Attitude Signals

An attitude signal is the most common signal in bridge. A high spot card encourages the lead of a suit, whereas a low spot card discourages.

Attitude signals are used when following suit to partner's lead, or when making the first discard in a suit. Of the three types of defensive signals, attitude signals have the highest priority:

1. Attitude
2. Count
3. Suit-preference

By default, a signal is for attitude unless the situation clearly warrants a count signal or suit-preference signal.

Against South's 5 contract, partner leads the K:

		Dummy
		AK76
		Q43
		963		You
		A32		JT98
				8752
				Q82
				64

Which card do you follow suit with?

Assuming that partner is leading from AK, the correct card is the 8. Since you hold the Q, you want to give partner an attitude signal indicating that it's safe to continue leading diamonds. The full deal:

		Dummy
		AK76
		Q43
Partner		963		You
432		A32		JT98
J96				8752
AK54		Declarer		Q82
875		Q5		64
		AKT
		JT7
		KQJT9

The defense must take its first three tricks in diamonds to defeat the contract. If you play the 2 at trick one instead, partner would read this as discouraging. He may well cash his two top diamonds before switching suits, thereby enabling declarer to make his contract.

This is an example of discarding to show attitude in another suit. Against South's 3NT contract, partner leads the Q:

		Dummy
		K5
		Q43
		963		You
		KQJT9		AQJ2
				8752
				872
				64

You follow suit with the 2 (discouraging) and declarer wins the A. Declarer now leads a club to dummy's K, continues with the Q, and then the J. What do you discard?

The objective is to advertise your spade strength to partner. Discarding a diamond would discourage diamonds, but wouldn't tell partner anything about your major suits. Discarding the 2 would discourage spades due to the diminutive size of the card.

The only suit that's left is hearts. Discarding the 2 is an attitude signal that discourages partner from switching to hearts if he gains the lead. Having seen your 2 at trick one, partner should know that you're not interested in diamonds either, and that a spade switch is implied.

The full deal:

		Dummy
		K5
		Q43
Partner		963		You
T94		KQJT9		AQJ2
J96				8752
QJT5		Declarer		872
A87		8763		64
		AKT
		AK4
		532

Once partner wins the A, he can switch to the T to defeat the contract.