Bridge: July 24, 2024

“How are things at home?” I asked Unlucky Louie. He has a houseful of kids.

“We told my little daughter she needed to clean up her room,” Louie said. “What we got was two percent cleaning, 30 percent complaining, and 68 percent playing with stuff she found under the bed.”

Louie may figure percentages at his house, but he does less well as declarer. When Louie was today’s South in a penny game, he won the first heart in his hand, preserving the ace as a dummy entry. He unblocked his king of clubs, went to dummy and tried the A-Q of clubs, pitching spades. Alas, West showed out, and Louie ended up down two.

OVERTRICK

Louie might have made an overtrick, but his percentage play for nine tricks is to overtake the king of clubs with the ace and cash the queen. When the jack falls from West, Louie leads the nine to force out East’s ten and is sure of five clubs, two hearts, a spade and a diamond.

The correct play wins if clubs break evenly or if a defender has J-x or 10-x.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S A 6 5 2 H K 9 6 5 D A 7 5 3 C K. You open one diamond, your partner bids one heart, you raise to two hearts and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s 2NT is a try for game: He has about 11 points with balanced pattern. If your king of clubs had been the ace, you might have jumped to three hearts at your second turn, so you surely can accept partner’s try for game. Since you have four-card heart support, bid four hearts.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S 9 7

H A 4

D J 10 4

C A Q 9 8 6 3

WEST

S Q 10 8 3

H Q 10 7 3

D K Q 8

C J 4

EAST

S K J 4

H J 8 2

D 9 6 2

C 10 7 5 2

SOUTH

S A 6 5 2

H K 9 6 5

D A 7 5 3

C K

North East South West
1 C Pass 1 D Pass
2 C Pass 3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — H 3

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