BRIDGE

“So you and Wendy are at odds again?” I asked Cy the Cynic in the club lounge. Wendy, our feminist, and Cy, a shameless chauvinist, are constant adversaries.

“I misdefended in the penny game,” Cy told me, “and Wendy said it’s like every man on earth has to share the same brain.”

Wendy led her singleton diamond against four spades, and Cy took the Q- A and led a third diamond. South ruffed, drew trumps and led a club from dummy.

“Whether I took the ace or ducked, he had 10 tricks,” the Cynic said. “He could pitch a heart on dummy’s high diamond.

“Wendy was mad. She said I should lead a low diamond at Trick Two. She would ruff and lead a club, and I could win and lead another low diamond. South would have to ruff, and he wouldn’t get a heart discard and would lose a heart for down one.”

“That would have been an exceptional defense,” I observed. “Did you have anything to say for yourself ?”

“I would have,” Cy growled, “but it wasn’t my turn to use the brain.”

You hold: ♠ 6 2 ♥K 10 ♦A Q 9842♣ A 107. Your partner opens one spade, you bid two diamonds and he rebids two spades. What do you say?

Answer: In a “two- overone” style, where your two diamonds forced to game, you could bid 2NT, forcing. That might gain here but has drawbacks. In a “Standard” style, bid 3NT or three clubs to let partner make another descriptive bid. East dealer N- S vulnerable