Unlucky Louie, who is the prototypical henpecked husband, says that if at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you to.

Louie was South in my club’s penny game. North’s bidding a two-level transfer, then a jump to game showed slam interest. If North wanted to play at game, he would have transferred at the four level. Louie’s hand was worth six spades.

West led the king of diamonds, and Louie took his ace and cashed the A-K of trumps. When West discarded, Louie tried to run the hearts to pitch dummy’s last diamond. Alas, East ruffed the third heart and cashed a diamond.

Louie gave himself one chance which didn’t succeed when a combination shot was available. After he takes the top trumps, he can cash the K-A of clubs and ruff a club in dummy.

As it happens, the queen falls, and Louie can lead a heart to his hand and pitch dummy’s last diamond on the jack of clubs. If nothing good happened in clubs, Louie could try the hearts.

Daily question>> You hold: ? A 8 6 5 3 2 ? A Q 9 ? 7 2 ? K 6. You open one spade, your partner bids two hearts, you raise to three hearts and he tries four clubs. What do you say?

Answer>> Partner’s four clubs is an ace-showing cue bid to suggest slam. Since you have strong hearts, the king of clubs and the ace of spades, you can cooperate. Cue-bid four spades or five clubs, or bid five hearts to ask partner to bid slam with a control in the unbid diamond suit.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

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