Try to stick to your path

Holly Lisle, a wide-ranging author best known for science fiction and fantasy, wrote, "If you don't accept responsibility for your own actions, then you are forever chained to a position of defense."

Partner opens one no-trump, and the next player overcalls two clubs, Cappelletti, showing a one-suiter somewhere. If responder passes, he will probably end on defense. But if he has some useful cards, he must take responsibility and get into the auction. The simplest agreement is to treat double as Stayman and every other bid as per the partnership's methods over one no-trump.

In this deal, after North doubles, East advances with two diamonds, which here is natural because he could pass. South passes to deny a four-card major. West rebids two hearts because he is so short in diamonds. What should North do now?

This is the tough part. Most pairs treat double as for penalty. Instead, North cue-bids three hearts, which promises game-going values and asks South to bid three no-trump with a heart stopper. (Without a stopper, he does something intelligent - perhaps three spades with a decent three-card holding, or four clubs.)

After West leads the heart king against three no-trump, what should South do? Declarer has eight top tricks: three spades, one heart, three diamonds and one club. The ninth trick must come from spades because there isn't time to establish the clubs. The normal percentage play is to cash the three honors. This is doubly accurate here since West might have overcalled two diamonds with four spades and five-plus hearts. When the jack drops, the contract is home.