Dubious Logic

Signals

I have often thought that for the club player, employing a defensive signalling system, of any variety, was a doubled-edged experience. There are innumerable post-mortems when one member of the partnership castigates another. Usually these are of two distinct types:

1. Partner-1: "I signalled for a spade, why didn't you play one?"
   Partner-2: Silence.
2. Partner-1: "Why did you ask for a spade? It cost a trick [the contract, etc.]"
   Partner-2: "I had to play [discard] something…"

Type (A) misunderstandings are easy to categorise; the second player wasn't watching. A signal is much easier to give than to receive. It's far simpler for you to appreciate your delicate eight-six-nine in the diamond suit, your poor partner was just hoping declarer was about to take a losing finesse - they simply weren't looking at your cards at all.

Type (B) altercations are caused by having too rigid a signalling system. If every card means something, then there will be times when the player with the first opportunity to communicate has to make a forced play or simply doesn't know what is best at that time. There have so be 'soft' signals as well as 'hard' ones – plays that will suggest rather than demand.

Over the years defensive signalling has got more sophisticated and more opportunities to pass information are exploited. Most of these centre around using one suit to indicate attitude about another – suit preference. Smith Peters, for example, use the first suit declarer plays to show attitude to the opening lead. Trumps can be used to indicate the other suits to varying degrees – there are six ways of playing three low trumps, ample for both direction and degree. But even if you're not prepared to embrace this level of detail you must still look for the opportunity to put you partner on the right track:

A South, you lead the two of hearts and partner produces the ace and returns the three. Declarer tries the queen and you cash the remainder. Dummy throws the fours of spades and diamonds, declarer a low diamond, what do you lead to trick five?

It looks as if you have to find partner's ace – is it clubs or spades?

It should all depend on how partner played his remaining hearts. He was obliged to play the lowest at trick two (to tell you the count) but from an original ace-five-four-three, he should play five-four (high-low) on the third and fourth rounds with the ace of spades, and with the club ace, four-five, (low-high). This is potentially a 'hard' signal as you may well have to cash out and with nothing, he will have to choose the lesser evil. Of course, you'll be doing more than congratulating yourself on your lead - you'll be watching like a hawk.

Published Saturday 17.Feb.2007