Daily Bridge Club

Return the lead?

“The human body has seven trillion nerves,” Cy the Cynic grumbled to me, “and she manages to get on every one of mine.”

Wendy, my club’s ardent feminist, and Cy, a shameless chauvinist, are constantly at odds. As today’s West in a penny game, Wendy led the ten of diamonds against 3NT. Dummy played low, and Cy, East, took the king and returned a diamond.

South won, led a club to dummy and let the ten of hearts ride for a finesse. When Wendy won, she led a spade. The Cynic took his queen and ace, but South had the rest and made game.

“Couldn’t her diamonds have been Q-10-9-8?” Cy asked me. “If I return her suit and it’s wrong, she complains. If I’d shifted and that had been wrong, she would have gone ballistic.”

Cy had nine points, dummy had 12, and South had shown 16. If Wendy had good diamonds, she couldn’t have a side entry as well. Cy’s best chance is to hope Wendy has an entry outside diamonds. If Cy shifts to a low spade at Trick Two, he defeats the contract.

You hold: A653

K J 10 Q 10 8 Q 10 7. Both sides vulnerable. The dealer, at your left, opens one diamond. Your partner overcalls one heart, and the next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: Presumably, your partner didn’t enter the auction, vulnerable, just to hear the sound of his own voice. He should have a good hand or a good suit or both. You may well have a game. To start, cue-bid two diamonds to suggest heart support and game interest. South dealer

N-S vulnerable