BOGGLE BRAINBUSTERS

Cy the Cynic believes in the happiness of pursuit; he dates three or more women every week. But Cy can’t handle commitment; he says there is one way to have a successful marriage, and if he learns what it is, he might re-marry.

Cy’s least favorite holding is a doubleton K-Q; it reminds him of marriage. Cy was today’s South in a penny game and shuddered when he beheld his heart holding.

NINE TRICKS

Against 3NT, West led a diamond: deuce, king, ace. Cy cashed the king of clubs, led to dummy’s jack, took the ace and conceded a club. He then had nine tricks – four clubs, three hearts and two diamonds – but his communication was so tangled that he couldn’t take them. The defenders were careful, and Cy went down.

“What I expected when I saw those hearts,” the Cynic scowled.

Cy failed to manage his entries (my topic this week). At Trick Two, he can play a low club from both hands. Cy loses at most three spades and a club, and he can run the clubs and get all nine of his winners.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠10 8 6 5 ♥ KQ ♦ A Q6 4 ♣ K 6 5. You open one diamond, your partner responds one heart, you bid one spade and he tries two clubs. You next bid 2NT, and partner rebids three hearts. What do you say?

Answer: Partner’s three hearts is forcing. If he had a weak or invitational hand with long hearts, he would have rebid two hearts or three hearts at his second turn. Raise to four hearts. Partner may hold 72,AJ10864,5,AQJ3. Nouth dealer

N-S vulnerable

♠

♣

INSTRUCTIONS: Find as many words as you can by linking letters up, down, side-to-side and diagonally, writing words on a blank sheet of pmaanpy eworrd.s Yasoyouu may only use each letter box once within a single word. Play with a friend and compare word finds, crossing out common words.

RBGLE