Better Bridge in Barry County
By
Gerald Stein
North
♠ 10
♥ 9 5 4
♦ K 5 3
♣ Q 10 9 7 5 2
|
||
West
♠ K J 9 7 5
♥ 8 7
♦ 10 7
♣ A K 6 3
|
East
♠ 3 2
♥ K Q 3 2
♦ Q J 9 6 4 2
♣ 8
|
|
South
♠ A Q 8 6 4
♥ A J 10 6
♦ A 8
♣ J 4
|
Dealer:
Vulnerable:
Lead:
|
North
Neither
7♠
|
North
Pass
2NT
Pass
|
East
Pass
Pass
Pass
|
South
1NT
3NT
|
West
2♠
Pass
|
Captain M. North looked at his watch, and at the
same time he looked up at the sky. August had been a cool month with more than
its share of rain. Would the Barry County Bridge Barge venture down the
Thornapple again in such inclement weather? Would any bridge players show up
for a chilly ride during these last days of August? Captain North sighed. There
was nothing to do but wait and see if there were enough brave souls to venture
out on such a threatening day. Captain North looked at his watch again. It was
almost time for departure, and two more players would fill four tables, hardly
the seven or eight that normally played on his weekly bridge excursions down
the Thornapple River.
Just then Captain North heard a familiar cry, “Oh
Captain North, wait for us! We are hurrying as fast as we can.” Captain looked
up to see his two favorite bridge players, Rosie and Vera, scurrying across the
parking lot to the landing at Port Tyden Park. He waved back. “Come aboard, you
two. We now have four tables for this afternoon’s cruise.”
Vera and Rosie scurried up the gangplank, and they
quickly sat down at the closest table. “Will we have a cruise today, Captain
North?” asked Vera. She was quickly downing a swig of water from her water
bottle. “I am not sure,” answered the Captain. “I am a bit concerned about the
threatening clouds in the west. They appear to be moving our way. I think we
will hold here for a bit just to make sure we are on the safe side.”
“Oh, that is wonderful,” said Rosie, as she too took
a drink of water. “We have the most wonderful hand to tell you about. Would you
like to hear it while we are waiting to see if the weather clears?” Captain
North only nodded and sat down at their table after informing the others that
there would be a short delay because of the weather.
“Well, Captain North, you know we are always
partners, and this hand came up at the WUMBA tournament in Escanaba. Do you
know where Escanaba is, Captain North?” The Captain nodded. “I was South and
had this lovely hand.” Here she pulled out the card diagram and spread it in
front of the Captain. “With 16 high card points, I opened 1NT. Now, before you
say anything, I know that I should not have opened a no trump hand with two
doubletons, but look at that lovely A♦ in the
one doubleton.” Here Rosie paused long enough to catch her breath.
Vera took over, “Yes, Captain, and guess what that
naughty West did? Why, he overcalled 2♠. Can you imagine? Why, that put me in a
pickle, I can tell you that.” She too paused for a second. “But I recovered and
bid a 2NT bid. Now that is not a point-showing hand, but a transfer bid to the
minor suits. I expected my partner Rosie to bid three clubs, the next suit up,
and I would have passed. But, Captain North, do you know what Rosie did?”
“Yes, Captain North, I bid three no trump! I knew
that Mr. West had five spades and so did I and I would always play after him as
long as he had the lead. His lead? Why,
the 7♠. My 10♠ held the trick, and I had one trick in and eight to go.” Rosie
was beaming with delight at her good fortune.
“I thanked my partner Vera for her hand even though
there were only five high-card points there, but I could see a future in those
clubs. I led the 2♣ from the board, played the J♣ in my hand, and Mr. West pounced on it with the K♣.
Everyone had played a club. West next led the 8♥,
I played low from the board, and East played the Q♥.
I took the trick with the A♥. I led my last
club, the 4♣ from my hand, and once again, West took the trick winning with the
A♣. I had succeeded in knocking out the big boys.” Here Vera and Rosie burst
into laughter, and the Captain could only smile.
Rosie continued her story. “West returned another
heart to his partner East who took the K♥ and
led back a small spade. Now you might think I would go for the finesse, Captain
North, but I knew it was doomed to lose. West had to have the K♠, so I went
right up with the A♠. I next played the A♦ from
my hand, (Remember that wonderful A♦, Captain?), and then played another diamond
from my hand to the K♦ on the board. From there,
it was child’s play as I played the four remaining clubs starting with the Q♣
on down. I led my last little heart on the board back to my good J♥ and that was it.” Here Rosie raised her water bottle
in a toast to herself and to Vera. They clinked water bottles.
Captain North looked up. “Did anyone else make 3NT
and an overtrick besides you two?” “Why, no, Captain North. The hand was played
26 times, and no one else went to no trump on that hand. They all transferred
to clubs and played at three clubs. We had a top score of 430 and a 100%
because we were the only ones who bid and made three no trump plus.”
Captain North rose from his chair. He looked up. The
sun was shining. The clouds had disappeared. “Well, Rosie and Vera, you
certainly have brought good luck on board today with your story. Let’s get this
bridge cruise underway. What do you say?”
“Let’s do it!” exclaimed Vera and Rosie, laughing
and enjoying the wonderful moment.
Gerald Stein
August 7, 2013
Number of words: 1080
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