FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

It’s that time when many people resolve to make Christmas less commercial next year — and others vow to do their shopping earlier. No matter you feel about that, you can resolve to count your tricks on defense.

In a matchpoint event, West led the deuce of diamonds against four spades: king, ace, four. East returned the three: five, nine, queen. Declarer next lost a trump finesse. He ruffed West’s jack of diamonds and claimed. Making five. Second Diamond

East needed to count his possible tricks. West’s deuce of diamonds suggested a four-card holding, so the defense had no second diamond to take. (Even if South had a third diamond, he might pitch it on a club winner in dummy.) Assuming West has a trump trick — and if not, South will surely win the rest — the defense needs a heart to stop an overtrick. At Trick Two, East must lead a heart: deuce, queen, ace. When West takes the king of trumps, the defense cashes a heart to hold South to 10 tricks, no small matter at matchpoints. Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A Q 10 8 7 4 ♥ 9 7 2 ♦ 54♣ Q 3. You open two spades (a weak twobid), and your partner bids 2NT. What do you say?

Answer: Experienced pairs treat partner’s 2NT as a conventional inquiry. Pairs use varying methods. In one approach, opener’s second bid may artificially show a good or poor hand and a good or poor suit. A popular style has opener show a side feature: an ace or king. In that style, you would rebid three spades.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable