ACES ON BRIDGE

By Bobby Wolff The Dyspeptics Club players are all getting older, but apparently no wiser. South’s cards seem to be improving — which East described as being equivalent to the likelihood of a 100-year storm striking the bridge club every day. He also said that the only thing that was keeping him from bankruptcy or suicide was the knowledge that South would turn his gems into dross. Today’s deal was just such an example when South picked up a hand that even he might have admitted was a trifle better than his usual. He reached six hearts on a typically unsubtle auction — though admittedly, it is not easy to bid the hand intelligently. He won the club opening lead and laid down the heart king, prepared to claim his contract, then sat back in his chair when the 4-0 trump break came to light. Eventually, he coughed up the spade ace and continued with the jack, planning to pitch his club loser on the spade queen. Alas for his side, his plan was good but not foolproof. When West won his spade king and continued the suit, East ruffed in, and South was left with a club loser. Cutting short South’s expostulations that he had genuinely been unlucky, North commented that chance favors the prepared mind. What did he mean? Had South led the spade jack at trick three, he would have retained control of the spades. He could win the return and unblock spades, then draw trumps, finishing in North to take his discard in peace and quiet.