BRIDGE

SIMPLE SATURDAY

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and developing logical thinking. One definition of an expert: someone who avoids the small errors while sweeping on to the grand fallacy. But a bridge expert pays close attention to, and manipulates, the low cards as well as his aces and kings. Today’s West leads a heart against 6NT, dummy’s queen loses to the king, and East’s heart return sets up the suit. Declarer must win the next 11 tricks and therefore must hope for a favorable club position as well as five diamond tricks. Unblock At Trick Three, declarer leads dummy’s queen of clubs. Some Easts might cover, and then South could take the ace, unblock his high diamonds, cash the J-10 of clubs and return to dummy with the six of clubs to take the jack and eight of diamonds. If East doesn’t cover the queen of clubs, South must be careful to play the ten or jack. If he follows thriftily with the five, he goes down two instead of making the slam. Daily Question You hold: ♠ 6 5 ♥ AQ ♦ J8743 ♣ Q 6 4 2. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT, he bids two hearts and you return to two spades. Partner next bids 2NT. What do you say?

Answer: Your two-spade preference showed at most nine points, and partner would have quit there with no interest in game. His 2NT says he remains interested. He has 5-4-2-2 distribution with 17 or 18 points. Since your values are maximum for your bidding, go to 3NT. South dealer N-S vulnerable