how many times you can ruff a heart before drawing the opponent’s trumps. Trumping in declarer’s hand in the first example, the one with the longer trump holding, does not increase the number of tricks. In fact, making declarer ruff too often may result in loss of control of the deal, a frequent defensive technique of tapping the declarer. In such cases, shortness is a detriment, not an asset.

When this technique is reversed, when declarer uses trump cards from his hand for ruffing and retains the trumps in dummy to