Bridge Andrew Robson

For 30 years I was privileged to be the ‘bridge manager’ at Tessa Wheeler’s villa on the glorious slopes of Tangier. Sadly, Tessa died in 2017, and her husband Stuart died last year.

The only way Tessa (not a bridge player) could lure Stuart (not a sun-worshipper, to say the least) to Tangier for a week was for a group of bridge players to come along, too.

Here is Wheeler at the helm on one such occasion – he was a fine player, as you’ll see.

(1) Although the Tangier players are from the Portland Club, where no conventions are allowed, I introduced a few of the best – the Jacoby 2NT and Splinters being two. This Two Notrump bid shows a game-raise in support of spades. (2) Splinter bid, showing a non-minimum with club shortage. Wheeler was never backward in coming forward – phooey to having opened with only ten points. (3) Loving the splinter, North does well to blast here (very much Portland-style), rather than make an ace-showing cue bid of Four Diamonds (which East would double for the lead, killing the slam). Declarer, the late six-foot-five spreadbetting maestro, won West’s queen of hearts lead, then crossed to the ace of clubs and ruffed a club, a necessary precursor to his cunning plan. At trick four, he led the queen of spades, West playing a smooth nine.

Wheeler had not reached the second day of the World Series of Poker at Last Vegas on several occasions for nothing. Reading West to have a singleton (‘If they don’t cover, they don’t have it’), declarer rose with dummy’s ace (East following low), then ruffed a third club. He cashed his remaining top heart, ruffed a third heart, ruffed a fourth club and ruffed a fourth heart.

East was unwilling to overruff as he would then have to lead a diamond. However, this was merely postponing his fate. For, at trick ten, declarer exited with a spade from dummy. East won the king, but his forced diamond return could be run to dummy’s queen and the slam made. ANDREW ROBSON