DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

Here’s a crucial lead problem from the Senior Knockout Teams final at the Fall NABC: Nick NICKELL vs. Mike LEVINE. Look at the West cards and digest the auction.

North’s two-spade cue bid showed a heart fit. South’s four diamonds suggested a good two-suited hand, but his five-club response to North’s 4NT inquiry showed only one “key card.” North’s five diamonds was a further artificial ask.

If West leads a spade, South can set up his diamonds with two ruffs in dummy and lose only to the ace of trumps. But LEVINE’s West, Jerry Clerkin, led the ace and a low trump, and South was sunk. When neither diamonds nor clubs lay well for him, he went down one.

In the replay, NorthSouth got to six hearts after East-West competed in spades. There, East-West must not have felt confident that any lead would beat the slam: They sacrificed at six spades, down 1,100.

LEVINE won 15 IMPs. If West doesn’t lead a trump against six hearts, NICKELL wins.

DAILY QUESTION:

You hold: ♠ KJ986 ♥ A 7 ◆ 102 ♣ K 10 6 5. Your partner opens one heart, you bid one spade and he rebids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: You have the values to invite game but not to force to game. Partner’s two hearts shows six or more hearts. If he had only a five-card suit, he would have had a more descriptive second bid. Raise to three hearts.