Cy the Cynic had to have a complicated dental procedure.
“They wanted to put me to sleep,” Cy told me, “and they offered me a choice: They could give me gas, or they could hit me over the head with a boat paddle and knock me out.”
“And you had no other options?”
“It was an ether-oar situation,” said the Cynic.
When Cy was declarer at today’s 6NT in a penny game, he had a choice of plays. West led a passive ten of clubs, and Cy won with the king in dummy and, as is his habit, he relied on the first line of play he spotted: He led a spade for a finesse with his queen. When West produced the king, Cy had only 11 tricks and virtually no chance for another.
LOW HEART
Cy makes the slam if he adopts an either-or play. He can win the first club in his hand and lead a low heart. When West takes the king, Cy has his 12 tricks: two hearts, a spade, four clubs and five diamonds.
If East had the king of hearts, Cy would still succeed if East had the king of spades.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S 8 4 H Q 8 4 D K 9 4 3 C K Q J 2. Your partner opens one heart. The next player passes. What do you say?
ANSWER: In “Standard” methods, respond two clubs. If partner rebids two hearts, raise to three, inviting game and suggesting club strength. In the “game-forcing-two-over-one” style, a two-club response would force to game; hence bid 1NT, forcing. One flaw in 2/1 is the inability to temporize with a good side suit in an invitational hand.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S 8 4
H Q 8 4
D K 9 4 3
C K Q J 2
WEST
S K 9 3
H K 6 3
D 7 6 2
C 10 9 8 7
EAST
S J 10 7 6 2
H J 10 9 7 2
D 8
C 6 5
SOUTH
S A Q 5
H A 5
D A Q J 10 5
C A 4 3
South West North East
2 NT Pass 4 NT Pass
6 NT All Pass
Opening lead — C 10
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Originally published at Frank Stewart