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)

Time For: Lebensohl

Time For: Introducing bidding conventions that may not be familiar to local players, but are nearly universal in common usage such as ACBL Bridge Bulletin Standard. Whether or not you adopt the convention -- I suggest that you do! --  at the very least you should know enough about it to understand the opponents' usage.

When our side opens 1 NT, the default assumption is that we can play in notrump unless we find an appropriate fit for a suit contract. But if the opponents enter the auction with a suit overcall, we can't rely on that default without making sure we have a stopper in their suit (or suits). After a 1NT opening and an overcall, there are five missions that responder might need to accomplish:

1. Show a long suit (5+ cards) with ability to distinguish between nonforcing, invitational, and game forcing hands as much possible
2. Inquire about 4-4 fits, especially in the major suits (e.g., Stayman)
3. Show a stopper in the opponent's suit
4. Ask partner if she has a stopper in the opponent's suit
5. Collect a juicy penalty when the opponents are bidding on trash.

The standard way to do all these things is via a convention called Lebensohl (sometimes shown as "lebensohl" without capitalization). There are some variations, what follows is by far the most commonly used.

First of all, a double by responder is for penalties; the opponents have wandered in where they don't belong, and we are going to slap their hands soundly.

Lebensohl only applies if the opponents have overcalled. A new suit by responder is nonforcing at the two-level, and game-forcing at the three-level. For other auctions, responder denies a stopper in the opponent's suit unless responder bids 2NT immediately.

• an immediate 3NT bid shows values for game, but denies a stopper in the opponent's suit. If opener does not have a stopper, the partnership scrambles by bidding four-card suits up the line
• an immediate cue-bid asks for four-card majors and shows values for game, but denies a stopper in the opponent's suit. If opener does not have a four-card major or a stopper, opener scrambles.

The key bid in Lebensohl is the 2 NT response. The 2 NT bid is artificial, a "puppet" for 3 ♣. That is, opener must bid 3 ♣, and responder will then bid again to clarify the hand. After the 2 NT-3 ♣ sequence:

• a delayed 3NT bid shows values for game and shows a stopper in the opponent's suit. Opener passes.
• a delayed cue-bid asks for four-card majors, and shows a stopper in the opponent's suit. Opener shows a four-card major if she has one, otherwise bids 3NT safely.
• three of a suit (lower-ranking than overcaller's) is natural and non-forcing
• three of a suit (higher-ranking than overcaller's) is natural and invitational
• responder can pass with a weak hand and at least six clubs

To remember which sequence shows a stopper, the direct bid or the delayed bids (via 2NT), I like the mnemonic "slow shows, and direct denies". Another way to think of it is analogous to the Principle of Fast Arrival, where the slower route shows some extra values (a stopper, in this case).

Time for some examples. We are playing a strong 1NT opener (15-17 HCP) and our right-hand opponent overcalls a natural 2 ♥ .

 1 NT - (2 ♥) - ?
♠ K x x x ♥ x x ♦ Q x x ♣ J x x x
Pass: the normal bid with nothing.

♠ K J x x x ♥ x x ♦ Q x x ♣ J x x
Bid 2 ♠, nonforcing

♠ K Q x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ K x x x

Bid 3 ♥: asking for a four-card spade suit and denying a heart stopper

♠ K Q x x ♥ K x ♦ A x x ♣ x x x x
Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♥ over 3 ♣: asking for a four-card spade suit and showing a heart stopper

♠ K Q J x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ K x x

Bid 3 ♠: natural and forcing to game

♠ K Q x x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x ♣ x x x x

Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♠ over 3 ♣: natural and invitational

♠ x x x ♥ x x ♦ x ♣ K x x x x x x
Bid 2 NT, then Pass over 3 ♣

♠ x x x ♥ x x ♦ K x x x x x x ♣ x
Bid 2 NT, then 3 ♦ over 3 ♣: nonforcing

♠ A x  ♥ K J 10 x ♦ x x x x ♣ A x x x

Double: this should be fun!

Playing Lebensohl, the following bid sequences must be Alerted after our 1NT opening and the opponents two-level overcall. If an explanation is requested, you can use the following:

• 2NT  "puppet for 3 ♣, usually promises another bid"
• 2NT - 3 ♣   "forced by the 2NT call"
• 2NT - 3 ♣ - 3suit   "nonforcing" or "invitational" as appropriate
• 3NT   "values for game, denies a stopper"

Note that cue-bids in this sequence do not require an Alert. If an explanation is requested, state that the cue-bid asks for a four-card major, and either shows or denies a stopper (depending on the sequence).

NOTE: Many partnerships do not play Lebensohl after a 2 ♣ overcall, since the opponents have not taken away any bidding space. Also note that most experts nowadays play the double as a negative double for the unbid suits, leaving opener the option to convert for penalties. Make sure you and your partner have an agreement one way or the other.

BONUS MINUTE: Why not just play "stolen bid" doubles? Yes, stolen bid doubles are simple and easy to remember. But with stolen bid doubles:

• You don't have a way to ask opener for a stopper, unless you give up the ability to ask partner for a four-card major.  
• You can't play a lower-ranking suit at the three-level.
• You can't show higher-ranking suits in all three shades of nonforcing, invitational, or game forcing
• You encourage the opponents to interfere in your auction with impunity. 
• Like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you have lost both arms but gamely fight on... "it's just a flesh wound!"

EXTRA BONUS MINUTE: Lebensohl has been standard among experienced players for decades, but there is a convention that I like even better: Rubinsohl. I think it is technically superior and much simpler to play and remember. The Wikipedia page for Rubinsohl is a good introduction.

-- Ray 

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

Tell Them What They Know

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

West	North	YOU	South
			1 ♠
Pass	1 NT1	Pass	2 ♠
All pass

forcing one round

The first three tricks went:

• Partner's fourth-best ♣ 4 to your king
• Your ♣ 7, declarer's ♣ J, partner's ♣ Q, dummy's ♣ A
• ♠ 5 from dummy, you played low, declarer's ♠ Q held, partner played the ♠ 2

Then declarer played the ♠ A, partner the ♠ 7, and declarer discards a heart from dummy. You have the king and jack of spades. Whichever spade you play, the other one is good. Does it make a difference which spade you play?

ANSWER: Play the ♠ K. Don't give away the spade suit position to declarer by playing the ♠ J.

It would be easy to just play the ♠ J by rote, thinking that it doesn't matter. If you've read previous articles here about helping partner figure out your hand, it might be tempting to play the ♠ J as a suit-preference signal for diamonds. But partner doesn't know for sure that you hold the king; from her perspective, declarer might have started with the ♠ AKQ and is just adding some confusion for the defense (always a good idea for declarer!).

If you play the ♠ J, declarer (who already knows you have the king) will realize that you started with exactly three spades. If declarer has exactly six spades she will clear both remaining spades by leading one more round. But if she thinks partner might have started with four spades to the jack-ten or jack-nine, clearing spades might not be an appealing line of play.

THE PRINCIPLE: All else equal, play the card you are known to hold. This is an important principle for declarer as well as for defenders. When playing to a trick where the opponents already know that you have a specific card in that suit, don't choose some other equivalent card in the suit. Don't reveal extra information about your hand without the clear expectation of some extra benefit.

The complete hand:

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

-- Ray 

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

The Hitching Post

Playing matchpoints, you are the Dealer, the opponents are vulnerable and you hold:
♠ 8 5 ♥ K 10 6 3 ♦ Q ♣ 8 6 5 4 3 2

You	North	East	South
Pass	1 ♦	2 NT	Pass
?

Partner's overcall was the Unusual 2NT convention, showing the lower two unbid suits (hearts and clubs). Typically partner will be at least 5-5 in the specified suits; at this vulnerability partner could have a very weak hand, intending the bid primarily for its preemptive value.

What is your plan for this hand? What call do you make now? Considering the possible ways the auction might develop from this point, what call will you make after the opponents continue in diamonds, or start bidding spades? Take a moment to decide before you read on...
♠ 8 5 ♥ K 10 6 3 ♦ Q ♣ 8 6 5 4 3 2

Ready now? Excellent, but I have one more piece of information for you.

Partner "hitched". 

Slightly but unmistakably, just after she placed the 2 NT bid on the table: a momentary gasp, the slightest jerk of her hand as if to pick up the bid, then she regained her composure.

It appears that there might be a problem with partner's bid. Would you like to change your plan?

ANSWER: Don't you dare choose a different call! You know something about partner's hand -- her 2NT call has some sort of problem -- but you are not allowed to use that information. The only authorized ("legal") information that you have, and the only information you can use, is that partner bid 2 NT. You must make your call on that basis alone. Much like Ulysses, you must lash yourself to the mast. Even though these Sirens are trying to lure you to safety, you must ignore them.

You must choose your call as if partner had bid in a normal manner. Furthermore, any subsequent calls you make later in the auction must ignore partner's extraneous actions. Even if partner makes a seemingly-strange call later, you can interpret that call based only on the authorized information that you have. (Notice, thus, there is no ethical way to escape after an erroneous call that was accompanied by a "tell".)

After play ends, the opponents have the right to summon the Director if they think your choices were influenced by partner's extraneous actions. The Director will assign an adjusted score if he finds that your choices resulted in an unfair advantage.

Here's what the rule book has to say. From the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, 2017, Law 16 "Authorized and Unauthorized Information", with some emphasis added:

B. Extraneous Information from Partner
1. Any extraneous information from partner that might suggest a call or play is unauthorized.This includes remarks, questions, replies to questions, unexpected alerts or failures to alert, unmistakable hesitation, unwonted speed, special emphasis, tone, gesture, movement or mannerism.
(a) A player may not choose a call or play that is demonstrably suggested over another by unauthorized information if the other call or play is a logical alternative.
(b) A logical alternative is an action that a significant proportion of the class of players in question, using the methods of the partnership, would seriously consider, and some might select.
2. When a player considers that an opponent has made such information available and that damage could well result he may announce, unless prohibited by the Regulating Authority (which may require that the Director be called), that he reserves the right to summon the Director later (the opponents should summon the Director immediately if they dispute the fact that unauthorized information might have been conveyed).
3. When a player has substantial reason to believe that an opponent who had a logical alternative has chosen an action suggested by such information, he should summon the Director when play ends. The Director shall assign an adjusted score (see Law 12C1) if he considers that an infraction of law has resulted in an advantage for the offender.

BONUS MINUTE: So what should you bid with ♠8 5 ♥ K 10 6 3 ♦ Q ♣ 8 6 5 4 3 2  after partner's Unusual 2NT bid, at favorable vulnerability?
4♥ is the experts' choice here. You have at least a nine-card fit in hearts, and at least an eleven-card fit in clubs. The opponents therefore have a double fit in spades and diamonds. You have no defensive values, and the vulnerability is in your favor. Make it difficult for the opponents to figure out their double fit, and be ready to bid 5♣ over their 4♠.

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

HSP: A Two-fer

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

Dealer: S Vul: None	♠ A K Q 3 ♥ K Q 2 ♦ 10 9 8 6 3 ♣ 9
	N W E S	♠ J 10 7 5 4 2 ♥ A J 10 5 ♦ — ♣ K J 3

West	North	You	South
			2 ♦
Pass	5 ♦	All pass

Partner led the ♠ 9. Your partnership agreement is to lead the highest card from three small ("top of nothing"). So, partner might have started with any of three possible spade holdings: the singleton ♠ 9, a doubleton spade ♠ 9 x, or all three of the missing spades ♠ 9 8 6. Declarer called for the ♠ A from dummy. Your play?

ANSWER: Play the ♠ J, showing the ♠ 10 and suit-preference for hearts. By convention, signaling with an honor normally shows the next lower honor in sequence. Thus, playing the ♠ J shows that you hold the ♠ 10 as well. But here nobody cares that you have the ♠ 10. More importantly, an unusual high card (the ♠ J) shows suit-preference for the higher-ranking side suit.

• If partner had a singleton spade, let's hope she has the ♦ A and another diamond; she can win the first round of diamonds, and lead to your ♥ A to get her spade ruff for down one.
• If partner had a doubleton spade and the ♦ A, she'll need to lead a heart when she wins the first round of diamonds. Otherwise, declarer can discard heart losers on dummy's spades to make five if declarer's shape is 1=2=6=4 (or even six, if declarer has the ♣ A too).
• If partner had three spades to start with, declarer will discard a loser on the ♠ A and partner will realize you are showing her where your side-suit winners are.

THE PRINCIPLE: The play of an unnecessarily high card is always a suit-preference signal. You could have played the ♠ 7 as an encouraging signal in spades; the smaller spades still concealed in your hand ensure that partner would recognize the ♠ 7 as a "high encouraging" spade.

BONUS MINUTE: If you held the ♣ A instead of the ♥ A, you would have played the ♠ 2 as suit-preference for clubs. With so many spades in your hand, it is unlikely that a spade continuation is a possibility. More likely, partner had a singleton or declarer is void; in either case, partner will be trying to read your card as a suit-preference signal.

The complete hand:

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

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

Take Out Some Insurance

Suggested soundtrack: the Jimmy Reed blues classic from 1959, "Take Out Some Insurance"

In this installment, you and partner are playing "1430" key card responses to a 4NT query. There are five key cards: the four aces and the king of trump. Responses show 1 or 4 key cards (5♣), 3 or 0 key cards (5♦), or 2 key cards without (5♥) or with (5♠) the queen of trump.

Partner deals and opens. The opponents Pass throughout the auction.
You hold
  ♠ 10 7 5 3 2   ♥ 4   ♦ A K Q J 7   ♣ J 4.

Partner	You
1 ♠	2 NT1
3 ♣2	4 NT
5 ♣3	?

game forcing raise singleton or void in clubs one or four key cards

You have far too much playing strength for a 3 ♠ limit raise. A splinter raise of 4 ♥ is a possible bid, but partner will never expect five-card support and a solid source of tricks in diamonds in addition to the heart shortness.

You decided on a game-forcing Jacoby 2NT raise, fully expecting partner to show shortness in diamonds, but instead she showed a singleton or void in clubs. At most one club loser, at most one heart loser, a ten-card trump suit... even if partner has just a minimum opener, a slam seems very possible.

Your 4 NT bid asked for key cards; partner's 5♣ response showed either one or four key cards. Well! With four key cards over there, making 7 ♠ would be simple; draw trump, cash the outside aces, ruff dummy's club loser, and ruff the fifth diamond if necessary.

So, your call?

ANSWER: Cool your jets. Bid 5 ♠ to play. Because, what if partner has only one key card? Partner has no diamond honors, and at most one club; is it even possible that partner could have an opening bid with only one key card? Yes, it is possible, and if so even 5 ♠ might be too high. But if partner really does have four key cards, she will bid on over your signoff.

THE PRINCIPLE: When partner shows two possible holdings in a key card auction (one or four, or zero or three) and you can't make a slam across from the minimum, sign off at the five-level. That way, you take out some cheap insurance against partner having the minimum holding. If partner has the maximum holding, she'll keep the auction going.

For example, if partner has
  ♠ A Q J 8 6 4 ♥ K Q 9 6 ♦ 10 6 ♣ 9
she will pass 5 ♠ in a heartbeat.

But if she instead has
  ♠ A K J 8 6 4 ♥ A 9 6 5 ♦ 10 6 ♣ A
partner will bid 6 ♠ to let you know she has four key cards, and you can take over from there.

If partner has the extra key cards and a side-suit king, she should cue-bid the king if it is possible to show it without going past six in our trump suit. For example, holding
   ♠ A K J 8 6 4 ♥ A K 6 5 ♦ 10 6 ♣ A
partner will bid 6 ♥ to show four key cards and the king of hearts.

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