Help Stupid Partner, Episode 4

Playing matchpoints, you are sitting East. South deals.

  ♠ J 5    ♥ J 8 7 5 4 3   ♦ K 7 2    ♣ Q 5

South 1 ♠

West 2 ♦

North 4 ♠

East (you) All Pass

Partner leads the ♥A (your partnership agreement is A from A K).

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

♥A from partner, singleton ♥2 from dummy… what do you play?

ANSWER: Play the ♥8, indicating preference for a diamond lead toward your king. A high card suggests the higher-ranking of the other two suits (diamonds, in this case); a low card suggests the lower-ranking suit (clubs).

THE PRINCIPLE: When continuing the suit is clearly not a good idea, or known to be impossible, the defense is in a suit-preference situation. The card you play (high or low) indicates a preference for the higher- or lower-ranking of the other two suits outside of trump.

The complete hand:

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

Notice that if you simply follow with a low heart, partner will interpret that as a preference for clubs. Declarer wins, knocks out the ♠A, wins the return in any suit, draws the last trump and sets up dummy’s club suit in order to discard her diamond loser; making five. If West switches instead to a diamond, declarer must lose a diamond either immediately, or, if she plays the ♦A immediately, then later when West is in with the trump ace; thus making only four.

My friend Steve liked to say, "When I'm your partner, the secret to this game is Help Stupid Partner." Not that partner is stupid, not by any means. She can't read your mind, but she can certainly read your signals.