Cy the Cynic is a confirmed bachelor. He says the only drawback to living single is that it’s always his turn to do the dishes.
Cy also complains that when he plays in my club’s penny game, he gets no help on defense; his partners always do the wrong thing.
As today’s West, Cy led the jack of spades against 3NT. East took the ace and returned the queen, and South played low. When East next led the queen of diamonds, South won in dummy and let the queen of clubs ride. He ended with an overtrick.
DISCARD
“I’m getting too old to play this game alone,” Cy growled to me. “My partner should play the queen on the first spade. Declarer would have to take his king; for all he knew, I’d led from A-J-10-9-x. Then when he led the queen of clubs, I could duck, and on the next club partner could discard his ace of spades.”
Cy was asking a lot of his partner, which isn’t unusual for Cy. I wonder what Cy would have said if East played the queen of spades and Cy held K-J-10-9-x.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S J 10 9 8 4 H 10 4 D 8 4 3 C K 6 2. Both sides vulnerable. The dealer, at your left, opens four hearts. Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say?
ANSWER: Partner’s double is for takeout. (A double of a higher opening bid would suggest playing for a penalty.) You might pass the double if you had a heart trick and not much else, but partner asked you to bid, and here you have five cards in spades. Bid four spades.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S 6 5 2
H K 7
D A 10
C Q J 10 9 8 4
WEST
S J 10 9 8 4
H 10 4
D 8 4 3
C K 6 2
EAST
S A Q
H J 9 8 5 2
D Q J 9 7 6
C 3
SOUTH
S K 7 3
H A Q 6 3
D K 5 2
C A 7 5
South West North East
1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — S J
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Originally published at Frank Stewart