FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

LOUIE’S INFERIOR LINE

“Failure has gone to his head,” Rose told me in the club lounge.

She meant Unlucky Louie, who ascribes his bad results to bad luck despite all the evidence to the contrary. Rose has taken on Louie as a project, insisting that he’s not as bad as his scores indicate.

“I’m not encouraged,” Rose said, showing me today’s deal.

Louie was declarer at 3NT, and the defense teed off with four club tricks. On the fourth club, Louie had to find a discard and threw ... the jack of diamonds. West next led the king of diamonds to dummy’s ace. When the hearts failed to break evenly, Louie took only eight tricks.

Greater

“He must pitch a heart on the fourth club,” Rose said. “The chance of a winning diamond finesse is greater than a 3-3 heart break. Louie said he knew that quite well, but with his luck, hearts would break 3-3 and the diamond finesse would lose.”

Don’t adopt an inferior percentage line of play without a compelling reason. A sense of bad luck isn’t compelling enough.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ Q 10 9 8 ♥ A K Q 5 ♦ Q J ♣Q 9 4. The dealer, at your right, opens two diamonds (a weak two-bid). You double, and your partner responds two spades. What do you say?

Answer: Your 16-point hand is worth less. Your Q-J of diamonds may be worth nothing, and you have only one ace and one king. Your double promised at least opening values, and partner’s two spades promises nothing. Pass. He may need everything you hold to win eight tricks.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable