FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

COMBINING CHANCES

“I heard you’re writing about combining chances as declarer,” a club player said to me. “I learned long ago what to do ‘if at first I don’t succeed’: I just need to do it the way my wife told me to in the first place.”

My friend said he held today’s rock crusher South hand.

“I knew from the bidding that my wife had the ace of spades and king of diamonds,” he said, “so I bid a grand slam, figuring it would depend on winning a finesse at worst. I won the trump lead, drew trumps and took the A-K of hearts.

“When the queen didn’t fall, I cashed three spades to discard my last heart and led a club to my jack. Down one. My wife has always told me not to rely on finesses.”

Last Heart

Declarer missed an extra chance. He can take only the A-Q of trumps and then the A-K of hearts. Next he cashes three spades to discard his last heart and ruffs a heart.

When the hearts break 3-3, South can draw the missing trump with dummy’s king and pitch his jack of clubs on the 13th heart.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A J 9 ♥ J 6 3 2 ♦ K 8 7 ♣ 8 5 2. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids one spade. What do you say?

Answer: You have no satisfactory call. To pass would be timid; partner could have as many as 18 points. A raise to two spades would suggest four-card support. A bid of 1NT with no club strength is possible but unappealing. I would choose a return to two diamonds.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable