DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

"Isn't Cy a bachelor?" a club player asked me, speaking of Cy the Cynic. "I heard he's divorced."

"Cy defines a bachelor as someone who never made the same mistake once," I said.

Everyone makes mistakes, but I'd define an expert as someone who never boots an easy deal. Today's declarer displayed a non-expert approach. He won the second heart, led a club to dummy and returned the queen of diamonds, winning. When East discarded on the next diamond, South took the ace and led a third diamond.

West won and led the queen of clubs, and the play became complex. If South had taken the ace and returned a club, West would have had to put up the jack (!) to save East from an end play. But South ducked the queen, and West shifted to the ten of spades (best). When South took the queen and cashed the ace of clubs, West dumped his jack, and South went down one.

West's defense was better than South's play. South easily succeeds by winning the first heart to start the diamonds. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S J 7 2 H A 7 3 D Q J 10 7 4 C K 8. Your partner opens one club, you bid one diamond and he rebids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner has six or more clubs with minimum opening values, and you have enough values to invite game. (If he holds A 9 5, K 5, 6 3, A Q 7 6 5 3, you can make 3NT.) I suspect that if the problem were presented to an expert panel, the vote would be split between a raise to three clubs and a bid of 2NT. I'd accept either action.