Choose the agreements East and West will use for this session. Each agreement is independent.
Hi–Lo can carry different messages depending on the situation. On partner's lead it can show attitude; on declarer/dummy's lead it can show count; and, if selected as the discard system, a relatively high discard encourages that suit while a low discard discourages it. McKenney and Odd–Even are alternative discard systems.
At least one signalling agreement must be selected. This is a Signals & Discards teaching app.
Confirm system to follow
You selected High–Low.
The selected system will remain in force as you move through the boards. Use Change system later if you want to switch.
Cardiff Bridge Tutors · Acol · 2026 · v3.6
Signals and Discards
Practise defensive communication with independently selectable Hi–Lo attitude, Hi–Lo count and Hi–Lo, McKenney or Odd–Even discard agreements, with skilled defenders applying opening-lead, signalling and card-play logic throughout the hand.
Configurable signals & discards · Skilled defence
Get started
Choose a signal practice set from the website signals folder, load a PBN from your device, or generate random boards.
LoadLooking for .pbn files in the signals folder…
Boards
Signal score0 / 0
No board loaded
Signal coach
North (Dummy)
East
South (Declarer)
West
Teaching Signals
Decide what information partner needs before deciding which card carries the message.
Hi–Lo agreements
Attitude: when enabled, a relatively high spot encourages and a low spot discourages on partner's lead.
Count: when enabled, high–low shows an even number and low–high shows an odd number on declarer/dummy's lead.
Attitude and Count are independent partnership agreements: either can be switched Off.
Do not sacrifice a trick-winning card merely to make a textbook signal.
Discard systems
Hi–Lo: a relatively high discard encourages the suit discarded; a low discard discourages it.
McKenney: a relatively high discard asks for the higher-ranking of the two remaining suits; a low discard asks for the lower-ranking one.
Odd–Even: an odd discard encourages the suit discarded. An even discard discourages that suit and uses high/low rank for preference between the other relevant suits.
This applies whether the suit was led by partner, declarer or dummy. The explanatory popup appears immediately after the defender's discard.
Partner acts on the request. When the signaller's partner next gains the lead, the requested suit is led whenever available, and a popup confirms that the discard signal/request has been implemented. If partner has no card in that suit, the popup explains why the request cannot be followed.
Exclude the suit led and the suit discarded. The two suits left are the choices; a trump suit is not automatically excluded.
Judge high or low relative to the defender's holding in the suit discarded, including honours, rather than by the absolute number printed on the card.
Which signal do I give?
Partner leads and you can follow → Attitude. Tell partner whether you want that suit continued.
Declarer or dummy leads and you can follow → Count. Show whether your original holding in that suit was even or odd.
You cannot follow → Discard. Interpret the card according to the selected discard system: Hi–Lo for attitude to the discarded suit, McKenney for suit preference, or Odd–Even for odd encouragement/even discouragement plus suit preference.
There is no conflict between attitude and count: who led the suit determines which message would apply, provided that agreement is switched on.
If the relevant agreement is Off, the card is not interpreted as a signal.
Finesse opportunities
When declarer or dummy is on lead, the trainer checks the two visible hands for a standard one-card finesse position.
Examples include A-Q with the king missing, A-K-J with the queen missing, and A-K-Q-10 with the jack missing.
A popup marks it as a potential finesse; it is advice to consider the play, not a claim that the finesse must be taken.
Rule of 11 — No Trumps
When a spot-card opening lead is being interpreted as fourth-highest from an honour, subtract the card led from 11.
The answer is the number of cards higher than the lead in the other three hands combined.
Example: lead of the 4 → 11 − 4 = 7, so the other three hands contain seven cards higher than the 4.
Once dummy is visible, partner or declarer can count the higher cards they can legitimately see to help place the remainder.
Use the Rule of 11 only conditionally: a low or middle spot lead is not automatically fourth-highest.
Loaded boards
The website picker reads only the dedicated signals/ folder, keeping signalling practice sets separate from general hands.
If a PBN contains Contract and Declarer tags, the app uses them.
The deal is rotated on screen so declarer is South, dummy North and opening leader West; the original compass seats are shown in the board information.
Without a contract tag, the app creates a practice trump suit from the longest N/S fit.
How to Play
Playing a trick
The highlighted player plays.
You must follow suit if able.
A trump beats a non-trump; otherwise the highest card of the suit led wins.
The winner leads the next trick.
Using the trainer
At the Signal Agreements screen, choose Attitude: Hi–Lo/Off, Count: Hi–Lo/Off, and Discard System: Hi–Lo/McKenney/Odd–Even/Off. At least one agreement must remain enabled. Confirm once; the choices remain in force while you move through the boards.
Declarer cannot make the opening lead: the app warns if South is clicked before West (declarer's LHO) has led.
Opponent cards are hidden by default; dummy and declarer are visible for teaching.
West makes the opening lead automatically. East and West are automatic defenders; declarer plays both the South hand and North (dummy).
The opening lead uses the same card-selection rules as Test your Leads. In No Trumps, spot-card leads are explained in a popup, including the possibility of fourth-highest from an honour and the Rule of 11 calculation when applicable.
Only East and West are defenders and can make defensive signals; dummy and declarer cards are never labelled as attitude, count or discard signals.
The defenders use only the enabled agreements. A disabled attitude/count/discard agreement is neither interpreted nor scored. Actionable requests from Hi–Lo, McKenney and Odd–Even discards are followed when partner next gains the lead and can legally do so.
The signal panel explains signalling opportunities and scores tested decisions. Purpose-built PBN boards tagged SignalType "Count" are kept focused on the tagged defender and suit, so unrelated attitude messages do not obscure the count lesson.
All teaching explanations appear as popups; no contract/turn message is overlaid across the cards.
When a standard finesse opportunity is visible to declarer, a popup flags it before you choose the card.
If you click the wrong declarer or dummy card, use Undo card. It is available both in the board controls and beside the board information. You can press it repeatedly to work backwards through successive declarer/dummy plays; each undo also rewinds any automatic defender response that followed that play.
Use Previous/Next or the board selector to move through the loaded PBN.