DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Once a month, I go to Birmingham, Ala., for dinner and bridge with old friends and teammates. We always have interesting deals.

I was today’s East. At my second turn, my hand was too promising to raise to two hearts but too weak to bid two spades ( a “reverse”) and support hearts next. So I tried raising to three hearts. Many pairs could have made a “support double” to show threecard heart support. After West bid four hearts, South tried five diamonds, thinking North might have a heart singleton plus a bit of strength.

West doubled and found the good lead of a trump. When your opponents sacrifice, a trump lead is often best. South lost three hearts, a spade and a club for down three. As it happened, any lead would have led to the same result.

We were plus 500. We could have made four hearts for plus 620, which I suppose vindicates North’s featherweight raise to two diamonds. Repeated diamond leads, forcing dummy to ruff with a trump honor, would beat five hearts. DAILY QUESTION You hold: club, your partner responds one heart, you bid one spade and he tries two diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s two diamonds— a bid in a newsuit— suggests strength. Jump to three hearts to show a promising hand with good three- card support. You would take a two- heart preference with a hand such as North dealer E- W vulnerable