DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

I used to enjoy Ellery Queen mysteries: complex edifices that gave the reader the clues he needed to solve a crime.

Problem-solving is the essence of bridge. Try today’s deal as a defensive problem. Cover the East and South cards. Against three hearts, you lead the king of diamonds: deuce, three, nine.

What do you lead at the second trick?

You can see four defensive tricks: two diamonds, a heart and a spade. But on the bidding, East can have no useful honors. Your only chance for a fifth trick is to give him a spade ruff, but you must do that without sacrificing your spade trick.

Lead the king of spades, hoping South has A-x-x. He takes the ace and leads a trump, and you grab your ace and lead the jack of spades. As you hope, East ruffs dummy’s queen and returns a diamond, and you win and cash the 10 of spades.

If you think North’s bidding was questionable, I agree. North-South could have made 3NT. Did you beat three hearts?

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ A95 ♥ KJ832 ◆ Q9 ♣ A 9 3. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner can have many different types of hands, so for you to bid 3NT would be indiscreet. Bid two spades, the “fourth suit,” to let him continue to describe his hand. If he has ah and such as 2, A4,KJ 10 852,K Q 104, six diamonds will be a fine contract.