Help Stupid Partner, Episode 2

My friend Steve liked to say, "When I'm your partner, the secret to this game is Help Stupid Partner." Here's a classic situation that came up on Monday evening.

Matchpoints

Vulnerable: N-S

Dealer: West

You are East, holding  ♠ Q 8  ♥ 7 6 4  ♦ K 8 7 5  ♣ A 10 9 4   The auction proceeds

West	North	East (you)	South
Pass Pass All pass	Pass 1 ♠	Pass Pass	1 ♥ 4 ♥

North
♠ A J 7 6 5 ♥ 5 ♦ J 9 6 3 2   ♣ 7 5
	East (you)
	♠ Q 8 ♥ 7 6 4 ♦ K 8 7 5 ♣ A 10 9 4

Partner leads the ♦Q, declarer plays the 2 from dummy. Your play?

ANSWER:  Play the ♦5, showing suit preference for clubs. With the ♦J showing in dummy, partner’s lead is an obvious singleton; she’s hoping for a diamond ruff. Your mission is to tell her that you have a club entry in your hand.

THE PRINCIPLE: When continuing the suit is clearly not an option, your play is a suit preference signal.  A high card shows preference for the higher-ranking suit, a low card indicates the lower-ranking suit. In this case, you want to tell partner about the ♣A  – the lower-ranking of the other two non-trump suits – so play your lowest diamond. 

Note that if the ♦J was not showing in dummy, you wouldn't know that partner led a singleton. In that case, it would be an attitude situation, and you would have played the ♦8: encouraging, suggesting the ♦K or ♦A.

The full deal (hands rotated from their original positions):

	North
	♠ A J 7 6 5 ♥ 5 ♦ J 9 6 3 2   ♣ 7 5
West		East (you)
♠ 10 9 4 2    ♥ J 9 ♦ Q ♣ K J 8 6 3 2		♠ Q 8 ♥ 7 6 4 ♦ K 8 7 5 ♣ A 10 9 4
	South
	♠ K 3 ♥ A K Q 10 8 3 2 ♦ A 10 4  ♣ Q

Alas, your play doesn't matter on this hand; declarer draws trumps and partner never gets a diamond ruff. But it might matter the next time around, so be ready!