Daily Bridge Club

Mental glasses

Wendy, my club’s feminist, is dating a man who is a pilot.

“Hard to believe he’s a pilot with such bad eyesight,” her adversary Cy the Cynic said jocularly.

“His is better than yours,” Wendy retorted.

Cy was today’s South, and Wendy was his partner. When West overcalled one spade, Wendy leaped to four hearts, suggesting a shapely hand. Cy “saw” a singleton spade in her hand and bid a slam. West led the king of spades, and dummy was not what Cy expected. He took the ace, struggled for a while and conceded two spades.

“Your brain needs glasses,” Wendy snarled.

VISUALIZATION

Cy’s visualization was off, and so was his play. After he takes the ace of spades, he draws trumps with the A-K, ruffs dummy’s jack of diamonds, takes the top clubs, ruffs a club and ruffs the king of diamonds.

The Cynic then leads his last club. When West discards, dummy pitches a spade: a loser-on-loser. East wins and must lead a diamond, and Cy ruffs in his hand and discards dummy’s last spade.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: K Q 10 9 5 None A Q 10 5 2 Q 9 5. You open one spade, your partner responds two hearts, you rebid two spades and he rebids three hearts. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: You rebid two spades because your hand lacked the highcard strength for a “high reverse” of three diamonds. Your partner’s three hearts shows long hearts but not enough strength for game. Pass. To bid 3NT, or anything else, would ask for trouble. North dealer E-W vulnerable