DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“How good is your math?” Unlucky Louie asked me.

“I know that five parking meters do not equal 500 parking centimeters,” I offered.

“Look,” Louie groaned, “I just want to know the percentage play at this slam.”

Louie had taken the ace of hearts, drawn trumps and ruffed dummy’s last heart. He next cashed the king of clubs and led to dummy’s jack. East took the queen and led the 10. When West discarded, Louie took the ace and finessed with his jack of diamonds. West produced the queen for down one.

“I had many chances,” Louie said.

Louie’s play wasn’t best. When West follows low to the second club, Louie should play dummy’s eight.

East must then return a club, yielding a free finesse, or lead a heart, conceding a ruff-sluff. If he leads a diamond, Louie plays the nine from his hand. If West had the 10, Louie could still succeed if East had the queen, if clubs broke 3-3 or with a squeeze.

DAILY QUESTION:

You hold: ♠ A1085 ♥ 63 ◆ A82 ♣ AJ82.Your partner opens one spade, and you bid 2NT, a conventional forcing raise. Partner next bids three clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: As most pairs agree, partner’s new-suit bid over your 2NT shows a singleton there. Since the hands seem to fit well, cue-bid three diamonds. At your next turn, given the chance, you will cue-bid four clubs.