DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“You say that a defender must often assume the cards lie a certain way,” a club player remarked. “He must give declarer a hand that will let the defense win out.”

“Positive thinking is helpful,” I nodded.

“Well, there are days when I’m not positive I’m thinking.”

My friend was today’s West. Against three hearts, he cashed the K- A of clubs, shrugged and got out with a diamond. Declarer forced out East’s ace of trumps, won the diamond return, drew trumps and conceded a spade. Making three.

I’m positive I’d never find the winning defense,” West said.

West must assume that East has the ace of trumps. If East has A- 10- x- x, South will fail, but otherwise, West’s best defense is to lead another club at Trick Three, attacking declarer’s trump holding. Declarer gets a ruff- and- discard but has no useful discard to take.

As it happens, East can pitch a spade. South ruffs, but when he leads a trump, East wins, leads his last spade and ruffs the next spade. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠K Q 9 5 3 ♥K Q J 5 ♦ AK ♣ J 5. You open one spade, and your partner bids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Since you have 19 points, you might be tempted to jump, but partner’s two- level response promises another bid, so you need not crowd your own auction. Bid two hearts. In fact, many pairs would treat a jump to three hearts as showing extra length in hearts, or as a “splinter bid” to show club support and heart shortness. West dealer Both sides vulnerable