DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

Jeff Meckstroth-Eric Rodwell, one of the bridge world’s most successful pairs, thrive on bold bidding. They have a reputation for bidding 3NT, and making it, with subnormal values.

In the Senior Knockout Teams at the Fall NABC, “Meckwell” reached a typical (for them) notrump game. Meckstroth’s threeclub opening bid would not have occurred to me, nor would I have been eager to try 3NT as Rodwell did.

West led the jack of diamonds, maybe a debatable choice against a Meckwell 3NT since it might give declarer a ninth trick. Sure enough, Rodwell took the king and claimed eight more tricks.

In the replay, North passed in second seat, and East opened two diamonds, conventionally showing a minimum opener with four spades and five hearts. EastWest bought the contract at three spades, plus 170 when the defense slipped.

Meckstroth-Rodwell, playing on the team led by Nick Nickell, ran out of luck in the final, losing to KASLECannell, Casen-Krekorian, Kwiecien-Starkowski.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ KJ107 ♥ KQ943 ◆ Q7 ♣ 10 6. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids one spade. What do you say?

ANSWER: You have game-invitational strength, hence raise to three spades. If your queen of diamonds were the ace, you would bid four spades. If your king of hearts were a low heart, you would settle for a chancegiving raise to two spades.