DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“My partner is always fair and reasonable,” a fan’s email states. “He approaches every problem with an open mouth. If I goof, or make what he considers a goof, I hear about it.”

As today’s North, my fan opened one club and bid 1NT over his partner’s onespade response. South then leaped to four spades.

“West led a heart: three, king, ace. My partner led a diamond to dummy, let the jack of trumps ride, ruffed a diamond and led the A-Q of trumps. East won and returned a heart, and West took the ten and queen. The club finesse lost later: down one.” SINGLETON

“My partner roasted me for my 1NT bid with a singleton spade. Was my bidding that bad?”

North’s bid was fine. Furthermore, South could have wrapped up four spades. After the jack of trumps wins, South can ruff a diamond and reach dummy with high clubs to ruff two more diamonds. He has won eight tricks, and when he exits with a club or heart, the defense can’t stop him from scoring his A-Q of trumps for two more. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A Q 10 9 6 3 H A J 9 D Q C 7 5 2. You open one spade, your partner responds two hearts, you rebid two spades and he bids 3NT. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s two hearts promised a five-card or longer suit. He would never be obliged to respond two hearts on a four-card suit. He would always have an option, even a temporizing response in a three-card minor. Bid four hearts. Some players would have raised partner’s two hearts to three.