Daily Bridge Club

Louie’s empty feeling

Unlucky Louie had sent another daughter off to college.

“It gives me a feeling of emptiness — especially in my bank account,” Louie told me. “My daughter wrote home to her mom, asking for a credit card. She must think ‘mom’ stands for ‘made of money.’”

I suspect that Louie loses enough in my club’s penny game to pay a semester’s tuition. When he was declarer at today’s four spades, he took the A-K of hearts, ruffed his last heart in dummy and cashed the top trumps. Louie next led to the ace of diamonds and returned a diamond to his queen. He lost two diamonds, a club and a trump.

TECHNIQUE

Louie succeeds with basic technique. At Trick Two, he leads a club to his king. Say West wins and leads another heart. Louie takes the king and cashes the queen of clubs and A-K of trumps. He ruffs a club, ruffs a heart in dummy and ruffs a club.

Louie then goes to the ace of diamonds to discard a diamond on the good fifth club. He loses one diamond, one trump and one club.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ A7653 K52 Q73 ♣ K Q. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he bids two diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: You must commit to game. After your one-over-one response, a jump to three hearts now would be only invitational, not forcing. Bid four hearts. To try 3NT is an option, but to suppress your support for partner’s hearts and rely on your club holding for notrump would be questionable at best. South dealer

N-S vulnerable