HE WAS PART OF MY LEARNING PROCESS

Ilearned bridge in Newport, which is about 14 miles east of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. One of the regulars at the Newport Bridge Club, Julius Ernst, twice helped me make big strides forward.

One Monday, he asked me how my partner and I had bid the slam deal the previous Monday. I immediately asked, "What slam?" He said, "If you can't remember the deals, you will never make a bridge player." That needled me into action. After some thought, I recalled the deal he was mentioning. I told him what our sequence had been, and that I didn't see what we could have done differently. Ernst said, "Yes, we (he and his wife) had the same sequence."

Some time later, he held the West cards in this deal. What happened in my contract of three no-trump after he led the spade queen?

I opened one club because we used the weak no-trump, showing only 1214 points. But when partner made a limit raise, I took a shot at three notrump.

I had seven top tricks, but now being wide open in spades, I had to win nine tricks immediately. I had to take one spade, three diamonds, one club and four hearts.

I won the second spade trick and played a heart to dummy's jack. Great -- the finesse won. Then I cashed the ace, and Ernst smoothly played the queen. Even better, I thought. One good result coming up. I confidently played a heart to my nine, but with a satisfied

bridge

grunt, Ernst produced the 10 from his hand, and I went down one.

Ernst had played the card he was known to hold, and I had learned another lesson from him.

Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features)