Bridge: Dec. 14, 2023

Unlucky Louie and his wife Esther have raised nine kids.

“Our two youngest mailed off their letters to Santa,” Louie told me. “I think Santa is writing back with instructions on how to keep a room clean and neat, use good table manners and unload the dishwasher.”

When I watched today’s deal at my club, South played at four hearts after West bid spades and diamonds. West cashed the K-A of diamonds and exited with a trump. Declarer drew trumps with the A-J and next took the A-K of clubs hopefully. When West discarded, South shrugged and conceded a club and a spade. Down one.

NOWHERE

West’s bid of two diamonds was silly; after East passed one spade, the deal belonged to North-South, and East-West were going nowhere. Moreover, West’s bid gave South some instructions on how to make four hearts.

After South draws trumps, he can lead the deuce of spades to dummy’s queen. He takes the A-K of clubs and exits with the king of spades: ace, three, jack. Then West must lead a diamond, conceding a ruff-sluff, or a third spade, letting dummy’s nine score for South’s 10th trick.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S A 10 8 6 5 H 8 3 D A K 8 5 4 C 6. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade and he raises to three spades. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner promises a hand worth about 17 points with four-card spade support. Slam is likely. Cue-bid four diamonds. If partner cue-bids four hearts in reply, you can continue with five clubs to show a control in that suit, take over with a Blackwood bid of 4NT, or simply blast into six spades. Partner’s hand may be KJ92,AQ752,3,AJ4.

West dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S Q 9 7 3

H Q 4 2

D Q 9

C J 7 5 3

WEST

S A 10 8 6 5

H 8 3

D A K 8 5 4

C 6

EAST

S J 4

H 9 7

D J 10 3 2

C Q 10 9 8 2

SOUTH

S K 2

H A K J 10 6 5

D 7 6

C A K 4

West North East South
1 S Pass Pass Dbl
2 D Pass Pass 3 H
Pass 4 H All Pass
Opening lead — D K

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