Defensive Signals

[OliverC]

As I frequently say, whenever you sit down with a new Partner, the absolute first thing you should discuss is defensive signals, leads and discards. With a pickup partner you can pretty much assume you'll end up playing Standard American or 2/1, and the details of that you can pick up later on or when it becomes apparent that you need to know what they want to play.

The other thing is this. When you're going to signal, hit Partner over the head with your signals, if you can. Don't go for subtle shades of meaning, because they'll be completely lost on most people.

Here's a hand I played with Eszter today where we were royally let off the hook.

Love All, Dealer North

You are South, holding

South
  AK82
  AK82
  Q3
  963

Not the greatest hand I've ever picked up, but opposite a passed hand, I decided I really didn't want to open it with 1 , and so 1 it was. Eszter responded 1 and I rebid 1NT, and we played there.

West led the King and Eszter put down this hand full of joy and beauty:

North (Dummy)
  J1064
  J95
  95
  J542

  King led

South
  AK82
  AK82
  Q3
  963

East played the 6 at trick 1. Here we go, I thought, mentally preparing myself for losing the first 8-9 tricks. At trick 2, however, West switched to a small Heart. I tried the Jack and it held. The Jack of Spades followed, covered by East's Queen and won by my king. 3 more Spade tricks followed, East discarding a Heart and a Club, and West a Diamond. 3 more Hearts followed, West winning the last of those with the Queen and East discarding 2 Diamonds and another Club. I now led a Club towards the Jack. West popped up with the Queen, but was overtaken by East now singleton Ace. The Jack of Diamonds followed, and West's Ace took my Queen, West, however, now only had Q10 of Clubs left and had to give Dummy an overtrick at the end.

West had started with 753, Q1073, AK7, KQ10. At some tables no doubt they led a Heart originally and Declarer was able to take his 7 tricks (there were a few other pairs making 1NT NS). East, however, had Q9, 64, J108642, A87. EW could easily have taken the first 9 tricks, and should have done, if only they had their defensive signalling sorted out, and if East wasn't giving a "subtle" signal of the 6 at trick 1. The 8 or 10 would be better, since clearly the likelyhood is that partner is leading from AKx or KQx.

1NT +1 was worth 3½ IMPs. 1NT -3 would have been worth -3½ IMPs. That's a 7 IMP swing, and TM's are often won or lost by a lot less than that.