Dayton Daily News

DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

- BY FRANK STEWART

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique.

Counting the distributi­on of the concealed hands is supposed to be strictly the province of the expert player, but nothing about it is arcane. Anyone can do it.

You’re declarer at today’s 6NT. You count 11 tricks: four spades, three hearts, three clubs and a diamond. You need a fourth heart trick and want to know whether the missing hearts are split 3-3 or whether East may hold J-x-x-x. To get a count, you will play the other suits and watch the fall of the cards.

To facilitate, lead your nine of diamonds at Trick Two. Say East wins and leads another spade. You take three spades (East discards a club), the ace of diamonds (he discards another club) and three clubs (West throws a diamond).

You have a complete count: West had four spades, five diamonds and two clubs, so two hearts. Take the A-Q of hearts, and when no jack appears, lead a heart to your 10. Easy!

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ K5 ♥ AQ5 ◆ 76 542 ♣ A Q 6. Your partner opens one club. The next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: To respond one diamond, forcing, would not be a grave error; you would intend to bid notrump next. But I believe in making the bid that best describes a hand. Jump to 2NT, promising a balanced 13 to 15 points with stoppers in the unbid suits. If partner raises to 3NT, pass. If he does anything else, you will avoid notrump.

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