The following is a very brief description of ‘standard’ defensive signaling.
- When partner leads a suit, and you are not contesting the trick, the spot card you play shows attitude.
- In attitude situations, to encourage, you play the highest spot card you can afford; to discourage, you play your lowest. This is ‘standard’ attitude signaling; ‘upside down’ attitude signaling is the reverse (low to encourage, high to discourage).
- When declarer or dummy leads a suit, and you are not contesting the trick, the spot card you play shows count.
- In count situations, to show an even number of cards, your first play is the highest spot card you can afford; to show an odd number, your first play is your lowest spot card. This is ‘standard’ count signaling; ‘upside down’ count signaling is the reverse (low-high for an even number, high-low for an odd number).
- In suit-preference situations, a low spot card indicates values in the lower of the two side suits; a high spot indicates values in the higher of the two side suits. This is ‘standard’ suit preference signaling; ‘upside down’ suit preference signaling is the reverse (low to prefer the higher side suit, high to prefer the lower side suit).
When returning partner’s suit, lead the higher of two remaining cards. With three or more remaining cards, and lacking a sequence, return the original fourth best.
For more information, see Real World Bridge 9: Defense.