Bridge by Andrew Robson Suit preference inference

On this week’s deal, North-South were pushed to the Five-level. Could declarer avoid more than one Diamond loser? Dealer South East-West vulnerable

West cashed the Ace of Clubs, and East signalled with the eight. When dummy has a singleton, it is best to play suit-preference signals rather than attitude; here East plays high effectively to say, “I don’t have the Ace of Diamonds (the lower suit), so do not switch to a singleton”. West duly switched to the Queen of Hearts, and declarer won. Eliminating Clubs, declarer ruffed a second Club, crossed to a Trump, ruffed his last Club, and then turned to Diamonds.

Declarer led dummy’s Knave of Diamonds, intending to run it if East played low. This would render his contract certain: if West held a singleton honour, or King-Queen-small (impossible on the bidding), he would be endplayed – a Heart or Club would enable him to ruff in dummy and discard a Diamond from hand. East, however, rose with the King (a mild falsecard).

If East held King-Queen-nine, declarer needed to duck, endplaying East. On other layouts, however, beating the King with the Ace and leading a second Diamond to dummy would prevail. Reasoning that East would have played a low Club at Trick One with King-Queennine of Diamonds (desperate to attract the lead of that lower-ranking suit), declarer won the Ace. Pleased to see West’s nine, he led a second Diamond to dummy’s ten and East’s Queen, promoting his eight. Eleven tricks and game made.

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