A BLURRED PICTURE; AN EXTRA TRICK

bridge

C.C. Colton was a welleducated English cleric who was known primarily for his eccentricities. He wrote, "Falsehood is never so successful as when she baits her hook with truth, and no opinions so fatally mislead us, as those that are not wholly wrong; as no watches so effectually deceive the wearer as those that are sometimes right."

In bridge, a psychic bid is likely to mislead your partner. During the play, you hope only to mislead the opponents about your holding.

Changing the subject for a moment, you are on lead against a small slam with an ace in your hand. Sometimes, you lead the ace and the slam makes; whereas if you had led something else, you would have beaten the slam.

Alternatively, you don't lead the ace and the slam makes; whereas if you had led the ace, you would have beaten the slam. Which is more likely?

English expert Terence Reese, whose opinion was respected, thought the latter was more likely. So, if in doubt, lead your ace at trick one. Here, West, an acolyte of Reese (that's a pun, the main bidding system in England being Acol), started with the ace and another club.

Now South had to play the trump suit without loss. He knew the odds: Cash the ace and king, hoping the queen drops. That was about to work -- until East threw a wrench shaped card into the works. When the spade five was led off the dummy at trick three, East played his queen!

Not guessing that East was a prestidigitator, South, believing the queen to be a singleton, continued with a low spade to dummy's nine. East, with his adrenaline flowing, produced the 10 to defeat the slam.