DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

In the club lounge, Wendy the feminist told us that her law firm had asked its paralegals to take drug tests.

“Can they do that?” Rose asked worriedly.

“It’s no big deal,” Wendy sniffed. “If I were abusing some substance, I could just drink two or three large glasses of water and pass the test.”

“Then I’d say you’d be diluting yourself,” Cy the Cynic remarked blandly.

In a penny game, Wendy and Cy cut as partners. As West, Wendy led the king of spades against 3NT. Cy signaled with the nine, and Wendy continued with the jack. The Cynic overtook and led his last spade, and Wendy took the queen and the 13th spade.

On that trick, dummy discarded a heart ... and Cy signaled with the nine of hearts!

South threw the jack of hearts. Wendy duly led a heart, but South believed Cy’s signal. South took the ace and cashed the A-K of clubs. When no jack fell, South took four diamonds. The last diamond squeezed Cy in hearts and clubs, and South made his game.

“Speaking of delusional,” Wendy scowled at Cy, “why tell declarer that the heart finesse will lose?”

If Cy discards a low heart on the fourth spade, Wendy will exit with a diamond. South can then take the A-K of clubs and run the diamonds, discarding his queen of hearts. Cy can discard two more hearts, baring his king. South will then lead to his queen of clubs. When West discards, South must guess who has the king of hearts.

Best defense always beats 3NT. Wendy must shift to a heart at Trick Two.