Do you really mean that signal?

By Phillip Alder

Lee Ryan said, “I was brought up with psychics and tarot cards. My mum was always told I was going to be in a boy band and be famous as a singer.”

Is he? Yes! He is an English singersongwriter and actor best known as a member of the boy band Blue. However, if that prediction had not been made, would he have gone into a different field?

Good bridge defense requires the defenders to be of one mind, correctly interpreting each other’s cards. In this deal, how should East and West play to defeat four hearts?

West might have made a two-heart Michaels Cue-bid, but decided to ignore that weak diamond suit. North’s twospade cue-bid promised three or more hearts and at least game-invitational strength. When South signed off in three hearts, North raised to game, of course. Well, perhaps not “of course.” He would have done much better to sign off in three no-trump, which would have made with two overtricks.

West leads the spade ace, and East plays the 10, starting a high-low with a doubleton. West cashes the spade king, then leads a third spade so that his partner can ruff. But what suit would West like his partner to return at trick four? Right — a club. How can achieve that? By leading his spade eight at trick three, his lowest remaining spade asking for the lower-ranking of the other two side suits. Then West has to hope that East has been watching the spades and trusts him.