DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“I know it’s often right to wait to draw trumps,” an aspiring club player said to me. “You may need ruffs or entries, or you may have something you must do first, such as setting up a fast discard for an impending loser. What’s hard for me is deciding how long to wait. Just when do you draw trumps?”

“Maybe, never,” I said. Against today’s four spades, West took two high hearts and shifted to the jack of diamonds. South won and tried to draw trumps by cashing the A-K. When East unexpectedly showed out, declarer took the king of clubs and finessed with his jack, hoping to get a discard for his diamond loser. Unlucky; down one.

South should have waited for the next deal to draw trumps. He should take the A-K of diamonds, ruff a heart, cash the K-A of clubs, ruff the jack in dummy and ruff dummy’s last heart.

At Trick 10, South exits with a diamond. Dummy has A-10-5 of trumps, and South has K-J-9. With a defender to lead, South is sure of the last three tricks.

Daily question

You hold :♠ A 1053♥ J 652 ♦K 64♣ K 6. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids two clubs and you try 2NT. Partner then bids three diamonds. What do you say?

Answer: Partner’s auction suggests six diamonds, four clubs and extra strength. With a minimum 6-4 hand, he would have rebid two diamonds to limit his strength. Since he may have a hand such as K4, 3,A Q 10753, A Q 94, you mustn’t insist on 3NT. Bid three spades or four diamonds.

North dealer

Neither side vulnerable