I’ve always relished the raw emotion of bridge. Its old image as a gentle game for genteel people – what rubbish. It’s a game of passion; people explode, tables are upturned. That’s why we we love it so much. True, every bridge writer stresses the importance of partnership harmony, of never shouting, never blaming. But who can do that in practice? Not even the writers themselves – as I first realised many years ago when I heard a famous player, whose wise and measured book I’d just read, exclaim: ‘You f***king prick, why didn’t you just count your tricks and claim, you c**t?’
Don’t we all feel that sometimes? Well, I suppose it depends – you might not, for instance, sitting opposite Michal Klukowski, one of the world’s best players. This hand comes from last year’s European Championships in Madeira (see diagram).
Klukowski was West: his 5♠ response to keycard showed two plus the ♥Q! I guess you may as well upgrade your hand when you play like him. North led the ◆A and continued with a low diamond. Klukowski ruffed, cashed the ♥A and promptly ran the ♥9. When North discarded, he took a second finesse and claimed. How did he know? The bidding: North had entered at the 2-level – so why hadn’t he opened a weak 2◆? Probably because he also held four spades. If he held a singleton club, he might have led it. So he was likely to be short in hearts. Backing his judgment, Klukowski proved yet again that he’s a cut above the rest.
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