Show BETTER BRIDGE BRIDGEy R f II f y C G H. H GOREN GORN d i Both sides vulnerable S Sou South o u t h deals North NorthA A K J 10 74 1 7 East West est V 6 5 3 Q J 10 6 95 1 9 5 Q J 8 97 6 3 K 10 6 8 81 1 2 South V The bidding such as ag it is South West Vest North East 1 heart Pass 3 diamonds Pass 3 spades Pass 6 spades Pass Pass Pass Opening lead Queen of hearts The impression exists in Jn many quarters that at tournament play the element of luck is entirely eliminated from the cont contest t. t Nothing Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing could be further from the truth And it is well that it should be so For this is one of the contributing contributing contributing con con- factors to the success that tournaments continue to en en- joy If all hazards were removed and the matches reduced to a pure test of skill bridge tournaments would hold forth little fascination for the public at large Only a handful of experts would be endowed endowed endowed en en- dowed with the equipment to win and they would carry off the gonfalon gonfalon gonfalon gon gon- falon with monotonous regularity Some may be in favor of such a state of affairs for the cutting of throats that would naturally ensue would eventually leave these Kilkenny Kilkenny Kilkenny Kil Kil- kenny cats with ith nothing but their tails With the elimination of luck bridge conte contests ts would resemble more closely competitions like chess and golf golt The neighborhood duffer never never gets a chance to match strokes with the top-flight top pros and what sheer futility it would be if he did Yet het that same tyro may on occasion find himself pitted against the bigwigs of contract contract contract con con- tract and under the ironic guidance guidance guidance guid guid- ance of the fates come off with a scalp or two that he w will ll cherish into eternity East wearing a newly acquired related to me with pathos the incident which is today re re- re corded The first round of bidding was entirely sound T but then it took a weird turn South's of three spades was intended to I show the ace This of course isan is isan isan isI I an ill timed step The first duty of a bidder is to find out what is going to be trump and the showing showing showing show show- ing of aces should be deferred until such time Norths North's leap to six spades was made in the belief that his partner had a a biddable suit but even so such su-ch action with only three trumps is not recommended particularly when partner presumably presumably presumably ably has a four card suit But who am I 1 to argue with success 1 The queen of hearts was opened tal taken en with the king and the club finesse tried at once The two top diamonds were cashed and a diamond ruffed with the nine of spades The club finesse was re repeated repeated repeated re- re and the ace of clubs cashed Then the ace of hearts and the remaining remaining remaining re re- re- re five trumps were made separately on a cross ruff cross ruff for a total of 13 tricks True enough East and West held exactly the same cards as all other pairs in the contest but there was no way to eliminate the hardship hardship hardship hard hard- ship wor wormed worked ed on them by having to tom m meet et North and South at an inspired inspired inspired in in- moment West could have held the opposition to 12 tricks by opening a trump and he no doubt should have but the result would have been the same zero which was chalked up against their score Copyright 1948 C C. H Goren |