Daily Bridge Club
Louie pays tuition
Unlucky Louie, who has two daughters away at college, was griping in the club lounge about the skyrocketing cost of a college education. We all agreed that it has become outrageous.
“It’s the opposite of a kidnapping,” Louie told us. “Unless you pay the bursar $75,000, he sends your daughter back home.”
I don’t know how much Louie loses every year in our penny Chicago games, but it might amount to a semester’s tuition. In today’s deal, West opened one spade, and when two passes followed, Louie balanced with a bid of two hearts. North’s raise to four hearts was aggressive: Louie might have, and did have, only an average hand to balance.
Moreover, North could rely on Louie to misplay, and so it proved. West cashed two high spades and continued with a third spade. Louie ruffed in dummy and led a trump to his ace, refusing to finesse. He correctly placed West with the king for his opening bid and rebid.
But when Louie led the queen of trumps next, West won and led the eight of clubs, marooning Louie in dummy. Needing to return to his hand to draw West’s ten of trumps, he took the A-K and ruffed a club, but West overruffed. Louie finessed in diamonds later and went down only one.
Louie’s timing was imprecise, and he was duly punished. After Louie takes the ace of trumps, he must cash the A-K of clubs, then lead a second trump to his queen. When West wins, he has no more clubs and must lead a spade (or a diamond). Louie can win, draw West’s last trump and pick up the diamonds to make the contract.
West dealer
N-S vulnerable