FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

RATE OF EXCHANGE

In the club lounge, I remarked that after being married to the same good woman for 44 years, I was finding it hard to come up with Christmas gifts for her. “I have the same problem,” Unlucky Louie said. “It’s not a problem,” Cy the Cynic advised. “It’s just a matter of ‘promise her anything, give her something she can exchange.’”

In a penny game, Cy played at six hearts. He seemed to have a club and a spade to lose, but when West led the king of diamonds, Cy ruffed, took the A-K of trumps and returned dummy’s jack of diamonds. When East followed low, the Cynic pitched a club, exchanging one loser for another.

Last Spade

West took the queen and led a spade, and Cy won and led the ten of diamonds. East played the ace — had he played low, Cy would have discarded a spade — and Cy ruffed, got back to dummy with a high spade and discarded his last spade on the high nine of diamonds.

Making six with a double ruffing finesse and a loser on a loser. Well played, Cy. Daily Question

You hold: ♠ Q 10 3 ♥ 4 ♦ A 86 3 2 ♣Q 10 8 5. The dealer, at your left, opens one spade. Your partner doubles, you bid (“advance”) two diamonds and he raises to three diamonds. What do you say?

Answer: Your partner has a strong hand. He has committed to a nine-trick contract and can’t know that you have five diamonds and eight points. Bid 3NT. Partner might hold 7 6, A K 6 5, K Q 9 4, A 6 4. If his hand is highly distributional, he can go back to diamonds. South dealer

N-S vulnerable