DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“When my wife and I got married,” a club player grumbled to me, “she came with instructions — lots of them.”

My friend was East in today’s deal, defending against South’s four hearts.

“My wife was West,” he said. “She started with the queen and jack of spades, winning, then shifted to a diamond. Declarer won with the king and guessed well: He led a trump to dummy’s ace, refusing a finesse, and next took the A-Q of diamonds to discard his club loser. He ruffed his last spade in dummy, lost a trump to my king and claimed, making four, and my wife switched into her instructional mode.”

It’s an instructive deal. East can see two spade tricks and a trump for the defense but knows his side will get no diamond tricks. If West has the ace of clubs, East wants her to cash it.

To protect his partner, East must overtake the second spade and return a club, forcing West to take the setting trick.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ 76 ♥ A10 ◆ AQ 1065 ♣ K J 7 2. Your partner opens one heart, you respond two diamonds, he rebids two hearts and you try three clubs. Partner then bids three diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s bidding is not encouraging, and it’s possible you can make no game, but to pass with 14 points would be too timid. You have options: One is a raise to four diamonds; the other, which I believe most experts would choose, is a bid of three hearts.