Daily Bridge Club

Simple Saturday

“Simple Saturday” columns are meant to improve basic technique and logical thinking. You don’t know how little shampoo you can get by on until the bottle is almost empty. Just a little bit of good technique — a knowledge of handling suit combinations — will solve many of your dummy-play problems. At 3NT, today’s declarer has eight tricks: two spades, two hearts, a diamond and three clubs. He wins the first heart with the king, saving the ace as a dummy entry. What next?

OVERTAKES

If South needed five club tricks, he would take the A-Q, lead a heart to dummy and take the king of clubs, hoping the jack fell. But since South needs only one extra club, he should take the ace, then overtake the queen with the king. When East’s nine falls, South leads the ten to force out West’s jack, setting up the eight and four. If instead East-West played low clubs, declarer would lead a third club hopefully. The correct play gives him the extra chances that a defender has J-x or 9-x.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: A K 4 K 7 4 2 A 6 5 3 A Q. The dealer, at your right, opens one spade. You double, and your partner bids two hearts. What do you say? ANSWER: Your hand is potent, and your queen of clubs, positioned behind the opening bidder, is likely to be a winner. Still, the hand contains several losers, and your partner was obliged to respond to your double and may have nothing. Give him a little room; raise only to three hearts. South dealer N-S vulnerable