DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“I heard you split with your latest girlfriend,” I remarked to Cy the Cynic. He dates at least three women a week and has had countless “permanent” relationships.

“We’re back together,” Cy said matter-of-factly. “I broke up with her on the 13th and made up on the 15th. I saved a fortune on money for roses and candy.”

Cy’s sense of timing isn’t that good at the bridge table. As South, he landed at six spades after East opened a weak two-bid in hearts. West led a heart, and the Cynic took the ace and cashed the A-K of trumps. When East showed out, Cy continued with the top clubs and a club ruff, hoping for a 3-3 break. This time, West discarded.

Cy took the king of diamonds and finessed with dummy’s jack. He lost to East’s doubleton queen, and West’s high trump won the setting trick.

Cy could afford to buy his girlfriend a nice Valentine’s gift with more careful play. After he takes the top trumps, he leads a club to the ace, ruffs a heart, goes to the king of clubs and ruffs the last heart. Cy then exits with a trump.

West has no more hearts. If he had a third club and led it, Cy would ruff, and dummy’s clubs would be good. As it is, West must lead a diamond, and dummy plays low. East must play the queen, and Cy is home.

This line of play offers many chances. Cy would succeed if West held, say, Q-x-x-x in clubs and either the 10 or queen of diamonds. If West had Q-J-x-x in clubs and could exit safely when he took the queen of trumps, Cy could hope to guess well in diamonds.