How to signal?

[cnszsun]

Opps in 4♥ contract.

Partner led ♦A (lead Ace from AKx), dummy had QJx.

You had ♦10932, which card should be played in standard carding method?

[blackshoe]

Most people play that the primary signal on partner's lead is attitude, and you don't want partner to continue. Play the 2. You could get fancy and give count with the 9 but partner may read that as a doubleton and continue the suit.

[kenrexford]

Context seems important here. That the contract is 4♥ helps, but no enough. Auction? Dum,y? The rest of my hand?

[HeavyDluxe]

The 'standard' signal is attitude, so you'd play low.

 

However, I'm learning more and more to "try to tell partner what they need to know" when signaling. As Ken notes, that makes context critical.

 

If partner has the ♦K, it pretty obvious to all of us that we're not setting the contract by playing on in ♦s. Therefore, depending on my holding and dummy, I may play a particular spot in the hopes partner will read it as preference for a different suit.

[Guest movingon]

I give count here... playing the 9 of diamonds... partner will read this for either 2 or 4 and I hope that the bidding and pard's hand will give partner the clue as to which.

[effervesce]

Without any other info, we play attitude on A, count on K. So 2♦ for me.

[cnszsun]

Without any other info, we play attitude on A, count on K. So 2♦ for me.

Assuming you don't have such agreements. Both A (from AKx) and K (from KQx) lead ask for attitude normally.

[cnszsun]

Context seems important here.  That the contract is 4♥ helps, but no enough.  Auction?  Dum,y?  The rest of my hand?

What i'm interested in is the general rule, for example,

Should a high card must promise doubleton or stiff? or it's just a count that could be 2 or 4?

 

Actual hand is here, you are sitting west, north is declarer.

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=sk974h84dt932ct83&w=saq2ha75dqj6cak72]266|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

West North East South

 Pass  Pass  1♦     Dbl

 Pass  1♥    Pass  1NT

 Pass  2♠    Pass  4♥

 Pass  Pass  Pass  

[Rossoneri]

Michael I think your hand diagram is wrong...?

 

Anyway I'll signal count with 9.

[georgeac]

i will play the 2♦

[Edmunte1]

I think that the logic should prevail. There should be an order of priorities:

- attitude

- count (when attitude is obvious)

- S/P (when attitude is obvious and count has no importance)

 

Here partner has some good knowledge about declarer's hand: 4+♥ and 4♠. With QJx in dummy it's obvious that we should give count, and ♦9 is the normal choice

[ArtK78]

It has been mentioned, but context is important.

 

If this is a normal situation, I discourage (2 in standard signals). An echo encouraging should only be made with a doubleton and the desire to ruff.

 

If one can tell that this is a cash-out situation, give partner count.

 

This hand is tough. If declarer is 4-6-2-1, it is necessary for partner to continue diamonds so you can get 2 diamonds and a spade (in addition to whatever trump tricks partner has). But if declarer is 4-5-1-3, a diamond continuation will let declarer get rid of his club loser. If you show an even number of diamonds, partner may think you have a doubleton (playing declarer for 4-5-3-1).

 

It may not be possible to get this right all of the time. But I would discourage here, to at least rule out the possibility that I have a doubleton diamond and want a ruff. Hopefully partner can work out the rest.

[brianshark]

If partner makes a lead and you have agreed that on partner's lead, you show attitude, then you show attitude.

 

If partner makes a lead and you have agreed that on partner's lead, you show attitude unless dummy reveals that a continuation in the suit is unlikely to be work, then either show attitude or suit preference, depending on what dummy has.

 

An example would be that if in a NT contract, you lead the A which you have agreed implies the K as well, and dummy shows up with QJxx, then your partner already knows you don't want the suit continued, so instead show suit preference.

 

Another example would be that in a suit contract, your partner leads a side-suit A and dummy shows up with a singleton and plenty of trumps with which to ruff continuations of that suit, your partner already knows you don't want a continuation of the suit, so instead show suit preference.

 

If partner makes a lead and you have agreed that his lead asks for count then you just show count, regardless of what dummy holds.

[kenrexford]

I think I follow the auction and layout.

 

Partner seems likely to have five diamonds. He will be concerned by this dummy. In theory, he might decide that Declarer has 4531, where he needs to give me a ruff with the added bonus of killing the diamond Queen in dummy. If Delcarer is 4522, nothing matters. If Declarer is 4513, a club switch seems called for, and somewhat obvious.

 

So, if partner has five diamonds, he needs to know whather we do or do not have a doubleton diamond. If he trusts that I can visualize this problem, he will read a high diamond as "I have the doubleton -- continue this suit" and a low diamond as "I do not have the doubleton -- lead clubs." If I give count, however, partner has no solution, because the problem in diamonds is a 3-or-1 problem. In other words, if I have three diamonds, nothing matters. Life only changes when I have 2 or 4, and he needs to know which. When count does not solve partner's problem, then use what solves his problem and trust that your partnership is on sync enough to spot this type of situation.

 

So, what about if partner has four diamonds only? 4522, again, is irrelevant. If Declarer has 4531, a diamond continuation now does nothing, because I now have three diamonds and cannot ruff anyway. If Declarer has 4513, a club switch is required no matter what diamond card I play. Thus, when partner has four diamonds, he always switches to a club anyway. So, you do not cater to that holding for partner.

 

Now, you may counter that, when partner has four diamonds, Declarer might have 4540 or 4504, where his next play might make a difference. But, if I signal correctly for the 5-card diamond suit situation, partner gets the 4540/4504 situation correct (if he actually plays for that holding).

[keylime]

I play the 2, regardless of carding. I'm looking at my hand knowing that diamonds are not good. Let pard in on the secret.

[Cascade]

I play the 2, regardless of carding. I'm looking at my hand knowing that diamonds are not good. Let pard in on the secret.

if the two shows standard count it could be very wrong when a switch is required before setting up the queen in dummy.

[1eyedjack]

I always used to play that you give attitude unless you cannot have the honour holding that would encourage in that suit (ie because dummy holds all of the honours on which basis I might have encouraged) in which case give count.

 

That is a playable method but it has two disadvantages.

 

1) A count signal may yet be ambiguous whether you hold a 2 card or 4 card suit

 

2) It may yet be right to encourage even if you only have 2 cashing tricks

 

Any alternative system comes with its own set of problems, of course.