DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

For all his bridge- table shortcomings, Unlucky Louie is a doting papa. He finds time to spend with his little daughter.

“We did a jigsaw puzzle,” Louie told me. “I don’t want to brag, but we finished in one afternoon, and the box said 4 to 6 years.”

Louie is better at jigsaw puzzles than at problemsolving in bridge. When he was today’s East, West led the deuce of clubs against six hearts. South won, led a trump to dummy’s ten and returned the three of diamonds. Louie played low, and the queen won.

South next led a trump to dummy and returned a second low diamond. Louie stewed ... and finally took his ace. South then pitched his spade loser on the king of diamonds and made the slam.

Louie’s problem was solvable. South’s queen of diamonds couldn’t be a singleton. If West had J- 10- 9- 7, his opening lead would have been a diamond from his sequence, not a club from a broken suit. And if South held Q- J doubleton, he had 12 tricks. DAILY QUESTION You hold: dealer, at your left, opens one diamond. Your partner doubles, you respond one spade and he raises to three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: The key to these situations is to imagine how much worse your hand might be. Your one spade promised nothing, yet partner has undertaken a nine- trick contract. Bid four spades. Your king of spades and queen of clubs should suffice to win 10 tricks. South dealer N- S vulnerable