Thursday 15 August 2013

AN ABSOLUTELY TRUE ( ON GOD'S HONOUR ) STORY....... ( By Bridgemeister Gibson ) 

The other night I went to my club to enjoy an evening of aggregate scoring bridge.
My partner and I had an evening where we were fighting a constant rearguard action on tram tickets. Nevertheless, with hardly any ammo in our armoury we still managed to ruffle a few feathers , and scupper several of our opponents contracts. 
But then came a board which left us both open mouthed. Both the opponents picked up excellent hands making the bidding swift and easy. 1S-2D-2NT-4NT ( ? ) My LHO took the last bid as blackwood responding 5D. My partner , as he had done most of the night , passed. Then my LHO asked : " Is it possible to have my bid back ? ". A stunned silence ensued. My RHO thought for a few moments and leapt to 6S, which was passed out. 
I waited for my partner to comment on this truly remarkable manoeuvre to communicate the presence of two Aces ( not one ).  Don't you just love the marvel and ingenuity of unauthorised information ?
Needless to say, the contract was rigid with declarer making all thirteen tricks. Finally , I decided to ask my RHO why she directly went to 6S knowing for certain there was a missing Ace ! She turned towards me, and gently smiled : " I had the points ". Well , how could I argue with that ? 
And if anyone asks me why I believe the world of bridge to be bizarre, then the answer can be found in this story. Did she honestly act on her partner's 5D reply , fully prepared to bid 6S on hearing about one Ace , and 7S if she discovered two ? Or did she act dishonestly by using his extremely naive question to ascertain the presence of two Aces ( not one ), which meant that 6S could now be confidently bid ?.  
When they departed my partner and I exchanged looks of sheer bewilderment and awe at the absurdities that can unfold , when this truly great game is played by such weird and wonderful people . 


   


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