Cy’s lump of coal
“Got your letter to Santa written yet?” I asked Cy the Cynic.
“I told him I’ve been naughty this year,” Cy replied. “And I said it’s been worth it.”
Cy deserves a lump of anthracite in his stocking for his bridge errors. He acts impulsively, relying on rules instead of thinking for himself. Cy was today’s East, and West led a heart against four spades. Declarer played low from dummy hopefully, but Cy took the queen and ace. He next led the ten of clubs, obeying the rule of leading “through strength, up to weakness.”
HIGH TRUMPS
South took the ace, led a diamond to the ace, ruffed a diamond, and got to dummy with high trumps to ruff two more diamonds. He returned a trump to dummy to discard a club on the good fifth diamond. Making four.
Cy erred. Declarer’s club losers, if any, can’t go away unless he sets up a diamond in dummy for a discard. At Trick Three, Cy must lead a trump, removing a vital entry to dummy. South can’t establish and cash a diamond and loses two clubs.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: ♠ Q 10 8 ♥ K8 ♦ A 10 4 3 2 ♣ 7 6 3. Your partner opens one heart, you respond 1NT, he bids two diamonds and you raise to three diamonds. Partner then bids three hearts. What do you say?
ANSWER: If partner held a minimum hand with six hearts, he would have rebid two hearts to limit his strength. His actual sequence suggests extra strength — enough to accept your game invitation. Bid four hearts. Partner may hold A, A Q 10752, K Q 85,52. South dealer N-S vulnerable