Daily Bridge Club

Overberried

“Joe outdid even himself,” Cy the Cynic told me.

Cy was talking about the notorious Joe Overberry, who thinks it’s nobler to go down trying for overtricks than to make his bid. He was South in the club’s penny game.

“West led the king of spades against four hearts,” Cy said, “and shifted to a diamond. Joe can win with the jack, pick up the trumps with finesses, cash the A-K of clubs, and go to the ace of diamonds to pitch a spade on the queen of clubs, making six.”

FINESSE

“But Joe wasn’t willing to risk losing a trump finesse,” the Cynic went on, “in which case he would make only four. He won the first diamond with the king, unblocked the A-K of clubs, led a diamond to dummy and threw his last spade on the queen of clubs.”

“So West ruffed and gave East a diamond ruff,” I sighed. “East exited with a spade, and Joe had to lose a trump to the queen.”

“He was cold for 12 tricks,” Cy said, “and went down trying for 12.” “You were West?” I asked. “I was North.”

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ AK 10 6 4 ♥4 ♦97 6 5 4 ♣10 8. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he rebids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your spades look attractive enough to rebid, but the deal appears to be a misfit. Your partner surely has a six-card heart suit. He has shown minimum opening values and may have no tolerance for spades at all. Pass. When you have no trump fit and no compensating high-card values, stop bidding. South dealer Both sides vulnerable