There are certain defensive techniques that inexperienced players believe apply only to no-trump contracts and not to suits — but they are mistaken. Fourth-highest leads are an example. If you are attacking from K-J-6-5-3, lead the five, whether the contract is, say, three no-trump or four spades.
This deal features a technique that is more common in no-trump, but is equally important in a suit contract. How should the defenders card to defeat four spades?
South might have rebid three no-trump. He would always have done that if his suit had been a minor. And here that would have worked fine.
Declarer sees four losers: one heart, two diamonds and one club. He has only nine guaranteed winners: six spades, one heart, one diamond and one club. He needs a misdefense, the defender with the club ace nervously taking that card on the first round of the suit.
The best play is for South to win the first (or second) diamond trick and immediately to play a club, trying to look like someone with a singleton. But West should give a count signal, playing his club two, lowest from an odd number of cards. This tells East that declarer started with two clubs. East ducks the first club and takes the second to kill the contract. South has two winning clubs on the board, but cannot get to them.
Anytime you see a suit like those clubs sitting on the board, the defender without the ace should signal count, so that if his partner has the ace, he will know how long to hold up that winner.
This deal features a technique that is more common in no-trump, but is equally important in a suit contract. How should the defenders card to defeat four spades?
South might have rebid three no-trump. He would always have done that if his suit had been a minor. And here that would have worked fine.
Declarer sees four losers: one heart, two diamonds and one club. He has only nine guaranteed winners: six spades, one heart, one diamond and one club. He needs a misdefense, the defender with the club ace nervously taking that card on the first round of the suit.
The best play is for South to win the first (or second) diamond trick and immediately to play a club, trying to look like someone with a singleton. But West should give a count signal, playing his club two, lowest from an odd number of cards. This tells East that declarer started with two clubs. East ducks the first club and takes the second to kill the contract. South has two winning clubs on the board, but cannot get to them.
Anytime you see a suit like those clubs sitting on the board, the defender without the ace should signal count, so that if his partner has the ace, he will know how long to hold up that winner.