Which card would you play to show length?

[cjc2005]

Playing UDCA, declarer leads J (T98) from dummy and loses the finesse to your Q. When declare next leads from dummy, partner goes up with A and declare makes the obligatory false card K. Holding 7 and 2, which card should you play to let partner know the the length of the suit?

 

Does present count apply to udca in this situation? If partner knows you cannot hold more than 3 cards in the suit, does this change anything?

[steve2005]

Most play std remainder count so 7. But partner won't know as declarer can freely falsecard here.

[The_Badger]

Welcome to the forum cjc2005 :)

 

I think we can get obsessed with counting hands whereas this is a situation where suit preference maybe is better (as all the honours have been shown in the suit). You don't say if this is a suit or NT contract. But given that declarer can potentially false card here, in UDCA the 7 would be standard.

[sfi]

We have a general rule that we show what the count was at the start of the signal. So the 2 would be the right card.

[Vampyr]

We have a general rule that we show what the count was at the start of the signal. So the 2 would be the right card.

 

So you are showing reverse present count? I think this is unusual, as above.

[sfi]

So you are showing reverse present count? I think this is unusual, as above.

 

Yes. In Australia that is fairly common.

[dokoko]

Playing UDCA the 2 is present count and the 7 is original (=reverse present) count, in Standard it's the other way round. It seems some posters got that wrong (lost in double/triple negation territory).

 

In the situation given you can play any method you like (so choose the one that seems the most "natural" to you). But you might consider cases where you are not free in choosing your card (a high spot or honor has to be kept or you need to unblock).

 

So on opp's lead original count in Standard or present count in UDCA (playing small from two remaining and highest dispensable from three remaining) seems best, while on partner's lead the opposite (high from two remaining) would be my choice.

 

But I would rather play a method that both partners rate "normal" and sometimes deviate for technical (or tactical) reasons, than one that tends to be forgotten or misinterpreted.