I was in the club lounge when a player came in from a penny game.

Ed just brought home another unmakable contract,” he said.

“Against Cy. I bet,” I sighed.

Ed, the club expert, is a consistent winner, and Cy the Cynic is his chief pigeon. Ed was at four spades —North added a few points for Ed’s dummy play when he bid game —and West led the deuce of hearts. How did Ed avoid losing four tricks?

SINGLETON

On the first heart, Ed played LOW from dummy. Cy was at a loss; West might have led a singleton. When Cy put up the ace, Ed ruffed and cashed the A-K of trumps. The Cynic showed out, but Ed pitched a club on the king of hearts and ruffed a heart, dropping West’s queen. He went back to a high diamond and threw another club on the high jack of hearts. He lost two clubs and a trump. I suppose Cy might have reasoned that Ed wouldn’t have bid aggressively with a discouraging heart holding such as Q-9, but Ed still gets credit for a pretty piece of deception.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold:  4  A 10 8 7 6 4 10 8 7 A K Q.

Your partner opens one spade, you respond two hearts and he rebids two spades. What do you say?

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ANSWER: Though the deal may be a misfit, you have too many prime values to stop below game. Bid three clubs, forcing. If partner bids 3NT next, pass and wish him well. If he rebids three spades, raise to four. If he shows heart tolerance by bidding three hearts next, bid four hearts.

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