BRIDGE

WEST’S raise to 4H was pre-emptive, showing good trump support and a shapely hand. With a stronger hand in terms of high-card points he would have started with a cue-bid of 2S instead. How would you play the eventual contract of 4S when West leads the three of clubs? The opening lead is almost certainly a singleton. Even so, there is a good chance that you can establish dummy’s club suit to provide a source of tricks. You win the club lead with the ace and draw two rounds of trumps with the ace and king, both defenders following. Now you lead a second round of clubs towards the dummy. It would not harm you unduly if West were to ruff a losing club with the last trump. As it happens, he has no trump left. Dummy’s king wins the second round of clubs and you ruff a third round with the trump queen. A trump to dummy’s jack draws the last outstanding trump and you can now ruff the club suit good. The ace of diamonds remains as an entry to the dummy. You score five trump tricks (including two club ruffs), four club tricks and the ace of diamonds. A diamond lead would have threatened the contract. If you win with the diamond ace, you will lose a vital entry and go down. The contract can be made only by ducking the lead to East’s bare king of diamonds.

Your partner/s 2S bid is ‘fourth suit forcing’. The best way to play this convention is that a bid in the fourth suit should be forcing to game. On that understanding you can simply rebid 3D, confident that partner will bid again. If 3D was non-forcing, you would have a difficult bid. 4D would show your values but it would carry you past 3NT.

Awards: 3D — 10, 4D — 6, 3C — 3, 3NT — 2.

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