DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

“I hear you’ve got a new girlfriend,” I said to Cy the Cynic.

“She’s a forecaster for the weather service,” Cy growled. “I decided I wanted to go out with someone who isn’t right all the time.”

As today’s West, Cy led the queen of hearts against six spades. South took the ace and drew trumps, as East threw a heart. Declarer next led a diamond. The Cynic played low, and dummy’s king won. South then led the queen of clubs. East covered with the king and got a club trick, but South made his slam.

“Why didn’t you take your ace?” East demanded.

“My partners always know what I should’ve done,” Cy grumbled.

To duck the first diamond, giving declarer a guess if his pattern were 5-12-5, could have been right. The player in the wrong was East. He knows he has a club trick, and if West has the ace of diamonds, East wants him to take it. On the second trump, East should discard the queen of diamonds to prevent West from erring.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ K9643 ♥ 5 ◆ K J52 ♣ Q 9 3. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two diamonds and you raise to three diamonds. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has three-card spade support, and if he had a minimum hand with 3-54-1 distribution, he would have raised directly to two spades or would have passed three diamonds. You should bid four spades.