DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Cy the Cynic continues to have weight issues. He loses two pounds and gains three back.

“You should make a serious effort to lose,” I told Cy in the club lounge. “Take a look at yourself. Mirrors don’t lie.”

“Luckily, they can’t laugh either,” the Cynic said.

Cy sat West at his table. He wasn’t laughing after today’s deal ended, but everyone else was. Against three clubs, Cy led a trump, and South drew trumps and huddled. He knew East had a spade honor. If Cy had held the A-K or K-Q, his opening lead would have been a high spade. East also had the queen of trumps, so to have the 16 points his 1NT opening bid promised, Cy needed every other missing honor.

So instead of leading the seven of diamonds and hoping Cy jumped up with the ace, or hoping for an unlikely end play, South went for a swindle: He led a low heart!

The Cynic eyed that card, but he couldn’t believe declarer would lead away from the K-Q of hearts. So Cy played low, and dummy’s 10 won. South lost a heart, a diamond and two spades, making three for plus 110, and everybody except Cy had a good laugh.

Cy loses on the deal even if he beats three clubs. At the other table, East-West competed to three spades. After South for Cy’s team cashed two clubs, a shift to a LOW heart would have given the defense a chance. But South led the queen of diamonds. Declarer took the ace, drew trumps, lost a diamond to North’s king and threw a heart on dummy’s good diamond, making three for plus 140.