[ralph23]

A B/I defensive problem by popular (well, not really, just Quantumcat ) demand....

Scoring: IMP

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South opens 1♠, which North raises to 3♠. South then bids 4♠ to end the auction.

You play standard defensive signals; attitude is your primary signal when partner leads. Hi = encouragement, lo = discouragement.

Partner leads the King of ♥, and dummy plays low.

a. Which card do you play on trick one?
b. Why?

Adv & Exp pls hide your answers.

[jillybean]

Heaven knows, I consistently mess up signals but here goes.

With the ♥A sitting on the table attitude is irrelevant here, I signal with ♥8 (lav discards) which I hope partner understand as ♦ shift.

[ralph23]

jillybean2, on Oct 6 2007, 12:21 PM, said:

With the ♥A sitting on the table attitude is irrelevant here...

Attitude is indeed very relevant and that is your primary signal. I promise that this is not a trick question!!

Your partner doesn't know Lav from Adam's housecat, never heard of it and whatever card you play will be construed by West as attitude.

OK, re-try .

PS you are not in any case discarding, but following suit, so Lav discards can't be involved, can they ?

PPS THink in terms of, What are West's most probable ♥ holdings, in general?

This post has been edited by ralph23: 2007-October-06, 10:38

[jillybean]

Ok I still play the 8

I think its obvious that I dont want another ♥ so Im trying to tell p what I DO want

[ralph23]

ralph23, on Oct 6 2007, 12:25 PM, said:

... whatever card you play will be construed by West as attitude. ...

Why do you think it must be so obvious to West that you could not possibly want another heart? Because the Ace is in dummy?

Hasn't your side (either as defender or as declarer) ever had "slow" winners in a suit, but the other side has the Ace, ---? So, your side must dislodge the other side's Ace, so that you can collect your "slow" winners before your "slow" winners evaporate?

If you think about it, you can surely put some card(s) in your hand where your opinion is, that you want partner to lead another heart. Can't you? Give it a try (else I'll have to do it!!!)

[jillybean]

Well it is possible that I would want another ♥ but you did ask:

a. Which card do you play on trick one?
b. Why?

And I would play the 8

But go on, I'll play the 2

[ArtK78]

Play the ♥2.

First of all, this is not a discard, so Lavinthal does not apply.

Second of all, partner led from the KQ(xxx) of hearts. If partner has the ♥J, your signal is unimportant, since he will probably continue anyway. But if he does not have the ♥J, he wants to know if you have it. Since you don't, you should discourage.

[ralph23]

There now, that wasn't so hard, was it ?

Hands to follow .....

[ralph23]

Scoring: IMP

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This one's the same as the sister problem, basically, except you don't have the Jack of hearts. The bidding, dummy and West hand -- all the same. The only thing partner has to guide him on his trick two lead is the card you play at trick one.

Declarer is trying the Bath Coup here: holding up with Ace-Jack. If you mislead partner into thinking you have the Jack by signalling encouragement, he will lead right into declarer's Ace-Jack and give away the contract.

It doesn't matter what partner does at trick two, as long as he doesn't lead the fatal heart into the Bath Coup trap.