Daily Bridge Club

FRANK STEWART TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

I fear that if Moses lived today, the Ten Commandments would be the Ten Best Practices, about which he would make a Powerpoint presentation, and then would come 40 years of status meetings.

Bridge has commandments: “rules” better viewed as tendencies. In today’s deal, West led the king of diamonds against four hearts, and dummy played low. When East signaled with the deuce, West led a club.

South took the ace, drew trumps and led dummy’s five of spades. East played “second hand low,” and that was the end of the defense. LAST DIAMOND West captured South’s jack and led a club, but South ruffed in dummy and led the queen of spades to East’s king. He won the diamond return, threw his last diamond on the ten of spades and claimed. The defense prevails if East ignores a rule. He must rise with the king on the first spade to return a diamond, setting up a second diamond trick for West. West probably has the ace of spades, and if South has it, four hearts must be unbeatable.

Questions and comments: Email Stewart at frs1016@centurylink.net