DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“Some people,” Cy the Cynic told me sourly, “are easy to rub the wrong way — or even praise the wrong way.”

“Still not getting along with Wendy?” I asked.

Cy, a chauvinist, and Wendy, my club’s feminist, are constantly at odds.

“We were North-South in a penny game,” Cy said, displaying today’s deal. “Against six spades, West led a diamond, and Wendy won and took the A-K of trumps. When East discarded, we needed a miracle: Wendy had to discard all five of her hearts on the clubs before West could ruff and lead a heart. So she had to assume that West had five clubs.”

“At Trick Four,” Cy continued, “Wendy led a club to dummy’s nine, playing West for 10-x-x-x-x. East scored his singleton ten and cashed his ace. I’m no result player; I praised Wendy’s play even though it had failed. She thought I was being sarcastic and told me to button my lip.”

I can’t blame Wendy for being upset. She made an intelligent play and ran into a horrible piece of bad luck.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ 5 ♥ A984 ♦ QJ98653 ♣ 10. Both sides vulnerable. You deal and open three diamonds, and your partner bids three spades. What do you say?

Answer: Partner’s three spades is forcing. If he had a weak hand with a long suit, he would have no reason to act since your pre-empt suggested a long, strong suit. If you had a bit of spade support — you held J 5, A98,QJ98653,10—youwould raise to four spades. As it is, bid four diamonds.

North dealer

Neither side vulnerable