April 2018 - 64

Special Contributors

Bridge with the Abbot
BY DAVID BIRD

The Parrot's obvious play
Three months had passed since the
Parrot and the Abbot had represented
Upper Bhumpopo in the Chennai Bermuda Bowl. The Parrot was visiting the
monastery and still felt exhausted from
the arduous two-day journey from Upper Bhumpopo. Was it really necessary
for him to be back in harness with the
Abbot for a meaningless Thursday
monastery duplicate? Not as he saw it.
In the sixth round, the Abbot and the
Parrot faced Brother Fabius and the

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64 Bridge Bulletin April 2018

black-bearded Brother Zac.
"I've never played bridge against a
bird before," observed Brother Zac as
he took his seat.
The Parrot was tempted to reply that
he had never played bridge against
someone with a beard so seriously in
need of a trim. He managed to restrain
himself and placed his cards for the
next deal into his wooden cardholder.
This was the layout:
Dlr: East ♠ 6
Vul: E-W ♥ A 8 7 5 3
♦J63
♣QJ62
♠953
♠72
♥ J 10 2
♥KQ964
♦K95
♦ A 10 8
♣ 10 8 7 5
♣A93
♠ A K Q J 10 8 4
♥-
♦Q742
♣K4
West North
Bro.
The
Fabius Abbot
Pass

Pass

East
Bro.
Zac
1♥
Pass

South
The
Parrot
4♠

The ♥J was led and the Parrot took a
few moments to plan the play. Suppose
he won the first trick with the ♥A and
discarded a diamond. The defenders
would doubtless hold up on the first
round of clubs and there would then be
every prospect of losing three diamonds and a club.
Brother Zac stared at the Parrot.
"It's you to play from the dummy," he

observed.
The Parrot rocked back and forwards
disdainfully. Did this guy with the
straggly beard ever stop to make a plan
when he was declarer? It seemed not.
"Play low," he said.
The Parrot ruffed in his hand and
drew trumps in three rounds. He then
played the ♣K, West showing count
with the 8. Brother Zac held up on the
first round, to keep declarer out of
dummy. When a club was played to the
queen, he won with the ace and had no
good return. A heart or a club would
give the Parrot access to dummy and
the two tricks needed for game.
When Brother Zac tried his luck with
the ♦8 instead, West won with the
king and returned a diamond. If East
took his ace, the Parrot would unblock
the queen and reach dummy with the
♦J. When Brother Zac inserted the
♦10 instead, the Parrot won with the
queen and led a third round of diamonds. The suit divided 3-3 and the
contract was his.
"How amazing," exclaimed Brother
Fabius. "You never made the ace of
hearts!" He leaned to inspect the
scoresheet, noting that no other declarer had managed to make the contract.
"Did you see the way the bird played it,
Abbot? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we
could all make plays like that?"
The Abbot could not believe such
an excessive compliment for a simple
endplay. Such a line would be automatic for any member of the monastery first team. Did Brother Fabius not
realize that?
◾

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2018