[hautbois]

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Partner leads the K♦.

The Granovetter's lay out specific meanings for signalling with the J (club switch), 9 (diamond continuation), 4 (heart switch). You know partner has not read their book, but even if so, you haven't agreed to play obvious switch at trick one.

Playing "standard", whatever that is, what would you play as east to trick 1? What would you do as west if partner plays the J? If partner plays the 4?

Is there any literature aside from _A Switch in Time_ that deals with card signalling, especially after trick 1?

[billw55]

hautbois, on 2014-February-04, 09:17, said:

Is there any literature aside from _A Switch in Time_ that deals with card signalling, especially after trick 1?

Yes.

Perhaps I misunderstood your question. Almost any book on defense will discuss signals. I have a book by David Bird (I forget the title) that is specifically about signals. I suspect there are many such books.

On the deal you give, once declarer does not play the ♦A, I continue the small diamond no matter what card partner played. I can see that I can make use of the ♠J, so I go for it.

[aguahombre]

IMO, West will realize a switch is necessary here. But, I don't think a Club is the obvious switch. Give East AKJ of hearts and XX in clubs, for instance.

This looks like a simple suit-preference at trick one situation to me. Would just play the lowest Diamond to set up a club trick without blowing anything, and the JACK if I had XX AKJX AJTXX XX ---then hope I, myself, had the brains to shift to a club at trick three.

[phil_20686]

It is not obvious to me why a switch is needed. All routes lead to 8 tricks for declarer on this layout do they not? He can simply win the club ace and draw trumps if you switch, if you continue diamonds he will get a loser away on the diamond Q eventually. If he guesses well he can make an extra heart trick by eliminating and playing the Q to endplay east, only a heart lead from west of the 9 (or small to the 8) is guaranteed to hold declarer to eight tricks I think.

Nevertheless, I would play the diamond J here, that should clear the suit up nicely for partner.

I don't think there is an obvious answer to this kind of signalling dilemma, with my most regular partner we would play that an honour card promises the card below and denies the one above, but that a pip is SP.

It also makes plenty of sense to play attitude here. Its rare for responder to be any better position to know what to switch to than the opening leader.

[JLOGIC]

As east I would have no idea what the correct defense is since depending on partners hand lots of things could be right. I would just play the jack which to me is informing partner of the diamond layout and allowing him to do what he thinks is best since I think he will generally have a better idea than me armed with that info.

[CSGibson]

I could be wrong, but I think the only chance the defense had for a legitimate set, barring declarer error, is to start with a low spade, and make declarer guess the position. Then we may get two hearts, a spade, a club, and two diamonds.

[hautbois]

phil_20686, on 2014-February-04, 11:35, said:

It is not obvious to me why a switch is needed.

From East's point of view the hand could be

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A club switch would be terrible and I don't think east will get defense right if a second diamond is played. It turns out a club was ok on the actual layout, but neither east nor west knows a club switch is ok. From west's point of view, south could have AQ♣. If I could ask for a specific suit as east, I'd ask for a heart. It would be unfortunate if south holds K9x♥, but the suit could be guessed correctly anyways after any other continuation.

aguahombre said:

But, I don't think a Club is the obvious switch.

As I understand _A Switch in Time_, hearts is the obvious switch.

billw55 said:

Almost any book on defense will discuss signals. I have a book by David Bird (I forget the title) that is specifically about signals. I suspect there are many such books.

Checking Amazon I see _Defensive Signaling at Bridge_ and _Bridge Technique 8: Defensive Signaling_. I'll check them out and see if they have the depth of subject I'm looking for. I can't recommend Kit Woolsley's _Partnership Defense in Bridge_ or Kelsey/Klinger's _Killing Defense at Bridge_ enough, but it still feels like there's more to be said about carding.

[Vampyr]

Krzystof Martens' books on defense, Guide Dog 1 and Guide Dog 2 are excellent if you are looking for advanced material.

[aguahombre]

hautbois, on 2014-February-04, 22:06, said:

From East's point of view the hand could be

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A club switch would be terrible and I don't think east will get defense right if a second diamond is played. It turns out a club was ok on the actual layout, but neither east nor west knows a club switch is ok. From west's point of view, south could have AQ♣. If I could ask for a specific suit as east, I'd ask for a heart. It would be unfortunate if south holds K9x♥, but the suit could be guessed correctly anyways after any other continuation.

As I understand _A Switch in Time_, hearts is the obvious switch.

Perhaps there is a bit of confusion, here.

If the duce of Diamonds suggests it is ok to try a club switch, and the Diamond King holds, then West will know it is ok to continue Diamonds for a Club through if he holds AXXXX instead of making the "terrible" club switch.

However, if the Diamond Jack is played, I would think it looks a whole lot as if East wants a heart switch with XX AKJX AJTXX XX...and a heart switch will set it when East trip-switches to a club at trick 3.

The fact that this particular hand cannot be beat is not really pertinent.

[jogs]

JLOGIC, on 2014-February-04, 11:40, said:

As east I would have no idea what the correct defense is since depending on partners hand lots of things could be right. I would just play the jack which to me is informing partner of the diamond layout and allowing him to do what he thinks is best since I think he will generally have a better idea than me armed with that info.

That's what I never understood with those who signal on every card. How do they know everything about every hand on trick 1? Don't those signals often help declarer more than partner?