DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“You still don’t believe me, child,” the Queen of Hearts scolded Alice.

“My cousin is delusional,” the Queen of Diamonds whispered. “She thinks she’s the most potent card in Wonderland, and no ace or king dares capture her.”

“I heard that!” the Queen of Hearts roared. “Deal the cards.”

As declarer at 3NT, Alice won the first club with the king and led a heart. West, the Dormouse, played the queen, and Alice was about to cover with dummy’s king when she sensed the Queen of Hearts’ glare. So Alice played low from dummy. She won the next club in her hand, led a second heart to force out East’s ace and had nine tricks.

“See,” the Queen of Hearts gloated. “If you put up the king on the first heart, East ducks and ducks again if you come to your hand and lead a second heart to the ten. You get only two heart tricks and go down.”

In fact, Alice also succeeds by capturing the queen of hearts with the king, then leading a low heart. But why upset Her Majesty? DAILY QUESTION You hold: Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids one spade and you try ! hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has a good hand. He wouldn’t have bid a third time with a minimum. If he held " # # # $ # % would have no reason to think a contract of two hearts would % & ' ! ( % ) % * + " # $ # " # South dealer Both sides vulnerable