FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

xxxxxxxxxx RESISTING TEMPTATION

“Let me show you a new game I invented,” the Serpent said to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. “I call it ‘bridge.’”

The Serpent recruited a fourth from the Land of Nod, and Eve became declarer at four spades. The Serpent led the queen of clubs, and the contract looked easy, but when Eve won and took the ace of trumps, the Serpent discarded. Eve next led a low trump, and East of Eden won and led a heart.

“I can resist anything except temptation,” Eve said, and she finessed with the queen. The Serpent took the king and returned a heart. Eventually, Eve had to lead diamonds from her hand and lose two more tricks.

Dummy Play

“If you keep playing the dummy like that,” Adam grumbled, “we’ll be driven out of this place.”

The Serpent slyly told Eve she had been unlucky, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on. When East leads a heart at Trick Four, Eve must take the ace, draw trumps and exit with the queen of hearts. The defense must give her a 10th trick one way or another.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ None ♥ K9 743 ♦ K 9 3 ♣ QJ 10 7 6. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT and he rebids two spades. What do you say?

Answer: This situation is dangerous. You may have a better contract than two spades, but you can’t afford to speculate by looking for it. Your partner has at least six cards in spades, so a contract of two spades will be playable or at least no disaster. When the deal seems to be a misfit, just stop bidding.

South dealer E-W vulnerable