DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“Simple Saturday” columns are meant to help aspiring players improve technique and develop logical thinking.

A chess dictum: If you find a good move, look for an even better move. Finesses work half the time, but some finesses gain nothing even if they win because a better play was available.

At six spades, South takes the king of diamonds, draws trumps and can succeed if he wins a finesse in hearts or clubs. If he leads a club to dummy’s jack, East wins, and South goes down when West has the king of hearts.

If some finesses will work, you need not try them. After South wins the first diamond and draws trumps, he leads a diamond to the ace, ruffs dummy’s last diamond and takes the A-K of clubs. When East’s queen falls, South is home.

If East-West played low clubs, South would exit with a club. If West won — a finesse would have worked — South would be safe anyway since West would be end-played, forced to lead a heart into the A-Q or yield a ruff-sluff.

Daily question

Youhold: ♠ QJ652 ♥ 53 ♦ A54 ♣ K J 5. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two diamonds and you try 2NT. Partner then bids three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner’s bidding suggests six hearts, four diamonds and extra strength. If he had a minimum opening bid such as 7, A Q 10 8 6 2, K Q 7 6, 7 6, he would have rebid two hearts. His actual sequence is forcing. Raise to four hearts. Partner’s hand may be 7, A K J 10 7 2, K Q32,Q4.

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable