Dubious Logic

The play of the (small) cards

Another of the themes brought out at the Suffolk Squad meeting concerned the play of seemingly irrelevant small cards both as declarer and defender. Defenders will usually do their best to pass signals at every trick. Clearly there will be 'big' situations; significant times in the play such as on the opening lead, the first discard or when giving partner a ruff where everyone signals. Those situations are hard for declarer to influence but the card by card play to ordinary tricks where the defence seek to exchange information, usually about distribution, are ripe with opportunities.

I've been asked in whose best interest is it to signal such information anyway? The best way of answering that is to ask yourself the question, who will benefit most? That has two sorts of answer, equally valid. Firstly if your partner doesn't care or watch what you play then don't bother signalling. There is an expert school that just prefers to work everything out for themselves and if they had to choose between being told and not, would firmly select the latter. The second take on the answer is what can partner do with the information? If they have no high cards to get in with or their course of action is obvious, then you can amuse yourself with false trails to declarer. But of course declarer will be doing the same to you…(we'll assume standard count high-low shows an even number).

West declared four spades at some tables (but by no means all). At mine South had been silent (and they only reached two spades) but North led a diamond anyway. What diamond cards should South play to the first two tricks? The king and then the ace is best. There is no need to expose the fact that (a) South has an amazing holding in the suit and won't have much more and (b) North has selected a passive lead (in some senses the same thing).

West was keen to know the lie in the trump suit played two top spades now when she might have tackled clubs first. With trumps 2-2, a club was next; which clubs should the unseen hands play? It is in declarer's interests to have the ace taken early so some confusion about the length in the North-South cards to her benefit. The club seven is best, North plays the six – he has no interest in telling his partner the length – and South the four. A diamond ruff to hand and another club; which ones this time? The eight from declarer with the same plan as above, the ten from North and deuce from South. Why North's ten spot? It's not important here but if it were a case of misleading declarer, a player is much more likely to play small-ten from that holding than small-nine (rather then nine-small) from that doubleton – the ten is too important a card to signal with. North can safely duck the second club as there is still club lower than partner's first played extant.

What happens in the play now North has ducked again? West has two making lines from here, one better than the other – I leave that as an exercise to the reader. This by-play around the spot cards is – or should be – a feature of every hand you play. You make it much more difficult for your opponents to play against you if you observe these small points. The next Suffolk squad evening will be on 14^th March, contact county captain Mike Sherer (01206 823330) or or me, , for details.

Published Saturday 10.Mar.2001