Help Stupid Partner, Episode 5

"When I'm your partner, the secret to this game is to Help Stupid Partner." -- Steve B.

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

You	North	East	South
	1 NT	Pass	Pass
2 ♦	Dbl	Pass	2 ♥
All pass

You led the ♦ A and then the ♦ K, partner followed suit with the queen and then the jack. Declarer played the three and the four. Now what?

ANSWER: Lead the ♦ 8, signaling preference for a spade return. Partner's play shows that she is now out of diamonds. Declarer therefore still has another diamond, the nine. You are of course hoping that partner can overruff dummy.

THE PRINCIPLE: When continuing the suit is impossible, the defense is in a suit-preference situation. The diamond that you play here (high or low) indicates a preference for the higher- or lower-ranking of the other two suits outside of trump. Partner is not stupid, but she can't read your mind. She can read your signals.

If partner gets her diamond ruff and returns a spade, you will set the contract: two diamonds, a diamond ruff, a spade ruff, the king of clubs, and the king of spades. The full hand:

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

BONUS MINUTE: Declarer can always make 2 ♥ on the actual hand, but I think it would be very difficult to find the right line at the table. Your ♦ 8 signal does give declarer a clue that spades are breaking 5-0. Declarer must ruff the third diamond with the ♥ A and then lead the ♥ 10, losing only one heart trick (to West). In addition, she must avoid taking the club finesse until after drawing trumps.

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