Chapter 4: Count
What is count? When to give count?Count is a very important signal in bridge. Defenders should use it as 2nd or 4th hand, when declarer is trying to establish his long suit.
Note that if you are 3rd hand, and dummy or declarer played the ace as 2nd (or partner started with ace) - it's best to give an attitude signal (encourage/discourage: See my previous article on 3rd hand) . Being 2nd or 4th to play to the trick means that declarer has initiated the suit (unlike 3rd hand, when partner is initiating it).
However, there is a way for partner to ask you to give count also when you are 3rd (I will mention it later).
So... what is count? Count is when you are signaling to your partner how many cards you have in the suit played.
You need to agree with your partner what kind of system you want to play to signal it: Standard, Upside Down Carding (UDCA) or REO.
- Standard carding: Low card and later higher card = You have an ODD number of cards in the suit (3 or 5). High card and then a lower card = You have an EVEN number of cards in that suit (2 or 4).
- Upside Down Carding: Low and then high = EVEN. High and then low = ODD.
- REO: Odd card (3, 5, 7, 9) = Odd number of cards. Even card = even number of cards. You always give the lowest odd or even card to signal it. If you have an odd number of only even cards (like 842) or an even number of only odd cards (like 9753), you throw high and then low. So when partner sees the 9 and then the 3, he realize you have even (else you give the 3 first).
All 3 systems above are good, but agreeing with partner the preferred one is extremely important. It doesn't matter too much which system you choose, as long as you and partner are playing the same thing.
In all the examples bellow I will use standard carding, which is the most common one:
Example a)
| ♣KQJ107 | ||
| ♣A83 | ♣2 | |
| ♣6 |
Example b)
| ♣KQJ107 | ||
| ♣A83 | ♣9 | |
| ♣6 |
These could have been the full deals in 3NT (let's say the auction went 2NT - 3NT)
Solution to Example a)
You lead the ♠Q and South won with the ♠A. Let's count winners and losers.
- Declarer has 7 tricks in his hand.
- He needs 2 more, and must try the clubs.
As he opened 2NT, it's easy for you to duck the Ace on the first round of clubs (you know he has at least 2, unless he opened with a singleton club!), but as cards lay, if you play low again (..."just in case South has another club"..), you will give declarer his 9th trick. You must play the Ace on the last club in declarer's hand.
Partner helps there, by giving you count: He played the ♣2 first and then followed with the ♣5, meaning he has an ODD number of clubs in hand: he has 3 cards. That leaves 2 cards for declarer. Take the ♣A NOW! Declarer is left with 8 tricks.
Solution to Example b)
You lead the ♠Q and South won with the ♠A.
- Declarer has 6 tricks in his hand.
- He needs 3 more, and must try the clubs.
As he opened 2NT, it's easy for you to play low on the 1st round of clubs, but as cards lay, if you win the 2nd club, you don't cut declarer's entry to dummy and he will now make 10 tricks: 4 clubs, 3 diamonds, 1 heart and 2 spades. You must play the Ace on the last club in declarer's hand.
Partner helps by giving count: He played the ♣9 first and then followed with the ♣5, meaning he has an EVEN number of clubs in hand. Partner has 2 clubs (if he had 4, declarer would have just 1, not likely from the 2NT opening). That leaves 3 cards for declarer. Hold up once more and take the ♣A on the third round of clubs. Declarer is left with 8 tricks (only 2 clubs now).
Remember! You want to take the ace on the last card of the short hand, to cut declarer's transportation!
Sometimes, you are on lead and you want to know how many cards your partner has in a certain suit. I highly recommend you to agree with your partner to play as follows:
Ace (or Q) lead asks partner (who is 3rd to play to the trick) to give attitude (encourage/discourage). In standard carding, a high card from partner encourages you to continue and a low card is discouraging.
Example 1)
| ♥543 | ||
| ♥AKJ6 | ♥2 | |
| ♥7 |
You are defending 4♠. You lead the ♥A and partner gave the ♥2. That means he doesn't have the ♥Q nor does he have ♥xx (he knows you are almost certain to hold the ♥K too, so with a doubleton he will play high to encourage.
So... switch to another suit at trick 2 and try to put partner on lead. He will play a heart back when he gets the hand, and the defense will score 3 tricks in that suit.
This is the full layout:
| ♥543 | ||
| ♥AKJ6 | ♥982 | |
| ♥QT7 |
King lead asks partner to give count (you can agree that it also asks partner to unblock the suit when defending NT)
Example 2)
| ♥543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥9 | |
| ♥A |
You lead the ♥K and partner played the ♥9. What does that mean?
- Partner is showing an EVEN number of hearts in his hand (2 or 4).
- Declarer showed on the bidding a 12-14 points balanced hand, with 5 carder spades.
If partner has ♥9x , that would place 4 hearts in declarer's hand – Not likely: With 4 hearts, declarer would rebid 2♥, not 2NT.
So... Partner has 4 cards and declarer's shape is 5-2-3-3 (2 hearts), meaning you can cash only one heart trick (declarer has ♥Ax).
The full layout:
| ♥543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥9872 | |
| ♥A10 |
Example 3)
| ♥10543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥9 | |
| ♥A |
On the same bidding as above, partner signaled the ♥9 (even number of cards). Now you can conclude that partner has ♥9x and declarer has ♥Axx, so your ♥QJ are sure tricks, if you manage to cash them fast enough.
The full layout:
| ♥10543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥92 | |
| ♥A87 |
Example 4)
| ♥10543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥2 | |
| ♥A |
Now you know that partner has an ODD number of hearts. That means he has ♥xx2 and declarer has ♥Ax. So when you get the hand, cash only the ♥Q. Don't try to cash the ♥J too, as it will get ruffed by declarer and also will promote his ♥10 as another trick.
The full layout:
| ♥10543 | ||
| ♥KQJ6 | ♥972 | |
| ♥A8 |
What do you lead with ♠AKQ32?
Always lead the ♠K (if agreed that is asks for count). It is obvious that partner has no high honor, and if you lead the ♠A, he will always discourage, so he will play low either from 10xx4 or 10x4 and you will not be able to know when declarer will ruff.
But also in NT ...
Example 5)
| ♠J8 | ||
| ♠AKQ32 | ♠4 | |
| ♠9 |
You lead the ♠K and partner gave the ♠4.
It's so easy: Partner has an ODD number of spade cards (the ♠4 is partner's lowest card as you hold the ♠32) and you can easily cash 5 spade tricks to set declarer.
The full layout:
| ♠J8 | ||
| ♠AKQ32 | ♠654 | |
| ♠1097 |
Example 6)
| ♠J8 | ||
| ♠AKQ32 | ♠7 | |
| ♠9 |
It's not so easy now: Partner has an EVEN number of spade cards (the ♠7 cannot be partner's lowest card so he surely has an even number of cards) So... he can have
- either ♠7x or
- ♠7xxx.
Both seem possible. If partner has ♠7x , then declarer has 4 cards and by playing ♠AKQ you will promote a spade trick for him. What to do?
Remember the bidding! Declarer denied a 4 card major. That means partner has ♠7xxx and declarer has ♠xx. So play all spades off top?
NOT SO FAST! Here's the full layout:
| ♠J8 | ||
| ♠AKQ32 | ♠7654 | |
| ♠109 |
You must be careful to not block the suit. Play the ♠A at trick 2 but continue with a LOW spade at trick 3. Partner will win it and when he plays the 4th spade, overtake it with your ♠Q and cash the 5th spade to set.
