This week’s deals have treated “avoidance”: preventing a “dangerous” defender from gaining the lead. Cover today’s East-West cards. How do you play at four hearts when West leads the jack of clubs?

North’s 2NT was a conventional forcing heart raise; South’s three clubs showed a singleton club. North signed off at game; his K-Q were “duplicated” values.

The actual declarer covered the jack with the king. East won and led the queen of spades. The defense took two spades, and West also got a diamond. Down one.

FIRST CLUB

South doesn’t want East to get in for a spade shift. On the first club, he must play dummy’s deuce. If West leads a second club, South ruffs East’s ace, draws trumps and discards a spade on dummy’s high club. East can’t gain by overtaking the first club: Then the defense gets two spades, but South discards two diamonds on the K-Q of clubs.

The problem is easier on paper. At the table, would you yield to impulse and play a club honor from dummy at Trick One?

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ 875 ♥ KJ7 5 ♦ A 9 4 ♣ K Q 2. Your partner opens one spade. The next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: An old-style bid of 2NT (12 to 14 points, balanced, stoppers in the unbid suits) would be a good way to describe this hand, but most pairs treat a 2NT response to a major as a conventional raise, as in today’s deal. Many players would issue a temporizing response of two clubs. In some styles, responder would bid 1NT, forcing.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable