[bobh2]

********SOME THOUGHTS ON SIGNALING ON DEFENSE***********

Defending is a job with a lot of areas to be aware of. As a defender, you have to figure out things like:

From either side of the table, before the opening lead is made:

1. What is the probable strength of declarer and what is his probable distribution?
2. Same thing for dummy.
3. What does my partner have?
4. Where are our tricks likely to come from?
5. Does it sound like the opponents are pushing or comfortable?

Now, for the opening leader:

1. You have listened to the bidding and are able to tell, more or less, what type of hands the opponents have. Now, think about how the declarer is likely to play the hand. If he is going to crossruff, a trump lead might be in order. If he is going to try to establish dummy's suit, you might be trying to get your tricks before he does
2. Once you get that worked out, it is time to choose a lead. More Questions:
3. Which suit? And is there a reason to choose one over the other?
4. Now you have chosen the suit, what card? You want to make sure your partner can read what's up in that suit.

Time to go over standard leads:

Against suits:

ACE...most play A is from AK. Reason why is that leading bald aces is not a good idea. That means you are hardly ever going to just plunk down an A.

KING....old standard was to lead the King from either AK or KQ, pard gets to figure it out. Yes, there was a lot of misguesses made. That's why modern standard is Ace from AK???. This means, nowadays, King shows KQ???

QUEEN.... This is a "top of a sequence" lead, normally QJ10, QJ9, etc. It sometimes might be right to lead the Q from QJ???, a two card sequence.

JACK....Old standard, and still played by a majority is that a J lead is from J109/J108. Again, "top-of-a-sequence stuff. There is another issue...see below.

TEN...Same as the Jack...1098, 1097???

NINE....Same as Jack and 10...987/986

************************************
Time to discuss "JACK DENIES"
**********************************

Sometimes, you have a three card sequence, and you lead the top of it, all is well. Other times, you have stuff like AJ10, Q109...broken sequences. You cannot lead the top of those...because you need to maintain a tenace position. If you have Q109 and lead anything but the Q, and catch your pard on the Ace, you make sure the opponents only get 1 trick. If you lead the Q, catch pard on the A, your side only gets one trick, if K and J are in declarer's hand. If you lead the 10 or the 9, no matter where the cards are, and assuming pard can read it, you dont blow a trick. That's one problem. The other problem is, partner is stuck guessing whether you hold Q109 or 1098. He might see the need to return the suit after taking his Ace, or he might not. He has to guess. When partner is guessing, he is going to go wrong, sometimes. We prefer not to have partner guessing..not winning bridge, but how to do it?

We can play "Jack Denies, 10/9 shows 0 or two higher". This is not hard, but it is not very standard, since most people arent taught this when they learn to play, more's the pity. You have to agree with pard to do this...just a warning. Here's how it works:

The lead of the A/K/Q are all the same. The meanings of the J/10/9 change. The J says, "I have nothing above this in this suit. No broken sequences, nothing. The lead of the 10 or the 9 says, "I either have touching cards below this card....or....I have a "broken" or "interior" sequence. This broken sequence lead is dangerous...you can give up a trick, for sure, but if it is the suit to lead...you can get partner to quit making guesses.

How to clearly define this? How about this? If I lead the 10 or the 9, I have either nothing at all higher....or....I have the card directly above what I lead...then, going up, there is a hole in the sequence...and after the hole, going up, I have a larger card. A "broken" sequence. There are only a few of these broken sequences possible, so I will list them with the standard lead marked and the lead, if you are playing "J denies" marked. Scroll down:

A
J.....std lead
10.....JD(for Jack denies) lead

A
10...std lead
9.....JD lead

K
J...std lead
10..JD lead

K
10...std lead
9....JD lead

Q
10...std lead
9....JD lead

J...std and JD lead
10
9
but in this case, your partner knows you DO NOT HAVE HIGHER CARDS HERE IF YOU ARE PLAYING JACK DENIES

10...std and JD lead
9
8
but now you know that pard either started with KJ10 or nothing over the 10. (Partner, against a suit, wouldnt underlead the A and from QJ10, would lead the Q.....so...KJ10 is the only possible holding)


9...std and JD lead
8
7
but with JD lead, you know pard started with: K109 or Q109, or nothing higher. (He won't underlead the A, so it is not A109)

So, why use these? Example: Pard leads the J, playing standard leads. Dummy has xxx in that suit and you have the A. Do you play the Ace? If you do, you set up declarer's KQ if pard didnt start with KJ10. Playing J denies, you KNOW pard has nothing higher, and can either duck, which might limit declarer to one trick in that suit (He doesn't kow where the Ace is either), or you can take the trick and shift to another suit. At least, you knew the situation as soon as you saw pard's J if you are playing J Denies.

Against NT contracts:

J Denies is even more useful...why? Because now, there is nothing keeping partner from leading out from under an Ace if that is his long suit. Therefore, you get to use it more and it can be the difference between returning partner's suit to run the suit and set a nt game or not....and taking an A and shifting to a better suit to defend nt with.

Yes, the card led is exactly the same, vs NT or suits.

Last thing: DO NOT lead the 9 from QJ9. This isnt very smart, and too, you need to remember that if your 10 or your 9 is involved in an interior sequence....you MUST have the card right above your card, then have a gap right above that. QJ9's gap is in the wrong place. A nine is K109 or Q109, or nothing higher.

Against NT Contracts:


Leads againt NT contracts are completely different due to different needs.

ACE.....You aren't plunking down Aces against NT either...so leading the Ace has special meaning. It is: "Pard, I have AKJ10?? and need you to either drop the Q and get out of my way, or give me COUNT. This is called an "unblocking" lead. If 3rd seat has the Q, either play it or get yelled at. No kidding. Alternatively, if you DON'T have the Q, give count,however you agree to do so. The reason for this is so pard can drop declarer's doubleton Q (if he has that) or lay off the suit and try to get you in to lead through declarer. Count play by 3rd seat makes it easy to get it right.

KING....typical "asking for attitude" lead. Sure pard might have the KQJ10xx, but it doesnt matter, 3rd seat here tells pard if he has the A or the J of that suit.

QUEEN....another special lead againt NT. Opening leader might have the QJ10...QJ9...or a real special holding...KQ109?? Why is this special? Declarer can have the AJx and hold up...and partner cannot lead that suit anymore. That would give declarer 2 tricks in that suit. If pard leads the K from this holding, sometimes it is hard to get right. Pard should lead the Q, not the K, and if 3rd seat has the Jack, he knows the lead wasnt from QJ10, then he realizes that pard has to have KQ109 seeking an "unblock" so he plays the Jack. Now partner can keep leading that suit. One last thing...if 3rd seat does NOT have the Jack, he gives count, just like when pard leads the A. Why? Declarer can have AJ doubleton, and take the A on the lead of the Q. Then he has to let partner in. If you, as 3rd seat have given count, partner will know if the J is going to drop. If he knows it won't, partner will try to get you in to lead through the suit.

JACK/TEN/NINE....all the same as against suit leads, and even more effective.

"Attitude", "Count", and "Suit Preference" signals need discussion. I will start another paper on them

Bob Holmes
bobh2 on BBO

[bobh2]

***********SOME THOUGHTS THAT MIGHT HELP ON DEFENSIVE SIGNALS**********

My students are starting to get pretty good as offensive bidders. We have plans to work on the competitive bidding. I have told them that playing the hand is an individual sport and they need to buy books and study. That only leaves defense. It's kinda imporant...you defend about half the hands, except when you play with me, then you defend about 75% of the hands, due to my known inability to draw cards. So, soon, we will be working on defense, and the needs are philosophies, for sure, but the tools need to be learned as well. We'll start by saying, buy Mike Lawrence's book on opening leads. It is unbelievable what that book will do for your opening leads...and that is where the defense starts. Now, for the tools:

Standard tools include standard count signals, standard attitude signals, and Suit Preference Signals. There are not only modificatons to these, and some other tools like Odd/Even discards, but we are going to learn to "do" standard.

Count signals are generally important since one of the chores you have to do, defending, is to get an accurate on declarer's hand (and pard's, as well). You cannot play the game without being aware of (and keeping up with) the count of the hand. Standard signals use High-then-Low to show even numbers. Low-then-High to show odd numbers. The idea is that that bidding will give us a general idea, usually, then partner's signals will confirm the exact count. Defending against trump contracts, count signals tell you how many tricks you can get in certain suits, when to hold up, when to cash out, and a lot of other things. Count is completely critical defeding trump suit contracts.

Attitude signals are how you tell partner if you like like or dont like something. This applies to opening leads or telling partner he can discard a particular suit since you have that one covered. Standard methods use "High Encourages, Low Discourges".

Suit Preference Signals are a specialty signal. They only apply under certain circumstances. Let's go through them. Pard lead, against a trump contract, an Ace (usually denoting the AK...) Dummy comes down and there is a singleton on dummy..partner is going to have to shift. You tell him which suit by playing a comparatively high card in the led suit for the highest ranked side suit. If you played comparatively low, he thinks about the lowest-ranked side suit. Another time these are used is when you give pard a ruff. You can tell partner how to get back to your hand for yet another ruff by doing the same thing as above. Let him ruff a low card to lead the low suit back, but a higher card to lead the higher suit back. There are a lot of SPS situations that people dont think about if you really want to communicate with the cards. You can even use them following suit in declarer's trumps. Example: If you have 742 of trumps, you could agree to play 2, then 3, then 7 if you like clubs, for example. This has one catch...you have to be sure that no matter how you play the cards, you play doesnt effect the outcome of the hand. This is also effective when declarer is running a good, long side suit from dummy and you have the same holding. You could, for example, play 7-4-2 if you can protect spades. Just a thought.

Now we have the tools outlined. The best way to get familiar is ask questions. Here are some you should ask (and there probably are a lot more):

If I tell my partner count, won't the declarer get that message, too?
Sure, but declarer can see all of his assets, you can't. Who needs help more? AND, if a declarer is smart, he knows you can be falsecarding him or just being sloppy...he wont believe much of what you say, anyway.
How do I know which signal to use?
Toughest question of all. SPS are easy, they only apply to specific situations. Concerning between attitude and count, you just need to think of what partner needs to know and make that signal. He'll read that thinking process and defend accordingly. Sometimes you get this wrong. Dont worry about it. Experience helps.
What should be my primary signal?
That is no fun to answer....look at the bidding, look at dummy, look at the lead. Think about what pard needs to know. Then, from me, you get this crappy answer...it all depends. Maybe the best help I can give is that count is critical against suit contracts and attitude is perhaps the more critical at NT.
Are there better signals to use than standard?
Yes. It doesnt matter if you play normal count or upsidedown. Upside down attitude signals are far superior to normal, but I teach normal to my students so they can play with anyone. We will change this, down the road.
What about using Odd/Even or Laventhal Discards?
None of those specialty discards have a great deal (if any) edge over standard signalling, and they can cause messes. Moreover, don't you have enough to try to remember?
Should I give the right signal all the time?
Let's see....if you play against intermediate or less, they won't know enough to pick off the signals and even what to do with them if they do. Against Experts, when they see you are not an expert, they won't trust you to do it right anyway. Expert vs Expert? Declarer wont' be so naive to think the opponents wont' falsecard him...I ignore opponents signals, for the most part.
Is there any group I should falsecard?
Yeah, advanced players. They know enough to "read" your signals and are good enough to put that knowledge to work. And, they haven't been around long enough to become cynical/distrustful about the opponents meddling with them. They bite at the bait, once in a while.

More to come on this.

Bob Holmes

[bobh2]

**********DOUBLE MAJOR HANDS WHEN PARD OPENS 1NT*************

If there is one type of hand to get right....to define clearly and have a complete understanding with your pard about, after one of you opens 1N, it has to be the 5+5+ Major hands. Why is this? First, because you get a game bonus bidding 10 tricks in the majors, but it takes 11 in the minors. Second, with 5+5+ in the majors, and pard opens 1N, you have two considerably easier potential games...and actually 3 (3NT)....than any other hand pattern. This is the hand pattern you just have to get right.

Transfers have made this considerably easier, but you need a set of bedrock agreements. It is true with 5+5+ majors, and with a lot of other bidding, there is more than one way to skin a cat. However, as much as we can, we need to stick to "mainstream". Below I have listed what I think is the most standard treatment.

1. with both majors, 5+5+, and a not-forward-going hand(a scruffy 7 or worse), transfer to hearts. Why hearts? If the opponents come in and get you doubled...you can run to spades and stay at the same level. This little piece of advice is from my friend, Mildred Breed, one of the top women players on the planet, having credentials of World Champion and the like.

2. Same pattern, but invitational strength....from a good 7 (?) to a scruffy 9 (?)...transfer to hearts and bid 2S. Open can pass or correct to NT or raise to 3 or raise to game.

3. Same pattern, but game strength or better...transfer to Spades and bid 3H.

Mainstream thinking is that a transfer to a major, followed by any suit at the 3 level is a game force.

Note: In a different paper in this set, there is an article concerning "what to do next" after a transfer and bid at the 3 level. I strongly suggest you read it.

A little tidbit: Transferring to one major and showing the other one absolutely guarantees 5 or more of each. Reason: If you had 4 of one, you'd be starting with Stayman.

Another tidbit: Transferring to one major and bidding a minor can be assumed to be 55 but sometimes you are stuck bidding a minor on a 4 card suit. This has to do with your pattern...likely, you will have a 5431 or 5440 pattern if your second suit (the minor) is bid but with only 4 cards.

[bobh2]

****************DECIDING UPON STAYMAN OR TRANSFERS**************

There seems to be some confusion about whether to select Stayman or Transfers when pard opens 1N. This is really comparatively simple.

Stayman ferrets out 4-4 major fits. It is an "asking bid". Transfers make declarations...they define 5 card suits. If your majors are 5 or longer in length, use transfers. If your majors are 4 in length, not 5, use Stayman. Transfers won't get you the information you need. The problem seems to be when you have a "mixture".....one 5 or longer major, one 4 carder. The logic still holds. Transfers will not find the 4-4 fits, Stayman will. It just cannot get any simpler than that. With Stayman, you "ask" and if you don't get a hit on your 4 card suit, you bid your 5 card suit at whatever level seems appropriate.

There is one exception. If you have a weak (meaning a non-forward-going hand), transfer to the 5 card suit and pass. Why? Because if you try Stayman, and get a 2D response, you are stuck. If you retreat to NT, your partner thinks you have a good 8 or 9 points and are trying for game. If you now bid the 5 card suit, your pard thinks you have invitational strength. In either case, he might stuff you into game. Not so good when you have 2 high card points.

[bobh2]

**********STAYMAN AUCTIONS*************

Everybody knows how to start Stayman, right? Pard opens 1N, you bid 2c.

Do you know when to use Stayman and do you know what every last potential bid means? This is important, because 1N is a frequent opener and if you know for certain sure you will bid a hand technically right (judgement always is a potential problem), you can relax, you are going to do well on this hand, because you have all the bids down pat. If you don't....may I remind you that self-inflicted wounds at the bridge table are the primary reason you get beat?

Let's go through Stayman auctions in as orderly manner as possible.

1. 1N-2c-2?-pass.
The only justification for the pass is that responder had one of two types of hands...(A) xxxx xxxx xxxxx void....and ( xxxx xx x xxxxxx. (X's signify unimportant cards). With type A, and a comparatively weak hand, you will be better off bidding Stayman and passing the response. NT is not a good place to play when you have a void. With type B, responder was intending to sign off in a minor but found a 4-4 fit on the way there. (If you play Stayman followed by a minor is a game force, and some do, you cannot bid stayman on this hand. You have to transfer to the minor and you get to play at the 3 level.) I play 1N-2c-2?-3 of a minor is a sign off, and when I have a nasty hand...very weak...and I dont want to play nt, my style lets me find any major fit, and if failing that, to play in a long minor at the 3 level. It also lets me play 2D if I bid stayman, pard has no 4 card major, bids 2D and I have a weak hand with long Diamonds. I just pass.

A note: Do you know that you shouldnt use Stayman with a 4333 pattern? Reason? You dont have any ruffing values and pard opened 1N...he doesn't have many. Why do you need a trump suit?

Over 1N-2c-2D:

2H by responder shows 5H/4S and is invitational. (Some play what is called "garbage stayman" and their agreements are different).

2S is also invitational but shows 5S/4H.

Note that neither of these can be 5+5+, responder would have started with transfers, not Stayman

2N by responder shows an invitational strength hand, with 1 or both 4 card majors. He would't have bothered with Stayman if he didnt have at least one of them.

3C by responder. I play this as a minor signoff. If you don't like it, play something else.

3D by responder. Responder could have passed, so this is forward-going. I am not sure this is clearly defined in "standard" but I think it should be a good 5 card D suit or maybe even 6, trying to help pard toward bidding 3N. It may be that responder would rather play 3D than 2N if opener cannot find a way to bid 3N.

3H or 3S by responder. This is defined in standard Stayman. Either major at the 3 level shows a game forcing hand, and 5 of the suit jumped in and 4 of the other major. How do you know about the 4 in the other major? Responder would not have bothered with Stayman without a 4 card major.

3N by responder means he was looking for a 4-4 major fit, but since there is none, he has the strength to play game in NT.

4C by responder. There is no suit agreed or implied. Straight, old-fashioned Gerber.

4D by responder. A lot of people don't have this defined. Another lot of people do...they play this as "delayed Texas Transfer", meaning a transfer to hearts. Responder has 4 Spades and 6 or longer hearts and game forcing strength.

4H by responder. Again, "delayed Texas Transfer" with long spades and 4 hearts this time. A WARNING! This bid is easy to miss. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen it passed. Make sure you and your partner are in complete agreement here and remind your partner a few times. Playing a 4-1 trump fit at the 4 level is not much fun.

4S...as far as I know, completely undefined

4N...a Quantitative NT bid, inviting to slam in NT since no major fit was found. Yes, since responder used Stayman, he implies 1 or 2 4-card majors.

A Note: If you are going to accept a Quantitative 4N bid, I suggest you pretend that it was Blackwood and answer Aces. It is possible to play 6NT with 32 high card points and be off two Aces. This is an irritation.

1NT-2c-2H:

2S by responder. I play this as 4S and a long minor, and a weak hand. It sure isn't hearts and it sure isn't 5S. There is another paper concerning dealing with minors over opening nt bids...you might profit reading that.

2N by responder. Invitational, and shows 4 spades, because of the Stayman use. Denies a heart fit. Opener can place the contract.

3 of either minor...for me...a sign-off in the minor.

3H by responder. An invitational raise, and confirms a heart fit.

3S by responder. Standard Stayman has no definition for this bid. There is a good use for it. See the paper on "Tools" for a complete explanation. This is a game-force with a heart fit, some degree of slam interest.

3N by responder. Responder has game values, 4 Spades and not 4 Hearts. Opener can pass or correct to 4S

4C by responder. Keycard Gerber for hearts. Hearts is implied but not certain. Responder is in control, so it doesn't matter. Opener responds as if hearts are agreed.

4D by responder....undefined

4H by responder...simply, responder wants to play game

4S by responder...undefined

4N by responder. Quantitative NT raise with 4 S. Opener can pass or correct to 5S, 6S, or 6N

OVER 1NT-2c-2s:

The auctions are the same with one exception:

1N-2c-2s-3h. That is the auction that shows a spade fit, a game-going, slam interest (to some degree or another) hand. It is artificial and asks for hand definition.

THOSE ARE ALL OF THE STAYMAN AUCTIONS. I SUGGEST YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM DOWN SOLID. THERE IS JUST NO SENSE IN SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT WHEN PARTNER OPENS 1NT

Bob Holmes