DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“Watching my wife play bridge,” a club player told me, “is like awaiting the results of a pregnancy test. She goes into long huddles while I sit there biting my nails.”

My friend’s wife was today’s South.

“She bid three diamonds at her second turn to try for game,” he said. “When West’s three spades came around, she huddled — a pregnant pause, I guess I’d call it — and accepted her own try!”

West led high spades against four hearts. South ruffed the third spade, huddled and drew trumps, leaving her with none. She took her three high diamonds but lost the rest. Down two.

Thinking is fine, but South’s thought processes seemed disorganized. When West discards on the second trump, South must lead the king of clubs. West wins and returns a club; dummy still has a trump, so he can’t lead another spade.

South wins and next takes her high diamonds. Since East holds four diamonds as well as the long trumps, South can ruff her fourth diamond in dummy and make game. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S 9 5 4 H Q

10 2 D A 9 5 C 7 5 3 2. Your partner opens one heart, and the next player bids one spade. North in today’s deal raised to two hearts with this hand. Do you agree with that call?

ANSWER: North’s raise was correct. His hand was as weak as could be for a single raise, but you can’t suppress support for your partner’s suit even with a weak hand. A “free bid” may suggest soundness, but the term “free raise” has little meaning.