Daily Bridge Club

Test your dummy play

This week’s deals have treated a common theme: getting multiple chances as declarer. Cover today’s East-West cards. Plan the play at six spades when West leads the queen of hearts.

The actual South tried to give himself a good chance. He took the ace, ruffed a heart and got to dummy with high trumps to ruff two more hearts. South next led a diamond to dummy’s jack.

When East took the king and led a club, declarer had to guess: He could finesse with the queen or play for a 3-3 diamond break but couldn’t do both. He finessed ... and down he went.

LAST DIAMOND

South did well to strip out the hearts, but he should attack the diamonds by taking the ace and leading the four. If East wins, South has 12 tricks. If East ducks, South wins and leads a third diamond. As the cards lie, he sets up his last diamond.

If West held K-x in diamonds, he would be end-played. If instead he had a diamond to return, South would learn whether he had to try the club finesse for his 12th trick.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ QJ62 ♡ A832 ♢ A J 4 ♣ 8 4. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart and he bids two clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Much depends on your partner’s idea of what constitutes an opening bid. If he often opens light, shapely hands, bid 2NT or (if a jump-preference is invitational) three diamonds. If his opening bids are solid, bid 3NT. In any case, you have no reason to bid spades; partner doesn’t have four cards in that suit. South dealer N-S vulnerable