“Now that we have self-driving vehicles, pretty soon there’ll be a country music song about a guy whose truck left him.” — graffiti

“I heard you’re looking for a new partner — again,” I said to Cy the Cynic. Cy has abandoned many “established” partnerships. He is happy as long as everything goes right.

“Look at this,” Cy told me, displaying today’s deal. “I was North in a team match. When I opened two clubs, my partner responded two spades on a four-card suit when he should have had five or more. I checked for aces and bid six spades.

“West led a heart, and East won and returned a heart. My partner had 12 tricks but didn’t take them. He cashed the Q-J of trumps and then tried the A-K of clubs. If East-West had followed, partner could have taken two more high trumps, unblocking dummy’s last high club, and claimed. But East ruffed the second club.

“All partner had to do was lead a trump to his hand at Trick Three, ruff his ten of hearts in dummy, cash only the ace of clubs and draw trumps, pitching the other two high clubs.”

“Too bad,” I said. I didn’t say that Cy might have considered bidding 6NT, which would have been unbeatable. “What happened at the other table?”

“North-South got to six spades,” the Cynic said, “and the first two tricks were the same. Declarer found the winning line of play. But my distinguished teammate in the East would have beaten six spades by leading a trump at Trick Two. I need a whole new team.”

Good luck, Cy, finding a perfect partner and teammates.

Tribune Content Agency