FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

CY’S IDEA OF EXERCISE

“You told me you would start exercising,” I scolded Cy the Cynic in the club lounge. “You’re out of shape and overweight.” “Does tossing and turning in bed at night count?” Cy asked.

“You aren’t sleeping well either?”

Cy told me he had lost sleep over a deal from his penny game. As declarer at 6NT, Cy led a diamond from dummy at Trick Two, playing his queen when East discarded. West took his king and led another spade, and Cy won and had only 11 top tricks.

Guess

“I had to guess the queen of hearts,” the Cynic said. “I played East for it and went down, and now I’m lying awake at night wondering how I could have known better.”

Cy missed a sure thing. When East shows out on the first diamond, Cy can take the ace and return the three. West must play low; if he wins, Cy has plenty of tricks. When dummy’s jack wins, Cy leads a club to his hand and passes the jack of hearts. Even if East held the queen, Cy would have three hearts, three spades, four clubs and two diamonds.

Daily Question You hold:

♠ 5 2 ♥ A J 10 9 ♦ A Q 3 ♣ A K Q J. The dealer, at your right, opens three spades. You double, and your partner bids four hearts. What do you say?

Answer: Your double was for takeout (though partner could pass it with spade strength) and promised a good hand with help for the other suits. You might have doubled with less strength, but you can’t bid again. Partner’s hand may be weak, and he may lose two spade tricks for starters.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable