“Do German cats have an unlimited number of lives? Nein!” — graffiti.

When today’s East overcalled eins spade, South offered a negative double, showing hearts but the wrong type of hand to bid zwei hearts. (He also suggested diamond tolerance or clubs.) When North bid zwei clubs next, South bid game at notrump.

West led a spade, and South won, cashed the A-K of diamonds and led another diamond. West won and led another spade. Declarer took his ace but had only acht tricks: zwei clubs, vier diamonds and zwei spades. Eventually, East got in with his ace of hearts and defeated 3NT with good spades.

South’s play was doomed to go kaput. After South wins the first spade, he should lead a diamond to dummy and return the deuce of hearts through East, who bid. If East plays low, South wins and attacks the diamonds for nein tricks.

If instead East grabs his ace of hearts to continue spades, South still succeeds. He has drei hearts and zwei tricks in every other suit.

Daily question >> You hold: ? 5 4 ? K 2 ? A K 7 6 3 ? A 8 6 4. Your partner opens one heart, you bid two diamonds, he rebids two hearts and you try three clubs. Partner then bids four hearts. What do you say?

Answer >> Since partner rebid only two hearts, he doesn’t have much extra high-card strength. Still, his four hearts suggests a sound hand. Bid five hearts, asking him to go to slam with a “control” in spades, the unbid suit. He may hold A9,AQJ10763,Q2,52.

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