frs1016@centurylink.net
“I made the mistake of telling my wife that I was tired of her having a monopoly on being right,” a reader writes. “Now she has a monopoly on sleeping in our bed, plus what we watch on TV.”
My fan says he was today’s East. He intervened over North’s 1NT, but South zoomed into a slam.
Dlr: North |
♠ 10 5 2 |
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Vul: none |
♥ K J 8 5 2 |
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♦ A Q |
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♣ K Q J |
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♠ Q |
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♠ A 9 8 7 6 4 3 |
♥ 4 |
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♥ 10 |
♦ J 10 8 6 4 |
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♦ 2 |
♣ A 10 8 7 6 5 |
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♣ 9 4 3 2 |
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♠ K J |
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♥ A Q 9 7 6 3 |
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♦ K 9 7 5 3 |
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♣ — |
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North |
East |
South |
West |
1NT |
2♠ |
6♥(!) |
All Pass |
Opening lead — ♠Q
“My wife led the ♠Q,” my fan writes, “I took the ace, and declarer dropped the king. I mulled that over and led a club. If South held K, A Q 9 7 6 3, K J 10 5 3, 5, we wouldn’t get the ♣A if we didn’t cash it. But South ruffed and claimed.
Horrible
“I guess it could have been worse. The contract could have been 6♥X. But my wife said my defense was horrible, and I’m still sleeping on the couch.”
East’s winning defense was indicated. If South held a hand with two black singletons, as East envisioned, he would have found a way to use an ace-asking bid to make sure two aces weren’t missing. South’s actual leap to slam suggested a void somewhere — almost surely in clubs.
Daily Question
You hold:
♠ 10 5 2
♥ K J 8 5 2
♦ A Q
♣ K Q J
Your partner opens 1♣, you respond 1♥ and he bids 1♠. What do you say?
ANSWER Your hand is a little too heavy to jump to 3NT. Your partner would pass with a hand such as K Q 9 4, None, K 8 7, A 10 9 6 5 3 when 6♣ would be quite a good contract. You can jump to 3♣ if that bid would be forcing. Many experts would stall with a “fourth-suit” bid of 2♦ to get more information from partner.
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