February 2025 - 51

Newer Players
BY LARRY COHEN
larrycohen.com
L
ast month (and last
September), we examined the
all-important signal: Attitude.
For most of my readers and students,
that signal is all that needs
to be learned for now. This series
explained " standard " attitude, which
means high to show you like it, and
low to discourage. Many do the opposite
(called " upside down attitude " ).
If you sit down with a new partner,
assume standard attitude.
As you gain experience, you will
come across other kinds of defensive
signals. It's not important to learn
them now, but you might want to
have an idea of what they are. If you
are declarer and your opponents use
these signals, you are entitled to the
information.
Count
This is a defensive signal to tell
your partner how many cards you
have in a suit. High (and then low)
says, " I hold an even number (two
or four or six) of cards in the suit.
Playing a low card when the suit is
led (by the opponents) means you
started with an odd number (like
three or five). Yes, " one " is an odd
number, but please don't ask how to
signal with only one.
When and why would we give a
count signal?
The " when " is when the declaring
side starts the suit. So, declarer
leads from his hand or the dummy.
Let's say the dA is led from dummy
(or declarer). With dQ 10 8 6 2, you
can follow suit with the 2 to signal
to your partner you started with
an odd number of diamonds. With
dJ 10 5 2, you can follow suit with
the 5. The defender playing fourth to
the trick can also signal count.
Defensive Basics
The other signals - briefly
Why? Because not only might the
count in that suit be important to
partner, but it might help him know
the count in every suit. Consider the
following:
You lead the A-K of a side suit
(partner plays high-low to encourage)
and you play a third round of the suit,
which partner trumps. Declarer gets
in and draws trump. Your partner
started with two cards in the trump
suit. So, you know partner has four
total cards in two suits (the suit you
led and trump). Now, declarer leads
a new suit and partner follows low.
So, you know partner started with
an odd number of cards in that suit.
Likely he has five of those and four of
the remaining suit. Maybe from the
other holdings, you can determine
it is three and six. Once you know
partner's entire shape, you also know
declarer's exact distribution (by factoring
in your hand and the dummy).
Why my warning against studying
count signals? Look at the paragraph
above. How many " newcomers " can
process all of that while at the same
time remembering: What are my
guidelines for playing second and
third to a trick? What was the opening
lead? How many tricks do we
have/need? What's the contract?
Counting out a hand (especially on
defense) takes years (and thousands
of deals) of experience. Is it important
for experts? Absolutely - that's
what makes them so expert!
Suit preference
This is a signal in a suit that is
actually about a different suit. Here
are two common examples:
sK Q J 2 h2 dJ 7 6 5 cJ 7 6 5.
This is the dummy in a spade
contract. The opening lead from
partner is the hA (ace from A-K).
How should third hand signal?
Normally, on the hA lead, third hand
would give an attitude signal, saying
whether or not he likes hearts. But
with dummy about to be out of the
suit, it is not as important how East
feels about hearts. So, when dummy
is void (or becoming void), third hand
can use a different kind of signal.
Count wouldn't be too relevant, so a
signal can be used to talk about the
other two suits. Why only two other
suits? One is the trump suit, and one
is the suit that was led. So, with the
dummy situation above, third hand
can give a signal to say whether he
prefers diamonds or clubs. Because
diamonds is a higher-ranking suit
than clubs, a high heart (like an 8 or
9) would show " suit preference " for
diamonds. A low heart like the 3 or
4 would show " suit preference " for
clubs.
The same concept can be used here.
Against 4s, third hand holds:
s5 3 hA 9 8 7 2 dJ 3 2 cA 5 3.
His partner leads a heart, which
from the bidding seems to be a singleton.
East wins the hA at trick
one and returns a heart for partner
to ruff. But which heart? This is a
chance to send a suit-preference
signal. Returning a low heart (the 2)
says, " I prefer the lower of the two
remaining side suits; clubs. " If East's
hand were instead:
s5 3 hA 9 8 7 2 dK Q 9 cJ 5 3,
he would win the hA and return
the h9 to say, " I prefer the higher
ranking of the two remaining side
suits; diamonds. " Just like count, the
suit-preference signal isn't important
February 2025 | Bridge Bulletin |
51
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http://www.larrycohen.com
February 2025

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