Daily Bridge Club
Spectacular play
“I’m crowdfunding to buy Minnie new glasses,” Cy the Cynic told me in the club lounge. “Want to donate?”
“You really should pay for them personally,” I said.
Minnie Bottoms, our senior member, wears old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks, often to her opponents’ dismay. Cy has been Minnie’s chief victim.
“Look what she did to me in today’s duplicate,” Cy said. “I was declarer at 3NT after Minnie had bid clubs as East. West led the queen of clubs, and Minnie played ... the king.”
DOWN TWO
“I took the ace and let the eight of diamonds ride, and Minnie won with the queen and led the ten of clubs. I won, but when she took the ace of diamonds, she ran the clubs.
“West praised Minnie’s defense,” the Cynic went on. “Minnie said indignantly that she knew enough to signal with the highest card in a sequence. She thought her king of clubs was the jack.”
Minnie’s spectacles nailed Cy again. If Minnie plays a lower club at Trick One, Cy makes 3NT by playing low.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: J 10 7 5 A Q 9 8 5 A J 7 4. Your partner opens one diamond. The next player bids two clubs. South in today’s deal bid 2NT with this hand. Do you agree with that call?
ANSWER: South’s bid was not an error though a bit timid; to bid 3NT would have been reasonable. Many experts would not have bid notrump at all. They would have made a conventional negative double to look for alternative contracts, especially in spades if partner had four cards there. North dealer N-S vulnerable