Source: NABC Phoenix ACBL Bulletins
10 9 8 |
J 7 2 |
4 3 |
A K Q 6 5 |
West | North | East | South |
Pass | Pass | Pass | 1 |
Pass | 2 | All Pass |
Opening lead: A
Neither East nor West has enough to stick their nose into the auction at this vulnerability… or any vulnerability for that matter. When partner leads the ace from ace-king, the vast majority of the time third hand gives attitude. Count and suit preference signals are possible, but exceptional.
Normally, third hand encourages with a doubleton or the queen. However, if third hand badly wants a switch to another suit more than a continuation, third hand makes a discouraging signal. It only hurts for a little while and it happens to be one of the big secrets to accurate attitude signaling.
Assuming East has made a quarter turn of her neck to the right, she will notice that she is sitting over dummy’s K J 9 with the A Q 10 2, making a diamond shift more than desirable. Accordingly, South discourages at trick one. And how will North know what switch South has in mind?
West will also make a quarter turn of the neck, this time to the left, and figure out that diamonds, not clubs, is the suit partner must want and switches to a diamond. East wins and returns a heart, West cashes a second and third heart and leads a second diamond. East cashes a second and third diamond and leads a fourth diamond, promoting West’s J for the defenders’ seventh trick! Down two! Beautiful.