Suggested sound track: The Police, "Message In A Bottle"
"When I'm your partner, the secret to this game is to Help Stupid Partner." -- Steve B.
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| West | North | East | South |
| 2 NT | |||
| Pass | 3 ♣ | Pass | 3 ♠ |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
You are West, on lead against 3 NT. Leading your fourth-best ♦ 5 seems clear. Dummy plays low; partner wins the trick with the ♦ A, and declarer follows with the ♦ 3. So far, so good...
At trick two, partner leads the ♦ K and declarer plays the the ♦ 7. Your play?
Look again... notice anything unusual? Still want to play that card?
ANSWER: Play the ♦ 10 -- the highest diamond you can afford -- as a suit-preference signal for spades.
Partner played her ace-king of diamonds in reverse order; the normal third-hand play would be the lowest of touching honors (the king), then the ace. Why the ace and then the king?
ANSWER: Partner played her honors in an unusual order to let you know that there is something unusual about the hand: in this case, it seems likely that she does not have a third diamond to return to you. South opened 2 NT (20-21 HCP), dummy has 6 HCP, and partner has shown 7 HCP. Partner knows that you must have an honor somewhere; she is asking for a suit-preference signal from you.
Partner sent an SOS. Did you get the message?
If you play the ♦ 4 at trick two, partner will interpret that as suit-preference low, and lead a club at trick three. If you play the ♦ 8, partner will interpret that as asking for a heart return. If partner returns a club or a heart, declarer will cash four heart tricks and five club tricks, making three notrump. Only if you play the ♦ 10 and get a spade lead at trick three, you will set 3 NT by two tricks (five diamond tricks and one spade trick).
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