LIFE & CULTURE

Unlucky Louie and I had agreed to go Christmas shopping together. He wanted to get an early start. “Christmas,” Louie sighed, “when you get to fight

the rush-hour traffic in the mall parking lot.”

Rushing is often Louie’s downfall as declarer. Against today’s four spades, West took the K-A of clubs and led the jack, and Louie hastily ruffed with his four of trumps and cashed the A-K. When West showed out, Louie tried dummy’s top hearts. He pitched one diamond, but when East had J-10-9-5, Louie had to lose a diamond plus a trump. Down one.

Louie must play carefully, ruffing the third club with the nine of trumps. He takes the ace, leads a heart to dummy and returns a trump. When East plays the ten, Louie finesses with his jack.

Louie is safe when the jack wins, but if West had the queen, Louie could win a heart return, take dummy’s last high heart and ruff a heart high. He could go to the seven of trumps to discard his last low diamond on the good fifth heart.

Daily Question: You hold: & AKJ984 h 42 ( A83 $ Q 5. Your partner opens one club, you respond one spade and he raises to two spades. What do you say?

Answer: Slam is possible. If your partner has an ideal minimum hand such as Q 1053,A3,76,AKJ64,youwouldbea favorite to make 7NT. Probe with a bid of three diamonds. If partner jumps to four spades, you can reasonably bid five spades, asking him to go on if he has a control in hearts, the only unbid suit. by Dana Summers