Bridge Play

“I heard you’re dating a woman who is a hoarder,”

I said to Cy the Cynic in the club lounge. Cy has had dozens of “permanent” relationships.

“We broke up,” the Cynic said shortly.

“Too bad.”

“What bothered me,” Cy said, “was that she told me I’m the first thing she’s ever gotten rid of.”

In a penny game, Cy was today’s West. Against five diamonds, he led the queen of hearts and then the jack.

Declarer ruffed, led a trump to dummy and casually returned a low club: four, ace, five. South next led a trump to dummy, ruffed a heart, took the A-K of spades, ruffed a spade and ruffed dummy’s last heart.

LAST CLUB

Declarer then led a club. When Cy took the king, he had only spades left to lead, and South ruffed in dummy and threw his last club. Making five.

When South led a club to his ace, Cy should have been wary; clearly, South didn’t hold the A-Q. If Cy gets rid of his king of clubs, he avoids

the impending end play. East will score his ten and queen for down one.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ 5 ♥ K752

♦ AQ85 ♣ J 9 6 3. Your partner opens one spade, you bid 1NT, he rebids two spades and you (perhaps questionably) try 2NT. Partner bids three diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner suggests six spades, four diamonds and minimum opening strength. If he held a stronger hand with that pattern, his second bid would have been two diamonds or three spades. Pass. Your chances of making any game are poor at best.