PHILIP ALDER

It was a sweltering day; the air conditioner was unsuccessfully trying to keep our bridge club cool. Even the Senior Life Master had taken off his jacket and tie.

He came over to the bar and ordered an iced tea. Suddenly, as if by prestidigitation, we were looking at a bridge diagram.

That deal (the SLM began) occurred during a heat wave like the one we are experiencing now. Sitting South was Weylin Worcester, playing with his fiancee, Rebecca Ripley.

After West opened one heart and Rebecca doubled, East, applying the Law of Total Tricks, made a pre-emptive raise to four hearts. With 10 combined trumps, bid to the 10-trick level. Weylin, hoping to impress his partner, bravely bid four spades. Rebecca, aware her partner had bid under pressure, passed.

West led the heart king, king from ace-king or king-queen in a suit bid

and supported, and continued with the ace, ruffed in the dummy.

Weylin, confident that West had the diamond king for his opening bid, saw that he had two red-suit losers, so he couldn’t afford two trump losers. He knew that the normal play with this spade combination is the ace and another. However, surely West also held the spade king. In addition, East, for his fourheart bid, probably had a singleton. Backing his judgment, Weylin played a club to his queen and led the spade queen. West covered with the king, but when East’s jack dropped, declarer continued trumps to drive out West’s 10. The contract could no longer be defeated.

“Well played, darling,” cooed Rebecca lovingly.