Unlucky Louie showed up at the club with bruised arm and a bump on his noggin.

“I was teaching my daughter to drive,” he mumbled. “Things took a turn for the worse.”

Louie had an accident as declarer at six hearts. West led the ten of clubs: jack, queen. Louie ruffed and led a trump to dummy’s king, scowling when West discarded. Louie next took the king of spades and picked up East’s trumps.

Louie had one trump left. When he took dummy’s high diamonds, things took a turn for the worse: East showed out. Louie ruffed a club with his last trump and lost a diamond to West, and then the defense cashed a club.

After Louie leads to the king of trumps and sees the 4-0 break, he can take the king of spades and ace of diamonds, then draw trumps and take the ace of spades, pitching dummy’s K-Q of diamonds. He leads a diamond to force out the jack and has the rest with a trump and good diamonds.

“If your daughter wants to learn to drive,” I told Louie, “don’t stand in her way.”

Daily question: You hold: ? Q 10 6 5 ? J 8 7 6 ? 5 ? A Q 7 6. The dealer, at your left, opens one diamond. Two passes follow. What do you say?

Answer: You might not act over an opening bid at your right, unless you were a passed hand. But actions in the passout or “balancing” seat are permitted with shaded values. Your partner is marked with some points, else the opponents would still be bidding. You may have a makeable contract. Double. Don’t sell out too cheaply.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable

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