DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
“Simple Saturday” columns are meant to help aspiring players improve technique and develop logical thinking.
Bridge has many “nursery rhymes”: adages that guide your play. Good players know when to ignore mere guidelines.
At today’s 3NT, declarer should play dummy’s ace on the first spade; he has no hurry to try winning a trick with the queen. The old rhyme about “eight ever, nine never” tells South to take the A-K of clubs next instead of finessing for the queen, but South doesn’t want West to get in. Another spade lead may be fatal if East has the king.
South should instead take the ace and let the jack ride. If East had the queen, he couldn’t lead another spade without giving South a ninth trick. If East exited with a heart, South would win and safely let the queen of diamonds ride. He would be sure of four clubs, two diamonds, two hearts and a spade.
As the cards lie, South’s jack of clubs wins. He can then finesse in diamonds and end with an overtrick.
Daily question
You hold: ♠ AQ 3 ♥ 72 ♦ A752 ♣ K 9 4 3. Your partner opens one heart. The next player passes. What do you say?
Answer: It would be nice to respond 2NT, natural and forcing, showing a balanced hand with 13 to 15 points. But many pairs treat a 2NT bid as a conventional forcing raise in hearts. If that is your agreement, respond two clubs, leaving room for your partner to bid two diamonds if he has length there. If he rebids two hearts, you will try 3NT.
South dealer
Both sides vulnerable