Voluptua was beginning to enjoy her bridge. At the age of 18 it was the first time she had faced a mental challenge greater than deciding on her lipstick colour and she was responding to the competitive element with enthusiasm. Trying to encourage her, her Aunt Frieda had agreed to partner her at a regular game at the club. On the very first hand Voluptua found herself playing (as West) in a ♥6 contract receiving a trump lead.
| ♠94 ♥AJT965 ♦76 ♣AK2 | ♠AQ ♥KQ432 ♦AQ9 ♣Q54 |
Complaining silently there appeared to be very little ruffing she could do despite the 11 card fit she knit her handsome brows and set about drawing trumps. After 4 rounds she noticed that the opponents had stopped following and decided that no further extraction was necessary. Since, in a recent lesson she had learnt about finessing, her next move was a spade to the queen but, to her anguish, it lost to the king and a spade came back. Another finesse then beckoned. She crossed to her Ace of clubs and played a diamond to the queen.
Once again it was topped by the king and she was one down. With an unladylike oath she rose to her feet. “That was ****ing wild bidding, Aunt Frieda; you put me in a ****ing impossible contract”. She was suddenly conscious that the entire room was staring at her and since her aunt had insisted tonight that she wear a knee long skirt and high necked blouse she realised that she had made an exhibition of bad manners rather than immodesty of attire.
With profuse apologies to Frieda and the rest of the room she resumed her seat and resolved to cultivate a more seemly demeanour. Frieda gamely forebore to explain how the contract was cold realising that Voluptua was in no mood at that time for admonishment.
A few days later however Voluptua herself saw how she could have made her contract. As Frieda and now Voluptua had realised all that declarer needs to do is draw trumps and play 3 rounds of clubs ending in her hand. Then a diamond to the 9 endplays South. A club return allows a ruff in dummy and the losing spade to be discarded. A diamond or spade removes the guess in that suit.
And the unspoken lesson that Frieda taught Voluptua? Don’t correct or criticise your partner at the bridge table. This was a lesson she never forgot and the very next week she put it into practice when partnering Randy.
They were playing against a pair of club visitors who were on holiday, two very courteous old men who awed the rest of the room as they were leading players on the Polish international bridge squad. Their East player played 6♥ doubled by Randy (North).
| ♠KQ3 ♥4 ♦AKQ64 ♣Q976 | ||
| ♠T976 ♥Q3 ♦9753 ♣AKT | ♠— ♥AKJT87652 ♦J ♣J83 | |
| ♠AJ8542 ♥9 ♦T82 ♣542 |
Voluptua was on lead and led ♦2 (as Randy had opened the bidding with 1♦). East ruffed the diamond continuation and led out all his trumps except one to reach this position
| ♠— ♥— ♦A ♣Q97 | ||
| ♠— ♥— ♦97 ♣AK | ♠— ♥2 ♦— ♣J83 | |
| ♠AJ ♥— ♦T ♣5 |
Randy had to retain both his diamond winner and his club guard. But now dummy was entered with a top club. Then a diamond was led and ruffed setting up the remaining diamond in dummy. East made it look so easy. Randy flushed with embarrassment while Voluptua radiated serene impassivity. She was looking forward to an interesting post-mortem that night.
Bridge Romances 
Leave a comment