The purpose of the trump echo is to provide partner with a count of the trump suit, especially for the purpose of getting a ruff. Trump echoes should be reserved for these situations only. (Declarer gleans too much information if you always use trump echoes to give count.)
As a corollary, playing low-high in the trump suit indicates an even number of trumps. These agreements are part of standard carding, and should not be considered special carding.
Against South's A:
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West 1 ![]() 2 ![]() |
North Pass 2 ![]() |
You Pass All Pass |
South 1 ![]() |
Assuming that your side has agreed to lead the king from ace-king, then partner must be missing the K
5
At trick three, declarer plays dummy's A.
This situation calls for a trump echo. You hold three trumps and are interested in a ruff, so you should play the 6.
4
7.
Declarer now leads a low spade from dummy. You complete your trump echo by playing the 5.
T
K.
The full deal:
Dummy | ||||
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Partner | ![]() | You | ||
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Partner should have figured out the heart situation already, because declarer must hold the K
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