DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

Unlucky Louie had won the club’s monthly duplicate championship — almost. He had taken a fatal zero on the final deal.

As South, Louie opened one diamond and leaped to 3NT over North’s one spade. West led the jack of clubs, and Louie won and took the A-K of diamonds. When the queen fell, he went to dummy with the 10 and rolled the dice by leading a heart to his king.

West produced the ace and ... returned a heart, and the defense took three more hearts, holding Louie to nine tricks.

“Everybody else took more,” Louie sighed. “Some Souths got a heart opening lead, giving them 12 tricks. I wasn’t lucky. With a club lead, 11 tricks were limit.”

Louie was unlucky in a way since West might have returned a club when he took the ace of hearts. Actually, Louie could always take 12 tricks. If he cashes two clubs and six diamonds, West can keep five cards and must hold four spades. Then Louie can lead a low heart to the bare ace, setting up his 12th trick.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ AK62 ♥ 73 ◆ 10 53 ♣ 9 6 5 2. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he bids two diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: To pass might be best since partner could have a minimum hand with 1-5-5-2 pattern. But that is only one scenario. Since you have two winners, and he may have as many as 18 points, game is still possible. Bid two hearts, returning to what is probably a better trump suit.