DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique.

A vital defensive skill is distinguishing times when you must look for tricks in a hurry from times when you can sit back and wait. In today’s deal, West leads the king of clubs against four hearts, and East signals with the deuce: “I don’t want a club continuation.”

West suspects that

South has no more clubs, so dummy’s clubs are no threat to provide discards. It’s possible South has the doubleton K-Q of diamonds, and dummy will furnish an extra diamond winner, but then South will need an entry to use it.

West need not shift to spades at the second trick: If South has spade losers, he will lose them. West should lead a safe trump, letting declarer struggle. He will lose two spades, a club and a diamond.

If West (questionably) led the nine of diamonds at Trick Two, and East won, he would reason the same way and lead a trump to kill dummy’s entry.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ K 8 7 ♥ 4 2 ◆ 9 8 7 6 5 ♣ A K 3. The dealer, at your left, opens one spade. Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: A bid of two diamonds would promise no strength at all. With 10 points, you must make an encouraging move. A jump to three diamonds is possible but would suggest a better suit and would not aim at the most likely game. Bid 1NT to show a balanced seven to 10 points with a spade trick.