FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

CY’S TOLERANCE LEVEL

“Still trying to get a date with Wendy?” I asked Cy the Cynic in the club lounge. “She won’t go,” Cy said. “She has an infinite supply of excuses.”

“She’s playing hard to get,” I suggested. “She’s also playing hard to tolerate,” Cy growled.

Cy and Wendy were today’s East-West in a penny game. Against four spades, Wendy led the ace and a low heart. South won and led a trump (not best), and Wendy took her ace and led a third heart.

Fifth Club

“I ruffed dummy’s queen,” the Cynic said. “South overruffed, took the A-K of clubs and ruffed a club. I overruffed with my king, but South took the rest: He could ruff another club in dummy to set up his fifth club. Wendy told me I probably failed block-building in kindergarten.”

Cy erred. On the third heart, he must discard a club instead of ruffing. If South leads a second trump, Cy can win and lead a third trump, and South loses a club. Nor can South start the clubs without drawing trumps: Then Cy gets a ruff with last low trump.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A ♥ A97654 ♦ KJ ♣ Q 10 8 2. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids one spade and you try two clubs. Partner then rebids two diamonds. What do you say?

Answer: Your partner’s strength is unclear, but he will usually have six diamonds and four spades. (True, some players might hold K Q 7 6, 8 3, A Q 10 7 6, J 6; others would bid 2NT over two clubs with that hand.) Bid two hearts, which partner should treat as forcing. South dealer

Both sides vulnerable