“I’ve told you before about my hypochondriac husband,” a fan writes. “I sent him to a doctor, and when the doc told him he had hypochondria, my husband said ‘Not that too!’ And he’s still postmorteming deals.”

My fan’s husband was South in a duplicate game. At four spades, he won the first heart with the ace and cashed the queen, king and ace of trumps.

“When East discarded,” my fan says, “my husband tried to run the clubs, but West ruffed the third club and shifted to diamonds, and the defense took three diamonds for down one. My husband is still agonizing over the result.”

Declarer would have made overtricks with better luck, but since four spades was a good matchpoint contract, he might have played safe for 10 tricks by letting the ten of trumps ride at Trick Two. West would win, but the defense could get only two diamonds and a trump.

“I gave my husband a book on staying healthy,” my fan groans. “He won’t read it. He’s afraid he might die of a misprint.”

Daily question >> You hold: ? Q 10 ? A K 7 5 ? J 10 ? A K J 5 4. You open one club, your partner responds one diamond, you bid one heart and he rebids two diamonds. What do you say?

Answer >> Partner has at least six diamonds but at most 10 points. Your game chances are uncertain, but your hand is strong enough to bid again. Bid three diamonds. If partner has 6 5 4, 4 3, A K Q 8 6 2, 8 7, he will bid five diamonds; with A 4 3, 8 6, K Q 9 7 6 4, 8 7, he will bid three spades or risk 3NT.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable

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