Tooth and Nail

When I watched today’s deal in a duplicate game at the club, East-West were a regular but volatile partnership — a dentist and a manicurist we call Tooth and Nail because that’s how they argue.

Against 3NT, Nail led the seven of clubs. After dummy’s ace won, declarer came to his king of diamonds and tried a heart finesse with dummy’s jack. Tooth took his king and cashed the king of clubs: six, five, spade from dummy. He then led ... another club. South made two overtricks.

ARGUMENT

Next came the inevitable argument. Nail: “Why didn’t you shift to spades? The man had to have a club stopper to bid 2NT.”

Tooth: “He might have suggested notrump with J-6-2.” Who was at fault? I wouldn’t expect South to bid 2NT without a club trick, but the result was Nail’s fault. On the king of clubs, she must protect her partner by playing the jack to deny possession of the queen. East will know to shift to the jack of spades.

And that’s the whole tooth and nothing but.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ 7 4 2 ♥ AJ4 ♦ AQ 9 7 6 2 ♣ A. You open one diamond, and your partner bids one heart. North in today’s deal rebid two diamonds with this hand. Do you agree with that call?

ANSWER: A raise to two hearts is possible, but if you repeat the diamonds, the hand sits on the fence between two and three. Fractional bids aren’t allowed, so you must choose one or the other. The suit is not robust, but due to the heart fit and side ace, bid three diamonds. North dealer N-S vulnerable