Bridge Simple Saturday

“Simple Saturday” columns are meant to help aspiring players improve technique and develop logical thinking.

“Avoidance” is a dummy-play concept in which one defender is “dangerous”: He can make a damaging lead. The other defender is “safe.” Declarer tries to keep the dangerous defender from getting in.

At today’s 3NT, South wins the first spade with the ace. He has the material for nine tricks: four spades, a heart, a diamond and at least three clubs. But if East gets in before the clubs are established, a heart shift through declarer’s A-Q may be troublesome. HEART SHIFT

If South leads a club from dummy to his king and a second club, East wins with the jack — and then comes the dreaded heart shift. As the cards lie, South goes down.

On the first club, South must play his ten. As it happens, he makes an overtrick. But even if West took the jack, he could do no damage with a heart (or diamond) shift. South would have time to force out the ace of clubs for nine tricks. DAILY QUESTION You hold: AQJ5 74 9 2♣ Q 9 5 4 2. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two diamonds and you return to two hearts. Partner then bids two spades. What do you say? ANSWER: Partner has extra strength and game interest. Your twoheart preference showed at most nine points, yet he bid again. If he had a minimum 3-5-4-1 hand, he would often have raised directly to two spades. Since your values are maximum, bid four spades or 3NT. South dealer N-S vulnerable