Wendy’s careful play

“It beats me how she found the winning play,” Cy the Cynic grumbled to me in the club lounge. “She must possess some of that ‘woman’s intermission.’”

Cy, a shameless chauvinist, and Wendy, my club’s feminist, are adversaries even when they wind up as partners. But in today’s deal, Cy was West, and Wendy became declarer at four spades. Cy led the king of hearts and continued with the ace.

“Wendy ruffed,” Cy told me, “considered her next play ... and led a club! My partner took the ace and returned a club for me to ruff, but Wendy won my diamond shift, drew trumps and claimed, making four.”

HEART TRICKS

“If she draws all the trumps first,” the Cynic went on, “she has none left, and when my partner takes the ace of clubs, we cash three heart tricks.”

Wendy did well. Her careful play guarded against a 5-1 trump break: about a 14 percent chance.

“All I know,” Cy growled, “is that she never would have made the contract if I had been her partner instead of her opponent.”

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠9 ♥Q 3 ♦ AQ 6 2 ♣K J 10 6 5 3. Your partner opens one heart, you bid two clubs and he rebids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Even in a style where your two clubs was forcing to game, most pairs would treat a rebid of three clubs as not forcing. Since your hand is strong enough to commit to game, bid three diamonds, forcing. If partner bids 3NT next, to pass would be speculative. I would continue with a bid of four clubs. North dealer N-S vulnerable