DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

This week’s deals have treated assumption by declarer: placing the cards so that your contract will have a chance. Cover the EastWest cards and try to make today’s game.

Take note of the bidding. You opened one spade; some players might have tried 1NT. (Here’s a clue: Your decision to go to four spades was a trifle optimistic, but it’s the East-West bidding, or the lack thereof, that should guide you.)

West leads the jack of diamonds, and you play dummy’s king with little hope. East takes the ace and queen and then leads a low heart. You must guess. Do you play the king or the jack?

You must assume that East has a heart honor and must also assume that he has the king of clubs. But East didn’t open the bidding and has shown the A-Q of diamonds, so if you hypothetically place him with the ace of hearts, you will be giving yourself no chance.

You must play the jack of hearts, hoping East had a hand such as x x, Q x x x, A Q x, K x x x, with which he wouldn’t open. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S 9 3 H Q 10 4 2 D A Q 7 C K 9 7 3. Your partner opens one diamond, and the next player bids two spades (weak). You double (negative), and your partner bids three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your opponent’s preempt has given you a tough guess. Your negative double promised a fair hand with hearts and either clubs or diamond support. To raise to four hearts might be right, but partner has bid under pressure, and bad breaks are likely. I would pass.