Welcome to advanced defensive play. In this deck, we'll move beyond basic rules and explore how expert defenders communicate with each other and disrupt the declarer's plan. We'll start with the subtle language of signaling.

Defensive signals allow you to tell your partner about the cards in your hand. The two most common types are count signals, which show how many cards you have in a suit, and suit preference signals, which suggest a suit for your partner to lead.

A count signal tells your partner if you have an even or odd number of cards in the suit led. The standard method is to play a high card then a low card on subsequent tricks to show an even number. This is called a 'high-low' signal or an 'echo'.

Conversely, to show an odd number of cards in a suit, you simply play your cards in their natural low-to-high order. So, when you follow suit with your lowest card, you are starting a signal that you hold an odd number.