FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

“I wish I could call tech support,” a club player told me sourly, “and find out how to disable the auto-correct on my husband. He points out my mistakes and won’t even wait until we get home.”

My friend was today’s East, and her husband led a club against 3NT. She took the ace and, when South played the jack, returned a club.

“Declarer won,” East said, “and led the king of diamonds, winning, and a diamond to dummy’s ten. I took the jack and led a heart, and he won in dummy, lost a diamond to my ace and took the rest.”

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“My husband said that since I had two diamond entries, I should have led a spade at the second trick. I could set up my spades and win five tricks before South took nine. I asked him why, if he was so smart, he didn’t find a spade opening lead.”

East should lead a spade at Trick Two. A club is futile, and the defense needs tricks before South uses dummy’s diamonds. In fact, South could still make 3NT (by endplaying East) but probably wouldn’t.

Daily Question You hold:

♠ KJ752 ♥ 10 9 5 ♦ A J 9 Clubs A 7. Your partner opens one heart,

♣ respond one spade and he bids two diamonds. What do you say?

Answer: You want to play at hearts where you have an eight-card trump fit and a possible ruffing value in clubs, and you must commit to game. A jump to three hearts would only invite; you would choose that call if your king of spades were a low spade. Bid four hearts even though you would prefer stronger support. South dealer

N-S vulnerable