The fear factor

TODAY’S West was Grapefruit, my club’s surly member who is always berating his partners. They worship the ground that awaits him.

When you sit opposite Grapefruit, it takes courage to hold up a winner and maybe lose it. North-South got to four spades after East’s preempt, and Grapefruit led his singleton heart. East wavered ... and fearfully took the ace.

When East returned a heart, South threw a club. Grapefruit ruffed and led a club, but South won, drew trumps, and threw his last club and a diamond on the hearts. He lost a diamond but made game, and Grapefruit announced that East was a few raisins short of a fruitcake.

LOSES ACE

“If I don’t take the ace, I lose it,” East growled.

Grapefruit told the kibitzers that if East’s brain were taxed, he’d get a rebate.

I can’t defend Grapefruit’s behavior, but East must duck the first heart. If dummy leads another heart, East plays low again. South can pitch a loser, but West ruffs, and South has three more losers. DAILY QUESTION: You hold: 752 2 K 10 9 6 2 K J 9 5. Your partner opens one heart, you respond 1NT and he bids two clubs. What do you say? ANSWER: This is a troublesome area of “Standard” bidding. Partner’s second bid may conceal a hand worth 18 points, and if you pass, you may miss a game. If he has a 12-point hand, a raise to three clubs may get you too high. If he has 15 and you raise, he may bid a losing game. I think a pass is the percentage action. West dealer N-S vulnerable

NORTH bird, body, dimity, dirt, dirty, doit, dory, drib, droit, idiom, idiot, midi, midrib, morbid, MORBIDITY, tidy, timid, tody, trod ACROSS 1. Unscrupulous as

heels are? (5,3,4) 7. Can go out for a

dance (5) 8. Cathy’s sort of

vessel (5) 9. It’s not expected to

lose sleep (3) 10. Man in one country is to find another ... (9) 11. ... or deny it could

be over there (6) 12. Crying at me on the side of a football pitch (6) 15. Somehow told her about the bike race meeting being suppressed (9) 17. Consume tea,

perhaps (3) 18. Artless one in part

of the church (5) 19. Wise men become

older in the ship (5) 21. Scanty Labour version of the police force (12) DOWN 1. A bonny reel danced around street in Ireland (7,5) 2. Achieved victory in returning the present (3) 3. Listens to English

car (6) 4. Not Bow Bells, but

belle’s beau (9) 5. Pub providing anaesthetic (5) I saw that Gary out immediately (8,4) 7. Bird wearing a hat?

(5) 10. Sent laser off with

vigilant attention (9) 13. Notions aides come

up with (5) 14. Some scandal as Kansas becomes a state (6) 16. Perhaps it’s a

1-horn animal (5) 20. Animal in “Agnus

Dei” (3)

6.

QUICK CLUES YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

Across

Down QUICK Across 4 Bombard 8 Occupy 9 Snuggle 10 Collie 11 Moaned 12 Puncture 18 Satirise 20 Vacant 21 Sponge 22 Ascribe 23 Writer 24 Drowsed Down 1 Concept 2 Scaling 3 Sprint 5 Ornament 6 Beggar 7 Relief 13 Unstable 14 Dignity 15 Revelry 16 Hawser 17 Barrow 19 Impart CRYPTIC Across 4 Scripts 8 Pallid 9 Arising 10 Tagged 11 Indeed 12 Pressman 18 Tell-tale 20 Malice 21 Carton 22 Tabloid 23 Beware 24 Startle Down 1 Epitaph 2 Aligned 3 Likens 5 Cardinal 6 Inside 7 Tinder 13 Material 14 Martial 15 Feinted 16 Basalt 17 Miller 19 Loader