DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

BY FRANK STEWART

"What can I do about people peeking into my cards?" a club player asked. "I sit so far back from the table that I need opera glasses to make out the dummy, but declarer still plays as if he has a periscope."

"Are you sure about the peeking?" "Well, look at this deal." My friend had been West. At five diamonds South ruffed the second heart, drew trumps, took the top spades and ruffed dummy's last spade.

"He led a club next," West told me. "I played the five, and South put in dummy's seven! He still lost one club but made game. Wasn't his play suspicious?"

West couldn't prevail by playing an honor on the first club. South would take the ace and duck the next club to endplay West.

If South was a good declarer, he wasn't peeking. South was at risk only if clubs broke 4-1, and his play of the seven assured the contract. If East could win, he would have to concede a ruff-sluff or return a club, letting South pick up the clubs no matter how the suit lay. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A 6 H 5 D A K J 10 9 6 C K 9 8 2. You open one diamond, your partner responds one spade, you bid two clubs and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

ANSWER: You need not risk a raise to 3NT or jump to five diamonds. Bid three diamonds (forcing) to show six diamonds, four clubs and more than minimum values. If your hand were minimum -- trade your ace of spades for a low spade -- you would have rebid two diamonds to limit your strength.