Suffering in silence

LAST TRUMP

ANSWER “LOUIE thinks that suffering in silence is noble,” Cy the Cynic told me, “if, of course, everybody knows all about it.”

Unlucky Louie is forever favoring us with the details of his “bad luck.”

“I could have bid slam as South,” Louie said, displaying today’s deal, “but I knew something would go wrong.”

When West led the king of spades, Louie took dummy’s ace and cashed the ace of trumps. He tried a heart to his queen, and West took the king and returned a heart.

Louie next led the K-J of trumps, and West won and exited with his last trump. Louie then led a club to the ace and back to his jack. West produced the queen: down one.

“Only someone with my luck could go down,” Louie sighed.

Louie succeeds easily: For example, if he runs his trumps, he catches West in a squeeze. His simplest play is to refuse the first trick. If West then led a trump (anything else would concede a trick immediately), Louie could win and later end-play West with his trump trick.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: A J 6 3 9752 A4 A 9 3. You are the dealer. What is your opening call? You have a mandatory opening bid with three aces and a working jack, but neither of your four-card major suits is biddable. (In many styles, virtually no four-card major is worth opening.) Open one club, a so-called prepared bid. If partner raises to two clubs, you will pass, trusting that his support is adequate to make the contract playable. North dealer E-W vulnerable

Opening lead –

K