Bridge: July 26, 2022
“How many roads must a man walk down,” Wendy, my club’s feminist asked me, “before he admits he is lost?”
“You and Cy are still having trouble on defense,” I sighed.
Cy the Cynic, a chauvinist, and Wendy are adversaries even when they cut as partners in our penny game.
“This time it was no partnership effort,” Wendy growled. “The Cynic handed our opponents a game with no help from me.”
Cy and Wendy were today’s East-West, and she led the queen of hearts against four spades. After the defense took three hearts, Cy led a club. South won in dummy and led the deuce of trumps. Cy followed with the ten, and South finessed with the queen and took the ace. Cy’s king fell, and South claimed.
TOTALLY LOST
“The man got lost in the 10-9 forest,” Wendy grumbled.
Cy missed an “obligatory” falsecard. On the first trump, he must play the king, the card he will soon be known to hold. South will take the ace and, unless he is quite suspicious, he will return a trump to dummy’s nine.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S A Q 6 5 4 H 6 5 2 D A Q 6 3 C K. You open one spade, and your partner bids two hearts. The opponents pass. What do you say?
ANSWER: Partner’s response promises five or more hearts (or, more strictly, a suit that can play opposite three-card support). If partner held a hand such as J72,KQ74,842,AQ6, he could temporize with a response of two clubs. Since your hand is in the minimum range, your best call is a raise to three hearts.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S J 9 2
H K 7 3
D K J 10 7 2
C A J
WEST
S 8 7 3
H Q J 10 4
D 9 5
C 10 6 5 2
EAST
S K 10
H A 9 8
D 8 4
C Q 9 8 7 4 3
SOUTH
S A Q 6 5 4
H 6 5 2
D A Q 6 3
C K
South West North East
1S Pass 2D Pass
3D Pass 3S Pass
4S All Pass
Opening lead — H Q
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