DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“My wife has a cellphone,” a club player told me. “To reach her, I have to call twice — once so she can fumble around in her purse to locate the phone, and a second time so I can actually speak to her.”

Today’s declarer had to locate the queen of spades to score a vulnerable game. West led a club, and East took the jack and king and tried to cash the ace. South ruffed, drew trumps and let the queen of diamonds ride, losing.

South won East’s diamond return, led a spade to dummy’s ace and returned a spade to his jack. West produced the queen for down one, and South grumbled about losing two finesses in a row.

South fumbled the contract. East had passed as dealer and had shown the A-K-J of clubs and the king of diamonds, hence he couldn’t hold the queen of spades.

South’s best chance is a “backward finesse.” He leads the jack of spades from his hand.

When West’s queen covers, South wins in dummy and returns a spade to his eight, winning when East has the ten.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: S 10 7 5 3 H 9

4 D K 8 5 C A K J 5. Your partner opens one heart, you bid one spade and he rebids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner has minimum opening values and six or more hearts. If he held 6 4, A K J 7 3, A 7 6, Q 6 3, his second bid would have been 1NT. With A K 4, K Q 7 6 3, 7 6, Q 6 3, he would have raised to two spades. With A 4, A Q 7 6 3, Q J 9 4, 6 3, he would have bid two diamonds. You have just enough values to invite game. Bid 2NT or three hearts.