Daily Bridge Club

Reactive issues

“It’s Newton’s Third Law of Marriage,” a club player sighed to me. “For every action, there’s an equal and opposite overreaction.”

My friend had been today’s West, playing with his wife in a duplicate game. Against five diamonds, he led the king of hearts.

“My wife signaled ‘count’ with the eight,” West told me. “I knew I couldn’t cash a second heart, so I led a club. South won in dummy and led a trump: deuce, jack. I took my ace and led another club. South won in dummy again, led a second trump to his ten, took the king and claimed, making five.”

COUCH

“I made a remark about my wife’s bid of two hearts when she had next to nothing. She said I could think about it while I’m sleeping on the couch tonight. I think that was a slight overreaction.”

East may have been upset about the defense. West probably beats five diamonds if he ducks the first trump. South will return a club to dummy to lead a second trump to his ten, and then West can win and give East a club ruff.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: 8 4 A K 10 9 4 A 6 10 8 7 3. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: This decision is close. You must judge whether to force to game or settle for an invitation. Since you have prime values and good intermediates in hearts, a raise to three clubs would be an underbid. Stretch slightly to bid two spades, a “fourth suit” call that simply asks partner to bid again.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable