FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

HOLDING YOUR TONGUE

Cy the Cynic says that if people listened to themselves more, they might talk a lot less. (Maybe a good use for YouTube?) Today’s West led the ace of diamonds against four hearts: three, deuce, nine. West then shifted ... to a trump.

Declarer happily took the king, queen and ace, and next got rid of a club on the king of diamonds. South then ran the spades, losing a trump and a club. Making four.

“Why didn’t you shift to clubs?” East asked piteously.

“Leading from the king was too dangerous,” West shrugged. Better

The human tongue weighs almost nothing, but somehow few people can hold it. West would have done better to say nothing. South’s bidding promised at least 10 cards in the major suits. If West led a club at Trick Two and found South with the A-Q, West would lose nothing since South would discard his queen of clubs on the king of diamonds anyway. But if East had the ace of clubs, West had to cash the defenders’ club tricks before South got a discard. DAILY QUESTION You hold: Q 6 A 8 4 K 5 3 9 8 6 3 2.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ Your partner opens one diamond, you respond 1NT and he bids two hearts. What do you say?

Answer: Your partner has “reversed” and has a strong hand. Bid three diamonds to show your support and await his next move. Partner promises to bid again. He couldn’t bid this way with a minimum hand: If you had to return to three diamonds despite a weak hand, the level of three might be too high. South dealer N-S vulnerable