Try to signal with an honor

As we all know, defense is the hardest part of the game. You signal carefully to partner, but is he watching? By far the clearest signals, the ones that even inattentive partners won’t miss, are with honor card: an ace (preferably), king, queen or jack.

Given that unsubtle hint, in this deal, West leads the heart ace against four spades. What happens after that?

North makes a game-invitational limit raise guaranteeing at least four-card support, and South nudges up one level with reservations, but a vulnerable game bonus is a powerful lure.

At trick one, East should drop the heart jack, top of touching honors when one cannot win the trick because someone else has already played a higher card in the suit. This play denies holding the heart queen. True, it doesn’t give West any count in the suit; it is coincidental that East has an even number of hearts. What does West do next?

If South has queen-doubleton of hearts, it would be safe for West immediately to cash the king. However, here, if West does that, the contract makes. Declarer loses only two hearts and one club. Also, South won’t be able to discard his heart queen except in the very unlikely layout where he has a singleton club king.

So, at trick two, West should shift. Then, when East gets in with the club king, he returns the heart nine or 10, snapping up four tricks — three hearts and one club — for the defense.

East’s playing the heart seven would be dangerous, West perhaps thinking it is from Q-7-x.