DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“I know you won’t talk about your former job,” I said to Cy the Cynic. “Did you enjoy it at all?”

“I worked just hard enough to avoid being fired,” Cy shrugged, “and was paid just enough not to quit.”

Cy is not only a cynic, he’s as lazy as an old boar. Playing today’s four spades, he ruffed West’s ace of diamonds and took the A-K of trumps. When East discarded, Cy cashed three heart tricks for a club discard and then led dummy’s jack of clubs.

East refused to cover, and West took the king, cashed his queen of trumps and led another diamond. Cy ruffed and took the ace of clubs, but East got his queen. Down one.

Cy needed to work harder. (In fact, his play was beyond lazy.) At Trick Five, Cy must overtake his king of hearts with the ace and lead a low club to his ten.

West can win and cash his high trump, but when Cy gets back in, he can go to the queen of hearts to lead the jack of clubs for a second finesse. He loses one trump, one diamond and one club.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ Q 9 4 ♥ 10 6 3 2 ♦ AK104 ♣ K 5. The dealer, at your right, opens one heart. After two passes, your partner bids one spade. The opening bidder passes. What do you say?

Answer: If partner had opened the bidding with one spade, you would commit to game. But for his “balancing” one spade, he may have a light hand. He is assuming you have some points since the opponents stopped low. Don’t punish him for balancing. Just raise to two spades.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable