Did you get my signal, partner?
by paul cronin on
November 28th, 2013
West is on opening lead against a spade contract, and under-leads the QJ of diamonds. Low diamond from dummy, low from East, and South, holding AK10, wins the ten. Everyone turns over the trick except East, who leaves his card face up, and then asks to “examine” the trick. Everyone turns their cards face up, East “examines” all, and then the trick is quitted. Shortly thereafter, East gets on lead, and leads to a winning card in West’s hand. West now returns a small diamond, and East……….ruffs. Now West can certainly count the diamonds, as South is marked with the AK, so no problem with the diamond return per se, but…..what exactly was East “examining” at trick one?
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Might I suggest he is examining the reaction on West’s face after seeing the pleased look he gave him ( on his face ) after the lead had found his singleton suit.
Did you get my message , Paul ?
Hello JHG/HBJ,
I did indeed get your message!
I have been really surprised by how few people have given any answer to the query “What was East “examining” at trick one?” Most got off on some other side-track and simply avoided the query. Of the few possibilities actually given however , the funniest one had to be that perhaps there was some suit preference signal worth studying in West’s fourth best lead.