BRIDGE

Something I’ve learned in being involved with bridge for 50 years: The longer you play, the more you will find that other players don’t think as you do or operate as you think they should.

Today’s West led a trump (!) against four spades, and declarer won in his hand and saw an overtrick by ruffing two hearts in dummy. He led to dummy’s ace and returned a heart to his king.

To his disgust, West ruffed and led a second trump. Then dummy had only one trump left, and South had two losing hearts, so South lost a heart and two diamonds and went down.

“The man’s a nutcase,” South muttered. “His partner bid hearts, and he had a singleton and didn’t lead it.”

Most Wests would have led a heart, but West’s lead was reasonable — more so than South’s play. South should play low from his hand on the second heart. If East shifts to a club, South takes the king and ruffs his last low heart in dummy. Then he can draw trumps and score the king of hearts to assure 10 tricks.

Question: You hold: ♠ A Q3 ♥ A6 ♦ J854 ♣ A854. You open 1NT (15 to 17 points). Your partner responds two clubs, you bid two diamonds, and he bids three diamonds. Now what?

Answer: If partner had a weak hand, he could have passed two diamonds. (Over 1NT, pairs have various ways to sign off at a diamond partial.) If his sequence is invitational, you have a tough guess but might bid again if vulnerable. If three diamonds is forcing, bid 3NT or three spades.