DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Unlucky Louie has a houseful of growing kids plus a wife, and his expenses for clothing are substantial.

“We shop at thrift stores,” Louie told us in the club lounge.

“The points of no returns,” Cy the Cynic chuckled.

Louie was declarer at today’s 3NT, and West led a low spade. Dummy played low, and East took the queen and returned a spade to the ace.

Louie then led the ace and a second club, but when West won, he took the K-J of spades and his fifth spade. Down one.

Louie reached a point of no return early: at Trick One.

Assuming he plays the clubs for no more than one loser, his game is at risk only if West has five spades. But if West held K-Q-J-4-2, he would have led the king, so East will have at least one honor. On the first spade, Louie must take dummy’s ace.

East cannot gain by unblocking the queen. When West gets in with the king of clubs later, the spades are blocked. Whether he takes his K-J or leads low to East’s queen, Louie makes an overtrick.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A 6 H J 9 5

D K Q 8 C Q 10 6 5 4. Your partner opens one heart. The next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: Most players would force to game, although if your partner tends to open light, distributional hands, a case exists for a game-invitational sequence. In any case, temporize with a response of two clubs. If partner rebids two hearts, raise to four hearts (or three hearts). If he bids two diamonds, bid three hearts (forcing) or two hearts.