Daily Bridge Club

The ACBL has many fine junior players. Juniors like to have fun and have a reputation for producing unlikely results.

In today’s deal (reported by Barry Rigal) from the Life Master Pairs at the Summer NABC, East-West were Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass. and Finn Kolesnik of Ventura, Calif. South was a top expert.

I can charitably call the bidding uninhibited. To open East’s hand wouldn’t occur to me, and if you made me open, I would not act again. I also might not act as West did, but I do know that anyone who overcalls vulnerable on the junky South hand may deserve whatever befalls him.

DOWN FOUR

Against one heart doubled, Kolesnik found a devastating lead: a low trump. South won with the jack and led a diamond, and East won and led a spade. When South erred by taking the ace, the defense could arrange for West to force out South’s ace of trumps and get back in to draw trumps. Then East-West could cash their winners for plus 1,100.

Kolesnik-Luba made it to the LMP final, an admirable achievement.

DAILY QUESTION

Youhold: A9 AJ632 J4 Q 8 7 6. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids two clubs and you raise to three clubs. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner doesn’t have four spades; he didn’t bid one spade at his second turn. He probably has 3-1-5-4 shape and is probing for the best contract. You have useful cards and could jump to five clubs, but in case he is interested in slam, cue-bid four spades. East dealer N-S vulnerable ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC