Bridge

Sitting third hand, you hold Q-J-2 and it’s your turn. Yesterday, we learned that if your card might win the trick, you play the jack, the bottom of equal cards. What happens if you cannot win the trick, because partner or dummy has already played the ace or king?

If you think it is beneficial to tell partner about your honor sequence, drop the queen, the top of the touchers. This guarantees that you have either the queen and the jack, or an unlikely singleton. Now partner, if he led ace from ace-king, knows that he may underlead at trick two, and you will win the trick.

This agreement aided the defense in today’s deal.

When West overcalled, he was hoping to make it harder for the opposition to reach a spade contract. However, it was possible that East-West could win the auction. South, after receiving a single raise from his partner, took a shot at game.

West led the club ace, and East signaled with the queen, promising the jack. West continued with a low club. After winning with the jack, it was the work of a moment for East to shift to the diamond queen. In another moment, the defenders had taken the first four tricks.