DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

South dealer — N-S vulnerable

“Got all your Christmas gifts wrapped?” I asked Unlucky Louie in the club lounge.

“Insofar as I am able,” Louie sighed. “My wife says if you’ve ever seen a butcher wrapping a package of pork chops, you have some idea of my skill at wrapping Christmas gifts.”

In today’s deal in a penny game, Louie played at 3NT, and West led the 10 of hearts. Louie won in dummy, pondered briefly and led a diamond to his 10. West took the king and led another heart. Louie won that and cashed the ace of diamonds — and came unglued when West discarded. Louie had eight tricks but no chance for another.

With good luck in diamonds, Louie might have made an overtrick, but to wrap up nine tricks, he needs only two diamond tricks.

To play safe, Louie leads a diamond to his ace at Trick Two. When the king falls from West, Louie is safe. If instead both defenders played low diamonds, Louie would lead a second diamond toward dummy. No matter how the suit lay, Louie would be sure of a second diamond trick.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ AK6 ♥ KJ3 ♦ A 10 5 2

♣ A 8 5. You open one diamond, your partner bids one spade, you jump to 2NT and he tries three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your 2NT promised about 19 points. Partner’s three hearts is forcing; he has at least a decent hand with five or more spades and four or more hearts. Your values are slammish. Jump to four spades to show strong three-card support. You may ease partner’s mind about trump quality if he is interested in slam. You would bid three spades with Jxx, KQx, AKJx, AJx.