[jtfanclub]

Gerben47, on Aug 26 2004, 03:41 AM, said:

Example hand:

KQTxx
x
KQ9xx
xx

Taking the example other hand:
xxx
x
J10xxxx
Kxx

Again, there's at most a one trick difference between spades and diamonds- less, if the diamond ruff turns a Jxx spade trick into a Jx worthless doubleton. Or if they simply don't find the diamond ruff.

Quote

You bid 5♦ and not 4♠ because your ♦ fit will be much, much larger than your ♠ fit.

And why does that matter, exactly?

The default should be to play in the major. There has to be a decided reason to go a level higher, especially if there's 19 total tricks. You're not going to lose control of the trumps, especially not when both opponents have denied a 4 card spade suit. The 6th diamond is a trick in spades as surely as it is in diamonds. It doesn't go home in a snit because it doesn't get to be trump.

This is not a crossruff hand. You're going to draw trumps and play off the other suit. Having the low cards as trump is of no benefit at all.

Play at 4♠