The short route

In yet another effort to control his weight, Cy the Cynic joined a cycling club.

“Here’s the First Law of Bicycling,” Cy told me grimly: “The shortest route has the steepest hills.”

Cy usually takes the short route when he faces a play problem. As declarer at today’s four hearts, he won the first spade with the king, drew trumps and led a club from dummy: king from East, ace, six. East won the next club and led the jack of diamonds, and the defense took three diamonds. Down one.

How would you play four hearts? EXTRA CHANCE

Cy must take his time. He gets an extra chance — finding East with the K-Q of clubs — by letting West’s queen of spades win. Cy wins the next spade, leads a trump to dummy and returns a low club.

When East plays an honor, the Cynic takes the ace, leads a trump to dummy, discards his jack of clubs on the ace of spades and leads the ten of clubs for a ruffing finesse against East. Cy gets a diamond discard and loses only two diamonds and a spade. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ A73 ♥ AJ74 ♦ 632 ♣ 10 9 2. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids two clubs and you return to two diamonds. Partner next bids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your values are maximum; your two-diamond preference promised at most nine points, and your ace of spades is a useful card. To encourage game, bid two spades, suggesting spade strength but reluctance to bid notrump or an 11-trick minor-suit game. South dealer N-S vulnerable