Bridge: Aug. 7 2023

I found Cy the Cynic in the club lounge, writing an alimony check — feeding hay to a dead horse, he says. Cy’s marriage vow is never to take another one.

Cy says that one can live as cheaply as two. He may be right about that, but one chance won’t go as far as two at the bridge table. As declarer at today’s four spades, Cy took the ace of diamonds and tabled the ace of trumps. He next led a club to dummy and returned a heart to his king.

West won, and Cy had to lose another heart, a club and a trump. Down one.

ONE CHANCE

Cy gave himself one chance when he had two. After Cy takes the ace of trumps, he leads a heart toward dummy’s jack. West takes the queen and leads another diamond, and Cy ruffs and leads a second heart to West’s ace. Cy can pitch a club from dummy on his king of hearts and ruff a club in dummy.

If East had the queen of hearts, Cy would still succeed if he had the ace. Cy’s play had a 50 percent chance. The winning play succeeds 75 percent of the time.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S 10 H A Q 7 2 D Q J 10 9 C 9 6 4 3. Your partner opens one club, the next player bids one spade and you double (negative). Partner bids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your double promised heart length but the wrong type of hand to bid two hearts. Partner’s two hearts is not a reverse; he has “supported” the suit your double promised. Pass. The opponents are not competing in spades, so partner probably has “wasted” honors there.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S Q 8 6 5

H J 5

D 6 5 3 2

C K 8 2

WEST

S 10

H A Q 7 2

D Q J 10 9

C 9 6 4 3

EAST

S K J

H 10 9 8 4

D K 8 7 4

C Q J 10

SOUTH

S A 9 7 4 3 2

H K 6 3

D A

C A 7 5

South West North East
1 S Pass 2 S Pass
4 S All Pass
Opening lead — D Q

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