QUICK CROSSWORD

Roosevelt said, “A woman is like a tea bag — you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”

In the last two columns, we have looked at deals in which Dennis Spooner, who was a scriptwriter from London, ran cold ( playing in two diamonds redoubled in a 0- 0 fit!) and very hot ( making three no- trump doubled with seven points opposite eight). This deal came hard on the heels of the previous one.

Spooner held the South hand. West surprisingly opened three clubs ( not one club), North overcalled three spades, and East doubled for penalty. What happened after that?

Spooner always put a bridge reference into his scripts. In a “Jason King” episode, the bad guys were two Italians, Belladonna and Garozzo. ( The eponymous bridge players have 29 world titles between them.) In a car chase at the end, the Italians lose control, go down a steep hillside, and their car bursts into flames. Jason King pulls up to look at the conflagration. Eventually the police arrive and ask what happened. King said, “Belladonna and Garozzo just went down.”

Spooner did not fancy three spades doubled, although it would have made. He ran to four diamonds. Then North shocked him — she jumped straight to seven diamonds! East doubled that as well.

North tabled her hand with the comment, “I must have the right cards.”

Spooner ruffed the spade lead, played a diamond to dummy’s queen, cashed the diamond ace, ruffed a spade, played a heart to the king, ruffed another spade and claimed because dummy was high. Copyright United Feature Syndicate

( Asia Features)