WHICH SIGNAL WAS THAT, PARTNER?

We all know that defense is the hardest part of the game. One aspect of that is correct interpretation of partner’s signals — assuming he ever gives any, of course!

In today’s deal, which you will recognize from yesterday’s column, how should East-West defeat four spades?

The West hand was strong enough to open one heart. Edgar Kaplan and Jeff Rubens rate it at 13.4 points. If you interchange a low heart and the diamond ace, the hand’s value soars to 15.5 points. North’s two-club response, Drury, showed a maximum pass with spade support. South overbid slightly in jumping to game.

West leads the diamond ace, not denying the king. When the queen appears in the dummy, East, who thinks his partner also has the diamond king, will usually give a count signal. But what does West have in diamonds? The bare ace, ace-kingthird or ace-king-fourth. (With ace-king-doubleton, he would have led the king. With acedoubleton, he would have led another suit.) Will a count signal from East help? Only if he has a doubleton and can ruff the third round of diamonds.

Unlikely, but not impossible. So, East should play his diamond two. If West thinks it is a suit-preference signal for clubs, that works too.

Now West could play the club ace and another club. But it is better to shift to a low club, in case East has the queen and king. Then West could receive two diamond ruffs for down two. Here, though, East wins the second trick with his king and gives his partner a diamond ruff. The club ace is the fourth defensive trick.