DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“When my wife and I play,” a club player sighed to me, “she often tells me the three little words she knows I need to hear.”

“And those are?” I asked. “Told you so.”

My friend was declarer at today’s six spades. He took the ace of hearts, drew trumps and led a diamond to finesse with dummy’s jack.

“My wife shook her head and said she knew my play was wrong,” South said. “East took the queen and returned a club, and I had to decide whether to rely on a finesse, a 3-3 diamond break or a minorsuit squeeze. I chose to take the ace of clubs and wound up going down, and my wife uttered the three little words.”

South was unlucky, but his play wasn’t best. After he draws trumps, he should take the A-K of diamonds.

When East’s queen falls, South is safe. If instead both defenders played low diamonds, South would lead a heart to his hand and return a diamond toward dummy’s jack. If East held, say, Q-10-x-x, South could still fall back on the club finesse.

DAILY QUESTION:

You hold: ♠ QJ92 ♥ 643 ◆ AKJ3 ♣ 9 7. The dealer, at your left, opens one club. Two passes follow. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner is marked with some values and your side may have a game. Double. Not many players would double an opening bid of one club in the direct position, but in the balancing position, actions may be shaded, and your partner should realize that.