DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“You know,” Cy the Cynic said to me, “I think Minnie’s a better player than she’d have us believe.” Minnie Bottoms, our club’s senior member, has old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks--often to her opponents’ chagrin.

I watched today’s deal, in which Minnie sat West. Cy, East, took the ace of spades and returned the jack, and South played low. Minnie promptly overtook with the king, and there was a lengthy pause.

“It’s your lead, Minnie,” Cy said finally.

“Your king won,” the grand old lady protested.

I knew what had happened: Minnie thought her king of spades was the jack. But dropping the “jack” was a play only an expert would make routinely: It would have denied possession of the queen, and told Cy that South had that card left.

When they finally convinced Minnie that she had the lead, she tabled a third spade. Cy then came up with a good play: He dumped his queen of diamonds since it was worthless anyway if declarer had A-K-J.

South was unable to set up the diamonds without losing a trick to Minnie, and when the clubs failed to break 3-3 and no squeeze emerged, he went down.

“If Minnie lets my jack of spades win,” Cy said, “South makes 3NT. He wins my heart shift in dummy, leads a diamond to the ace, returns a club to dummy, leads another diamond and lets my queen hold. He wins four diamonds, two hearts and three clubs.”

Our members never underestimate Minnie’s spectacles. They’d best not underestimate her.

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South dealer

E-W vulnerable

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NORTH

{spade} 10 8

{heart} K 9 7 5

{diamond} 7 6 4

{club} A K 5 2

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WEST EAST

{spade} K 9 7 6 4 3 {spade} A J

{heart} 6 2 {heart} Q J 10 8 3

{diamond} J 10 8 {diamond} Q 9

{club} 9 7 {club} J 10 8 3

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SOUTH

{spade} Q 5 2

{heart} A 4

{diamond} A K 5 3 2

{club} Q 6 4

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SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 NT Pass 2{club} Pass

2{diamond} Pass 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead--{spade} 6

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2001, Tribune Media Services