Daily Bridge Club

That will do

“My wife and I have been wed for 37 years,” a club player told me, “and I’ve always tried to make her happy. When we got married, I said, ‘I do,’ and she said, ‘You’ll do.’ How could you not try to please someone like that?”

My friend was East in a duplicate event. He opened one spade, but North-South bid to four hearts.

“My wife led a spade,” East said, “and I took the ace. When declarer played the ten, I decided my wife had led from a doubleton. If I returned a spade, declarer would win, lead the queen of trumps, pick up the trumps and make his bid.”

SINGLETON

“So I led the ace of diamonds at Trick Two. If my wife had led a singleton spade, she would signal low, and I would shift back to spades.”

West actually signaled with the nine, so East led another diamond. West won and led a third diamond.

“I ruffed with my ten of trumps,” East said, “which pleased my wife to no end. South had to overruff with an honor, and West’s K-8-5 of trumps were worth a trick. Down one.”

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ K 10 ♥ Q J 9 4 2 ♦ J 6 ♣ A K J 5. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids one spade. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: You have 15 highcard points, near-balanced pattern and the unbid suit well stopped. Place the contract: Bid 3NT. You need not bid two clubs. Even if partner has heart tolerance, you should prefer to play at notrump. If he has extra strength, he isn’t barred from bidding again. West dealer N-S vulnerable