BRIDGE

Friday, September 23

This week I’ve focused on care at the first trick, when contracts are often lost. Cover the East-West cards. Against 3NT, West leads the deuce of spades. Suppose you play low from dummy; West might have led from Q-J-4-2. But East plays the jack, and you must win. If you duck the first trick, East might hurt you with a heart shift.

Say you next unblock your A-K-J of clubs and lead a diamond to the jack. East ducks. You can cash the queen of clubs and continue diamonds, but East ducks again, cutting you off from your fourth diamond. You win only eight tricks.

It won’t help to start the diamonds at Trick Two. East will win the third diamond and lead a spade, forcing out dummy’s entry to the queen of clubs.

Win the first spade with the ace, take the A-K-J of clubs and lead a diamond to the jack. If East ducks, cash the queen of clubs and set up the diamonds. The king of spades is an entry to your hand.

Did you play carefully at Trick One and make 3NT?

DAILY QUESTION:

You hold: ♠ A85 ♥ QJ3 ◆ J 10 3 ♣ Q 7 6 4. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond 1NT, he bids two clubs and you raise to three clubs. Partner next bids three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: You can’t be sure of partner’s intentions, but he has a good hand, and yours is as strong as it can be, given your 1NT response. Bid three spades, suggesting a prime value in that suit. If you held a hand such as KJ 9, 10 3 2, J 10 3,A 7 6 4, you would bid 3NT.