DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

My “Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and developing logical thinking.

All opponents are not created equal. When you are declarer, one opponent may be “dangerous”: You don’t want him in the lead. The other will be “safe”: If he gets in, you don’t mind.

In today’s deal, West leads a diamond against your 3NT. East is “dangerous.” If he wins a trick and leads a spade through your K-J, terrible things may happen. You don’t need a second diamond trick, with a finesse, to make game: You have at least three hearts and at least five clubs.

Take the ace of diamonds and let the 10 of clubs ride. A first-round finesse loses if West has a singleton queen but gains if he has any low singleton. You succeed easily.

You would go down if you finessed in diamonds at Trick One. East wins and shifts to a spade, and the defense takes five spades. You would also go down if you mismanaged the clubs by taking the ace before finessing.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ KJ ♥ K53 ◆ 64 ♣ A K J 9 6 3. Your partner opens one spade, you respond two clubs and he bids two diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: This problem is difficult. If partner holds a perfect minimum hand suchasAQ1076,76,A7 5 2, Q 4, a winning contract will be six clubs, or 6NT played from your side. A rebid of three clubs would not be forcing. Stall with a “fourth-suit” bid of two hearts.