LEARNING CENTER

8. When returning a suit, you give count, even if you know this is losing the trick. Don't switch suits! This is a classic type of deal where declarer has only 8 tricks unless you do something to help. You aren't breaking diamonds (and giving declarer 3 diamond tricks if they have AQx) and your count card will help partner know that they shouldn't continue hearts if they get in with an outside card. Watch on the full deal below. 

Vul:None Dlr: South	AK2  A2  J5  10983
9876  Q1075  93  K54		Q52  K84  K10872  72
	J103  J964  AQ64  AQJ

After you play the 8, declarer wins and starts with a club finesse. Partner wins this and then what? Partner knows not to play the Q because that might set up a trick for declarer. Instead partner can exit passively with a spade. When you get in again, you can lead a heart through declarer to take your tricks (3 hearts, one club and one spade). Notice that declarer will make it if you lead a diamond or if partner plays a high heart when he gets in with the K. 

 2. Here you have 3 cards left. You need to lead back the lowest one. This will reveal that you had four originally (or possibly 2). Partner will likely guess that you had 4 or else you would have switched (knowing partner holds at most four diamonds from the opening lead).

Vul:None Dlr: South	Q106  K105  74  KQ952
987  43  A963  J763		A32  QJ82  K1082  108
	KJ64  A976  QJ5  A4

Partner will know to win the A and keep playing diamonds. If you played the 8 or the 10, partner would think declarer originally started with QJ(10/8)5 and would switch suits since leading diamonds would give declarer an extra trick. 

6.Your partner is about to ruff this next card, so your signal is suit preference. You want partner to play the lower suit (clubs) so you play your lowest spade. If you had the ace of diamonds instead of the ace of clubs, you would play the 10 (not the Q, just in case declarer forgot the auction). On this deal, partner wins, plays a club, and you give partner another spade ruff to set the contract. Nice defense!

The full deal: 

Vul:None Dlr: E	J52  KQ10643  A5  92
3  J52  J9632  8654		AQ10986  92  1086  AQ7
	K74  A8  KQ74  KJ103

10. What happened to lowest from 3? In this case you have some key reasons to play the 10. First, we know how many hearts partner has--5 of them. Declarer has fewer than 4 from his response to Stayman. Second, we know that partner is likely leading the top of nothing here. Partner doesn't have an honor. That means that if we carelessly play our 2, we will be blocking our suit. 

Here is the full deal: 

Vul:None Dlr: S	A982  J  10754  AQJ32
Q1063  87654  Q92  5		J5  Q1092  J6  K1098
	K74  AK3  AK83  764