Mad bridge party

Even as the players at the Mad Hatter’s took a tea break, the two Red Queens, who had been kibitzing, continued to argue over who was greater.

“I’m the most powerful card in Wonderland,” the Queen of Hearts blustered. “No ace or king dares capture me.”

“Bosh,” the Queen of Diamonds retorted. “Losing a trick can be better than winning one.”

“I wish they would just give it a rest,” Alice muttered a little too loudly.

“Deal the cards and you’ll see,” the Queen of Diamonds sniffed.

So Alice dealt and became declarer at a bold 3NT. (Some players would have opened 1NT as South.) The March Hare, West, led the six of diamonds, and Alice didn’t like her chances. But when the Hatter, East, took the ace and returned the queen, Alice played low, and East had to shift. He tried the eight of hearts, and Alice won, forced out the ace of clubs, won West’s diamond return, finessed in spades and made an overtrick.

“A lucky contract,” Alice observed. “More than you know,” said the Queen of Diamonds. “If the Hatter understands the value of losing a trick with my card, he will play the queen of diamonds smoothly at Trick One. You must take the king to avoid going down three if West has led from A-J-7-6-4-2. When you start the clubs next, the Hare ducks twice and wins the third club, letting East discard his ace of diamonds. If West’s opening lead of the six was his fourth-highest diamond, declarer has no more high diamonds. Then West runs the diamonds.”

And Alice had to admit that it was so.

North dealer

Both sides vulnerable