DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Attending the ACBL’s Youth NABC in Las Vegas were Zain Mahmood, 18, and Anders Brogeland, 14. Both have famous bridge-playing fathers: the charismatic Pakistani Zia Mahmood, and Norway’s Boye Brogeland, who in 2015 courageously initiated the campaign to rid high-level bridge of cheating.

The kids have struck up a partnership and did well in limited events prior to the YNABC. Zain was declarer at today’s four spades, and West led the deuce of hearts. East took the ace and returned a heart: queen, king, ruff.

Zain next led a trump to the ace and a trump to ... dummy’s 10! He took the king, ran the diamonds to pitch his club loser, ruffed a club and cashed his last trump. East erred by throwing two hearts, so Zain took 12 tricks.

I’m not sure why South finessed in trumps. Maybe he judged that West might have led a trump — not a risky heart from the king — unless he had the queen. If the young man did draw that delicate inference, he may eventually eclipse his dad.

Daily question

You hold: ♠ Q76 ♥ K62

♦ 865 ♣ A Q 10 3. Your partner opens one spade. The next player passes. What do you say?

Answer: In “Standard” methods, respond two clubs and support spades cheaply next. In a gameforcing two-over-one style, bid 1NT, forcing. A drawback to “2/1” is the inability to temporize — show where your side strength lies — with an invitational hand. Whether such information is of more help to your partner or the defenders is debatable.

East dealer

E-W vulnerable