Contract Bridge

Many years ago, The Bridge World magazine ran a series of articles called “Favorite Hands.” The top experts were invited to submit one or more of their favorites, and a sizable collection of interesting deals was published as a result. Most of the articles showed the experts in a favorable light, but Charles Lochridge found his favorite to be one where he came to a sad end.

Lochridge was South; Ted Lightner, North; Mrs. Louise Wainwright, East; and Sam Fry, West. They were playing at New York’s Regency Club, and, according to Lochridge, when he leapt to six diamonds, Fry was so startled that he doubled without a moment’s thought.

Lochridge’s partner, the ever-lugubrious Lightner, gazed at Lochridge as though he had been stabbed in the back. The rest of the story is best told in Lochridge’s own words:

“West led the jack of clubs,

and when I saw dummy I was so awed by my brilliance that I forgot to cover. This play qualifies me as a full-fledged moron. When the jack held the trick, Fry went into a coma.

“How long this might have continued there is no way of telling, but I could see that Lightner was suffering unbearably (and, besides, my time at the bridge table is extremely valuable), so I spread my hand and claimed the balance. No one has ever accused Sam of being unable to count to 13; he shifted to a heart and his partner trumped.

“I grabbed Lightner before he jumped out the window, and tried to console him with the fact that the opponents could have made six spades. But even today, after all these years, when Lightner sees me, his mumbled greeting sounds suspiciously like, “You big jerk.”

Tomorrow: A stitch in time saves nine.