“When I saw my hand,” Cy the Cynic told me, “I got as cautious as a man who makes dinner reservations at a hotdog stand.”

Cy’s least favorite holding is a doubleton K-Q; it reminds him of marriage, which he tried once and didn’t like, and always seems to bode ill.

North’s 2NT was a conventional forcing raise. Cy signed off cautiously at four spades, and West led the jack of clubs.

“I knew the cards would lie badly,” the Cynic said. “I could afford to lose one trump and one diamond besides the ace of hearts, so I played safe. I led a trump from dummy at Trick Two, and when East followed with the three (an error as it happened), I played the four — and sure enough, it won!”

Cy next took the A-K of trumps and then played safe in diamonds: He cashed the king and led the four, and when West played the eight, dummy played the nine. Cy was sure to succeed no matter what East did.

If East plays the eight on the first trump lead, Cy can always hold his trump losers to one, but he may not make the contract.

Daily question: You hold: ? A K 6 5 4 ? K Q ? K J 5 4 ? 7 3. You open one spade, and your partner raises to two spades. What do you say?

Answer: This is a judgment call. Since the hand has several losers, to pass and assure a plus score would be reasonable. If you judge to try for game, bid three diamonds. You ask partner to bid game with any maximum raise or with a fair raise containing help for your second suit. He will jump to four spades with Q 10 2, 8 7 2, A Q 7, 8 6 4 2.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

Tribune Content Agency