Bridge - Feb. 8

"I've heard people say that bridge, unlike most card games, is interesting to play even when you're dealt nothing," Unlucky Louie told me.

"The game has compensations for bad card-holders," I said.

"I'll never be convinced of that," Louie grumbled.

Louie was East with one of his usual hands, and against four spades, West led three rounds of clubs.

South didn't want to ruff with an honor; he pitched his losing diamond. West then pondered and led a fourth club.

OVERRUFF

Declarer ruffed with dummy's eight, and Louie overruffed with the nine. South overruffed in turn with the jack, took the ace of trumps and the top hearts, and ruffed a heart. When East-West followed, South had the rest.

"How can it be fun to play when your highest card is a nine?" Louie sighed.

West found a winning defense, but Louie was so distressed by his "Yarborough" that he didn't cooperate. Instead of overruffing dummy on the fourth club, Louie must pitch a heart. South must go down.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S 10 H Q J 9 D K J 5 4 C A K J 6 5. You open one club, and your partner bids one spade. The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER: Expert opinion would be divided. Some would rebid two clubs, certainly a reasonable action. I'd rather have a sixth club for that bid and would try 1NT despite the singleton spade. A few players would have opened one diamond, planning to bid two clubs over a response of one spade. That sequence wouldn't appeal to me.