Janet de Botton

Bridge | 2 August 2018

It’s that time of year again — summer and its attendant holidays. No bridge for me for a month, unless you count the odd tournament online or playing my favourite computer programme, Bridge Baron. I love the Baron, not only for the squillions of hands it throws up but also because you can play a hand any amount of times and if your finesses fail you can go back and try again!

Today’s hand is one of those that looks relatively easy but I tried a dozen or more times and always went down. Then I gave it to Hoffer, the mighty Viking, who came up with a plan: [see image].

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I must be the poster girl.

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West led ♣King and switched to a low diamond which I let run to my Queen. Every time. And every time I went down. The Hoff looked at it for a while and said, ‘Win the diamond with the Ace.’ This is how the play went: ♠8 from dummy to the 10 and King, West discarding a heart. Next came the 10 won by West who continued hearts, taken by dummy’s Jack. The King was ruffed low by east and overruffed. Now came ♣8 to West’s Ace, West continuing with another club which Declarer won in hand and played the ♣Jack which he ruffed with ♠Q.

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