Daily Bridge Club

Count your tricks!

Unlucky Louie was today’s declarer in my club’s penny game. He won West’s trump lead in dummy, led a diamond to his jack and beamed when West took the ace.

West led a second trump, and Louie won and led a club. West won and shifted to a heart, and Louie took his ace, threw dummy’s last heart on the king of diamonds, ruffed a heart, ruffed a club and ruffed a diamond.

Louie then ruffed another club and cashed his last trump for his ninth trick, but he was out of ammunition. Down one.

“Even a winning finesse did me no good,” Louie sighed.

SECOND TRICK

If Louie counted his tricks, he would see that his line couldn’t succeed. Louie must instead go after the clubs. He leads a club at Trick Two.

If West leads a second trump, Louie wins in dummy, ruffs a club, takes the ace of hearts and loses a heart. He ruffs the next heart in dummy and ruffs a club. When the suit breaks 3-3, Louie loses only one more trick to the ace of diamonds.

This week: Count your tricks!

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ 62 ♥ K J954 ♦ A 10 2 ♣A K 10. Your partner opens one spade, you bid two hearts and he raises to three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner suggests a minimum opening hand and may have only three-card heart support (since your two hearts showed five or more). Still, your good controls make your hand worth a try for slam. Cuebid four clubs. If partner has a suitable hand such as A K 9 5 4, A 10 8, 3, Q 6 5 4, he will move toward slam. West dealer E-W vulnerable