Daily Bridge Club

Be not afraid

I never know what Cy the Cynic is going to say next.

“Have you ever had a fly land on your computer screen,” Cy asked me in the club lounge, “and you tried to scare it off with the cursor?”

I had to say that I didn’t recall, but I know Cy is scared of nothing. As today’s North, he boomed into seven spades when South freely bid four clubs over East’s three hearts.

West led a low heart, and South carefully threw a club on dummy’s ace and ruffed a heart. He drew trumps, took the A-K of diamonds, ruffed dummy’s last heart and ruffed his last diamond.

DISTRIBUTION

South then had a hypothetical count of the distribution. He knew East had started with one trump, two diamonds and at most seven hearts, hence at least three clubs. So declarer cashed dummy’s king of clubs and next let the nine ride. Making seven.

Cy made a winning bid, but East’s bid of three hearts was a loser. It accomplished nothing except to confirm his presence at the table and help South play the slam.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ A Q 10 8 4 ♥ None ♦ 875 ♣ A J 10 8 6. Your partner opens one diamond, and the next player bids two hearts (preemptive).

You bid two spades, and partner rebids three diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Slam is possible. Six diamonds will be a heavy favorite if partner has 3, J 8 7, A K J 9 4 2, K 7 5. Cue-bid three hearts, planning to show your diamond support next. An even better call that some players might choose is a “splinter” jump to four hearts. South dealer Both sides vulnerable