ACES ON BRIDGE

This week’s deals showcase suit-preference signals in defense, where a high card suggests a switch to the higher of two side suits, and a low card to the lower one. At times, it can be vital to locate partner’s strength, and as long as neither attitude nor count is important, suit preference can apply. We will be highlighting the most common suit-preference positions to discuss with your favorite partner.

In our first deal, North makes a splinter bid of four clubs to denote short clubs and a minimum raise to game, and South signs off in four spades.

West leads a top club, and with the expected singleton in dummy, East’s card should be suit preference. When the opponents have a nine-card fit, attitude or count in clubs cannot apply, since a forcing defense cannot work here. So East drops the

10 — perhaps even the queen? — to show a marked preference for the higher side suit. West gets the message and switches to hearts (if East had only the ace of hearts, he would probably make a milder signal, perhaps with the eight).

West’s best card is the heart jack, to retain the lead for a further heart play in case East holds ace-queen-10. That beats the game at once, but try finding that defense without the suit preference signal!

If West shifts to diamonds at trick two instead, declarer can draw trumps and then throw a heart on the diamonds. A low-heart switch will not suffice either, with declarer able to duck the lead to East, the safe hand.

ANSWER: Lead the spade queen. East would have doubled with a big balanced hand, so his bid will typically be based on a long suit. This often calls for active defense, to set up and cash your own tricks before declarer can run his. The spade queen will serve to set up tricks; additionally, this may be your only opportunity to lead through the king in dummy.