Daily Bridge Club

Window of opportunity

I continue a series on getting multiple chances for your contract. When one door closes, another should open — but if not, maybe you can go in through a window.

Today’s North bid aggressively; an invitational raise to 4NT at his third turn would have been enough. At 6NT, South won the first diamond with the ace and let the jack of spades ride. When the finesse lost, South had only 11 tricks and almost no chance for another. He went down one and groused about North’s bidding.

How would you play the slam?

LUCKY

South missed a window of opportunity. He can win the first diamond in dummy and lead a heart to his jack. West takes the queen and leads another diamond, and declarer wins and takes the ace of hearts. When East’s king falls, South has three hearts, two diamonds, five clubs and two spades. If he wasn’t so lucky in hearts, he could still rely on the spade finesse.

The winning play also works if East holds the K-Q of hearts.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ AK9 4 ♥ 6 ♦ K 7 3 ♣ A Q J 10 5. You open one club, your partner responds one heart, you bid one spade and he raises to three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s raise invites game. If he had the values to underwrite a game, he would have bid four spades. Slam is possible. Partner might hold Q 8 3 2, Q 8 4 2, A 4 2, K 2. Cue-bid four clubs. If he then cue-bids four diamonds, bid six spades or pass the buck by cuebidding five diamonds. South dealer Both sides vulnerable