Bridge: Oct. 25, 2022

Wendy, my club’s feminist, believes that God created Adam and said, “I can do better than that.” Cy the Cynic is a shameless chauvinist. The two are relentless adversaries.

“I can define a bachelor,” Wendy told me: “a man who has missed his chance to make some woman miserable. Cy is trying to compensate by making me miserable.”

Cy and Wendy were East-West in a penny game, and she led a high diamond against 3NT. South won with the ten and passed the nine of hearts. The Cynic took the queen and switched to a low club: ten, jack, king. He won the next heart and led another low club, but South won with the nine and had nine tricks.

SPADE LEAD

“Lead a spade and we beat it,” Cy told Wendy.

“We might beat it anyway if you would ever learn to send a woman when you want a job done,” Wendy snarled.

When Cy takes the queen of hearts, he must lead the queen of clubs. If South wins, Cy creates an entry for Wendy’s jack, letting her lead a spade and give the defense five tricks.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S K J 9 H K J 10 6 5 D A Q 6 C K 2. You are the dealer. North in today’s deal opened one heart. Or would you open 1NT?

ANSWER: I agree, not because I am reluctant to suppress the five-card major suit (although some experts would refuse to do so) but because the hand is too strong, assuming a 1NT range of 15 to 17 points. The hand has a good five-card suit and prime values. If partner responds in a suit, jump in notrump next.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S K J 9

H K J 10 6 5

D A Q 6

C K 2

WEST

S 7 3 2

H 7

D 9 8 7 5 3 2

C J 7 4

EAST

S A Q 6 4

H A Q 4 2

D 4

C Q 6 5 3

SOUTH

S 10 8 5

H 9 8 3

D K J 10

C A 10 9 8

North East South West
1 H Pass 1 NT(!) Pass
2 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — D 9

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