[Wackojack]

Scoring: MP

---

At a UK county pairs qualifier, I was sitting west against an elderly couple. Partner opens 1NT (12-14), RHO passes and I pass. (you might think this was wrong but we didn't have the tools to show a weak minor 2-suiter and anyway that is another story) LHO then comes in with a leap to 4♠, which we all pass smoothly in spite of me thinking about a double.

We play ordinary count in following suit and discarding. (except Ace attitude) Mckenney when obvious.

Partner led ♠10 taken by king in hand. Declarer then played ♠A to which pd followed with ♠9. What do you discard to help partner? I won't go into the gory details of what actually happened after I made a rubbish discard of 2♦, but we got a 0 on the scoresheet.

I believe I should have played ♣9 to give partner the count so that he can hold up if declarer switches immediately to a club. If declarer plays of all her spades I can throw 3 clubs if necessary to show that I definitely started with 4 and then diamonds upwards. Then partner cannot go wrong and come down to ♥Q, ♦KJ, ♣AQ if declarer plays off all the spades.

I am interested to know how the players who play attitude or other or no signals would discard on my hand. Also suppose South had been dealer and opened 4♠ with the same lead? Would those that play count discards do anything different?

[mike777]

Playing odd/even you can play 3 of d to encourage d or 9 of h to encourage a h. I would play 3 of d.

Playing nothing fancy, I would play small club, bridge logic must say I can stand a D shift now.

[pclayton]

This is not a good hand for discards that immediately show count.

Different partnerships do things different, but our method (deception notwithstanding) is to tell your partner where your cards are. At some point, I would discard the ♦2 and the ♥4, since we play UDCA.

At some later point, I would pitch (in order) the ♦5 and the ♦2, telling partner that I have an even # of cards remaining.

In the club suit, I'd pitch the 5, followed by the 2, telling pard I started with 4 originally.

By the way, the only time our first discard ever shows count is when it is absolutely necessary, for instance when dummy has a long entryless suit and we have the luxury of an early discard. A pitch in this suit can't be attitude, so it must be count.

[inquiry]

This hand is total double dummy. Declearer has 10 hcp in spades from the lead. Dummy has 9 and you have eight. Your partner will have all the missing hcp with the possible exception of one of the red jacks (he can have 12 only with club AQ, heart King, diamond Q, but that is only 11... so he has also one of the missing jacks.

However, your partner will not know you can count his hand so accurately. So what I would do is play whatever card tthat says I have no interest in clubs (for sake of arguement here, I will use udca carding), and following that attitude signal, I will give count in clubs (I actually play to throw all my clubs away. So partner will have a total club count.

IF declearer keeps running spades, I will then discard low diamond and then low heart. Partner will be able to count declarer's sure tricks (1♣ and 8♠), from my club count and discards, he will know to stay off the first club, and to win the second. And having solved how to play clubs, partner only go wrong if he wins the diamond King and continues a diamond and I cam down to two only diamonds (at mathcpoints, partners might try to cash winners. ideally my two low cards will tell him how to defend. I see no way to lose our four quick winners (2♦, 1♣, 1♥) if you throw all your clubs away... even if on this hand your partner tries to cash diamonds in the wrong order, you simply take your heart ACE when second diamond wins.

[paulg]

I can see many people letting this contract through as it is not clear that partner should duck declarer's club lead at trick 3.

Looking at dummy the critical suit is clubs. If declarer has the ♣A then there is little hope so the advantage is with those who can show count and discard a club to show an even number (♣2 for the udca crowd, ♣6 for the rest) on the second trick. Partner can now safely duck the club lead and you will always come to your four tricks.

However if you are showing (some form of) attitude with your discards (as I actually play) then it is more difficult.

Suppose you encourage diamonds. Now partner will take the first club and will know it is important to cash all your tricks now. Partner should cash the ♦K and you hopefully show count. Now partner knows to lead diamond and let you cash heart winner.

But I can easily see people getting it wrong, so I wouldn't feel too bad about it.

With respect to the bidding, I'd have doubled 4♠ holding two aces opposite a weak NT at matchpoints. At least partner will now know that you have some values.

Paul

[Wackojack]

pclayton, on Nov 29 2004, 10:54 AM, said:

This is not a good hand for discards that immediately show count.

Different partnerships do things different, but our method (deception notwithstanding)  is to tell your partner where your cards are.  At some point, I would discard the ♦2 and the ♥4, since we play UDCA.

At some later point, I would pitch (in order) the ♦5 and the ♦2, telling partner that I have an even # of cards remaining.

In the club suit, I'd pitch the 5, followed by the 2, telling pard I started with 4 originally.

By the way, the only time our first discard ever shows count is when it is absolutely necessary, for instance when dummy has a long entryless suit and we have the luxury of an early discard. A pitch in this suit can't be attitude, so it must be count.

So as I understand you, you would signal club length here. Then surely it should be done before declarer switches to a club i.e. immediately; to tell partner to hold up for one round. Then nothing can go wrong.

However, if you signal attitude in diamonds first and then declarer switches to a club before you have a chance to signal length in clubs, then partner might play the ♣A on the first round. I suppose things shouldn't go wrong now, as he should switch to ♦4 (if you play 4th highest) so I will now know that declarer started with 2 diamonds, and so continue with a diamond. But which diamond should I play? Remaining count signal? It is crucial that I now give partner my count in diamonds so that he does not play declarer to have started with 3. Otherwise he might play play a 3rd diamond.

I confess that I might be missing something when you say this is a not a good hand if you play count signals. It seems to me that ONLY if count signals are played and then in the right order that both know what is going on and will not go wrong.

Thanks Cardsharp for your observation. I can see that if West does not hold up the club on the first round because East has not given him the count in clubs, then he should play ♦K so that West can give him the count in diamonds. Remaining count? Which diamond? Is this unambiguous?

Partner got it wrong after my first discard was 2 diamonds and I feel very bad for not making my first discard 9 clubs.

[paulg]

Wackojack, on Nov 29 2004, 06:02 PM, said:

I can see that if West does not hold up the club on the first round because East has not given him the count in clubs, then he should play ♦K so that West can give him the count in diamonds.  Remaining count?  Which diamond?  Is this unambiguous?

I play current (remaining) count as opposed to original count, but either method is playable.

It should be relatively unambiguous in this case given the number of diamonds you hold.

p