DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

A player at my club wandered into the lounge after kibitzing the penny Chicago game.

“That Grapefruit is expert at extemperroneous speaking,” he said, referring to our member with a mood like an untipped waiter.

“You mean ‘extemporaneous’?” I asked.

“Nope. Most of what he says is wrong.”

Grapefruit was North, and his bid of two diamonds was a “transfer.” He watched as South took East’s king of diamonds with the ace, led a trump to dummy and tried a club finesse with the 10. West won and shifted to a spade; and South took the ace, drew trumps and took another club finesse with the jack. Down he went.

“Grapefruit lambasted South for not bidding 3NT over three hearts,” my friend said. “He said even South might make that contract with nine top tricks. Then Grapefruit assailed South for not leading a diamond to his nine at some point; if East had the 10, South could get his tenth trick with the jack.”

I guess South might bid 3NT at his third turn. What is sure is that he can make four hearts. South leads a trump to dummy at trick two and returns a diamond: three, nine, 10. If West then leads a spade, South takes the ace and leads the jack of diamonds, discarding dummy’s last spade.

South ruffs the spade return in dummy, returns with a trump and ruffs his last spade. He then leads a club to his 10; and when West wins, he must lead a diamond or a spade, yielding a ruff-sluff, or return a club into the A-J.

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable

NORTH

J 5

(Heart) A Q J 4 3 2

* 8 4

9 6 5

WEST EAST 10 8 4 2 K Q 6 3 (Heart) 7 5 (Heart) 6 Q 10 6 2 K 7 5 3 K Q 7 8 4 3 2 SOUTH

A 9 7

(Heart) K 10 9 8

* A J 9

A J 10

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 NT Pass 2 Pass 2 (Heart) Pass 3 (Heart) Pass 4 (Heart) All Pass Opening lead-- 2

*

2001, Tribune Media Services