Etcetera: Bridge

SOME PLAYERS never seem to bring their full attention to bear when defending against a part-score. Here, for example, East was so pleased his opponents had stopped on the brink of game that he omitted to defeat their contract.

South opened One Heart, North responded One Spade, and South rebid Two Hearts. In no way could North bid again, so there they languished in spite of their existing 30 part-score.

West, hoping for the best, did a "Charge of the Light Brigade" lead of the king of clubs against Two Hearts. East encouraged en- thusiastically with his jack, won the next two club tricks, and led his two in the con- viction that his partner could do better than dummy. West was able to oblige with the eight, but declarer simply discarded a diamond from dummy. Now he had no problems - he ruffed his losing diamond on the table and had only the ace of trumps to lose.

East's jack of clubs was too important a card to use as a signal. (After all, if his king wins, West hardly needs to be told that his partner holds the ace.) Suppose East follows with the two? He wins the next club and switches to a low trump. When he gets in again with a club, he can fit in two more rounds of trumps. Now, in all, declarer loses four clubs, a diamond, and a trump. There is a disease prevalent among bridge players: "signalitis", or signalling with a card higher than can be afforded.