FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

TAKING OUT INSURANCE

One of Unlucky Louie’s daughters — he seems to have an endless supply — had left home to take a job and was no longer covered by his health insurance.

“I told her it meant that her manufacturer’s warranty had expired,” Louie sighed to me. You would think that as many bad breaks as Louie runs into, he would know something about insurance policies at the bridge table. When Louie was declarer at today’s 3NT, West led a diamond, and Louie put up dummy’s jack and brightened up when it held.

Down One

But Louie next took the A-K of clubs, and his face fell when West discarded. As the cards lay, he was doomed to go down.

Louie doesn’t have a sure thing — any insurance is a calculated risk — but he can improve his chances by leading a club to his ace at the second trick, a heart to dummy and a club to his ten. If the clubs break 4-2, Louie is always sure of four club tricks and nine tricks in all. But the safety play guards against J-x-x-x-x with East.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ Q J 76 ♥ K 9 ♦ 94 ♣ J 9 8 7 4. Your partner opens one diamond, the next player bids one heart and you double (negative). Partner next jumps to two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your double promised four cards in spades and enough values to respond. When your partner bid two spades, he “raised” your implied bid of one spade to two. He has minimum values. Pass. (If partner had bid one spade, he would suggest a hand such as A K 5, 8 7, A Q 7 6 5, 6 5 3.)

South dealer

N-S vulnerable