Traditional errors

“I’VE made certain mistakes so many times,” a player at the club told me, “that I don’t refer to them as mistakes any more. I call them ‘traditions.”

Certain types of mistakes are common: playing too fast, failing to count, missing easy inferences, overusing conventions. Against today’s four hearts, West led the ace and another club, and South won and drew trumps. He ruffed dummy’s last club, cashed the A-K of spades and exited with a spade. South hoped West would win, but when East won with the nine and shifted to a diamond, South lost two diamonds and went down.

What mistake did South make? SPADE LOSER

A frequent error in dummy play is the failure to play a loser on a loser. After South draws trumps, he can take the K-A of spades and lead dummy’s eight of clubs. When East discards, South discards his spade loser.

West wins but, as it happens, he has no more spades. He must lead a diamond, letting South’s king score, or lead another club, conceding a ruff-sluff.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: J 7 5 AQ85 A J 10 7 5 3. You open one club, your partner responds one spade, you rebid two clubs and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

ANSWER

Partner’s 2NT invites game, but since your values are minimum, you can’t accept. Your rebid of two clubs suggested a six-card suit; nevertheless, rebid three clubs. Notrump doesn’t look right. It’s possible that you have a better contract at diamonds, but you can’t look for it.

South dealer Both sides vulnerable