DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

A concept defenders must understand is that of keeping “parity”: saving equal length as declarer in suits he may use for tricks.

At today’s 3NT, South ducks East’s queen of clubs, wins the club return and exits with a club, letting West take his tricks — and obliging East to find discards. On the third and fourth clubs, dummy discards a heart and a diamond.

East knows from the bidding South had four cards in hearts, and dummy has four spades, so East can’t spare a card in either suit and must pitch two diamonds. To unguard the queen is unpleasant, but East must keep parity in both majors.

That is not the only issue for the defense. If West takes his last club, he “rectifies the count” for a squeeze. East can discard his queen of diamonds, but when declarer gets in, he will take the ace of diamonds, squeezing East in the majors. So at Trick Five, West should lead the queen of spades.

Against careful defense, 3NT is unmakable.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ K65 ♥ KQ73

◆ A6 ♣ A 6 4 3. The dealer opens one diamond. You double, and your partner cue-bids two diamonds. You bid two hearts. He tries two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: After partner’s strength-showing cue bid, his bid of a new suit is forcing. He does not promise more than four cards in spades, so you shouldn’t raise the spades (yet). Bid three clubs to continue the search for your best game.