Bridge

“I decided if I was going to beat her, it would be at her own game,” Cy the Cynic growled.

Minnie Bottoms wears old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks, often to her opponents’ dismay. Cy has been Minnie’s chief victim. In a match against Minnie’s team, Cy sat East at his table. Against 3NT, he took the ace of diamonds and returned a diamond. South won and led a spade to dummy’s ace.

“I saw what was coming,” Cy told me. “South would finesse in hearts and take five hearts, a spade, a diamond and two clubs.”

“Why didn’t he go to dummy with the king of clubs?”

“He was giving himself an ‘extra chance,’“the Cynic said. “And it came home: I played the king of spades under the ace! So South didn’t finesse in hearts. He came to his hand and let the eight of spades ride, expecting five spades, two clubs, a diamond and a heart. Down he went.” “Well done,” I said. “Minnie was East at the other table,” Cy said glumly. “She produced the same defense.”