I’ve heard an optimist defined as somebody who thinks that one day we may have candidates worth voting for. Many declarers must think that playing carefully instead of wide-open betrays some sort of weakness.

At today’s 3NT, South took the king of hearts and saw 12 tricks if he ran dummy’s diamonds and won spade finesses. He led the queen and a second diamond.

Alas, West threw a spade. South took dummy’s A-K, lost a diamond to East’s jack, ducked the heart return and won the third heart. He then led the ace and a low spade, but West produced the king and took two hearts. Down one.

South was too optimistic. At Trick Two he can play safe by leading his low diamond to dummy’s ten. If East wins, South overtakes the queen later, winning five diamonds, two hearts, a spade and a club.

If East ducks the first diamond (or if the ten wins), South returns a diamond to his queen and leads a low spade. He is sure to reach dummy with a spade honor to run the diamonds.

Daily question >> You hold: ? A 10 5 ? A K 5 ? Q 4 ? A 7 6 3 2. Your partner opens one heart, and you respond 2NT, a conventional forcing raise. He bids three clubs. What do you say?

Answer >> You ordinarily would have had four-card support for your forcing raise, but no other response was attractive. Partner’s three clubs shows a singleton club, so your ace is a perfect card, and you have substantial extra strength. A grand slam is possible. Cue-bid three spades.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

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