Simple Saturday columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.

I’ve heard an effective committee defined as three people, two of whom are absent. But good defense requires a degree of partnership cooperation.

Against today’s 3NT, West leads a low heart. When dummy plays the king, East may feel like giving his partner some good news by taking the ace and returning a heart. That defense is ineffective. Declarer wins in dummy and lets the queen of clubs ride. When West takes the king, he can cash his jack of hearts and ace of spades, but South has the rest. Making three.

Entries are a precious commodity on defense; declarer will usually have most of the high cards. To preserve his only entry and keep communication, East signals with the seven on the first heart.

When West takes the king of clubs, he leads a second heart, and East wins and returns a third heart through declarer’s 10-8 to West’s J-9. The defense has three hearts, a club and a spade.

Daily question: You hold: ? J 6 3 ? K Q ? K 4 3 ? Q J 10 7 6. Your partner opens one heart, you respond two clubs, he rebids two hearts and you try 2NT. Partner then bids three diamonds. What do you say?

Answer: Your partner suggests six hearts, four diamonds and minimum values. With a stronger 6-4 hand, his second bid would have been three hearts or two diamonds. Since you have three useful honors, bid four hearts. Partner will have a chance if he holds 72,AJ10763,AQ102,2.

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