FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

UNREMARKABLE PLAY

“Of all the inventions in the past 100 years, the dry erase board must be the most ... remarkable.” — graffiti When you’re declarer, it might help if you could erase the first few tricks, or just your play to Trick One, and start over.

In today’s deal, West led his singleton spade against four hearts, and South won with the ace and started the trumps. East took the king and returned a spade, and West ruffed, cashed his ace of trumps and exited with a club. Declarer won, but when he finessed in diamonds later, West took the king. Down one.

Clean Slate

South’s play was unremarkable. I’ll bet South wished he could go back and start with a clean slate. After he wins the first trick, he must take the K-A of clubs and ruff dummy’s last club, then lead a trump.

Then, when West gets a spade ruff and takes his high trump, he is end-played. If he leads a diamond, South gets a free finesse. If West leads a club, South gets a useful ruff-sluff. Either way, South makes his game.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ J 10 7 5 3 ♥ K6 ♦ 7 5 2 ♣J 9 6. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he bids two clubs. What do you say?

Answer: To return to two hearts would be reasonable; partner might do better at a 5-2 heart fit than at a 4-3 club fit. But with a hand this weak, I would pass. In theory, a preference is no stronger than a pass here. In practice, I would rather not give partner another chance to bid and maybe get too high.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable