CHAPTER ♣J
The tea break was short, everybody being anxious to get on with the third and last session of what proved to be a thrilling match. The Sugar Beets checked their score pads once more and took their seats with grim faces. Losing against The Seed Potatoes was not an option, and their 10 IMP deficit simply had to be bridged.
Leo and Linda faced Black and Jack, and immediately this poisonous creature hit the table:
The tea break was short, everybody being anxious to get on with the third and last session of what proved to be a thrilling match. The Sugar Beets checked their score pads once more and took their seats with grim faces. Losing against The Seed Potatoes was not an option, and their 10 IMP deficit simply had to be bridged.
Leo and Linda faced Black and Jack, and immediately this poisonous creature hit the table:
| N/- | ♠
10 3 ♥ A 7 4 2 ♦ 7 6 5 3 ♣ A K Q | |||
| ♠
9 6 2 ♥ 10 9 5 ♦ K 9 4 ♣ J 7 6 3 |
N W E S |
♠
8 5 ♥ K Q J 8 3 ♦ J 10 8 ♣ 10 9 2 | ||
| ♠
A K Q J 7 4 ♥ 6 ♦ A Q 2 ♣ 8 5 4 | ||||
| West
Black - pass pass pass pass |
North
Leo 1 ♦ 4 ♣ 4 ♥ 5 ♥ pass |
East
Jack 1 ♥ pass pass pass pass |
South
Linda 2 ♠ 4 ♦ 4 NT 6 ♠ |
|
Leo opened the skirmish with a mundane 1♦, and Jack overcalled 1♥. Linda bid a game forcing 2♠, and Leo chose to show his club control straight away with 4♣. After a couple of cue bids and the Blackwood machinery Linda ended in the predestined tight spade slame.
Black led ♥10, and Linda studied the dummy anxiously. The absence of a diamond honour was a setback, and she soon realized that East simply had to have ♦K. Not a bad chance in view of his overcall, and she made short work of the play.
She won the lead with ♥A, played three rounds of trumps, cashed ♦A to cater for a bare ♦K with West, cashed dummy's ♣AKQ and then played a diamond towards her ♦Q. West won with ♦K however and Linda dejectedly conceded 1 down.
"Nothing I could do", grumbled Linda defiantly. "With ♦J in dummy 6♠ would be on ice, and even now I still had a good 50% chance of finding Jack with ♦K. Stopping in game is for weaklings, the other side really ought to reach slam as well."
These words proved to be prophetic...
>>>
This happened at the other table a while afterwards:
| N/- | ♠
10 3 ♥ A 7 4 2 ♦ 7 6 5 3 ♣ A K Q | |||
| ♠
9 6 2 ♥ 10 9 5 ♦ K 9 4 ♣ J 7 6 3 |
N W E S |
♠
8 5 ♥ K Q J 8 3 ♦ J 10 8 ♣ 10 9 2 | ||
| ♠
A K Q J 7 4 ♥ 6 ♦ A Q 2 ♣ 8 5 4 | ||||
| West
Joep - pass pass pass pass pass pass |
North
vicar 1 ♦ 1 NT 2 NT 4 ♣ 4 ♥ 5 ♥ pass! |
East
Joeri 1 ♥ pass pass pass pass pass pass |
South
priest 1 ♠ 2 ♣ 3 ♠ 4 ♦ 4 NT 6 ♣ |
|
<<<
The priest meant his 2♣ as checkback Stayman, but the vicar took it as natural. After the priest's 3♠ call the vicar was in some doubt about the trump suit, and bid a two-way 4♣ (natural as well as cue). Some more cue bids and the inevitable Blackwood inquiry followed, and when the priest heard two aces opposite he eagerly asked for kings. Since 5♠ would be a sign-off and 5NT a Josephine grand slam try, he did this by bidding 6♣. The vicar, who had been in doubt all the time as to which black suit would be trumps, was relieved to finally obtain clarity and passed.
The priest held his breath for a moment and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he saw that Joep had led ♥10, and that he had arrived in a 3-3 club fit with a 6-2 spade fit alongside. He could not for the moment envisage which sin he had committed to undergo this ordeal, but he steeled himself to carry his fate like a man. He won the lead with ♥A and ruffed a heart. He crossed to dummy's heaven-sent ♠10 and ruffed another heart. He continued with three rounds of trumps, throwing his two diamond losers. He was thankful to see opponents follow suit all the way, and played on spades. Joep could take his master trump whenever he wanted, but since he had no more hearts the rest was for the priest.
"6♣ bid and made, how very fortunate!", muttered the priest while lifting up his eyes to the heavens.
"Yes, particularly since 6♠ has no chance with the ♦K offside", chipped in Joeri sombrely. "6♣ goes down on a black suit lead, but that is virtually impossible to find. I knew well enough that a 4-4 fit often yields more tricks than a 6-2 fit, but apparently this can also hold for a 3-3 fit. This could well be a very expensive board for The Sugar Beets..."
>>>
At another table the new poverty was in battle with the old riches. Ko and Jo knew the baron and baroness from their generous contributions to the local charity funds, and smiled timidly to the nobles.
| N/all | ♠
K ♥ 8 6 5 3 2 ♦ A Q J ♣ 10 6 4 3 | |||
| ♠
A Q J 10 ♥ K Q J 9 ♦ K 10 7 ♣ A Q |
N W E S |
♠
9 8 6 5 ♥ A 10 7 4 ♦ 9 4 2 ♣ K J | ||
| ♠
7 4 3 2 ♥ - ♦ 8 6 5 3 ♣ 9 8 7 5 2 | ||||
| West
baron - double 4 ♠ |
North
Ko 2 ♥ * pass pass |
East
baroness pass 3 ♠ pass |
South
Jo 3 ♣ ** pass pass |
|
|
* Muiderberg convention: 5 hearts and 4 of a minor ** Weak with both minors, non-forcing | ||||
<<<
Ko, who realized that The Sugar Beets needed to make up some ground, opened with a wanton Muiderberg 2♥. Jo rolled her eyes and bid a non-forcing 3♣. The baron doubled with his rock crusher, and the baroness contemplated for a while. Defending 3♣ doubled was an option, but apparently Jo was short in hearts and if she had good support in clubs 3♣ might come a long way.
Eventually she decided to bid her fourcard spades. Jo passed with a sigh of relief, and the baron went straight to spade game. Jo started with ♣9 and the baron proudly displayed his magnificent dummy. The baroness was not impressed and saw that 4♠ was far from cast iron despite the abundant point count. The duplication was annoying, and since South definitely had a heart void the ♣K was her only entry to take one trump finesse. That only made sense if South possessed exactly ♠Kx, not very likely next to her heart void. In addition, with a trump finesse she ran the risk of suffering two or even three heart ruffs if North held ♠K and ♦A. A lively possibility in view of his vulnerable Muiderberg opening.
After some thought the baroness took a firm decision. She won the lead with dummy's ♣A and called for ♠A! That would be winning with ♠K bare or ♠Kxx in North, because in the latter case she could surely throw North in with a diamond in the endgame.
When Ko dropped his ♠K on the green baize with obvious distaste the baroness smiled happily. She quickly pulled all the trumps, and cashed four hearts and ♣K. She then tried a diamond to dummy's ♦K, and when Ko won with ♦A she faced her cards and said "Just the ten".
>>>
Jo nodded resignedly and reached for the next board, taking care not to voice her thoughts. A diamond lead could have torn 4♠ apart, with 3 down or even 4 down. Ko meanwhile shifted his chair at least one foot backwards...
When this board arrived at the other table a totally different scenario unfolded:
| N/all | ♠
K ♥ 8 6 5 3 2 ♦ A Q J ♣ 10 6 4 3 | |||
| ♠
A Q J 10 ♥ K Q J 9 ♦ K 10 7 ♣ A Q |
N W E S |
♠
9 8 6 5 ♥ A 10 7 4 ♦ 9 4 2 ♣ K J | ||
| ♠
7 4 3 2 ♥ - ♦ 8 6 5 3 ♣ 9 8 7 5 2 | ||||
| West
Mr. Pleiter - double double |
North
Uwe 2 ♥ * pass pass |
East
Dr. Snijder pass pass pass |
South
Ute pass 2 ♠ pass |
|
| * Muiderberg convention: 5 hearts + 4 of a minor | ||||
<<<
Uwe, who realized that opponents would do anything to catch up, decided like Ko to create a smokescreen with an off-beat Muiderberg 2♥ opening. Ute, with her Yarborough and heart void, silently cursed her partner and passed apprehensively. It had meanwhile escaped her notice that she had mistakenly assigned ♣9 and ♣8 to the spades.
When Mr. Pleiter doubled in the pass-out position Dr. Snijder smelled blood and passed aggressively. Ute saw her nightmare come true and sought refuge in her alleged sixcard spade suit. With a little bit of luck Uwe had a doubleton spade, and anything was better than playing 2♥ doubled and vulnerable in a 5-0 fit.
Mr. Pleiter doubled with relish and led ♥K with a greedy grin. While Uwe tabled his dummy in noncommittal fashion Ute went berserk discovering that she had only four spades instead of six. She turned pale when the saw the dummy, and trumped the lead. She finessed successfully against ♦K, trumped another heart, finessed again in diamonds, trumped a third heart, crossed to ♦A and trumped a fourth heart. Both opponents followed suit and Ute stoically eyed the seven tricks in front of her.
She recalled that West had doubled with alacrity, and placed the thirteenth diamond on the table with a broad smile. Mr. Pleiter did his best by discarding ♣Q, but Ute imperiously called for dummy's bare ♠K. When it held the trick she faced her remaining five baby clubs and announced:
"I'm not going for the overtricks, you can have the rest. At the other table game in spades may have been made as well. By East-West, mind you."
>>>
Dr. Snijder opened her mouth with a fierce expression, but Mr. Pleiter beat her to it.
"Correct, if I lead ♠A declarer goes 5 off for -1400. Difficult to find though..."
After this second disaster things looked grim for BC The Sugar Beet. Constance and Mathilde were unaware of this however when they picked up these cards against the sheriff and the prosecutor:
| S/NS | ♠
10 7 6 4 2 ♥ A Q J 3 ♦ J 7 ♣ A K | |||
| ♠
A K J 8 ♥ K 9 4 ♦ Q 10 6 ♣ 10 7 5 |
N W E S |
♠
Q 9 5 3 ♥ 8 7 2 ♦ K 8 ♣ J 9 8 4 | ||
| ♠
- ♥ 10 6 5 ♦ A 9 5 4 3 2 ♣ Q 6 3 2 | ||||
| West
Constance - 1 ♣ pass pass |
North
prosecutor - 1 ♠ 2 ♥ pass |
East
Mathilde - 1 NT pass pass |
South
sheriff pass 2 ♦ 3 ♦ |
|
<<<
The sheriff passed as dealer, and Constance opened a very ordinary 1♣. The prosecutor had an awkward overcall, considered 1NT and double, but eventually opted for 1♠. Mathilde tried to steal the contract with a thin 1NT, but the sheriff bid a competitive 2♦. He did not have tolerance for spades, it was true, but he did not want to pass with his attractive shape and he could in any case rebid 3♣ or 3♦.
The prosecutor with her strong hand made an attempt to locate a possible heart fit, but resignedly passed 3♦. Constance led ♠A, and the sheriff observed the dummy with mixed feelings. He ruffed in his hand and continued with ♦2, directly taken by Constance with ♦Q. The ♠J followed, ruffed by the sheriff. He cashed ♦A and then advanced ♥10. Constance covered with ♥K and dummy won with ♥A. The sheriff cashed ♣AK and ♥QJ, and when everybody followed suit he was able to discard a club on dummy's ♥3. Constance paused for a moment but the sheriff saved her the trouble.
"You can take your ♦10 whenever you like, but my hand is otherwise high."
Mathilde briefly studied the sheriff's cards and nodded her agreement.
"3♦ +2, couldn't you make another effort?!", snapped the sheriff to his partner. "Missing a cold vulnerable game, that could be expensive."
The prosecutor shrugged her shoulders at this ominous prophecy...
>>>
At the other table this board produced a bizarre spectacle. Daphne-Jolijn and Diederik-Jan on behalf of BC The Sugar Beet were locked in battle with Dick van de Toren and Rick van de Schans, and Daphne-Jolijn in particular was rather intimidated by the uncivilized arrogance of the 2 meters tall Dick van de Toren.
| S/NS | ♠
10 7 6 4 2 ♥ A Q J 3 ♦ J 7 ♣ A K | |||
| ♠
A K J 8 ♥ K 9 4 ♦ Q 10 6 ♣ 10 7 5 |
N W E S |
♠
Q 9 5 3 ♥ 8 7 2 ♦ K 8 ♣ J 9 8 4 | ||
| ♠
- ♥ 10 6 5 ♦ A 9 5 4 3 2 ♣ Q 6 3 2 | ||||
| West
Dick van de Toren - pass pass pass |
North
Diederik-Jan - 2 NT 6 ♦ |
East
Rick van de Schans - pass pass |
South
Daphne-Jolijn 2 ♣ * 3 ♦ pass |
|
| * strong, or weak two in diamonds | ||||
<<<
Daphne-Jolijn sorted her cards nervously and hesitantly opened with 2♣. This could be several strong hands or weak with diamonds. Diederik-Jan's 2NT was forcing, and Daphne-Jolijn replied 3♦ to indicate a weak hand with diamonds. She had in her anxiety forgotten however that in her system she should have bid 3♣ (to let the lead run up to the stronger hand). Diederik-Jan therefore interpreted 3♦ as strong and, to avoid any misunderstanding, confidently jumped to 6♦ without further ado.
Dick van de Toren could barely believe his eyes but passed quietly. He led ♠A with a subtle smile and watched the dummy contentedly. It was clear that opponents had made a mess of their bidding and victory was closing in for BC The Seed Potato.
Daphne-Jolijn meanwhile had gone very pale, and ruffed the lead in her hand. In trance she played a heart to dummy's ♥J and ruffed a second spade, She then crossed to ♣A, also cashed ♣K and ruffed a third spade. She continued with a heart to dummy's ♥Q, cashed ♥A and ruffed a fourth spade. Both opponents followed suit all the way, and with a little bit of colour back on her face the youthful declarer cashed ♣Q.
>>>
This was the position after ten tricks, with South to lead:
| S/NS | ♠
10 ♥ - ♦ J 7 ♣ - | |||
| ♠
- ♥ - ♦ Q 10 6 ♣ - |
N W E S |
♠
- ♥ - ♦ K 8 ♣ J | ||
| ♠
- ♥ - ♦ A 9 ♣ 6 | ||||
Daphne-Jolijn came to her senses with a shock and placed ♣6 on the green baize. Dick van de Toren had played his cards with growing alarm and now paused in frustration. But he saw that he had no choice, and ruffed with ♦Q. Dummy threw the last spade, and Dick van de Toren did his best by smoothly continuing with ♦6. Daphne-Jolijn felt her heart pounding, and forced herself to think clearly at this crucial moment. If West had ♦K she should now play ♦J from dummy, and if West had ♦10 she should play low.
<<<
In spite of her panic she had registered that West had turned up with ♠AKJ and ♥K. With ♦KQ6 in addition behind the diamond bidder he would surely have doubled! So she took a deep breath and played a small diamond from dummy. Rick van de Schans knew that he was doomed and fatalistically dropped ♦K on the table. Daphne-Jolijn won her ♦A with a squeal and breathlessly pointed at dummy's last card, ♦J.
Dick van de Toren, very out of character, was completely speechless. Diederik-Jan could not divine what had just happened, and Rick van de Schans had instantaneously lost his customary amiable bonhomie.
"I think we are going to lose on this board", he managed to utter at last. "A slam on a combined 21-count and such feeble trumps will be difficult to find for our team mates. Even game is hard to bid. And 6♦ cannot be beaten in any way, not even with a trump lead. Unbelievable..."
>>>
Meanwhile this board had hit the table in the battle of the commoners against the aristocrats:
| E/EW | ♠
10 7 2 ♥ A Q ♦ A Q 8 ♣ A 7 6 5 3 | |||
| ♠
A 3 ♥ K 5 ♦ K J 9 6 5 3 ♣ K Q 10 |
N W E S |
♠
K Q J ♥ J 8 2 ♦ 7 4 ♣ J 9 8 4 2 | ||
| ♠
9 8 6 5 4 ♥ 10 9 7 6 4 3 ♦ 10 2 ♣ - | ||||
| West
Jo - 1 NT pass 3 NT |
North
baron - double pass pass |
East
Ko pass redouble 3 ♣ pass |
South
baroness pass 2 ♥ pass pass |
|
<<<
The baron led ♠10. Jo studied the dummy with a straight face and grumbled "spade jack." She played ♠3 from her hand and continued with a diamond to her ♦9. The baron won with ♦Q and played a spade to Jo's ♠A. She pressed on with ♦K, taken by the baron with ♦A.
The erudite north player pondered for some time and then advanced ♣5. Jo won in hand with ♣K, cashed all her diamonds throwing hearts and a club from dummy, and continued with ♣Q.
| E/EW | ♠
- ♥ A Q ♦ - ♣ A 7 | |||
| ♠
- ♥ K 5 ♦ - ♣ Q 10 |
N W E S |
♠
K ♥ - ♦ - ♣ J 9 8 | ||
| ♠
8 ♥ 10 9 7 ♦ - ♣ - | ||||
The baron took his ♣A and realized that he had better cash ♥A as well to prevent an overtrick.
"Hah, nine tricks!", jeered Jo. "I was in doubt whether I should bid 3NT with a strong hand on my left, but we must take risks in order to catch up."
>>>
"Nothing we could do, Leonora", grunted the baron from behind his moustache. "I have all the high cards, and you can never gain the lead to push a heart through declarer's ♥K. Ute and Uwe will reach 3NT as well at the other table, I presume. Their bidding tends to be rather aggressive."
"Still, this could prove expensive", replied the baroness softly. "I should have sacrificed in 4♥, that goes only 1 down..."
When this board arrived at the other table events took a totally different turn.
| E/EW | ♠
10 7 2 ♥ A Q ♦ A Q 8 ♣ A 7 6 5 3 | |||
| ♠
A 3 ♥ K 5 ♦ K J 9 6 5 3 ♣ K Q 10 |
N W E S |
♠
K Q J ♥ J 8 2 ♦ 7 4 ♣ J 9 8 4 2 | ||
| ♠
9 8 6 5 4 ♥ 10 9 7 6 4 3 ♦ 10 2 ♣ - | ||||
| West
Ute - 1 ♦ double pass |
North
Mr. Pleiter - 1 NT pass pass |
East
Uwe pass double pass pass |
South
Dr. Snijder pass 2 ♦ redouble |
|
<<<
Ute, contrary to Jo, opened with 1♦. Mr. Pleiter overcalled a 15-17 No Trumps, and Uwe doubled for penalties. Dr. Snijder bid 2♦ thinking that this was a transfer to hearts. Ute doubled and Mr. Pleiter, who interpreted 2♦ as natural, passed with his excellent diamond support. Dr. Snijder redoubled unsuspectingly to move 2♥ into the strong hand. She almost choked when Mr. Pleiter passed again, and saw Ute lead ♣K with a lupine grin.
"This must be cold", commented Mr. Pleiter proudly tabling the dummy.
"Of course", sneered Dr. Snijder sarcastically, and ruffed the lead in her hand. Being specialized in emergency surgery she was used to taking firm decisions in tense situations, and swiftly played a heart to dummy's ♥Q. She then cashed ♣A and ♥A, and ruffed another club. She looked at the five tricks in front of her with a plain expression, then curved her lips into a subtle smile.
>>>
This was the position after five tricks, with South to lead:
| E/EW | ♠
10 7 2 ♥ - ♦ A Q 8 ♣ 7 6 | |||
| ♠
A 3 ♥ - ♦ K J 9 6 5 3 ♣ - |
N W E S |
♠
K Q J ♥ J ♦ 7 4 ♣ J 8 | ||
| ♠
9 8 5 4 ♥ 10 9 7 6 ♦ - ♣ - | ||||
Dr. Snijder continued with a heart from her hand and eyed Ute expectantly. The young German woman realized that she could not afford to let dummy ruff with ♦8, and therefore inserted a tempting ♦J. Dr. Snijder however did not overruff but discarded a spade with a masterly air!
Ute had little option but to cash ♠A and play a spade to Uwe's ♠J. He played back ♣J, ruffed perforce by Ute. With only trumps left she advanced ♦5. Dr. Snijder called for dummy's ♦8, and when this held the trick she smiled triumphantly. Dummy still had a club to exit with, Ute was forced to ruff again and subsequently had to play away from her ♦K9 to dummy's ♦AQ.
<<<
"2♦ redoubled and made, that is ... er, let me see, ... yes, +560", gloated Dr. Snijder maliciously. "You had six diamonds didn't you, Ute?"
"Brilliant, not to overruff at trick six", intervened Mr. Pleiter admiringly. "That way dummy's ♦8 is promoted into the eighth trick."
"What a ridiculous contract!", scoffed Ute. "If I lead a small trump you go 1 down for -200."
"That would still be bad for us, because we can make 3NT for +600", mourned Uwe.
"Indeed, and if you lead a high trump I go 2 down for -600", said Dr. Snijder disdainfully to Ute. "This board would then probably have been a wash, so 2♦ redoubled was in fact a superior contract. Heads we win and tails we don't lose!"
>>>
Elsewhere in the smartly decorated room the ICT was having a hard time against the clergy. Joep and Joeri still had that crazy club slam in their heads, and anxiously sorted their cards.
| W/NS | ♠
A 5 ♥ A 10 7 4 ♦ A 9 8 6 3 ♣ A 2 | |||
| ♠
10 9 6 2 ♥ J 6 3 ♦ Q 4 ♣ 9 8 7 4 |
N W E S |
♠
J 8 ♥ Q 9 8 5 ♦ J 10 7 2 ♣ 6 5 3 | ||
| ♠
K Q 7 4 3 ♥ K 2 ♦ K 5 ♣ K Q J 10 | ||||
| West
Joeri pass pass pass pass pass |
North
priest 1 ♦ 2 ♥ 3 NT 5 ♦ * pas |
East
Joep pass pass pass pass pass |
South
vicar 1 ♠ 3 ♣ 4 NT 6 NT |
|
| * 1 or 4 aces | ||||
<<<
The priest opened a conservative 1♦ and ran into predictable rebid problems when the vicar responded 1♠. He was too strong for a 1NT rebid, and somewhat weak for 2♥. But eventually he decided to upgrade his four aces and show his distribution, opting for 2♥. The vicar probed for a trebleton spades opposite via 3♣, but when the 3NT respons revealed that there was no 8-fit available she went straight to 6NT.
Joeri led ♣9. The vicar won in dummy, cashed ♠A and ♠KQ, and nodded contentedly when Joep threw a club. She played a fourth round of spades for Joeri's ♠10 and faced her cards.
"Just the twelve", she announced shrugging her shoulders."Dull board. Luckily the spades don't break 3-3, otherwise the grand would be on."
Joep looked worried. The Sugar Beets could not gain on this board, but they could certainly lose if Leo en Linda would go for the grand in an ultimate effort to engineer a swing. Things looked distinctly grim...
>>>
Leo and Linda were unaware of the bizarre events at the other tables, and still had that nasty 6♠ contract in their minds. When the last board was placed on the table Linda retrieved her cards with tight lips. As captain of The Sugar Beets she felt responsible for steering her team to victory, and she studied her promising 17-count with interest.
| W/NS | ♠
A 5 ♥ A 10 7 4 ♦ A 9 8 6 3 ♣ A 2 | |||
| ♠
10 9 6 2 ♥ J 6 3 ♦ Q 4 ♣ 9 8 7 4 |
N W E S |
♠
J 8 ♥ Q 9 8 5 ♦ J 10 7 2 ♣ 6 5 3 | ||
| ♠
K Q 7 4 3 ♥ K 2 ♦ K 5 ♣ K Q J 10 | ||||
| West
Black pass pass pass pass pass |
North
Leo 1 NT 2 ♠ 3 NT 5 ♣ * pass |
East
Jack pass pass pass pass pass |
South
Linda 2 ♥ 3 ♣ 4 NT 7 ♣ |
|
| * 1 or 4 aces | ||||
<<<
Leo hesitated what to do, but eventually chose for a somewhat atypical 1NT. Linda, like the vicar, soon discovered that there was no 8-fit around, heard four aces opposite, and was on the brink of bidding the obligatory 6NT. But since this was the last board and she felt that they were still behind she continued to ponder.
The other tables had finished and the hubbub was quickly rising in volume. Linda's brain was meanwhile ticking loudly. Leo had a doubleton spades, and therefore most probably at least three clubs for his 1NT opening. If both black suits broke no worse than 4-2 she could with clubs as trumps ruff her spades good and make 13 tricks!
Linda's heart was pounding loudly, and everybody was eyeing her from the bar. She checked her calculations once more, swallowed with difficulty, took a deep breath and bid 7♣!
Silence reigned, and the atmosphere was thick with tension when Leo hesitated momentarily but then passed with an uncertain expression. Black led ♣9 in astonishment, and Linda anxiously watched the dummy descend. A doubleton clubs! Why did Leo have to pick this particular moment to open 1NT with a 5422 shape!?
Linda's spirits sank, but suddenly she realized that it actually did not really affect her plan. She summoned her concentration one more time and slowly and deliberately said:
"Thank you Leo. Small club please."
She won in her hand with ♣K, and holding her breath cashed ♠A and ♠K. When everybody followed suit she slowly exhaled and ruffed a small spade with ♣A.
>>>
She watched Jack throw a heart, and with red cheeks played a diamond to her ♦K. She then cashed ♣Q, saw both opponents follow suit, and finally placed ♣J on the green baize with her eyes closed. When she opened them again she saw a small club on her left and on her right, and cried victoriously!
Linda continued with ♣10 and triumphantly faced her cards. "They are all mine!"
Black and Jack stared at each other in disbelief but had to agree with Linda's claim.
"This defies everything", sighed Jack as if in pain. "A grand slam on a 4-2 fit, and there is nothing we could do. Worse even, 7♠ and 7NT have no chance."
"Remarkably bid", stammered Black reluctantly.
"Brilliantly bid you mean!", cried Leo, who had gazed at Linda in amazement for a while and had finally recovered his speech.
"Thank you", said Linda sarcastically. "You really chose an inconvenient moment to bid 1NT with a 5422 distribution. I expected at least three clubs in your hand."
"If I had opened 1♦ I would have had rebid problems and it would have been almost impossible for you to find 7♣", replied Leo sharply, determined not be outdone in this moment of glory.
"Well, I suppose you're right there", smiled Linda forgivingly, acutely aware of the remarkably beneficial effect of a +2140 score on a partnership relation.
"Come on , let's compare scores", intervened Joeri. "It will be touch and go!"
<<<
Everybody sat down, feverishly comparing scores and excitedly discussing hands. Suddenly a loud "Yes!" sounded from The Sugar Beets. They had triumphed by 5 IMPs. The 12 IMP gain of Linda's vulnerable grand slam had made the difference.
There had been a high IMP turnover in the third session, and the final results were:
264 BC The Sugar Beet
259 BC The Seed Potato
Results of the third session:
45 Leo and Linda / Joep and Joeri
38 Black and Jack / vicar and priest
35 Daphne-Jolijn and Diederik-Jan / Constance and Mathilde
21 Dick and Rick / sheriff and prosecutor
33 Dr. Snijder and Mr. Pleiter / Ko and Jo
39 Ute and Uwe / baron and baroness
The disillusioned Seed Potatoes watched the victorious Sugar Beets receive the Cup, but when Linda offered a round of drinks everyone gathered at the bar and loudly started to go over the crazy events of the last session...
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣