BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Neither vulnerable, South deals

NORTH

xK 10 9

u10 9 8 3

vK 10 2

wA 7 5

WEST EAST

xQ J 6 3 2 xA 8

u6 5 uK 7 2

vA 7 5 vQ 9 6 4

wJ 4 3 w10 9 8 2

SOUTH

x7 5 4

uA Q J 4

vJ 8 3

wK Q 6

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1w 1x Dbl- Pass

2u Pass Pass 2x

Pass Pass 3u All pass

-Negative, values with no clear bid

Opening lead: Queen of x

West’s overcall was based on the legal minimum, perhaps less. East’s two-spade bid was not terrible by itself, just wrong with this partner. North might well have doubled two spades and easily exacted a two-trick penalty, but he chose to bid on. Except for South, every player had a close decision or two to make.

Suit preference signals have become a staple of good defense. They are used when attitude or count signals would be pointless, and there are many creative ways to use them. The suit used for the signal and the trump suit are always excluded, so a high card shows strength in the higher-ranking of the two remaining suits and a low card shows strength in the lower-ranking.

West’s queen of spades lead held the first trick. West knew that his partner’s delayed raise meant that East only held two spades, and it was possible to give East a spade ruff. How could West get his partner to return a diamond rather than a club after winning the ace of spades? West found the solution by leading his jack of spades at trick two! This was a strange-looking play, with the king-10 in dummy, and East knew exactly what it meant -- West’s entry was in the higher-ranking side suit. East duly shifted to a diamond at trick three, which West won with his ace and gave East a spade ruff. The defense still had a trick coming from the queen of diamonds and the contract failed by one trick.

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