FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

LOUIE’S HASTY DEFENSE How goes it with Louie?” I asked Rose in the club lounge. She has taken on Unlucky Louie as a project, convinced that he isn’t as bad as his results indicate.

“He’ll never improve until he stops playing too fast,” Rose sighed. “He needs to take stock.”

“If he did,” Cy the Cynic commented, “it wouldn’t be Apple or Amazon.”

Louie was today’s East. Against four hearts, West led a diamond, and Louie took the queen and ace. With his usual haste, he next led the king of spades, “up to weakness.” Middle Trump South won, led a club to the ace, ruffed a club with a middle trump and led a trump: queen, king. South ruffed another club with a middle trump. He led a trump to dummy’s nine, ruffed a fourth club and got back with the six of trumps to pitch a spade on the good fifth club. Making four.

Louie must lead a trump at Trick Three, removing a vital entry to dummy. If the defense has spade tricks, they can’t go away — unless South sets up dummy’s fifth club for a discard. Daily Question

You hold: KJ 72 AQ964 K Q 10 3. ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ Your partner opens one spade, you respond two diamonds, he bids two hearts and you try three clubs. Partner next bids three spades. What do you say?

Answer: Partner’s sequence suggests six spades, four hearts and extra strength. With a minimum hand such as A Q 9 7 6 3, K Q 9 4, 2, J 4, he would have rebid two spades. Bid 4NT, Blackwood, or raise to five spades to invite slam. Partner’s hand may be A Q 10 7 6 3, A J 6 4, 2, A 2. East dealer

Both sides vulnerable