BRIDGE

A capable declarer should be an optimist or a pessimist, depending on what’s required.

In today’s deal, South bid himself to four spades; he needed almost nothing in dummy to have a chance. When West led a heart, South ruffed, led a diamond to dummy and returned a trump: 10, king, ace. South ruffed the next heart and led a second trump, but West discarded. East got two trump tricks and also a club. Down one.

“East opened,” South shrugged. “He rated to have the ace of trumps.”

South was an optimist when he should have been otherwise. He can afford two trump losers but not three,

hence he should lead a low trump from his hand at Trick Two. He is safe when West’s ace appears, but if instead a defender won with, say, the jack, South would ruff the heart return, lead a diamond to dummy and return a trump, succeeding whenever the lie of the cards allowed.

Question: You hold: ♠ Q J 10 ♥A K Q 10 5 ♦ 10 7 ♣Q J 7. Your partner opens one club, you respond one heart and he rebids two clubs. The opponents pass. What do you say?

Answer: You have a game, but which game is uncertain. You may well belong at 3NT, but if partner holds A3 2, 6, 6 4 2, A K 10 6 4 2, you need to play at five clubs. If he has K3 2, J 6, J 2, A K 10 6 4 2, you need to reach four hearts. Bid two spades to let partner make a further descriptive bid.