Two In The Bush

East Deals Both Vul	♠ Q J 10 7 2 ♥ Q 8 3 ♦ K Q 6 ♣ A 2
	N W E S	♠ A 9 5 4 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ 2 ♣ Q 8 7 4 3

West	North	East	South
		You
		Pass	1 ♥
Pass	1 ♠	Pass	2 ♦
Pass	4 ♥	All pass

Your partnership leads are fourth best from power, and second best from three or more spot cards. Partner led the ♦ 7; declarer played ♦ K from dummy and ♦ 9 from hand, you of course played the deuce.

Declarer led the ♥ Q from dummy, you started a trump echo with the ♥ 4, and declarer followed ♥ 5; partner wins the trick with the ♥ K.

Partner then led the ♦ 8: ♦ Q from dummy, you ruffed with the ♥ 2 completing the trump echo 😎 as declarer played the ♦ 10.

Your trick. Now what?

ANSWER: Underlead your ace of spades!

Partner's ♦ 8 is a suit preference signal for the higher-ranking suit. Based on the other diamonds played so far, you can see that there several low diamonds still lurking somewhere. They must be in partner's hand; she realized from the auction -- and her diamond holding -- that you might be short in diamonds. 

You went to some effort to tell partner that you have a third trump and want another ruff. Partner led a high diamond rather than a low one or a non-committal middle-ish one. Partner definitely signaled a spade entry, and since you have the ace she must therefore have the king.

Why not cash the ace of spades?

Declarer opened hearts (5+) and rebid diamonds (4+),  thus declarer has at most four black cards. You can count nine spades between your hand and dummy. If declarer is void in spades, it doesn't matter what you do. If declarer has two spades, your ace will still be good later. But if declarer has a singleton spade, you won't get to partner's hand if you cash your ace. So, forget the bird in your hand. Instead, trust your partner and get two in the bush -- the spade king and another diamond ruff -- for down one.

	♠ Q J 10 7 2 ♥ Q 8 3 ♦ K Q 6 ♣ A 2
♠ K 8 3 ♥ K 9 ♦ 8 7 5 4 3 ♣ K 9 6	N W E S	♠ A 9 5 4 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ 2 ♣ Q 8 7 4 3
	♠ 6 ♥ A J 10 6 5 ♦ A J 10 9 ♣ J 10 5

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes.  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Echo Chamber

East Deals Both Vul	♠ Q J 10 7 2 ♥ Q 8 3 ♦ K Q 6 ♣ A 2
	N W E S	♠ A 9 5 4 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ 2 ♣ Q 8 7 4 3

West	North	East	South
		Pass	1 ♥
Pass	1 ♠	Pass	2 ♦
Pass	4 ♥	All pass

Partner led the ♦ 7; how thoughtful that partner led your singleton! (Your partnership leads are fourth best from power and second best from three or more spot cards.) Declarer played the ♦ K from dummy, you followed low, and declarer played the ♦ 9 from hand.

Then declarer calls for the ♥ Q from dummy. Which heart do you play?

ANSWER: Play the ♥ 4, not the ♥ 2, beginning a high-low sequence in trump; at your next opportunity you'll play the ♥ 2. This standard sequence will show partner that you have a third trump card and want a diamond ruff!

THE PRINCIPLE: A trump echo -- playing high-low in trump -- specifically shows at least one more trump and a desire to ruff. Even if declarer draws two rounds of trump, partner will know that you still have a trump remaining and want to ruff a side suit.

If both you and dummy are short in the same suit, only give a trump echo when you can overruff dummy. Also, you will infrequently run into a situation where you don't want a ruff even though it is available; by playing your trumps up-the-line you can indicate your lack of enthusiasm for a ruffing defense.

A note of caution: do not use the trump echo unless you have a ready ruff in a side suit. Because declarer also knows that your echo shows a third trump, declarer will sometimes then know to fell a doubleton queen from partner's hand. So only reveal that information when there is a clear reward available.

One way to remember this is that playing high-low always shows a desire to ruff. Playing high-low in a side suit shows a doubleton and a desire to ruff that suit; playing high-low in trumps shows a desire to ruff some side suit. In either case, you promise a trump to ruff with!

Lastly, a note from the Department of Dogs That Didn't Bark: A corollary to the trump echo is that if partner does not give a high-low in trumps, then she either does not have a third trump card or does not want a ruff. For example, if you're wondering whether partner started with a singleton or a doubleton in a side suit (after playing only one round in that suit), her failure to give a trump echo would suggest she still has a card remaining in the side suit.

We'll continue with this deal in the next episode; stay tuned!

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

The Director's Last Name

Monday 5 Dec 2016

Board 3 South Deals None Vul	♠ J 9 6 5 ♥ — ♦ Q 8 6 5 3 ♣ K 8 3 2
♠ 10 ♥ A K 10 9 7 4 3 ♦ A J 4 ♣ Q 5	N W E S	♠ A K Q 8 3 2 ♥ J ♦ — ♣ A J 9 7 6 4
	♠ 7 4 ♥ Q 8 6 5 2 ♦ K 10 9 7 2 ♣ 10

EW 6♥; W 6♣; W 5N; EW 5♠; E 4N; E 5♣; NS 1♦; Par -980

This is just a wild distributional hand that several of us found intriguing. The possible results shown are for perfect declarer play against perfect defense, determined using the double-dummy solver in Bridge Composer.

6 ♥ makes from either side, though of course West would be the likely candidate.

6 ♣ by East goes down one on a heart lead (ruffed) and then North must play the ♠ J . Declarer's only entry to dummy then is to ruff a spade, giving up the ability to take the club finesse twice. Declarer must then lose the ♣ K unless North makes the mistake of covering the ♣ Q. 

If West is declarer, 6 ♣ makes because North doesn't get a heart ruff, only the ♣ K. Alas, I don't see any normal auction that would let West be declarer in clubs.

If there is a lesson here, it is that you should always summon the Director in the event of an irregularity. If East is declarer in 6 ♣ and North faces an opening lead out of turn, East may accept the lead out of turn... and make six!

From the ACBL Laws of Duplicate Bridge:

LAW 54: FACED OPENING LEAD OUT OF TURN

When an opening lead out of turn is faced and offender’s partner leads face down, the director requires the face down lead to be retracted. Also:

A. Declarer Spreads His Hand

After a faced opening lead out of turn, declarer may spread his hand; he becomes dummy. If declarer begins to spread his hand, and in doing so exposes one or more cards, he must spread his entire hand. Dummy becomes declarer.

B. Declarer Accepts Lead

When a defender faces the opening lead out of turn declarer may accept the irregular lead as provided in Law 53, and dummy is spread in accordance with Law 41.

1. The second card to the trick is played from declarer’s hand. 

<...> 

There's more to Law 54, but that's the relevant part.

So, always make your opening leads face down. And in the event of an irregularity, summon the Director.  By the way, the Director's last name is Please, as in "Director, Please!"

The Buck Stops Here

Matchpoints, you (South) are the dealer. You hold
♠ K J 4    ♥ K J 9    ♦ 4    ♣ A K J 9 4 3

West	North	East	South
			1 ♣
1 ♦	1 ♥	2 ♠	3 ♥
Pass	4 ♥	Pass	Pass
4 ♠	Pass	Pass	??

The auction got crowded there for a moment, and West decided against letting you play 4 ♥. What now?

ANSWER: You must not pass. There are reasons to double, and there are reasons to bid higher, but you must not pass.

THE PRINCIPLE: When our side has freely bid a game, or even committed to a game-forcing auction, we will not let the opponents buy the contract undoubled. Either we bid again or we double them, period, full stop. In this auction, over 4 ♠ partner's pass is forcing you to either bid or double. If she had a particular preference for bidding on or doubling, she would have done so. Instead, she has a hand that has no clear indication either way, so she is leaving it up to you. Partner passed the buck -- well, the buck stops here.

So should you bid again (5 ♣ or 5 ♥) or double? You have values that are useful on offense or defense. I would double; if you play in hearts the defense can tap your hand with diamond leads and declarer could lose control of the trump suit. If you defend, you can get off to a good start by leading your singleton diamond.

A better reason to double, though, is that it smells like West has made a big mistake. West sold out to 3 ♥ instead of bidding 3 ♠. West doesn't think they can make three spades, much less four! Note that even 3 ♠ down one doubled (-100 EW) would be a better result for them than your 3 ♥ making (-140 EW). So if West thinks that they are down two (or more) in 3 ♠, then they must be down three or more in 4 ♠. Yippee, the opponents are handing out +500's, better get yours! 

This hand is from a Common Game session last February; +500 was worth 97% of the matchpoints. With absolutely perfect defense you would have done even better at +800.

We'll see more of this hand in the near future, so no peeking at the complete deal just yet...

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

An Unusual Remedy

Many players in our local bridge club -- and all tournament players nowadays -- play the Unusual Notrump and Michaels Cue conventions. It's high time we talked about what to do when the opponents make these bids against us.

First, a quick review. Our side has opened the bidding and overcaller has shown a two-suited hand, typically with five cards in each suit.

• The Unusual Notrump is a jump overcall in notrump that shows the lower two unbid suits (or the minor suits, depending on partnership agreement). For example, 1 ♠ - 2 NT shows clubs and diamonds. 1 ♦-2 NT probably shows clubs and hearts, though some partnerships use this for minors. (You can ask for an explanation when it is your turn to bid, or after the auction has ended).
• A Michaels Cue shows both majors over a minor suit opening; after a major suit opening, a Michaels Cue shows the other major and one of the minor suits. For example, 1 ♦- 2 ♦ shows both majors. 1 ♥ - 2 ♥ shows spades and a minor suit.

These auctions have taken some valuable bidding space away from us. What does a double mean now? What does a single raise mean? What about a jump raise, or a bid in one of the opponents' suits? If you've never discussed these with your partner it is very likely that the two of you won't be on the same page; disaster looms.

THE REMEDY: The standard defense against these bids is called "Unusual Versus Unusual". There are several variations of this convention. I recommend the following, which mostly reflects modern expert consensus.Consider an auction where the opponents make a two-suited overcall; for example, 1 ♠ - 2 NT. Since their bid shows two specific suits, keep in mind that you have two cue-bids available, as well as a bid in the fourth suit. Your options (other than Pass) are as follows:

• Double. Penalty-oriented, this denies a fit with partner's suit and promises a decent hand (nearly opening values, or more) that plans to penalize the opponents in at least one of their suits.
• Raise. A simple raise of partner's suit is competitive, not invitational, and not forcing. It shows perhaps 7-10 points and good support. Note that if partner opened a minor suit you should probably have a five-card fit in case partner opened a three-card suit. A jump raise is preemptive with a weak hand (less than 7 points) and at least five-card support.
• Fourth suit. Natural and not forcing. This denies a fit for partner's suit, and promises a decent suit (almost always six or more cards) and 7-10 points.
• Cheapest Cue. At least a game-invitational raise of partner's suit, forcing for one round; you might prefer to call it "limit raise or better". By cheapest cue, we mean the cheapest available bid in one of the opponent's suits. In our 1 ♠ - 2 NT example, clubs is the cheapest cue-bid in their suits so 3 ♣ shows at least four-card spade support and at least a good ten points. If you have game-going values, don't worry; you'll get another turn to bid.
• Second-Cheapest Cue. Shows the unbid suit, forcing for one round, and usually denies a fit for partner's suit. This promises a good six-card suit with at least game interest, at least a good ten points with no wasted values in the opponents' suits. In our 1 ♠ - 2 NT example, 3 ♦ shows a good six-card heart suit with some interest in game. If you have game-going values, don't worry; you'll have another turn to bid.
• Notrump bids at the two and three level are natural and non-forcing and promise appropriate values with solid stoppers in the opponents suits. 4NT and 5NT retain their usual conventional meanings.

If only one suit is known, such as in 1 ♥ - 2 ♥, a cue-bid in the known suit (spades here) shows at least a game-invitational raise of partner's suit. Other suit bids are natural and non-forcing.

And yes, there's more but that takes care of the basics. Because there are several published variations in how to use the two available cue-bids, you and your partner should discuss the details before playing Unusual Versus Unusual.

Note that all of these bids must be Alerted (other than pass or notrump) because they have specific conventional meaning in this context.  Finally, don't forget to add "Unusual Vs Unusual" to the bottom right of your convention card in the section for Other Conventional Calls.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Waste Not, Want Not

Not vulnerable, your partner is the dealer. You, South, hold

♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

West	North	East	South
	1 ♥	Pass	2 NT1
Pass	3 ♠2	Pass	??

at least four hearts, forcing to game singleton or void in spades

After partner's 1 ♥ opening, you can entertain visions of slam if partner has the right cards. Your 2NT bid was the Jacoby 2NT convention, promising at least four hearts and game-going values. Partner's response is a conventional response, showing a singleton or void in spades. What now?

ANSWER: Drop the anchor in 4 ♥. Your hand just got a lot weaker across from spade shortness; the king and queen of spades aren't pulling their full weight. If you had a slightly stronger hand -- perhaps with the king and queen of clubs -- you could keep the ball rolling with 4 ♦ to show a diamond control.

THE PRINCIPLE: When partner shows shortness in a suit, demote any honors you hold in that suit; those values have turned to dross. Partner might have shown shortness by conventional bids such as a splinter raise or the Jacoby 2 NT raise, or simply by bidding the other suits. By the same token, if you have mostly small cards in partner's short suit, partner can likely ruff those losers. If partner had instead bid 3♣ showing a singleton or void in clubs, that would have been good news indeed.

BONUS MINUTE: When responding to a Jacoby 2NT bid, showing a secondary five-card suit takes priority over showing a singleton or void. Establishing a secondary fit is usually a better source of tricks for slam. After opener promises a five-card major and then a secondary five-card suit, responder can also assess her values in the other two suits accordingly.

	♠ — ♥ A K 8 7 4 ♦ K Q 9 5 3 ♣ 10 5 2
	N W E S
	♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

North should bid 4 ♦ rather than 3 ♠. South will recognize that her black-suit values are likely to be facing shortness.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

A Smooth Plan

South Deals E-W Vul	♠ K J 10 9 ♥ Q 10 8 ♦ K J ♣ Q 9 6 4
♠ A 7 5 2 ♥ A 4 ♦ 10 3 2 ♣ A 10 8 7	N W E S

West	North	East	South
			2 ♥
Pass	3 ♥	All pass

You (West) led the A♥, and the other hands followed low. What now?

ANSWER: Decide now to duck declarer's spade lead! Yes, it is still your lead. No, declarer has not led spades out of turn. Yes, your next lead should be your remaining heart. But that is not the issue here.

If you look ahead, you'll notice that declarer will -- at some point in the play -- probably lead a small spade toward dummy's K-J-10-9. If she doesn't have the queen, she will be wondering whether to play the king or the jack, looking for clues to who has the other spade honors. Her best default plan is to play the jack. But if she thinks you have the ace, she will play the king. Your only chance for two spade tricks is that partner holds the queen and that declarer plays the jack. For that to come true you must play a low spade, smoothly in tempo. If you hesitate after the spade lead, she'll know you have the ace and play the king accordingly. 

THE PRINCIPLE: Before playing to the first trick as declarer or third hand, always take a few moments to ARCH: Analyze the lead, Review the bidding, Count tricks, and plan How to play the hand. As the opening leader, you should do the same before turning your first card face down if there hasn't been enough time already.

Note that ducking with the A♠ is the standard play with this holding unless there is a clear-cut reason for grabbing tricks quickly. Even if declarer has a singleton spade, she always gets a spade trick. If you play the ace immediately, declarer can set up the spades for a discard. If you hesitate, she doesn't have to guess. Your job is to stay out of the way and let her guess wrong.

South Deals E-W Vul	♠ K J 10 9 ♥ Q 10 8 ♦ K J ♣ Q 9 6 4
♠ A 7 5 2 ♥ A 4 ♦ 10 3 2 ♣ A 10 8 7	N W E S	♠ Q 8 4 ♥ 3 2 ♦ Q 9 7 5 4 ♣ K 5 3
	♠ 6 3 ♥ K J 9 7 6 5 ♦ A 8 6 ♣ J 2

Follow the Leader

You are on defense and hold an honor sequence in a suit: two or more cards "touching" or equal in rank. For example, the K-Q  or the J-10-9 . Since they all have the same practical effect toward winning a trick, does it matter which one you play? Does it matter whether you are on lead or following suit?

ANSWER: Yes, yes, it matters a lot to partner! Which card you play from equal honors gives your partner (and okay, yes, declarer too) some important clues about the other cards you hold in that suit. There is a very standard way of playing honor sequences:

1. Lead from the top of the sequence. The standard opening leads we all learned are the K from K-Q-whatever, the Q from Q-J-whatever, and so on. In general, the lead of an honor promises the next-lower honor (or a void) and denies the next-higher. Most experts today prefer A from A-K against suit contracts, although this is not universal; you and your partner should discuss how your partnership will lead from A-K. Note that this applies throughout the hand, not just on opening lead.
    
2. Follow from the bottom of the sequence. In general, try to win the trick as cheaply as possible. The card you play denies the next lowest card. For example, if you follow suit with the Q you have denied holding the J; you haven't promised the K, but partner will know that you don't have the J. As with leading from the top, this rule applies throughout the hand.
    
3. Discard (signal) from the top of the sequence. Discarding an honor promises the next-lower honor (or a void) and denies the next-higher. For example, discarding the Q promises the J and denies the K. 

There are, of course, some important exceptions:

• With doubleton honors (no other cards in the suit), reverse the above rules. For example, with K-Q doubleton, lead the Q; when you later play the K, partner will realize why you "broke the rule" of leading from the top.
• With three or more, lead from the top and then lead next from the bottom. For example, with K-Q-J you'll lead the K and then next lead the J; partner will realize that you have the Q but not the 10.
• When splitting honors in second or fourth seat I suggest "follow low" just for simplicity, but you should discuss this with your partner. Expert agreements vary in this situation, often depending on how many cards are in the sequence.

So how to remember this? Here are some mnemonic ideas:

• The leaders in an organization are at the top of the organization chart (sequence) and the followers are at the bottom. 
• The leaders are at the head of the parade (sequence) and the followers at the end
• "folLOW" (follow low)
• For signaling, think of smoke signals from the top of the mountain (sequence).

BONUS MINUTE: When you have the doubleton Q-J in a suit that declarer controls, it is best to follow suit randomly; play the Q first 50% of the time, and play the J first 50% of the time. Note that you'll have to make your decision before declarer plays the suit, otherwise declarer will read your hesitation like a book. The reasons for the randomized play are too complicated to explain here; you can Google "restricted choice in bridge" for more details.

answering partner's plea

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

The opponents are vulnerable, you are North, and the auction gets crowded. I'll show you your hand in a moment...

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	2 ♦	2 ♥
3 ♦	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♦
Pass	??

ANSWER: Clearly you must bid. Partner's 4 ♦ bid can't possibly be to play, since the opponents bid and raised diamonds. And, of course, a new suit by an unpassed hand is forcing.

It's not clear whether partner is fishing for heart support, or has slam interest in one of your black suits, or is fishing for a diamond stopper, or wants to find out which black suit is the least-worst option. Maybe several of those cases apply! Your objective here is to clarify as much as you can, without repeating what you've already told her about your hand. Don't tell the same story twice!.

So, what do you know about partner's hand?

• Partner has at least five good hearts, and at least 10 points, for her 2 ♥ bid.
• Partner is unwilling to pass 3 ♠ or simply sign off somewhere (3 NT, 4 ♣, 4 ♥, 4 ♠, or 5 ♣), so she likely has more than the minimum for her 2 ♥ bid.
• Partner is not just interested in how many aces you have, else she would have bid 4 NT Blackwood.

What does partner already know about your hand?

• You have a very good hand with game-going values (at least 16 points), because you bid 3 ♠ freely rather than just passing over 3 ♦.
• You don't have a 1 NT opener or a 2 NT opener; your hand is probably unbalanced.
• You probably don't have three hearts, because you didn't raise hearts right away.
• You have at least four spades and longer clubs; otherwise you would have bid spades first.

Here are some hands that you might hold in this auction.

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	2 ♦	2 ♥
3 ♦	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♦
Pass	??

♠ A Q x x ♥ K x ♦ x x ♣ A K J 10 x
Bid 4♥. Partner already knows you don't have three hearts.

♠ A Q x x x ♥ x x ♦ -- ♣ A K J 10 x x
Bid 4♠ promising a five-card suit, and therefore at least six clubs.

♠ A Q x x ♥ x ♦ A x ♣ A K J 10 x x
Bid 5♣, denying a five-card spade suit, and suggesting six clubs.

♠ A Q x x ♥ x x ♦ K x ♣ A K J 10 x
Bid 4 NT to play?? Don't you wish you had bid 3 NT at your previous turn?

♠ A K J x ♥ Q x ♦ x x x ♣ A K Q x
Bid 4♥. This hand (18-19 balanced) is the exception where your clubs are not longer than your spades. Partner already knows you don't have three hearts.

In ambiguous situations like this, take a moment to review the auction. What do you know about partner's hand? What does partner already know about your hand? What does partner not know about your hand? Partner is sending us a plea for help; how can you best clarify your hand for her?

Dearest Partner...

[This is a duplicate of a previous article that encountered email distribution problems. Stop me if you've already heard this...]

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

Here’s a hand from a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t satisfied with my choice at the table, and even less so the more I thought about it later. I posted this hand as an online bidding poll at BridgeWinners.com to get some expert opinions.

Matchpoints, E-W vulnerable, you are South.
♠ K 8 6 2   ♥ A K J 8 7 6 5   ♦ 2   ♣ 5

North 1 ♣ 3 ♠

East 2 ♦ Pass

You 2 ♥ ??

West 3 ♦

What do you bid over 3 ♠? What do you think the experts bid?

ANSWER: Half of the experts chose 4♦. The rest of the votes were split between 4♠ and 4NT, with just a few votes for other bids.

I am chagrined to admit that I didn’t think of 4♦ at the time, but I believe it is by far the best choice. It isn’t clear whether partner started with 5 spades and 6 clubs, or only 4 spades and 5 (or 6) clubs. While spades will be at least an 8-card trump suit, playing a spade slam could be tricky if partner holds only honor-fourth in the suit. We would like to know more about partner’s hand rather than acting unilaterally.

What does a 4♦ bid mean here? It is forcing; it means “partner, you must bid again”. With a diamond overcall and raise by the opponents, it can’t possibly be to play in diamonds. It may or may not show a diamond control. It doesn’t necessarily show spade support. It implies a hand that is unwilling to just sign off in 4♥ or 4♠. It doesn’t show something in particular; it asks partner for more information. Partner should notice that it is the only forcing call available short of 4♥ or 4♠, either of which would likely end the auction.

An expert player from the UK, Ian Grant, once wrote a lovely eloquent description of this kind of ambiguous bid. I’ll quote it in entirety:

"I think of it as sending a memo: 

Dearest Partner,

Once again I find myself faced with the prospect of a difficult decision in the near future. Since you are at least partially responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs I have no hesitation in requesting your help. Any further information you can provide regarding the cards you are holding would, I am sure, be of great assistance. 

your long suffering friend,

Ian"

Bridge is a partnership game, so get partner involved.

BONUS MINUTE: Spades, not hearts, should almost always be trump here; but you probably knew that already. The spade suit will have the same losers regardless of what's trump. But if there are any heart losers, declarer can most likely ruff them if spades are trump and then use the established hearts to pitch minor suit losers. If hearts are trump, there's no way to get rid of any heart losers.

Dear Partner...

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

Here’s a hand from last week. I wasn’t satisfied with my choice at the table, and even less so the more I thought about it later. I posted this hand as an online bidding poll at BridgeWinners.com to get some expert opinions.

Matchpoints, E-W vulnerable, you are South.
♠ K 8 6 2   ♥ A K J 8 7 6 5   ♦ 2   ♣ 5

North 1 ♣ 3 ♠

East 2 ♦ Pass

You 2 ♥ ??

West 3 ♦

What do you bid over 3 ♠? What do you think the experts bid?

ANSWER: Half of the experts chose 4♦. The rest of the votes were split between 4♠ and 4NT, with just a few votes for other bids.

I am chagrined to admit that I didn’t think of 4♦ at the time, but I believe it is by far the best choice. It isn’t clear whether partner started with 5 spades and 6 clubs, or only 4 spades and 5 (or 6) clubs. While spades will be at least an 8-card trump suit, playing a spade slam could be tricky if partner holds only honor-fourth in the suit. We would like to know more about partner’s hand rather than acting unilaterally.

What does a 4♦ bid mean here? It is forcing; it means “partner, you must bid again”. With a diamond overcall and raise by the opponents, it can’t possibly be to play in diamonds. It may or may not show a diamond control. It doesn’t necessarily show spade support. It implies a hand that is unwilling to just sign off in 4♥ or 4♠. It doesn’t show something in particular; it asks partner for more information. Partner should notice that it is the only forcing call available short of 4♥ or 4♠, either of which would likely end the auction.

An expert player from the UK, Ian Grant, once wrote a lovely eloquent description of this kind of ambiguous bid. I’ll quote it in entirety:

"I think of it as sending a memo: 

Dearest Partner,

Once again I find myself faced with the prospect of a difficult decision in the near future. Since you are at least partially responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs I have no hesitation in requesting your help. Any further information you can provide regarding the cards you are holding would, I am sure, be of great assistance. 

your long suffering friend,

Ian"

Bridge is a partnership game, so get partner involved.

BONUS MINUTE: Spades, not hearts, should almost always be trump here; but you probably knew that already. The spade suit will have the same losers regardless of what's trump. But if there are any heart losers, declarer can most likely ruff them if spades are trump and then use the established hearts to pitch minor suit losers. If hearts are trump, there's no way to get rid of any heart losers.

(minor update 7 Nov)

Well, that was unnecessary...

You’ve done your best in the auction to make life difficult for the opponents, and they have bid a small slam. Now for the next part of the exam.

Matchpoints, S deals, N-S Vulnerable 

South 1 ♦ Pass

West Pass Pass

North 1 ♠ 6 ♦

East (you) 5 ♣ All Pass

Dummy ♠ A K 7 2 ♥ K J 5 ♦ K 9 5 4 ♣ A 10
	You ♠ --- ♥ 9 7 6 ♦ 10 3 ♣ K J 9 8 6 5 3 2

Partner led the ♣Q, declarer played the ♣A from dummy. Your play?

ANSWER: Play the ♣K to request a spade lead!

THE PRINCIPLE: When following suit, an unnecessarily high card (or low card, in some cases) is not an attitude signal encouraging continuation of the suit. It is a suit preference signal, asking for a lead in the higher-ranking of the other suits.

From your hand it looks like the only chance to defeat 6♦ is if partner holds the ♦A. If she wins the first round of trump, she can then lead a spade so you can ruff. With only two clubs unaccounted for at this point, your club suit is all winners; you could play any high club to encourage a club continuation. But partner would probably continue clubs anyway, if she has one. By playing the ♣K, an unusual-looking play, you’ll get her attention and maybe a spade lead too. NOTE: Most experts treat this as a situation to signal suit-preference rather than attitude, with the default being just continue clubs.

The complete hand is below. Partner must win the first round of trumps and lead a spade to defeat the contract. If partner doesn’t hold the diamond ace, maybe you just helped declarer by alerting her to the bad spade break; but maybe the spade suit plays itself, so it is a risk worth taking.

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

BONUS MINUTE: In the auction, you might be tempted to make a Lightner double to get an unusual lead of spades. But from your hand, it looks like they could run to 6♠ instead. Also, even if you get a spade ruff you’ll need another trick somewhere to set the contract; more likely is that they’ll make 6♦ doubled, ouch! It’s essential to wish for the ♦A in the play, but doubling on the speculation that partner has a trick somewhere is way too risky.