Bridge Play

“The man could roll sevens if he had only one die,” Unlucky Louie grumbled.

Louie meant the player we call Harlow the Halo. While Harlow basks in Dame Fortune’s smile — his finesses always win and his errors never cost — Louie struggles in her shadow.

In a team match, Louie and Harlow both played at today’s four spades, and West led a club. Harlow played dummy’s queen, accepting the winning finesse as his due. He claimed 10 tricks.

BETTER PLAY

Louie played with more care. He saw that if the club finesse lost, East would prevail with a heart shift. So Louie took the ace and led a low diamond from dummy. East won and led a club to West’s king, but Louie won the heart shift, led a diamond to the ace and ruffed a diamond.

Louie next took the A-Q of trumps and led a good diamond from dummy. East ruffed, but Louie overruffed, led a trump to dummy and took the good diamond. Making four.

If diamonds had split 4-2, Louie would have made game if trumps had split 3-1 or 2-2.

DAILY QUESTION

North dealer N-S vulnerable

NORTH

♠ QJ2

♥ 873

♦ A8653

♣ AQ

WEST

None J942 Q72 KJ9632

EAST 8765 KQ10 KJ10 1075

SOUTH AK10943 A65

94

84

You hold: ♠ QJ2 ♥ 873 ♦ A8653 ♣ A Q. Your partner opens one club, you respond one diamond and he bids one spade. What do you say?

ANSWER: You have enough strength to commit to game, but unless you are willing to raise to four spades with three-card support or risk 3NT with no heart stopper, you cannot place the contract. Bid two hearts, a forcing “fourth-suit” action that doesn’t promise hearts but merely asks partner to bid again.