In auctions where you've located two 8-card fits, the oft-repeated advice is to play in the suit that is distributed more evenly in your two hands. If the choice is between a 4-4 heart fit and a 5-3 spade fit, hearts is preferred because the 4-4 often makes an extra trick.
This is sound advice, but it's not a commandment. There are many deals where the 5-3 will play better, and it's important to recognize the clues that suggest this possibility. To do that, you need to make intelligent guesses about how your trumps are likely to be used. Here are some situations where the 5-3 fit may be superior to the 4-4:
The 5-3 is the only major. Game-level decisions are easy when the 5-3 is a major and the 4-4 is a minor. Both fits will often make the same number of tricks, but even if the 4-4 plays a trick better, the major scores higher. Your choice is more critical when both suits are majors or you're searching for the best slam.
Trump losers are your main concern. This can be the case when both hands are relatively balanced and have plenty of high-card strength for game or slam. If you have natural tricks in outside suits, your trumps won't be needed for ruffing. They'll be used to draw trumps, so if you have good honor strength in the 5-3 fit and weakness in the 4-4, the 5-3 can be the better contract.
The 3-card hand has the only valuable shortness. Suppose partner opens 1S, you respond 2C (forcing to game) and partner rebids 2H. Your impulse may be to raise hearts with ♠Q72 ♥A754 ♦4 ♣KQJ73, but there are several reasons why spades rates to play better.
A 4-4 fit offers the greatest advantage when both partners have short suits. This allows declarer to establish either hand as the "long trump" hand by ruffing twice in one while retaining four trumps in the other. That isn't an option here because only one hand (yours) has useful shortness. Partner has short minors, but a doubleton or singleton (presumably in clubs) isn't a real ruffing "value" because you have natural tricks in the suit.
Your singleton, however, is helpful. If partner holds ♠AJ1063 ♥K863 ♦AJ4 ♣5, he can ruff one or two diamonds in dummy and keep five trumps in his hand. Trump control won't be a problem because the opponents can't force declarer to ruff.
Trump quality can be an issue here, too. A 4-1 heart break may defeat 4H. In 4S, though, partner can pitch two losing hearts on your high clubs.
The 4-4 fit will require ruffing with trump honors. Try to predict the opening lead and defensive strategy. If you're playing a 4-4 fit and you expect the opponents to lead your short suit at every opportunity, you're in danger of losing control if your trumps are AKQ2. It will be easier to survive a forcing defense if you can ruff with low trumps.
There's no chance of a useful discard. When considering a 4-4 instead of a 5-3, ask yourself what cards can be profitably pitched on the run of the 5-card suit. If you have a "slow" loser in a side suit -- ♦K62 opposite ♦A75, for example -- a discard from either hand can develop a ruffing trick (assuming that hand still has a trump). There's no advantage, though, if the 3-card hand has length or strength in outside suits. One or two discards from holdings such as ♦KQJ or ♣J7643 won't create extra tricks.
You have less than game-level values. Your choices are more limited when your combined strength is enough only for a partscore. You may not have room to look for a 4-4 fit, and even if you find one, the 5-3 may be safer. More about how strength affects choice-of-trump decisions in the next issue.
© 2014 Karen Walker