Signals, discards, ruffs and winners

J.M.Barriewrote,“Iamnotyoung enoughtoknoweverything.”I canrelatetothat.Some10years aftermovingfromhighschool teaching into bridge full time, I bumped into a former pupil. After informing me that he was the sous chef at a famous restaurant,hesaid,“You know, sir, I now realise that you aren’t as stupid as I thought when you were teaching me.” A bridge player never knows everything. But to defend well, it helps to have the full arsenal undercontrol:leads,signals, discards, and counting of winners, losers and high-card points. In this deal, how can the defenders defeat two spades? West, since his opponents had stopped in an eight-card fit at the two-level, might have made a second takeout double. This would have risked ending in three hearts in a 4-3 fit, but here it would have worked well because three diamonds was makable. West leads the club ace.Eastdropstheseven,startingahigh-lowwithadoubleton. Westcasheshisclubkingand continueswiththeclubqueen. WhatshouldEastdiscard?East ismakinganattitudesignal, anditispreferabletothrowan encouragingcard.Here,East signalswiththeheartseven. West,whoknowsthisishigh, shiftstohisheartthree(lowfrom an honour). East wins with his ace and returns the heart two. Even if South cleverly plays his queen smoothly, West should win and lead his last heart, which East ruffs to defeat the contract.Nowforthe tough question: How does West know East is out of hearts? Because if he had begun with A-7-5-2, he would have led back the five at trick five,the higherofhis remainingcards.