DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Cover today’s East/South cards.

After years of focusing on writing, I’m playing in casual online games — finding out how rusty I am. Try to defend better than I did as West. South’s 2NT showed 18 or so points, balanced. I led the king of diamonds: four, three, eight. What next?

I knew East had only three diamonds; with four, he would have signaled higher. Even if he had the queen, we needed a fifth trick.

At Trick Two, I led the jack of hearts — and South took five clubs and four hearts.

If I shift to a spade, East wins and returns the jack of diamonds for down one. A spade shift from my jack with Q-10-4 in dummy looked risky, but I can’t construct a hand for South, consistent with his bidding, where I give away the contract.

I had to assume East had a diamond honor. If he had the king of spades also, he couldn’t have a heart honor, so South would always make 3NT.

Principle: On defense, assume declarer has a hand that will let you beat the contract.

DAILY QUESTION Youhold:SQ104 HA 752D974CQJ5.Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids two clubs and you return to two diamonds. Partner then bids 2NT. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your two diamonds showed at most nine points, and you have a maximum, so you might raise to 3NT. Still, you lack a helping diamond honor, and if partner’s hand is short in hearts, a heart lead may be damaging. If not vulnerable, pass or bid three diamonds.