Daily Bridge Club

Watch your language!

My friend the English professor gets annoyed with people’s careless word usage. He chastised me for writing that a declarer made a contract “by means of” an end play.

“Just ‘by’ will do nicely,” the prof growled.

When I watched today’s deal in a penny game, South took the ace of hearts and appeared to have four losers: a heart, a club and two diamonds. But he drew trumps, took the A-K of clubs and led a heart. West won with the jack and led the queen, but instead of ruffing, declarer pitched his club loser.

DISCARD

West was end-played. If he cashed the ace of diamonds, South would take the rest. If West led a heart, South would ruff in dummy and discard a diamond. Making four. “Masterful play,” I observed. The prof was North. He nodded approvingly at South but cringed at me.

“Watch your language,” he sighed. “‘Masterful’ means domineering. The word you want is ‘masterly,’ meaning skillful.”

No matter what you call it, South’s play earned 620 points. DAILY QUESTION You hold: ♠ K 9 5 3 ♥ A 10 3 ♦ 7 2 ♣ A 7 5 4. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he bids 1NT. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: You have enough strength to invite game. Bid two hearts, which in this auction shows 10 or 11 points. If you had, say, eight points with heart support, you would have raised to two hearts directly. If your ten of hearts were the queen, you could jump to three hearts, forcing. South dealer N-S vulnerable