DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

In the club lounge, someone asked my friend the English professor if he could spell the word “part” backwards.

“Don’t do it,” I warned the prof. “It’s a trap.”

In today’s deal, the defenders set a trap for declarer and he fell in. Against 3NT, West led the four of hearts: three, king, ace. South then led a diamond, West played the three, dummy the 10 ... and East smoothly followed with the four.

Declarer returned a club to his king and led a second diamond, and West played the jack. South may have been wary, but he finessed with the queen. When East took the king, dummy was stone dead, and South was lucky to go down only one.

West did well to play the jack on the second diamond. If he plays the nine, South may go up with dummy’s ace. He will know that he can’t bring in the diamonds if West had K-J-9-3.

After the 10 of diamonds wins, declarer can take the A-K of clubs and lead a third club. When clubs break 3-3, he has nine winners without the diamonds.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ AJ63 ♥ AQ ♦ 65 ♣ A K 9 3 2. You open one club, your partner responds one diamond, you bid one spade and he rebids two diamonds. South in today’s deal then bid 3NT. Do you agree with his call?

Answer: Since South’s bid of one spade was not forcing, and North’s two diamonds was not encouraging, for South to leap to game was illogical, especially since he had no help for the diamonds. A bid of 2NT would have been plenty.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable