Today’s East-West were a regular partnership — a dentist and a manicurist we call “Tooth and Nail” because that’s how they argue.
Against four spades, Nail led her singleton heart, and Tooth won and returned the ten as a suit-preference signal: a high heart to show strength in diamonds, the high-ranking side suit.
Nail ruffed and duly led a diamond, but South took the ace, ruffed a diamond and got to dummy with trumps to ruff two more diamonds. He drew trumps, led to the king of hearts and threw a club on the good fifth diamond. Making four.
ARGUMENT
Then came the argument.
Nail: “Lead a club at Trick Two. South will play the king, and I win and return a club. Then you give me a heart ruff.”
Tooth: “Your diamond lead was horrible.”
Nail: “All I did was obey your signal.”
At the third trick, Nail must lead a trump, killing a dummy entry. If declarer has a diamond loser, he can’t avoid it. He can’t set up and cash the long diamond and loses two clubs.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S A J H K 6 3 D A J 8 6 2 C 10 9 3. You open one diamond, your partner responds one spade, you bid 1NT and he jumps to three hearts. What do you say?
ANSWER: Partner’s jump in a new suit is forcing, but he may have only four hearts. Since a 4-3 trump fit may be hard to handle, you shouldn’t raise to four hearts. Bid three spades. Partner should allow for the possibility that you are showing a preference with a strong doubleton.
North dealer
Both sides vulnerable
NORTH
S A J
H K 6 3
D A J 8 6 2
C 10 9 3
WEST
S 7 5 3 2
H 8
D Q 9 7 3
C A J 7 2
EAST
S None
H A 10 9 7 5 4
D K 10 5
C Q 8 6 5
SOUTH
S K Q 10 9 8 6 4
H Q J 2
D 4
C K 4
North East South West
1 D 1 H 1 S Pass
1 NT Pass 4 S All Pass
Opening lead — H 8
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