frs1016@centurylink.net
“I couldn’t have done it without Felix Milan.” — Joe Torre, St. Louis Cardinals catcher, on hitting into a record four double plays in one game after Milan reached first base.
| Dlr: East | ♠ 10 9 7 6 3 | |||||||||||||
| Vul: All | ♥ J 9 4 | |||||||||||||
| ♦ 4 2 | ||||||||||||||
| ♣ K 5 3 | ||||||||||||||
| ♠ A Q J 4 | ♠ K 8 | |||||||||||||
| ♥ 8 6 | ♥ Q 3 | |||||||||||||
| ♦ A 10 8 5 | ♦ 9 6 3 | |||||||||||||
| ♣ A Q 10 | ♣ J 9 7 6 4 2 | |||||||||||||
| ♠ 5 2 | ||||||||||||||
| ♥ A K 10 7 5 2 | ||||||||||||||
| ♦ K Q J 7 | ||||||||||||||
| ♣ 8 | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Opening lead — ♥6
The defenders can’t see declarer’s hand, and accurate defense is hard if they don’t help each other. In today’s deal, South’s leap to 4♥ bought the contract. West led a trump: 4, queen, ace. South then led his singleton club.
West rose with the ace and would have had a problem without East’s help: A club continuation, another trump lead or a shift to diamonds or spades was possible.
Signal
But West had a partner at the table. On the first club, East played the jack as a suit-preference signal — a strikingly high club to suggest strength in spades, the high-ranking side suit. So West led the ♠A and a low spade. East won and led a diamond, and West’s ace won the setting trick.
If West doesn’t find the spade shift, South will pitch a spade on dummy’s ♣K and steal a game.
Daily Question
You hold: ♠A Q J 4 ♥8 6 ♦A 10 8 5 ♣A Q 10.
Your partner opens 1♥, you respond 1♠ and he bids 2♣. What do you say?