Unlucky Louie told me he had ordered some bees for his daughter’s science project.
“I needed a dozen,” Louie said, “but the supplier shipped me 13.”
“Why the extra one?” I asked.
“I guess it was a freebee,” Louie said blandly.
Louie held today’s fine South hand in a penny game. North’s raise to three spades showed a few values and spade support, and Louie settled for a small slam.
LOSER
West led the queen of clubs, and Louie won and thought he might take all 13 tricks. He cashed his ace of trumps, then took the A-K of diamonds and ruffed a diamond low in dummy. Alas, East overruffed and led his last trump, and Louie’s fourth diamond was a loser. Down one.
Louie’s play was costly. He would have survived if he had drawn no trumps at all before ruffing the third diamond. Even after he took the ace, he could make the slam by ruffing a diamond with dummy’s queen, returning to his hand and ruffing his last diamond. East’s overruff would be Louie’s only loser.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S 9 H K 10 4 D Q J 9 4 2 C Q J 10 7. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT, he bids two diamonds and you raise to three diamonds. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?
ANSWER: With no game interest, partner would have stopped at three diamonds. He suggests six spades, four diamonds and extra strength. To try 3NT might work, but with no help for the spades and weak hearts, I would judge to sign off at four diamonds.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S Q 3 2
H A 5 3 2
D 6 3
C 6 5 3 2
WEST
S 9
H K 10 4
D Q J 9 4 2
C Q J 10 7
EAST
S J 10 8
H Q J 9 8 6
D 10 8
C 9 8 4
SOUTH
S A K 7 6 5 4
H 7
D A K 7 5
C A K
South West North East
2 C Pass 2 D Pass
2 S Pass 3 S Pass
6 S All Pass
Opening lead — C Q
©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.