DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“It annoys me,” a club player told me, “when my partner and I argue about a deal, and afterward I think of something clever I could have said but didn’t.”

As today’s West, he led the king of hearts against three spades. (North should have passed two spades; South’s hand could have been weaker.)

“My partner signaled with the deuce, but I went on and took my queen. Next I led a diamond: king, ace. Partner returned the jack, and South took the queen and ran his trumps. Partner saved the ten of diamonds and K-6 of clubs, and declarer exited with a diamond at Trick 11 and end-played him! Making three.”

Exit card: “Partner was irate.

I had to admit that if I shift to a diamond at Trick Two, we beat the contract. That leaves him with an exit card, and there is no end play. But I just now realized that he was at fault: He can overtake my king of hearts to lead the jack of diamonds.”

I would give West more of the blame. Trust your partner’s signals. Maybe he knows what he’s doing.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ AQ3 ♥ 84

♦ KQ6 ♣ A Q 7 5 3. You open 1NT, and your partner bids two hearts, a “transfer” response. You duly bid two spades, and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

Answer: Partner has eight or nine high-card points with a five-card spade suit. He is asking you to choose a contract. Since you have maximum values, three good spades and a worthless doubleton, jump to four spades. With A J 3, 8 4, K Q 6, A J 6 5 3, you would sign off at three spades. North dealer

Neither side vulnerable