"Always trust partner? Why should he trust me, when I shouldn't trust him?"
      - an excerpt from "The Fallible Genius on Partnership Management"
An Aspiring Novice


I am back at the Vancouver Bridge Centre for another kick at the can. Tonight I am playing with a novice in a open field. Partner is enthusiastic about everything we do, and he feels I can do nothing wrong, except, that is, for my smoking. In fact, he is so confident in my abilities, that he has been routinely overbidding our side to hopeless contracts and then expecting me to work miracles. I would hate to dash his confidence in me.

We are on our last round of the evening and we are having a good session so far. Three more high boards should help us clinch first place. Our first board was excellent for us. On our second board of the set, I pick up:

Vul: Both
Dlr: Pard
S J 7 6 5  H J 4  D 7 6 5 3  C A 10 5

Blech!
I hate hands like this.

Partner starts with ONE CLUB which is PASSED to me. Time for my first big decision. I choose to bypass diamonds in favour of my four card major and bid ONE SPADE. Lefty PASSES and partner bids a quick TWO HEARTS. By the nature of Standard American Yellow Card, we have no conventional responses over reverses, so I try to slow things down with TWO NOTRUMP, but partner still bids a confident THREE NOTRUMP which ends the auction. Even though I feel that my meagre six count may prove inadequate, I am certainly not unhappy about the bidding, at least from my side of the table. At least the declarer play will be stronger from my side.

Lefty thinks for awhile and eventually produces the H6.

Vul: Both
Dlr: Pard
 
 
 
 PARD (dummy)
S A 10
H K 10 5 2
D A 2
C K 8 7 6 2
ME

--
1S
2NT
 LEFTY

--
Pass
Pass
 PARD

1C
2H
3NT
 RIGHTY

Pass
Pass
All Pass
ME
S J 7 6 5
H J 4
D 7 6 5 3
C A 10 5

Wow.
Partner sure missed by a couple kings.
But because of the friendly lead, I still have a faint chance at 3NT. If an opponent has the doubleton CQJ and lefty has the HQ, then I can scoop one spade trick, two hearts, one diamond and five clubs before they can effectively start the diamonds or the spades.

With nothing to lose, I call for a low heart from dummy and my HJ wins. This is good news, because lefty probably has the HQ. So, I immediately lead my last heart towards dummy and win the H10 when lefty plays low.

With two heart tricks in, it's time to go after clubs. I try the CK and nothing big falls. Small to the CA collects righty's CJ and the last club puts lefty in as righty pitches the booming D10. Lefty obediently switches to diamonds, the D8.

Well, I've got one spade trick, two hearts, one diamond and four clubs, which is not bad for this hopeless contract. Should I concede down one and accept my pending zero matchpoint score or is there still a chance to make 3NT?

The Fallible Genius - a chronicle by Brad Bart
April 7, 1998