"When I'm your partner, the secret to this game is to Help Stupid Partner." -- Steve B.
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| ♠ | Q 6 | | ♥ | K 7 | | ♦ | 8 7 4 3 | | ♣ | A Q J 7 6 |
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| | ♠ | 9 4 2 | | ♥ | A Q 2 | | ♦ | K J | | ♣ | 10 9 8 4 3 |
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| West | North | YOU | South |
| | 1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♠ |
| Pass | 2 ♣ | Pass | 3 ♠ |
| Pass | 4 ♠ | All pass | |
Partner led the ♣ 2, declarer played low from dummy. Which club do you
play? Why?
Regardless of which high club you play, declarer wins the trick with the ♣ K,
and leads the ♠ 3. Partner flies the ♠ A, declarer plays low from dummy.
Which spade do you play? Why?
ANSWER: Play the ♠ 9, your highest spade, showing preference for the
higher-ranking side suit (hearts, in this case). For the same
reason, you should have played the ♣ 10 -- not the ♣ 8 -- at trick one. Yes, the standard play would have been the club eight, the lowest card of the sequence;
but this is not a standard situation.
THE PRINCIPLE: When the opening lead against a trump contract is a singleton, partner's priority -- other than winning the trick if possible -- is to
signal suit preference. The defenders need to figure out how to get
third hand on lead to give the opening leader her ruff(s). Partner will be
watching very carefully for the slightest clue you can give her.
This hand shows the importance of analyzing the hand
before playing to the first trick. Partner would not lead from ♣ K52
into dummy's strong suit. Nor would she lead low from ♣ K2, for the same
reason. And if partner started with two small clubs, she would have led the
five, not the two. Thus the ♣ 2 must be a singleton.
BONUS MOMENT: How do you know that partner has another spade to ruff with?
Because if she had only the singleton ♠ A, she would not be looking for a
ruff! She would have led the ace, to capture two enemy trumps instead.
If you play a low spade at trick two (suit preference low), partner will lead a
diamond per your guidance, giving declarer a free finesse. Declarer will win,
draw trump, and discard two red suit losers on dummy's good
clubs; making six instead of going down one 😠.
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| ♠ | Q 6 | | ♥ | K 7 | | ♦ | 8 7 4 3 | | ♣ | A Q J 7 6 |
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| ♠ | A 5 | | ♥ | 10 9 6 5 4 3 | | ♦ | 10 9 5 2 | | ♣ | 2 |
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| | ♠ | 9 4 2 | | ♥ | A Q 2 | | ♦ | K J | | ♣ | 10 9 8 4 3 |
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| ♠ | K J 10 8 7 3 | | ♥ | J 8 | | ♦ | A Q 6 | | ♣ | K 5 |
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-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)
