“My husband is so insistent,” a club player told me, displaying today’s deal. “I would swear he could convince a computer to accept a password. I was East, and he was West. South played at 3NT.
“My husband led a heart, and my jack and queen won when declarer held up his ace. When I led a third heart, declarer won and led a diamond to dummy’s queen. I won and returned a diamond.
“Declarer then took the A-K of clubs, shrugged and led a third club. When I had the queen, he won the rest and made his game.”
THIRD TRICK
“My husband was adamant,” East said. “He told me I had to shift to a spade at the third trick. Continuing hearts was futile; when I had 11 high-card points, he couldn’t have an entry.”
West had a point, but it seems he was more concerned with winning the postmortem than the deal. (Some players are like that.) Maybe East should have found the spade shift, but West could certainly overtake East’s queen of hearts at Trick Two and shift to the jack of spades himself.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S Q 9 6 5 H Q J 5 D A 7 2 C Q 10 8. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one spade, he bids two clubs and you try 2NT. Partner then bids three clubs. What do you say?
ANSWER: Your 2NT showed your hand: about 11 points, balanced, with hearts stopped. Partner heard you and signed off. He has a minimum minor two-suiter and wants no part of game or notrump. Pass or bid three diamonds. To bid 3NT would say that partner needs a hearing aid.
North dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S A K 7
H 8 4
D Q 6 4
C J 9 7 4 2
WEST
S J 10 2
H K 9 7 3 2
D 8 5 3
C 6 3
EAST
S Q 9 6 5
H Q J 5
D A 7 2
C Q 10 8
SOUTH
S 8 4 3
H A 10 6
D K J 10 9
C A K 5
North East South West
Pass Pass 1 NT Pass
3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — H 3
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