FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

LOUIE THE OVERBIDDER It was the first of the month, and I found Unlucky Louie in the club lounge. He and his checkbook were battling a stack of bills. “The president is lucky,” Louie told me. “I wish I could veto bills like he can.” Louie has begun to overbid in his penny game. He says his contracts are apt to fail in any case, so he may as well try for a big payoff. As today’s North, Louie put his partner in a precarious slam. West led a club, and South won in dummy and drew trumps with winning finesses. He next led a diamond, but West signaled with the nine, and East let dummy’s king win. Down One

When East also ducked the next diamond, South had to try the spade finesse, which lost, and East’s ace of diamonds still scored.

Louie overbid, but South could make the slam. He wins the first club in his hand and leads a diamond. If East ducks, South picks up the trumps and forces out the ace of diamonds. He reaches dummy with a high club to discard his jack of spades on the fourth diamond. Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A J ♥ A Q 10 9 6 2 ♦ 7 5 2 ♣ A J. You open one heart, your partner responds one spade, you jump to three hearts and he rebids three spades. The opponents pass. What do you say?

Answer: Your partner’s second bid is forcing. Since your jump-rebid suggested a strong six-card suit, it would make little sense for partner to “correct” to his suit if his hand were weak. Raise to four spades. Partner’s hand may be K Q 10 6 5, 3, 8 4 3, K Q 8 7. South dealer N-S vulnerable