Who Do You Trust?

In a rubber bridge game with some good players, you cut a new partner. The two of you have not played together before. With no partnership discussion other than "five card majors, weak twos, transfers" you are East and receive this unexciting collection.

♠ A 10 8 6 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ 9 7 6 2 ♣ 7 3

West	North	YOU	South
	Pass	Pass	1 ♥
2 ♣	2 ♥	Pass	Pass
3 ♣	3 ♥	All pass

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

Partner leads the ♦ A. What does your partnership normally lead from ace-king against a suit contract?

ANSWER: Good question! Don't you wish you had discussed that? Back when Eisenhower was President, leading the king from ace-king was considered standard. The ace might be the more common agreement nowadays, but not by a wide margin. Without an agreement, you'll just have to guess for now.

You play the ♦ 2 hoping that partner gets the message about your terrible diamond suit. Declarer follows suit with the ♦ 3. Alas, partner continues with the ♦ K and declarer plays the ♦ Q from her hand.

Partner cashes the ♣ A, you follow suit with the ♣ 7 and declarer plays the ♣ K. Then partner leads the ♠ 9 and declarer plays low from dummy.

What is going on?

ANSWER: Partner is screaming for a diamond ruff, so give it to her. Rise with your ♠ A and give partner the diamond ruff she worked so hard to get. Don't let declarer's ♦ Q talk you out of the winning play.

Partner deliberately set up declarer's diamond suit, ignoring the advice of your ♦ 2 signal. Then she cashed her ♣ A, dropping declarer's king and making it clear that a club return is wrong. If she wanted to force declarer in clubs, she could have continued clubs herself. But she eliminated clubs as a choice for you, and then -- only then -- did partner lead a spade to find you with the ♠ A.

But declarer played the ♦ Q, isn't declarer out of diamonds? There is still one diamond unaccounted for. Look at dummy's ♦ J 10 of diamonds. Dropping the ♦ Q wouldn't cost declarer anything.

THE PRINCIPLE: The opponents are out to get you. Partner is the one on your side. Trust your partner. 

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

Declarer's play of the ♦ Q on the second round of diamonds is an automatic play, though of course she must play it in tempo to have a chance of misleading anyone. If you don't play the ♠ A and return a diamond for partner to ruff, declarer will make her contract.

BONUS MINUTE: Which diamond did you play on the second trick, to partner's king? I hope you played the ♦ 9 as a suit-preference signal for spades. Partner knows you didn't have a doubleton diamond, since you didn't play high-low to her ace and king. Partner knows you don't have the queen, because you discouraged diamonds on the first trick. Partner knows you have a choice of which diamond to play at trick two. You aren't interested in a club ruff, because declarer will be ruffing behind you; partner certainly has at least six clubs for her bidding. So play a high diamond to suggest interest in the higher-ranking suit, spades.

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

Loose Lips Sink Ships

Playing against very good opponents, you (West) hold
  ♠ 6 3  ♥ J 8 7 2  ♦ J 10 9 5  ♣ 8 6 2

You	North	East	South
Pass	1 ♣	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	1 NT	Pass	2 ♦*
Pass	2 ♠	Pass	4 NT*
Pass	5 ♠*	Pass	6 ♠
All pass

South's 2 ♦ bid was artificial, indicating a five-card spade suit; North's response showed exactly three spades. The 4 NT bid asked about key cards (the four aces and the king of trump); North showed two key cards and the ♠ Q.

You led the ♦ J; partner played the ♦ 2 and declarer won the trick with the ♦ Q.

POP QUIZ: Does partner have an ace? If so, which one?  (Answer is at the end)

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

Declarer led to the ♠ K, then played the ♠ Q and the third spade to the ♠ A from her hand. Partner followed suit with the 2, 7, and 9. What do you discard on the third round of spades? Discarding a diamond loses if declarer started with ace-king-queen-fourth of diamonds. Discarding the ♥ 2 loses if declarer started with four hearts, and might give declarer a hint about the location of the ♥ A. You won't be taking any tricks with that club suit. What do you discard?

ANSWER: Don't discard the ♣ 2! This is the wrong time to announce that you have useless clubs to spare. The ♣ A 10 in dummy is a warning that declarer has choices if she is missing the ♣ Q or the ♣ J. The ♣ 2 gives declarer a big hint that partner holds any missing club honors. You don't want to help her decide which way to play clubs; loose lips sink ships!

Playing the ♥ 2 to tell partner that you don't have the ♥ A is a waste of time. Partner probably has it, and she knows that you know that. Discarding from either red suit could be wrong if declarer started with four in that suit; your choice in that regard is purely a guess.

So, don't give declarer any clues in the side suits; discard the ♦ 10, the card you are known to hold, and also promising the ♦ 9. 

THE PRINCIPLE: The enemy is listening. Many articles in this series have highlighted the importance of defensive signaling. But even a seemingly innocuous discard can reveal an important bit of information to declarer . When faced with a difficult discarding problem, it is usually best to play the card you are known to hold.

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

Declarer must find the ♣ Q in order to make six spades. If you and your partner follow suit in clubs smoothly in tempo, declarer is pretty much on a guess. But if you suggest that you have useless clubs to spare, declarer will realize that partner is a favorite to have the queen. I'd rather make declarer guess; a 50-50 chance to set the contract is better than no chance at all!

POP QUIZ ANSWER: In a 4 NT Blackwood (or key card) sequence, asker normally bids 5 NT if all aces or key cards are accounted for. Your opponents are good players and would know that, so South's failure to bid 5 NT suggests that they are missing one key card. The ♠ K and the ♣ A are in dummy. If partner had the ♦ A, she would have played it to the first trick. It seems unlikely that South would blast into a key card sequence missing the ace-king-queen of trump. Partner probably has the ♥A.

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