Bridge

“You know what life needs?” Cy the Cynic asked me in the club lounge. “One of those prompts on your computer screen where the program asks, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? OK/Cancel.’”

Cy could use something like that as declarer. He never considers his play with care. At today’s four hearts, Cy won the first spade and promptly took dummy’s ace of clubs to discard his queen of diamonds. He next led the jack of trumps. West took his ace and led another spade to dummy.

DOWN ONE

The Cynic threw a spade on the king of clubs, ruffed a diamond and took the K-Q of trumps. West got a second trump trick, and East got two spades. Down one.

Cy’s play was typically thoughtless. He has 10 winners: five trumps (even if the suit breaks 4-1), two spades, two clubs and one diamond. At Trick Two, dummy should lead a diamond.

If East wins and leads another spade, Cy can win and discard three spades on the A-K of clubs and king of diamonds. He is safe even when trumps break badly.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ QJ96 ♥ 7 ♦ AJ953 ♣ J 9 6. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he bids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: This is agonizing. In “Standard” methods, opener’s minimum bid in a new suit has a wide range (a weak area of the system). Partner may have 12 points or 18. Your disciplined call is to pass. You might stretch to try 2NT in case you have a game; if partner passed, you might be no worse off than at two clubs.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable