This week’s guest columnist is John Burville.During my time learning and playing bridge, there has always been something new to learn about 7 card fits. Occasionally, you cannot help but end up playing a contract in a 5-2 or 4-3 fit, and as many of you realise, the odds get stacked more against you because the opponents have nearly as many trumps as you. What I want to cover here is some fundamentals about 7 card fits, and for the sake of this article, I will concentrate on 4-3 fits.A 4-3 fit trump suit is challenging because the opponents have 6 cards. Don’t forget that other pairs may be playing the same contract as you in a 4-3 fit, so you want to do the best you can versus them. However, if the opposing trumps are distributed 6-0, or 5-1, then I suggest you close your eyes, and look up when the contract is over. So the remaining trumps will be distributed 3-3: 36% of the time, and 4-2: 48% of the time. The remaining 16% is the run for cover time. So almost half the time, one of the opponents will have 4 trumps in one hand, as many as you do.Firstly, avoid ruffing in the hand with the 4 card trump suit. Take this hand for instance:NorthS-5 4 3H-A J TD-A 3C-A K J 3 2SouthS-7H-K Q 3 2D-K 7 6 5 4 2C-Q 10South is declarer in 4H. This is not unreasonable, as there are the values for game, and clearly NT will not work. The opponents lead and continue spades. If trumps are 3-3, you can ruff two spades in declarers hand, draw trumps, and likely make 12 tricks. However, if trumps are 4-2 which occurs nearly half the time, you cannot do that as the opponents will be able to subsequently ruff one of your tricks (and you now have no more trumps), and continue spades.So in this situation, you have two choices of plays. The first is to play for a 3-3 break and make 12 tricks 36% of the time, and go down the rest, or play for a 4-2 break (48% of the time) by ducking 3 rounds of spades, and ruffing any continuation in dummy, then drawing trumps and making 10 tricks. In teams play the choice is obvious: Play the cautious way. In pairs needing a top to get up the leader board, you might play for the 3-3 break.Secondly while it is often correct to delay drawing trumps until a finesse is completed, when you do, if you do not have solid honours to draw 4 trumps, consider ducking a round of trumps on the first or second trick. This has the effect of allowing you to draw trumps, and manage the hand while you maintain control:NorthS- 5 4 3H- A 2D- K Q J T 8 6 5C- 9SouthS- A K Q 2H- 8 7 4D-A 4 3C-7 5 4The opponents have bid and supported hearts, and you end up in 4S. They lead hearts. The best play is to win with the AH, and either immediately duck a round of spades, or duck the second round of spades. That way, you have a trump in dummy to ruff the third round of hearts, and can safely draw trumps, and make at least your 10 tricks. This is an extreme example, but the ducking play can be the right course of action even if you don’t have AKQ in the trump suit.The last part of this article is dedicated to a famous bridge player and writer Alfred Sheinwold. Many years ago, I picked up a small book that was tattered and beaten called “The Pocket Book of Bridge Puzzles” written in 1970. As I am an avid reader of a bridge books, I opened the book to see if there was anything interesting in it. Wow what a shock. This book was packed with insightful bridge techniques and plays laid out in a puzzle format. The one that leaped into my brain was on dealing with a 4-3 fit in a side suit where you needed 3 tricks:NorthS- J 9 5 3H- 6 5D- K J 6 5C- 4 3 2SouthS- A K Q T 2H- 8 7D- A 4 3C- A K 4Playing in 4S, the opponents take 2 rounds of hearts, and lead a club. You obviously have to make 3 tricks in diamonds, and can afford to lose one as you can pitch a club on the fourth diamond. Your options are after drawing trumps: 1. Play the AD, and finesse the J. This will either win, or if diamonds break 3-3, you will still get the extra trick. 2. Play KD, AD, and lead towards the J6. This wins in all of the cases for option 1, but adds the situation where the QD is doubleton offside. If the right hand opponent has 4+ diamonds to the Q. No play in diamonds will yield another trick.So I hope next time you play a 4-3 fit, you will think of these plays, as I am sure David Ezekiel does.