There were points of interest in both the bidding and the play on today’s deal.
East/West vul. Dealer East.
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What should South bid next?
It seemed to me (South) that partner’s three hearts would usually deliver three-card support and was a slam try (we play five-card majors, so partner would have shown the three-card support immediately with a limited hand, or else jumped to game after the diamond raise). If that was the case, with such a minimum hand I should simply raise to game.
I can see why partner preferred to bid three hearts rather than three spades and much interesting discussion followed! I made the mistake of musing too much about the bidding and not concentrating on the play, and so mangled my perfectly cold four hearts!
West led a spade, won by East’s king. After much thought, East continued with a spade. I won in the dummy and played a diamond to my nine, which West ruffed.
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He continued with a third round of spades. All I need do is win with the queen, cross to dummy with a trump and run the queen of diamonds. If West ruffs that, I win whatever he returns in hand and play a trump, thus drawing both opposing trumps, and take another diamond finesse for my contract.
Last week’s problem
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Solution: Your jack of hearts lead holds, and you continue with the ten (partner plays the nine and seven, declarer the four and queen). Declarer plays a diamond to dummy’s jack which partner wins with the king and continues with the three of hearts. The only potential entry partner can have that is consistent with the play so far is the ten of diamonds. So discard your ace of diamonds! and create an entry to partner’s hand.