It was high summer and the sun was shining in a clear blue sky.  In the garden bees buzzed and colourful butterflies fluttered around the sweet smelling lavender.  Sheep were grazing in the field beyond, large stones stood sentinel beside them.  Spouse and I were spending a leisurely week in Wiltshire staying at a rented cottage built on the edge of the ancient stone circle at Avebury.  We were waiting for our friends Dave and Sally, and on their arrival we all set of for a circular walk first visiting Windmill Hill before cutting through to the Ridgeway to West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill.   By an amazing coincidence the walk finished at the Red Lion back in Avebury, a pub with the distinction of being the only one inside a stone circle.  The two men were already perusing the real ales on tap.  So I was surprised to hear Spouse order two pints of Avebury Well Water.  My fears were soon allayed; their pints were 3.9% abv.  Well Water turned out to be the local house bitter.

After dinner, the four of us settled down for our version session of rubber Bridge. We play four deals maximum and then score up as an unfinished rubber if necessary, We then switch partnerships and begin again. Dave and Spouse were ready as soon as they had refreshed their glasses with more Well Water. This last hand of the twelve caused the a certain amount of discussion. 

Dealer North; All vulnerable

                        Dave  

                        A Q 10 8 2

                    8 5

                    A 7

                    A J 8 3

Sally                              Wendy

J 9 7 6 4                         Void

9 6 2                                        Q 10 4

10 5 4                                      Q J 9 6 3

10 9                                         K Q 7 5 4

                    Spouse

                    K 5 3

                    A K J 7 3

                    K 8 2

                    6 2

As dealer in the North seat, Dave opened one spade.  I passed, Spouse bid two hearts and Sally passed.  With his 15 count but only a partial fit in hearts Dave re-bid his spade suit to show at least five cards knowing that Spouse’s heart bid was forcing for another round.  I again passed, and with his 14 HCP, Spouse rather surprisingly bid three no trumps rather than four spades. 

West               North    East               South

Sally                Dave     Wendy          Spouse

            1          S            Pass               2H

Pass                 2S          Pass               3N

End

Sally lead the four of diamonds.  Dave won the trick on table with the ace and played a small spade towards the closed hand.  When I showed out, he was able to take the marked finesses in that suit to make all thirteen tricks with five spades, five hearts on a finesse, two diamonds and one club, giving the men the rubber. 

The discussion that followed was more about not reaching a slam rather than missing the grand.  With a combined count of 29 HCP, slams in hearts, spades or no trumps were available.  Dave’s opening bid only guaranteed four spades.  Spouse's two hearts showed at least five hearts and a minimum of about 10 HCP.  Dave clarified his five-card suit with his two-spade bid.  Sally wondered if rather than Dave bidding two spades, a long suit trial bid of three clubs might have been more appropriate as game appeared certain.  She suggested the auction might have gone something like: 

West            North          East                South

                    1S                Pass                 2H

Pass             3C               Pass                 4S

Pass             4N (1)          Pass                 5H (2)

Pass             6S                    End 

                                 (1) RKCB   (2) Two of five aces without the queen

I thought the sequence very optimistic.  After all on the initial lead of the club king, declarer needs a favourable positions in the majors.  If the East and West hands happen to be reversed no slam contract seems very attractive.  In any case I wondered if an auction starting with one spade, two hearts, two no trumps might have been better.  The men were now eager to pursue other interests and were dismayed to find that the Well Water barrel was empty.  No problem, to them two pints of Green King IPA seemed a satisfactory alternative. 

Sally and I sat by the window drinking coffee.  Sheep were safely grazing in the long shadows of the giant stones created by the golden rays of the setting sun as I pondered whether this was the first time that bridge had been played within a prehistoric stone circle. 

Extract 65:  Lucky Thirteen

Millie and I were in the bar when Gary, a well-known gardening enthusiast, joined us.  'How are you?' I enquired.  'Not too bad, but a bit tired,' he admitted, 'I've been digging on my allotment all day.'  'That must be hard work,' I sympathised.  'No, no, it was OK.  I've got a good spade.  Had it for fifty odd years,' Gary confided, 'and in all that time it's only had one new blade and two new handles.'  'Who's your scriptwriter?' asked Millie smiling more at Gary's nerve in using such an old joke rather than the gag itself.  Then reverting to the character of a latter day Lady Bracknell she continued, 'Mind you, I've never owned a spade.  I have to admit I wouldn't know what to do with one.'  With a glass of brandy in her hand she wandered back to the bridge room.  I followed with my glass of wine leaving Gary grinning at his own humour. 

It was a duplicate pairs evening at the Riverside and late in the session Gary arrived at our table.  'Lost your partner?'' questioned Millie impatiently.  'No. no,' Gary assured us, 'Reggie is on his way.'  'Ah, Reg the Rug,' noted Millie unnecessarily referencing Reginald's toupee which was clearly a different colour to his remaining natural hair.  Reg, plus a pint of beer, arrived apologising for the delay and we played this deal.

Dealer West; North-South vulnerable

Millie

A J

K J 10 8 7 2

A 10 9 7

6

Reggie                    Gary

Q 9 5 4 3                10 8 7 6 2

6 5 4 3                    Q

5 4 3                       K Q J 2

10                           7 3 2

Wendy

K

A 9

8 6

A K Q J 9 8 5 4

Reggie passed and Millie opened one heart.  A pass from Gary was followed by a pause by me as I considered my options.  Two clubs seemed a bit of an understatement of the playing strength so I settled on three clubs showing a strong hand with a self-supporting suit.  The opposition were out of the auction.  Millie with only one club ignored her secondary diamond suit and bid three hearts.  With nine certain tricks in my hand I thought a slam was distinctly possible.  With some trepidation I ventured four no trumps Roman Key Card Blackwood.  Millie's reply of five clubs showed none or three of five aces.  It was easy to decode.  I held two aces so Millie must hold the other two aces and the king of hearts.  My singleton king of spades now gave me ten tricks in my hand and with three tricks in Millie's dummy I bid the grand slam in no trumps. 

West   North  East     South

       Reg     Millie  Gary   Wendy

       Pass     1H       Pass     3C

       Pass     3H       Pass     4N

       Pass     5C       Pass     7N

       End

Reg placed his opening lead on the table facedown and swivelled his head sharply to the left to ask Millie to explain the auction.  Unfortunately his toupee was rather loose and stayed in an East-West orientation.  As he turned back to expose his lead, his rug now disengaged itself from its preferred position on his head to land neatly in his glass of beer.  Without any obvious embarrassment he replaced the miscreant hairpiece on his head admitting, 'I really must buy a snug rug next time.'  He eventually led the four of spades and I claimed the contract immediately to the complete satisfaction of our opponents.  At the end of the round I explained to Millie how easy it was to bid the grand once she had re-bid her heart suit, but wondered why she hadn't shown her second suit by bidding three diamonds instead.  My reasoning was that she might be describing her hand better by showing four plus diamonds and five or more hearts.  'I never thought about it,' was her unexpectedly honest reply. 

In our usual hostelry later, Kate and Jo explained they were rather lucky to get a good result on the hand as the auction took a fairly direct route to five clubs. 

Wes     North  East     South

Jo                    Kate

Pass     1H       Pass     2C

Pass     2D       Pass     5C

End

They had played the board late in the event and most partnerships had reached slams: some grand; some small, some in no trumps, others in clubs.  I still had doubts whether Millie and I would have reached seven no trumps had Millie bid diamonds rather than re-bidding hearts as the response to RKCB would then have been an ambiguous five hearts showing either two aces or one ace and the diamond king, in each case without the queen of diamonds.  'Well perhaps after your jump to three clubs, four no trumps should be standard Blackwood,' suggested Kate.  Jo wondered if cue bidding might have been better than any type of Blackwood.  'It's too late to worry about all this now,' complained Millie, 'Whose round is it?'