You can tell partner how to defend

In “Animal Crossing: Wild World,” Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata wrote, “A person’s abilities are tested best when defending rather than attacking.”

A bridge player’s abilities are tested best when defending rather than declaring. That is certainly true; most players are much better declarers than defenders. However, sometimes, to be a good defender you need a key signal from partner, telling you which way to turn.

In today’s deal, how should the defense go against four spades after West leads the club king?

Let’s look at declarer’s predicament first. He has only nine winners: five spades, three diamonds and one club. He must establish dummy’s club jack and hope that the defenders do not shift to hearts.

So, South should take trick one with his club ace and immediately return the club six. If declarer needs a misdefense, the quicker he puts a defender on the spot, the better.

After West takes the second trick with the club queen, how does he know what to do?

He must rely on his partner to tell him. East plays the club two at trick one to discourage. But on the second round, he may play the three or the five. Because he would like a shift to the higher-ranking of the other two side suits, he drops his higher-remaining club, the five.

In addition, if declarer draws trumps immediately, East should follow suit in the order five-four-three-two, always his highest asking for a heart shift.

Then East just has to hope that West is watching and interpreting correctly!