DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“He did it to me again,” Unlucky Louie sighed. “That’s the second time this week.”

Louie had the misfortune to cut the notorious Joe Overberry in my club’s penny game. Joe thinks it’s nobler to go down in pursuit of overtricks than to make his bid. He drives his partners to drink.

Joe was declarer at four spades, and West led the ten of diamonds. Joe won with the king and saw a treasured overtrick by ruffing his two low diamonds in dummy. But when he led the ace of diamonds at Trick Two, West ruffed and led a trump.

Then dummy had only one trump for Joe’s two diamond losers. He also lost two hearts and went down one. 720 POINTS

“He cost himself — and me — 720 points,” Louie said. “And what’s worse, he was unrepentant. I’ll have a martini.”

At the second trick, Joe must lead a low diamond. If East wins and leads a trump, Joe wins in his hand and ruffs a diamond with the queen of trumps. He takes the ace of clubs, ruffs a club and has 10 tricks after he draws trumps. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S Q 10 H J 10

6 5 D 3 2 C A 10 8 6 3. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT and he bids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner has a maximum of 18 high-card points and may have as few as 11 or 12. To pass might preserve a plus score. Still, you have three useful cards, and partner could easily hold a hand such as A K J 6 5, K Q 9 4, 9 5, K 7 or A J 9 6 5, A Q 9 4, A 5, 7 5. Raise to three hearts and give your side a chance to reach game.