I was in the club lounge when a kibitzer came in from the penny game.
“You should come watch this,” he said. “Grapefruit just cut Louie.”
We think Grapefruit, our acid-tongued member, will finish dead last in the human race. He berates his partners without mercy. Unlucky Louie blames his bad results on bad luck, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Today’s deal was the partnership’s first, and Louie picked up one of his usual as East. When South opened one heart and Grapefruit overcalled two clubs, North’s double was “negative.” North promised enough strength to respond, with length in spades and probably at least one minor suit.
Against four spades, Grapefruit led the K-A and jack of clubs. South didn’t want to ruff with an honor; he discarded his diamond loser. Grapefruit then led a fourth club, best defense.
South ruffed with dummy’s eight, Louie promptly overruffed with his nine and declarer in turn overruffed with the jack. He cashed a high trump, then took the K-A of hearts and ruffed a heart. When the suit broke 3-3, South drew trumps and claimed, and Grapefruit told Louie that if he were a card, he would be a deuce of clubs.
“What do you mean by that?” Louie demanded indignantly.
“I don’t have the time or the crayons to explain it to you,” Grapefruit snarled.
Grapefruit could be more tolerant of errors, but Louie beats the contract if he throws a heart on the fourth club instead of overruffing dummy. Then he can overruff dummy on the third heart, winning the setting trick.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S 8 6 4 3
H K 4
D A 10 9 7
C 10 4 2
WEST
S 10
H Q J 9
D K J 5 4
C A K J 6 5
EAST
S 9 7 5 2
H 6 5 2
D 8 6 3
C 8 7 3
SOUTH
S A K Q J
H A 10 8 7 3
D Q 2
C Q 9
South West North East
1 H 2 C Dbl Pass
4 S All Pass
Opening lead — C K
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Originally published at Frank Stewart