There's More than One Way to Skin a Cat

	K 9
	6 4 3
	A 6 2
	A K Q 6 4
J 8 6 5		A 10 3
K 5 2		9 7
K 10 5 4 3		J 8 7
9		J 10 8 3 2
	Q 7 4 2
	A Q J 10 8
	Q 9
	7 5

West	North	East	South
			Pass
Pass	1 NT	Pass	2
Pass	2	Pass	3
Pass	4	All	pass

Opening lead was the 9 of clubs, won in dummy as East played the deuce. A heart hook was taken in to the king, and now as West tried to hit her partner for a ruff, she tried a diamond, which declarer let ride to the queen. Because the club suit offered at least one sluff with the possibility of a second, declarer decided to forego any attempt to get a spade ruff, and so finished drawing trump in two more rounds. On the third round, East played the 10 of spades, which was duly noted by declarer.

Now a club lead gave declarer the bad news that the club suit wasn't going to set up for a fourth winner (on a 4-2 split). On the third round he pitched a spade, and then led a low spade from his king, hoping to get a nervous Nellie who'd jump up with the ace for fear she'd lose it, which indeed was just what happened. Making 5.

Now East told her partner that she was sorry she didn't advertise the ace of spades on that opening lead, presumably by playing the jack of clubs, which she could afford. I picked up this illustration largely because it carries several factors that are commonly wrong about signalling.

Now, the jack of clubs wouldn't have been off base. Since there could hardly be any other reason for such a dramatically high card back of the A K Q, I would agree that it should indicate the ace of spades (with the king showing). From there, it was all downhill.

There is first that totally unnecessary 10 of spades. What other suit is there? The clubs are solid, the ace of diamonds is in dummy. And in just what suit is West expected to get the lead, anyway? It's time for East to sit back and manage the cards she has rather than try to convey her hand to her partner.

The 10 of spades may or may not have changed declarer's decision on how to play spades, but if anything, it did him far more good than harm. Further, you might note that it's far too valuable a card to give up! Declarer could have finessed the 9 now, holding himself to only one spade loser. The fact that he didn't and picked up his 11th trick in another manner shouldn't obscure the fact that he was given that chance by the totally unnecessary card.

And then the real loss of a trick came in the first-round play of a low spade. East can still assure her side of a third trick if she goes low. Her task is to take care of the king of spades. If she goes low, declarer wins with the queen, loses the king to the ace, and now must lose a second spade trick.

But such is the cachet of * * signalling * *, the presumed sophistication , that East bemoaned failing to give a signal would have allowed a ruff. She didn't mention that it was foolish to pitch her 10 of spades, which was information her partner couldn't use, but an opportunity for declarer to finesse the nine and hold himself to one spade loser. She didn't apologize for going up second hand on the low spade lead when declarer failed to take advantage of that opportunity. The discard of the 10 allowed declarer an opportunity to hold his spade losers to one, going up with the ace of spades gave him that capability. Yet, there was only a reference to a missed signalling opportunity.

I might point out, though East hardly needs to take this into account, that South's bidding indicates a four-card spade holding. One has been pitched on the third round of clubs. But that still leaves too many for East to hop up with the ace on the first lead in the suit.

When I wrote for the Bulletin, my first series was on signalling and (I believe) my last was on "Going for that Ruff". In each case, my basic thesis was that the general run of players lose more than they gain. Both are commonly pursued recklessly, though I would say there is the difference that getting a ruff doesn't bestow a cachet. Rather, it's as though defenders have mischievously gotten away with something like boys stealing apples from an orchard. Anyway, I'd like to go over getting that ruff here.

First, you have to set up the spade suit if West hits her partner with the ace. The king and queen can now be cashed separately as winners. This also gives declarer an entry to dummy. Then you don't get any club honors, since the ruff comes before declarer plays from that hand. And thirdly, you're ruffing with the long trump holding, which means declarer now has a trump in dummy when all trump are out.

Let's suppose West returns a heart when in with the king of hearts, rather than going for a ruff, as apparently both defenders looked upon wistfully as a lost opportunity. Now, declarer is going to have a bit of trouble, no?

If he finishes drawing trump, he can count on sluffing a diamond loser on the third club, but now runs the danger of losing three spade tricks. Maybe to get a spade ruff, he leads to the king of spades, captured by East, who now leads a diamond, which knocks out the ace of diamonds. Declarer cashes the queen of spades, ruffs a spade and . . . If he tries to cash any clubs, he loses his 4th trick right there (well, with a diamond trick soon to follow). So let's say he loses a diamond. Well, it would depend on how diamonds were played. But if East led the 8 or 7 and declarer went in with the queen, then East could win the second round of diamonds and now give her partner a ruff in clubs, setting the contract. But wait! That's not all. Now declarer has no entry to the third club and the defense still has another spade trick coming, for down two.

So-o-o-o, it isn't getting a ruff that is important or not getting a ruff but rather the interplay of all four suits. The defense lost a diamond trick in trying for that ruff, and if West had found a lead to the ace of spades, they would have given up a spade trick, all for a ruff to get back a trick they'd just given up, which in fact they didn't get back when East failed to go low second hand on a spade lead. If they'd just played a quiet defense and the hand without the king of diamonds had initiated that suit, declarer would have been in a peck of trouble, in part because of the bad club split, which doesn't have to result in a ruff to give declarer trouble.

Hence, I'm back to my basic position on defense, that there is nothing more important than handling the potential of your cards -- your tens and nines and jacks and queens and kings and 8's and aces. That's where it's at. That'll be important on over 90% of hands, while getting a ruff or signalling won't be the key except in, well, I'll say 10% of hands.