Free Weekly Instant Tournament - July 25 - Board 4

Board 4
Both sides vulnerable

♠ K J 3 2  ♥ --  ♦ A 7 2  ♣ A K Q 8 4 2

LHO opens with one notrump, partner passes, and RHO bids two clubs, Stayman. I don't need much to make a game. Queen fifth of spades and out is probably enough. I'll start by doubling two clubs. Then, hopefully, I can make a take-out double of hearts on the next round. I could bid three clubs, but that might end the auction. If I want to make sure I get a chance to make a take-out double of hearts, it's better to double.

I double, LHO bids two hearts, and RHO raises to four. That's higher than I was hoping the auction would be at this point. There are only 23 HCP missing, and the opponents have bid game. So it's not likely partner has the queen of spades. But I might not even need it. Maybe I can hold my losers to two spades and a diamond. In any event, I can't see staying quiet with a four-loser hand. I double, and everyone passes. Partner leads the six of diamonds.

	NORTH Robot ♠ 8 4 ♥ A K 8 7 ♦ J 10 9 8 3 ♣ 7 3
		EAST Phillip ♠ K J 3 2 ♥ -- ♦ A 7 2 ♣ A K Q 8 4 2

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Phillip	Robot
			1 NT
Pass	2 ♣	Double	2 ♥
Pass	4 ♥	Double	(All pass)

Dummy has 8 HCP and declarer has 15, so partner has zero. Since he knows I have a primary club suit, he has a safe spot to pull the double. With no high cards, I doubt he would pass without five hearts.

We have three top tricks. Since partner led a diamond rather than my suit, it's likely he has a stiff diamond. If so, we can take two diamond ruffs for down two.

I win the ace of diamonds and declarer follows with the four. That's an additional clue that the lead is a singleton. With KQ4, it would be normal to unblock an honor. That's two clues the lead was a singleton, but I'm still not 100% sure.

I see no reason not to cash a club before giving partner a ruff. This will confirm my entry is in the club suit. I certainly don't want partner to ruff and try to put me in with the ace of spades. Robots don't play suit preference, so I can't signal my entry by leading a low diamond for him to ruff. Also, cashing a club will give partner a chance to confirm whether his lead was a singleton.

I cash the queen of clubs--six--five--three. Partner's five should be attitude. A discouraging club confirms the lead was a singleton; an encouraging club says it wasn't. I think most players would signal attitude here, since the alternative to giving partner a diamond ruff is cashing another club. If the alternative were shifting, however, some might have other ideas.

Take this deal from an article I wrote for The Bridge World years ago:

	NORTH ♠ K J 7 4 ♥ J 10 6 4 2 ♦ 8 ♣ J 6 5
WEST ♠ 9 ♥ K Q 9 8 5 2 ♦ J 4 ♣ A 7 4 2

West	North	East	South
1 ♥	Pass	1 ♠	5 ♦
Pass	Pass	Double	(All pass)

You lead a spade. Partner wins with the ace and cashes the ace of hearts. Both you and partner know that a heart continuation makes no sense. Even if partner had another heart to play, a second heart can't be cashing. So partner has two possible defenses: give you spade ruff or shift to a club.

Since partner must shift, I suspect many would play suit preference: High to suggest a spade ruff; low to suggest a club shift. I think that's a serious error. If you lead a possible singleton and partner wins and cashes a side winner, I believe your signal should always be attitude. Discouraging says, "No, you fool. That was a singleton." Encouraging says, "Yep. You got it right. I'm not ruffing. Try something else."

If your signal depends on what that "something else" is--attitude if it's continuing the suit, suit preference if it's shifting-- then you are setting yourself up for an accident. Yes, in this example, it's clear to both sides that "something else" is a club shift. But that won't always be the case. Sooner or later, you'll have a deal where the alternative to giving you a ruff isn't clear.

The point is: What possible gain is there from sometimes playing low to show your lead was a singleton and sometimes playing high to show the same thing? If low (or high if playing upside-down) always says your lead was a singleton, then you can't have an accident.

Let's change problem a bit.

	NORTH ♠ K J 7 4 ♥ J 6 4 2 ♦ 8 ♣ J 6 5 3
WEST ♠ 9 2 ♥ K Q 9 8 5 2 ♦ J 4 ♣ A Q 4

Again, you lead a spade to partner's ace and partner cashes the heart ace. Now how should you signal?

If partner has another heart, he has three possible defenses: Play a spade for you to ruff, play another heart, or shift to a club. I don't know how the Suit-Preference Guild would signal. But I do know how I would. A discouraging heart--as always--shows your lead was a singleton and requests a ruff. An encouraging heart (the nine if playing standard; the deuce if playing upside-down) says it isn't. Since partner doesn't know you have six hearts, he will probably continue hearts if you encourage.

In this case, however, you want a club shift. How do you get it? Via an alarm-clock signal. Play the heart queen. This, in theory, denies the king (more accurately, it denies a cashing king). And it denies a stiff spade, since you would simply discourage if you had one. So partner will shift to a club by elimination. 

Of course, this discussion is moot playing with robots. My robot partner isn't signaling at all. He's just playing a random card. So it's up to me to figure out what to do.

If the diamond lead was a singleton, we beat this contract two if I return a diamond now. If I cash another club, partner's fifth heart will be the setting trick, so we still beat it one.

If the diamond lead was a doubleton, I might lose my club trick and let declarer make if I return a diamond now. So perhaps I should cash another club just to make sure we beat it. Is that a realistic concern?

Let's give declarer something like

♠ A Q 10  ♥ Q J x x  ♦ K Q x  ♣ J x x

If I play a diamond, declarer wins, plays a heart to the ace and a spade to the ten. Now a heart to the king, a spade to the queen, and the ace of spades, pitching a club. Next, declarer ruffs a club in dummy, reaching this position:

	NORTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ 8 ♦ J 10 9 ♣ --
WEST Robot ♠ x  ♥ x x x ♦ -- ♣ --		EAST Phillip ♠ K ♥ -- ♦ 7 ♣ A K
	SOUTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ Q J ♦ K ♣ J

If he draws trump, he loses the last two tricks. If he plays a diamond, partner ruffs and plays a trump. He's down one either way.

So the diamond return doesn't risk the contract. I might as well go for it. I shift to the deuce of diamonds. Partner ruffs, plays a club to me, and I give him another ruff. Down two.

	NORTH Robot ♠ 8 4 ♥ A K 8 7 ♦ J 10 9 8 3 ♣ 7 3
WEST Robot ♠ 10 7 6 5 ♥ 10 9 6 3 2 ♦ 6 ♣ 10 9 5		EAST Phillip ♠ K J 3 2 ♥ -- ♦ A 7 2 ♣ A K Q 8 4 2
	SOUTH Robot ♠ A Q 9 ♥ Q J 5 4 ♦ K Q 5 4 ♣ J 6

Plus 500 is worth 100%. That's my 3rd 100% board in this set. And the double wasn't even necessary. No one else beat it two, so plus 200 would have been just as good.

I'm sure partner wasn't happy having to decide what to do over the double. But as long he pulls to five clubs rather than four spades, we would probably survive. North has to find an inspired spade lead to beat it.