DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“Finesses have no business working for that guy,” Unlucky Louie grumbled to me in the club lounge. Louie meant the player we call Harlow the Halo. While bad luck follows Louie around like his shadow, Harlow’s errors never cost a penny.

In a team match, both Louie and Harlow played at six diamonds. Both Wests led a club.

“When I was declarer,” Louie told me, “I saw that the club finesse was moot. Even if the queen won, I still had to guess the queen of hearts to make the slam. But if I guessed right, I could discard a club on dummy’s fourth heart.”

Louie took the ace of clubs, drew trumps and let the jack of hearts ride. He won 12 tricks: four hearts, five trumps, two black aces and a ruff.

“When the Halo was declarer,” Louie said bitterly, “he finessed with the queen of clubs at Trick One ... winning. He also played West for the queen of hearts and made the slam.”

Poor Louie. Harlow took a “practice finesse” that worked. One day, his luck will run out.

DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A J 4 H K

J 3 D A K 9 6 2 C 9 4. The dealer, at your right, opens one club. What do you say?

ANSWER: The problem might split a panel of experts. Some would overcall one diamond to get the five-card suit into the game promptly, intending to act again later. Others would double to show support for all three unbid suits and cater to the chance of a major-suit game or partscore. I would overcall one diamond, but I don’t feel strongly.