“The man could go to a restaurant with no money to pay his bill,”; Unlucky Louie fumed,”and he would find a pearl in his oyster.”

Louie meant the player we call Harlow the Halo. His finesses always win, his key suits split well and his errors never cost.

“I was West in a penny game,” Louie told me,” ;and Harlow played at four hearts. I led a diamond, and East took the ace and returned a diamond. Harlow ruffed, drew trumps and led a club to dummy’s jack. East took the queen and led another diamond.”

“The Halo ruffed again,” Louie went on, “and led a second club: seven, king, ace. Harlow ruffed the next diamond and won the last four tricks with high clubs and the ace of spades. Can you believe it?”

Harlow misplayed — and survived as usual. If East refuses to win the second club, Harlow must ruff something with his last trump to return to his hand; he never gets his club tricks.

If declarer correctly attacks his side suit before drawing all the trumps, he always makes his game.

Daily question: You hold: ? K 10 5 2 ? 7 3 ? A 10 9 4 ? A Q 5. You open one diamond, your partner jumps to two hearts, you bid 2NT and he bids three hearts. What do you say?

Answer: Partner’s jump-shift showed slam interest, and his three hearts shows long, strong hearts as well as a powerful hand. Your hand is minimum, but your values are prime and your queen of clubs is bolstered by the ace. Cue-bid four clubs to say that you are not averse to slam.

South dealer

E-W vulnerable

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