"How're your stocks doing?" I asked Unlucky Louie, who has been beating his head against Wall Street for years.

"I invested in two companies that market glue," Louie said, "and they're both down."

"An epoxy on both their houses," chortled Cy the Cynic.

Louie went "two in the glue," so to speak, as today's declarer. At six hearts he took the ace of spades and cashed the Q-A of trumps. When West discarded, Louie had spade losers to worry about. He ruffed a spade with dummy's last trump and started the diamonds, but East ruffed the second diamond and cashed two spades.

"If trumps break 3-2, I have 13 tricks," Louie sighed.

CONTROL

Louie put himself in a sticky situation. To keep control in case of a bad trump break, he plays a low trump from both hands at Trick Two.

If East returns a spade, Louie ruffs in dummy, takes the queen of trumps and gets to his hand to draw trumps. He then runs the diamonds, winning four diamonds, five trump tricks, two clubs and a spade.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S A H Q 8 6 D A Q J 10 4 C 8 7 5 2. Your partner opens one spade, you respond two diamonds and he bids two hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your best contract is uncertain. You may belong at hearts if partner's shape is 5-5-2-1, spades if it is 6-4-2-1, or notrump if it is 5-4-1-3. Bid three clubs to let him make another descriptive bid. If he jumps to four diamonds (with K Q 7 6 4, A K J 4, K 9 8, 3), you can bid a slam.