“You’re so lazy,” I said to Cy the Cynic. “I know you had a job once. I can’t believe you actually got up and went to work.”

“Going in to work wasn’t so bad” Cy shrugged. “It was the eight-hour wait until quitting time that got me.”

When Cy is declarer, he won’t wait for anything. Against his 3NT, West led the seven of spades, and Cy promptly let East’s king win. Cy won the next spade and led a heart to dummy's jack. East won and returned a club, and Cy put up the ace and took the A-Q of hearts. When West discarded, Cy cashed his four diamond tricks and led a club, but West took the king and the Q-10 of spades. Down one.

If West’s spades were Q-J-10-x-(x), he would have led the queen, so East is marked with two spade honors. If Cy wins the first spade, he blocks the suit.

The Cynic next leads a diamond to dummy to finesse in clubs, killing West’s possible entry to his spades. Despite the unfriendly lie of the East-West cards, Cy is safe for nine tricks.

Daily question : You hold: ? A 4 3 ? 6 5 2 ? A Q J 10 ? A J 7. Your partner opens one heart, you bid two diamonds and he rebids two hearts. What do you say?

Answer: Though partner has suggested minimum values, you musn’t rule out slam. If he holds 7 2, A K Q 1 0 7 3, K 4, 6 5 4, you have 12 tricks. Bid two spades or three clubs to hear more. If he jumps to four hearts, you can bid six hearts. (In a style where your two diamonds forced to game, you could raise to three hearts, forcing.)

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

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