Unlucky Louie owns property, and his tax return is complex.

“I finally finished,” he told me.

“What’s your biggest deduction?” I asked.

“That taxes are too high,” Louie growled.

When Louie played at today’s four spades, he took the ace of diamonds, drew trumps and led a heart to dummy’s jack. East took the queen, cashed the queen of diamonds and led the ten of hearts: eight, seven, ace.

Louie next ruffed dummy’s jack of hearts, led a trump to dummy and returned the deuce of clubs. If East had played the three, Louie could have put in his seven, passing the lead to West to end-play him. But East put up the nine: queen, king. When West returned the five, Louie had to guess. He mulled and played the ten from dummy, but East’s jack covered. West’s eight won the setting trick.

Louie can deduce the winning play. If East had only low clubs, he would have led a club when he was in. His heart lead suggested a club holding he didn’t want to lead from such as J-x-x. On the second club, Louie should play low from dummy.

Daily question >> You hold: ? A Q J 7 2 ? 8 4 ? 6 3 ? A Q 7 4. You open one spade, your partner bids two hearts, you rebid two spades and he rebids three hearts. What do you say?

Answer >> Partner has six or seven hearts but at most 10 high-card points. (Even in a system where a two-over-one response is forcing to game, many partnerships treat this sequence as not forcing.) Your decision is close. If you’re vulnerable, with more to gain, bid four hearts.

South dealer

E-W vulnerable

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