DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

A Lutheran minister wrote to me; he and his wife play bridge.

“She’s the better player,” his letter reads, “and she lets me know it, albeit gently. She can say more with a sigh than I can in a sermon.”

The couple were today’s East-West, and my correspondent’s wife led her singleton diamond against four spades.

East took the ace and returned the deuce, and West ruffed. South won the club return and lost a trump to East’s ace.

“I led a heart next,” East writes, “but declarer took the ace, drew trumps, ran the diamonds to pitch his queen of hearts and claimed. My wife sighed, and I knew I’d sinned.”

If West has an ace, East has no worries, but if West has the king of hearts, East must lead a heart at Trick Two to set up a heart trick before South draws trumps and discards on the diamonds. Since East has the ace of trumps, he can wait to give West a ruff.

East doesn’t know West has the king of hearts, but he should so assume. Otherwise, his play is moot. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S Q 10 6 4

H A Q D Q 10 8 C A 8 6 2. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he jumps to 2NT. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your partner promises a good 18 to a fair 20 points with balanced distribution, so simple addition will solve your problem. You have at least 32 points combined, and your two tens may be useful. Do your duty and bid 6NT. Your partner will be a heavy favorite to take 12 tricks.