DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

Unlucky Louie’s wife says she can’t understand him. He can sit and wait three hours for a fish to bite but won’t wait 15 minutes for her to get dressed. Assuredly, Louie won’t take two minutes to plan his play at a tough slam.

Louie won the first spade with the king and drew trumps, leaving him with only one trump. He led a spade to dummy and returned the queen of hearts.

West took his king and led another spade, forcing out Louie’s last trump. When Louie then took the ace of hearts, West discarded, East got a heart trick, and Louie went down three and griped about his bad luck.

Louie was lucky, in fact, but he squandered his edge by playing too quickly. He should win the first spade in dummy.

Louie then draws trumps and leads a low heart. West wins and leads a diamond, but Louie can ruff, take dummy’s queen of hearts, and get back to his hand with the king of spades to run the hearts.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠A 9 6 4 ♥ Q 10 ◆ J 10 8 3 ♣ Q 5 3. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two clubs and you return to two hearts. Partner then bids two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Despite your weak preference bid of two hearts, partner bid a third time and remains interested in game. Since you have a maximum for your bidding, you must cooperate. Jump to 3NT. If he has as little as K5 3, A K J 6 5, Q, K 10 6 2, you’ll arrive at a contract.