Jean-Pierre DESMOULINSRuffing in the short hand
32 deals to master ruffing in the short hand
Ruffing in the short hand is the number one technique in trump play at bridge. It allows declarer to take more trump tricks than the number of trumps held in the long hand. When used correctly, ruffing easily creates extra tricks; when misused, it often leads to pointless overruffs or to a loss of trump control.
This page offers a progressive and practical approach to ruffing in the short hand, starting with simple principles and followed by exercises ranked by difficulty. By playing, you will learn how to recognize the right situations, how to prepare a ruff properly, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Principles
Ruffing in the short hand aims to create extra trump tricks. In a trump contract, it is the only way to exceed the number of tricks naturally provided by the long hand. Ruffing from the long hand usually only replaces an existing trick.
The ruff must be prepared. In many situations, it is necessary to open the ruff by giving up the lead to the opponents (through a loser, a discard, or a finesse) in order to be able to ruff while retaining control of the hand.
Diagnosis is essential. You should think about ruffing in the short hand when the same hand (either declarer or dummy) has both few trumps and a short side suit that can be ruffed.
Trump choice and timing matter. Ruffing too small exposes you to an overruff; ruffing too high may help to establish the opponents’ trumps. Communications must also be taken into account so that you are in the right hand at the right time.
Level 1 | Basics of ruffing in the short hand
These deals illustrate typical declarer plans based on ruffing in the short hand: identifying the short hand, opening the ruff by giving up the lead, then ruffing at the right moment without drawing trumps too early. They show how to create extra trump tricks while keeping control of the hand, and why drawing trumps too soon can eliminate any ruffing opportunity.
Level 2 | Preparing the ruff and managing timing
These deals go deeper into ruffing in the short hand, with a focus on preparation and timing. They show situations where the ruff is effective only if drawing trumps is delayed, the correct side suit to ruff is chosen carefully, and communications between dummy and declarer are managed properly.
Level 3 | Avoiding overruffs and handling the dangerous opponent
These deals focus on more advanced difficulties related to ruffing in the short hand, against active defense. They show how to protect yourself against the dangerous opponent, why some ruffs must be delayed or prepared by a loser-on-loser play, and how to choose the correct order for complementary maneuvers involving the short-hand ruff.
Level 4 | Formulating hypotheses and combining techniques
These deals illustrate complex situations where ruffing in the short hand is part of a sequence of technical maneuvers. They show how to combine ruffs, discards, loser-on-loser plays, or finesses, how to manage awkward communications between dummy and declarer, and why the order of plays is decisive.
FAQ
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