Sacrificial offering
“My wife says we need to make sacrifices if our marriage is going to thrive,” Unlucky Louie told me in the club lounge.
“That sounds perceptive to me,” I said.
“Me too,” Louie nodded. “I’ve selected a goat.”
Louie was today’s West in a penny game. He led the king of clubs against four spades. Declarer refused the trick, won the next club and led a low diamond from dummy: three, ace, ten from Louie. South next took only the A-Q of trumps, ruffed dummy’s last club and led a diamond.
THREE TRICKS
Louie took the king ... and was end-played. He cashed the ace of hearts, and South claimed. If instead Louie had led a club, declarer would ruff in dummy and discard a heart, again losing only three tricks.
To prevail, Louie had to sacrifice his king of diamonds, throwing it under the ace. Then East would win a diamond trick and lead a heart. That play is unlikely to lose, especially since South might have finessed in diamonds if he held A-J-x-x.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: 8 6 A Q 9 4 K 10 K Q 10 9 5. You open one club, and your partner bids one spade. The opponents pass. What do you say?
ANSWER: You must not bid two hearts. That call would be a “reverse,” promising much more than minimum strength. (In the style of some partnerships, it would force to game.) A rebid of two clubs would be defensible but would suggest a sixcard or longer suit. Bid 1NT to show a balanced minimum opening bid. South dealer Both sides vulnerable