DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Unlucky Louie’s wife had held a weekend yard sale.

“How did she do?” I asked. “She hasn’t told me,” Louie said. “All I know is that the value of anything you sell — or lose — automatically doubles.”

In a penny game, Louie bid himself to today’s five diamonds. (North furnished a nice dummy; still, a trump lead would have beaten the contract.) When West led a high heart, Louie ruffed in dummy, drew trumps and let the ten of clubs ride. East produced the queen, and the defense swiftly took two hearts and the ace of spades. Down two, and Louie groused about his luck.

Best chance: At bridge, you may get your money’s worth from a trick you lose. It may be better to lose one early than a few later.

Louie’s best chance is to set up the clubs while dummy still has a trump to protect against a heart lead. At Trick Two, dummy leads a low club. If East wins and leads a trump, Louie can draw trumps and run the clubs. He wins six trumps, four clubs and one heart ruff in dummy.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ A4 ♥ AKQ952 ♦ 862 ♣ 6 4. You open one heart, your partner responds one spade, your rebid two hearts and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

Answer: Your hand couldn’t be better for your minimum rebid. You have a running six-card suit and a side ace. Since partner’s 2NT expressed game interest, you must accept. A raise to 3NT or a jump to four hearts would be reasonable, but to pass or sign off at three hearts would be timid.

North dealer

Both sides vulnerable