DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

In the final of the Senior Knockout Teams at the Fall NABC, Eric Rodwell earned a swing for his team with a good deceptive play.

At both tables, South played at four spades. When Rodwell was East, South’s opening bid of one spade was limited in strength, so North simply jumped to game. West led a heart, and South took the king and led the jack of spades: deuce, five ... and Rodwell followed with the eight.

South could have led a low spade next, planning to insert dummy’s seven as a safety play for one trump loser if West played the three. But South didn’t know he could afford to play safe; East might have held the king of diamonds.

It looked as if East had the bare eight or doubleton 10-8 anyway, so South led the queen next. Rodwell was sure of two trump tricks. Down one.

At the other table, the pro sitting East missed the falsecard: He won the first spade with his king. Later, South picked up the trumps and made his game when the diamond finesse won.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ A75 ♥ 43 ◆ A Q98 ♣ Q J 8 2. Your partner opens one club, you respond one diamond and he bids one heart. What do you say?

ANSWER: If a jumppreference to three clubs would be forcing in your partnership, that bid would be fine. But many pairs treat such a jump as invitational. Then you must invent a forcing call. Bid one spade, a “fourth-suit” bid that merely asks partner to continue describing his hand.