The meaning of control Larry Hammick larry@hammick.com 2000.02.24 ;Introduction ;Control of a specific suit ;;High-card control ;;Positional high-card control ;;Ruffing control and fast discards ;Trump control ;Control of ruffer-count ;Introduction The word "control" is used rather vaguely in bridge, and this little article will try to clear up its several meanings. Control is about _time_. It refers to one side's ability to take tricks _before_ the other side can make tricks elsewhere, with the result that the second side's winners end up being discarded on or ruffed by the first side's. ;Control of a specific suit To say that your side controls a specific suit means that opponents cannot take tricks in that suit until your side takes its own tricks somewhere else. ;;High-card control xx AKQJ xxx xxxx KQJT9 xxx xx xxxxx xxx xxx xxx xx Axx xx AKQJ AKQJ In NT, West can develop 4 spades tricks, but South, by aid of a high- card control in spades, takes 13 tricks off the top. ;;Positional high-card control A high card may control a suit from one side of the table but not the other, as with Kx or: xx AKQJ xxx xxxx KJT98 xxxx xx xxxx xxx xxx Axx xx AQ xxx AKQJ KQJT South is declarer in NT. West has a trick in clubs and can develop 3 or 4 more in spades. But South has a control in spades and, against a lead by West, a second spade control in the form of the Q. He therefore gets 12 tricks before EW get more than 1 -- whether or not the SQ ever cashes. If North were declarer, NS would have only one control in spades, and a spade lead would hold declarer to 9 tricks. KJxx AQxxx Kx xx AQJx Kxx Qx AKx A slam is available if West is declarer, but needs luck if East is. Note that HK serves as a control but is not needed as a trick. KJx A Kxx QJxx AKxx xxxx KJx ATxx North leads a spade against 3NT. Declares simply finesses the CJ, ensuring 2+2+2+3 tricks. Again the SJ is needed as a control but not as a trick. ;;Ruffing control and fast discards To control a side suit in a trump contract, a shortage is as effective as high card, or better. Like a high card control, the ruff may not be needed as a trick. It may not even "be" a trick, e.g. when the shortage is in the same hand as the long trumps. Thus a small trump, whether it is a trick or not, may serve as a stopper in a plain suit. A "fast discard" converts surplus control of some side suit into ruffing control of another side suit. QTxx xx x AKQJxx Ax xxx KQJx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxx x KJ9x Ax AKQJ xxx If a heart is led against 6S, declarer wins and takes a heart discard on diamonds before driving out the trump ace. Note that a heart ruff by declarer does not gain a trick, and declarer cannot make 6NT on a heart lead. (6C is safer than 6S, in that he could pull trumps first, then discard a heart, then establish spades.) ;Trump control Small trumps in the long trump hand, already tricks, may also be needed as stoppers in an enemy side suit (i.e. needed for ruffing control). To run out of such trumps would allow the opponents, if they get in, to cash the remainder of that side suit. The result is similar if, by ruffing in the long hand, the opponent becomes longer than you in trumps: his small trump has been promoted by reason of length, and will destroy one of your side tricks. So, in almost any trump contract, only one side can ever make long-card tricks. That side is said to have "trump control" or to "have control". Trump control at double dummy is not a matter of degree: one side has control and the other doesn't. At the table, however, we have to work with probabilities, and we talk in terms of "weakening" and "protecting" trump control, i.e. reducing or increasing the probability that control can be maintained. If one of the four hands is longer in trumps than any other hand, his side _tends_ to have control: the long trump will eventually come down on an opponent's established side card. But such ruffs in the long hand weaken control. Causing the opposition to expend a long trump on one of your side's established cards is called a "force". Enough forcing leads will promote (by reason of length) the other side's trumps. If declarer has trump control, he: 1) will not gain tricks by ruffing in the long trump hand 2) will try to pull trumps 3) will try for fast discards if necessary 4) may develop long cards in a side suit. and the defence: 1) will benefit from scoring ruffs 2) will not benefit from leading trumps 3) will benefit from cashing early 4) cannot use long cards. If declarer does not have trump control, the roles are reversed. Declarer will cash quick tricks on the side, leave trumps out, and try to scramble ruffs. The defence will benefit from pulling trumps and may wind up with long-card tricks. They should not force declarer, nor cash quick tricks if to do so will facilitate his ruffing. It is well to be clear on these two basic principles: The purpose of pulling trumps is to remove the enemy trump _losers_. The purpose of forcing is to drive out the enemy trump _winners_ or promote your side's trump _losers_. ;Control of ruffer-count Pulling trumps is often good business for declarer, and when it isn't, it is usually good business for the defenders. The purpose of pulling trumps is to remove the other side's trump losers before they can score ruffs. Occasionally, however, a small trumps serves as both a ruffer and a control. At stake in such cases is the _last_ small trump in _one_ of the opponents' two hands. xx xx AKQJ KQJTx Ax xxx AKQJx xxx xxx xxx xxx Axxx KQJTxx xxx xxx x Against a spade contract (say 3S) West cashes a high heart, regrets it when he sees dummy, and switches to his _low_ trump. West is now threatening to pull dummy's last trump and cash two more hearts. If declarer tries for a heart discard on diamonds, East can ruff. This low trump lead is an example of a "waiting move": one side has two alternative sources of a trick, and a waiting move by the other side forces the first side to commit itself. In this example, the two possible sources are the fourth diamond and a ruff of the third spade.