Tell partner where you live

By Phillip Alder

A.N. Onymous said, “A good exercise for the heart is to bend down and help another up.”

A good exercise for a bridge defender is to signal carefully and help another — partner — come up with the right play.

In this deal, West guesses well to lead the club five against four hearts. What should happen after that?

The normal method against a weak jump overcall is to bid one level higher than you would have done without the intervention. So, here, three hearts would have signified a decent single raise; North’s actual jump to four hearts promised game-invitational values; and a three-spade cue-bid would have indicated at least game-forcing strength. (When there is no cue-bid below three of your major suit, it is a good idea to use two no-trump, if available, as an artificial raise, promising at least game-invitational strength with three-card or longer support. This could have been particularly helpful here because South might have opened light in the third position.)

East, hoping his partner had led a singleton, won the first trick and returned the club two, his lowest card in the suit being a suit-preference signal for the lower-ranking of the other two side suits.

So, after South took the second trick and played a trump, West won with his ace and shifted to a diamond. East put up his ace and gave his partner a club ruff to defeat the contract.

It is hard to get to three no-trump, which is unbeatable.

When you are on defense, help each other as much as possible.