DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

When I watched today’s deal at my club, North was the dreaded Grapefruit. He owns and operates a sour disposition and berates his partners mercilessly.

After North-South halted at two spades, South ruffed the second club and led the ace and a low trump. West threw a heart, and East took his jack and king and forced South to ruff a third club. Declarer next let the nine of diamonds ride. East won and led his last club, forcing out South’s last trump, and when West took the ace of diamonds, he cashed a club. Down one.

“Sorry, partner,” Grapefruit snarled. “I should have tabled a better dummy. If gas were brains, you couldn’t drive two laps around a Cheerio.”

“Every card was wrong,” South growled.

Grapefruit told the kibitzers that South would ask for a price check at a dollar store.

South can afford two trump losers, two diamonds and a club. He can’t afford to lose trump control. After he takes the ace of trumps, he must start the diamonds. The contract is safe.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ A75432 ♥ AK

♦ J984 ♣ 5. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he raises to three spades. The opponents pass. What do you say?

Answer: An average jump-raise for your partner such as K J 8 6,

Q J 10 7 6, A, A 7 6 will make a grand slam all but a laydown. To use Blackwood might not tell you what you need to know. Cue-bid four hearts. Partner should treat that bid as a try for slam, not as natural and discouraging.

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable