DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“The man’s overtrick obsession has reached new depths,” Ed, the club expert, told me.

Joe Overberry thinks it’s nobler to go down in pursuit of overtricks than to make his bid. Losing a cold contract thereby doesn’t bother him but drives his partners mad.

At 6NT, Joe won the first spade with the ace and led a heart to dummy’s jack.

“I was East,” Ed said, “and played low. Joe could see a treasured overtrick. He took the king of clubs, led a diamond to his king and threw diamonds from dummy on the A-Q of clubs. Joe then led a second heart to the 10. I won and took the jack of clubs.”

“What did North say?” I asked. “He was speechless.” Joe chucked 1,540 points trying for a 30-point overtrick. After the jack of hearts won, he could take the A-K and lead a fourth heart to get 12 sure tricks.

Of course, had Joe known diamonds were split 3-3, he could have made an overtrick after his first heart finesse won. In fact, he could always take 13 tricks.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ A653 ♥ 72 ◆ K7 ♣A Q 8 7 3. You open one club, your partner responds one diamond, you bid one spade and he raises to three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s raise invites game. Your king of diamonds may be a useful card, and you may be able to set up your long clubs. As against that, your trumps are weak, and your highcard values are minimum. Bid four spades if you’re vulnerable.