FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

SIMPLE SATURDAY

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and logical thinking.

A play principle: It’s best to play last to a trick. You see what everybody else has played and act accordingly. In an “end play,” you give a defender the lead. Then you can play last.

At today’s four hearts, South took the ace of clubs, drew trumps and tried a diamond from dummy to his king. West took the ace and did well to shift to a spade. South won with the ace and led a second diamond.

West played low, and South finessed with dummy’s nine. East won with the ten and led another spade, and the defense cashed a spade when West took the queen of diamonds.

Good Defense

That was good defense, but South succeeds with an end play. After he draws trumps, he ruffs dummy’s last club (making it dangerous for the defenders to lead clubs), takes the A-K of spades and exits with a spade.

Then East-West must break the diamonds or concede a ruff-sluff. South loses at most two diamonds and a spade.

Daily Question You hold:

♠ Q 10 8 6 ♥ 8 ♦ 10 8 7 ♣ K9 6 4 2. The dealer, at your left, opens one heart. Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say? Answer: You must respond despite your weakness. Bid one spade. To respond in the major suit is correct. Partner is more likely to have good support for the other major than for clubs. If you have a game, it is probably at spades; if a partscore, a spade partial will score more points. South dealer

N-S vulnerable