DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“You made a lazy opening lead on that last deal,” I scolded Cy the Cynic as the evening’s penny game broke up.

“I can’t help it,” Cy shrugged. “Laziness walks in my family.”

Against four hearts, Cy had led the king of diamonds. On seeing dummy, he shifted to a trump. South won and led the ace and a second spade. Cy won with the queen and led a second trump, but declarer won, ruffed a spade, ruffed a diamond and ruffed a spade.

South next led a club to his queen. The Cynic took the ace and returned a club, but South won, drew Cy’s last trump and claimed. Making four.

Cy’s diamond lead was lazy. He had general strength, and the auction suggested that dummy had a weak hand with heart support and spade shortness. So Cy’s opening lead should be a trump.

South can win, concede a spade, win the trump return and ruff a spade, but he has no quick re- entry to his hand. If he leads a club, Cy can win, cash a diamond and lead a third trump, and South loses two spades, a diamond and a club.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠Q 8 ♥7 6 4 ♦A K J 4 ♣A 7 5 3.

Your partner opens one spade, you bid two clubs and he jumps to three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has extra strength with six or seven good spades. One option is to bid four diamonds, meant as an “advance cue bid,” and support the spades next. A practical bid is six spades. Partner will be a favorite for 12 tricks and will take 13 only if he has an ideal hand such as AK J 9 6 3, A 3, Q 3, K 4 2. South dealer E- W vulnerable