BRIDGE AT CHOLMELEY SCHOOL

The Headmaster's Mistake

By David Bird

It had been a beautiful spring day and even the Headmaster was in a genial mood. 'Did you see the sunset tonight, Matron?' he said, easing himself into the West seat. 'A very spiritual experience. Even those soulless fourth formers must have found it uplifting.'

The Matron nodded vaguely. 'I hold my flat-feet remedial session at six o'clock,' she replied. 'Duty before pleasure for me, unfortunately.'

'I'm sure the boys are very grateful for your efforts,' declared the Headmaster. He extracted his cards from the board and found that he had a promising 6-6 hand in the minor suits. Excellent! Mind you, Charlie would probably choose just the wrong moment to open with some absurd pre-empt in a major.

'Four Hearts,' said the Reverend Benson.

This was the deal before them:

Dealer: East. Game All.     K 9 7 5 2   9 4 2   A 7 6 2   K     8   -   K Q J 5 4 3   A 10 7 5 4 3   3   A K J 10 7 6 5 3   10 8   8 6     A Q J 10 6 4   Q 8   9   Q J 9 2

West Head- master	North The Matron	East Reverend Benson	South Victoria Bellis
		4	4
Pass	6	End

The Headmaster led the K and the Matron laid out her dummy. 'It's thanks to an article in Childcare Weekly that I bid the hand the way I did,' she declared.

Victoria Bellis suppressed a smile. 'What did the article recommend exactly?' she asked.
'I would normally have bid Blackwood on these cards,' the Matron replied, 'but Madge Warner said it was a poor bid when you had two top losers in a side suit. Presumably her advice holds good with three top losers.'

Victoria Bellis won the first trick with dummy's A and ruffed a diamond with the ace of trumps. A trump to the nine drew the defenders' cards in the suit and she ruffed another diamond in her hand. The king of trumps provided an entry for a third diamond ruff, eliminating the suit, and this position had been reached:

7 5 2   9 4 2   -   K     -   -   Q J   A 10 7 5 4   -   A K J 10 7   -   8 6     10   Q 8   -   Q J 9 2

When declarer led a low club from her hand the Headmaster won with the ace and returned a low club. 'Dummy's three hearts go on my clubs,' said Victoria Bellis, displaying her cards. 'Just the twelve.'

A whistling sound came from the Reverend Benson as he sucked in air between his remaining teeth. 'Play low on the club, Headmaster!' he exclaimed. 'I score two heart tricks then.'

The Headmaster waved this observation aside. 'It's easy to say that now,' he replied. 'How on earth do I know that your highest club is the eight? If I duck the club, she might have a doubleton king of hearts and lead towards it for the contract.'

The Matron reached for the travelling score-sheet, nodding happily at its contents. 'No-one else bid the slam,' she announced proudly. 'They probably ignored Madge Warner's advice and bid Blackwood on my hand.'

'With three top heart losers?' said an amused Victoria Bellis. 'What a poor effort.'

'With two aces missing, they would stop at the five-level and get a bottom,' continued the Matron. 'Serves them right, if you ask me!'