ATTITUDE SIGNALS (Part 3)
During the course of every hand there are times when a defender can not follow suit and must make a discard (also known as a “pitch”). The first such occurrence for each defender — which often comes while the declarer is pulling trump — offers a wonderful signaling opportunity.
There are several discarding “systems” in use. All of them attempt to make the most of this opportunity. The easiest of these — and the one used by the majority of players — is as follows: The pitch of a high card in a given side suit indicates a desire (or willingness) to have that suit led at a later time. The pitch of a low card in a side suit indicates a lack of interest in having that suit led at a later time. Since the defender has a wide range of cards to chose from, it is generally a simple matter to locate a card which will help to describe his hand and/or assist his partner in finding the right defense. As always, partner must be watching.
For example:
 |
East | ||||
| ♠ | Q 6 5 3 | ||||
| ♥ | 5 2 | ||||
| ♦ | 10 6 | ||||
| ♣ | A Q J 9 3 | ||||
| South (You) | |||||
| ♠ | 7 | ||||
| ♥ | J 9 7 6 4 | ||||
| ♦ | 8 7 4 2 | ||||
| ♣ | K 5 2 | ||||
The contract is 4♠ in the West. Partner leads the ♥K. Declarer wins with the ace and leads two rounds of trump. When your turn comes to play to the second trump trick, you are void. This is your moment to tell your partner about your hand.
The only card of merit that you hold is the ♣K. If you held a high club, something bigger than the six, you could discard it, requesting a club lead. Unfortunately, the five is not large enough to send a nice, clear message. What you can do however, is discard the ♦2. This tells partner that you have no interest in a diamond lead. An intelligent individual across the table should be able to figure things out from there.
[VIEW ATTITUDE SIGNALS PART 4]
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