Bridge: July 12, 2019

Unlucky Louie took his kids on a camping trip and had to travel on some curvy two-lane roads.

“Why,” Louie complained, “do the drivers I get behind always want to go slower than I do?”

“Think,” I said, “and you might answer your own question.”

Some players play fast, some slow. Some who play fast need to play slower. As declarer at today’s four hearts, Louie took dummy’s king of clubs and hastily cashed the A-K of trumps. He continued with the A-Q of clubs, throwing a diamond from dummy, and led the queen of spades. East ducked (!) to avoid giving dummy two spade tricks.

HIGH TRUMP

Louie next led a diamond. East won, cashed his high trump and led another diamond, forcing out dummy’s last trump, and Louie still had a club and a diamond to lose. Down one.

East defended well, but Louie played too fast. He must take only one high trump before discarding on his third high club. Louie then leads the queen of spades, and whatever East does, Louie loses only three tricks in all.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S Q H A K 7 6 2 D Q 9 2 C A Q 6 2. Your partner opens one diamond, you bid one heart and he rebids two diamonds. What do you say?

ANSWER: An ideal hand for partner such as A 6 5, 5 4, A K 10 8 6 3, K 5 will make seven diamonds, so you can hardly bid less than six and might do so directly (after bidding 4NT to check for missing aces). To try for seven, you can bid three clubs, intending to support the diamonds next, to paint a picture of your pattern.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S K J 6 5 2

H 10 5 4 3

D 6 5

C K 5

WEST

S 8 7 4 3

H 9

D A J 7 4 3

C 10 9 7

EAST

S A 10 9

H Q J 8

D K 10 8

C J 8 4 3

SOUTH

S Q

H A K 7 6 2

D Q 9 2

C A Q 6 2

South West North East

1 H Pass 2 H Pass

4 H All Pass

Opening lead — C 10

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