In the club lounge, Wendy, our resident feminist, accosted me with today’s deal.
“I had the misfortune to be playing with Cy,” said she.
Wendy and Cy the Cynic, a chauvinist, are constantly at odds, even when they cut as partners in our penny game.
“I couldn’t expect the man to make four spades,” Wendy told me grimly. “After all, it took a little forethought, and Cy’s style is to adopt the first line of play that occurs to him.”
After his usual two seconds of intense thought, Cy had won the first heart with his king and took the ace of trumps. If East-West had followed, Cy would have drawn trumps, cashed the K-A of clubs and ruffed his last club in dummy for 10 sure tricks.
But when East discarded on the first trump, Cy flinched. He led a second trump to dummy’s nine, took the top clubs and a club ruff, and cashed the queen of trumps. But then Cy was stuck in dummy. When he took the ace of hearts and tried to get back to his hand by ruffing a heart, West overruffed, and Cy also lost three diamonds.
“He’s like most men,” Wendy grumbled. “All they know or care about planning is making sure they have an extra six-pack for the weekend.”
Deals that look simple are the ones that may require care. If Cy foresaw a 4-0 trump break, he would win the first heart with dummy’s ace. When East discards on a trump lead to the ace next, Cy can lead a trump to dummy’s nine, take his club ruff in dummy and cash the queen of trumps. Then he can return to his hand with the king of hearts to draw West’s jack of trumps.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S Q 9 4 3
H A 7 5 2
D Q 5 2
C K 4
WEST
S J 7 6 5
H 10 9
D A 9 6
C J 7 5 2
EAST
S None
H Q J 8 6 3
D K J 10 4
C Q 10 9 6
SOUTH
S A K 10 8 2
H K 4
D 8 7 3
C A 8 3
South
West
North
East
1 S
Pass
3 S
Pass
4 S
All Pass
Opening lead — H 10
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Originally published at Frank Stewart