DAILY BRIDGE CLUB:

Cy the Cynic says that if at first you don’t succeed, reload and try again. That would have been good advice in today’s deal.

At 3NT, South put up dummy’s queen on the first spade hopefully, but East’s king covered. South played low, ducked the spade return and won the third spade. He cashed his three high clubs, hoping for a 3-3 break that would make dummy’s fourth club a winner, but West discarded a diamond.

South then led a heart to dummy’s king and let the queen of diamonds ride. West produced the king “and cashed two spades for down one.

South missed the target because he didn’t take all three of his available chances (my topic this week). After South cashes his high clubs, he should take the A-Q of hearts and lead a heart to the dummy’s king. When hearts break 3-3, South can come to his ace of diamonds to take the fourth heart for his ninth trick.

If the hearts broke badly, the lead would be in dummy. South could finesse in diamonds as a last resort.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ Q7 ♥ K74 ◆ Q J32 ♣ 8 7 5 2. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT, he bids two hearts and you return to two spades. Partner next bids three diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s third bid improves your hand; he is “bidding out his pattern” to help you judge whether you have useful cards, and your diamond honors appear to be useful, plus you have working honors in his other suits. Encourage by raising to four diamonds.