DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

A team led by Marty Fleisher won the Vanderbilt Teams at the Spring NABC. In the final, FLEISHER (Martel, Greco-Hampson, Grue-Moss) beat Nick NICKELL, 133 to 95.

FLEISHER won the first quarter 56 to 0, but the match was still in doubt in the third quarter until Joe Grue-Brad Moss bid and made two close vulnerable games for FLEISHER.

In today’s deal, North-South for NICKELL stopped at one spade and made it, but Grue-Moss got to 3NT. (North’s bid of two diamonds was artificial.) West for NICKELL led an imaginative queen of hearts.

Moss, South, found that he had five heart tricks. The chance of that had been below one in 100. He ran the hearts — West threw a club and a spade, East a diamond — then led a spade to his nine.

When West took the jack, he could have prevailed by leading a low diamond, provided East took the ace and led a club.

But West led the queen, and when East won, Moss unblocked his king. He got to dummy with the jack to finesse again in spades and make 3NT.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A Q 9 5 H 5 D K 8 7 6 C A Q 9 2. You open one diamond, your partner responds one heart, you bid one spade and he tries 1NT. What do you say?

ANSWER: To pass would be reasonable. It’s possible that you have no trump fit anywhere: Your partner’s hand could be 8 4, K J 9 6 4, J 4 2, K 7 3. Still, he is more likely than not to have club length, and a club contract may be playable even if he has only three. Bid two clubs.