Bridge is the most social of the mind games. I you do not believe me, then take a look at a chess or checkers club. During an extended deathly silence the players rack their brains (and

There is one thing however chess players do better than bridge players: they make a note of their games. Not a major effort since a chess game lasts about three hours, less troublesome as well than in bridge: to jot down all that happened in 24 or even 28 boards is hardly an option. Still I think we should register our most beautiful, funniest, craziest, most ridiculous hands, because a lot of great stories are lost. Every bridge player should be able to complete a nice little book with his exploits after just a few years of playing. Especially since reading about your own efforts is more fun than reading about someone else's.

I too often forget to note down but yet I have gathered some nice stories in the course of the years. The most incredible of these comes from a night at bridge club Star in Utrecht (Netherlands). My partner (not my regular partner though) was Pim de Voogt.

N/NS		♠	A K Q 7 4
		♥	A 5
		♦	-
		♣	A K Q 9 8 3
		♠	5 3 2
		♥	6 2
		♦	K 9 7 5 3
		♣	J 7 4

 

West	North	East	South
Lenie Erich	Pim de Voogt	Joop Erich	Me
-	1♣1	pas	1♦2
3♦	4♦3	pas	4♠4
pas	7♠	pas	pas
pas

¹ Precision Club: 16⁺ HCP, almost any distribution possible
² 0-7 HCP, almost any distribution possible
³ five card spade suit and a second five card suit
⁴ what else?

After my 4♠ bid my partner, north, reasoned: 'East did not support diamonds, so south has at least three diamonds. Next to his (let's hope) at least four spades south has therefore at most six cards in clubs and hearts. After three rounds of trumps all six disappear on my clubs, after which south can ruff my heart loser with his fourth trump. 7♠ is on ice therefore, south does not need any points at all.'
Fair enough, but ...I only had three spades. 

West led a heart and when dummy came down the contract did not seem to have a chance.

On closer inspection I saw one little chance and went for it: ♥A, ♠A, ♠K and club to ♣J.
 

N/NS		♠	A K Q 7 4
		♥	A 5
		♦	-
		♣	A K Q 9 8 3
♠	9 6			♠	J 10 8
♥	K J 8 3			♥	Q 10 9 7 4
♦	A Q 10 8 6 4 2			♦	J
♣	-			♣	10 6 5 2
		♠	5 3 2
		♥	6 2
		♦	K 9 7 5 3
		♣	J 7 4

When west showed out and could not ruff I felt like I had won the lottery. East gritted his teeth while following suit three more times on ♣AKQ and my heart loser disappeared.
Then I ruffed north's heart in hand, crossed to the table via a diamond ruff and drew east's last trump.
Not particularly difficult to play, I had not done anything brilliant. But I will never forget this hand because what is the chance of such an unbelievable distribution? I have never calculated it...  

What makes this contract even funnier: it must be played by south! See for yourself: if north is declarer he is at once defeated by a club lead (ruff). But also after the normal diamond lead he does not stand a chance: after ruffing the heart in south, north can only try to get back to his hand by ruffing a diamond. But east is also void in that suit now and his ♠J is thus 'promoted’ behind north's ♠Q.

'Can't be helped', east said and quietly took the next board. Thus showing good manners, it was like laying down his king in a chess game. Another thing we bridge players can learn from chess players!

To be continued