DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Every month I go to Birmingham for dinner and a fun bridge game with old partners and teammates. We always seem to have interesting deals.

I was today’s South, and when East-West got to four hearts, I judged to go to five diamonds. West doubled, all passed. He took two hearts and his ace of trumps. When the spade finesse won, I was down one. Had North held one more diamond and one fewer heart, I would have made the contract.

I might have done better to bid five diamonds immediately. West might still have doubled, but it’s likely he would have bid five hearts with his powerful hand. If East had no more than 10 8 6 4, Q 8 3 2, 4 3 2,

A 3, East-West might make six hearts.

My partner maintained that against five hearts by West, he would have led ... the ace of clubs! I could ruff the next club, lead a spade to North’s queen, ruff a club and lead a spade to the ace for down three.

Perhaps leading the ace of clubs would indeed be North’s best chance to scuttle the contract. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S K 3 H A K 9 6 4 D A C K Q 10 7 5. Your partner opens one spade, you bid two hearts, he rebids two spades and you try three clubs. Partner rebids three spades. You bid 4NT, Blackwood, and he replies six clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Pairs have different agreements. A common agreement is that a responder to Blackwood jumps to six of a void suit with one ace. You might make seven spades, but you can’t count 13 tricks. Bid six spades.