An Old Rival
It is the Quarter-Finals of the Senior KO in Denver. You are playing an old rival, an expert player and author who has given you a lesson or two over the years. Going into the fourth quarter you have a big lead, but your team needed one more swing in the 3rd quarter to earn an early dinner. On the second board you pick up a dull hand:
Q63
873
1072
J743
Partner opens 1 and your old rival bids 4, red on white. Everyone passes and you lead the club 4 and look at the dummy:
9754
5
Q985
KQ108
Partner wins the ace and returns the 2, declarer winning the A. Declarer now tries the J , but you give count and partner ducks. Unable to reach dummy, declarer eventually loses a trick in each suit for down one.
His hand: AJ, AQJT962, AJ3, 2.
As your old friend (and current screenmate) is sorting his cards for the next board he asks if you had the 10. When you admit that you did, he mutters under his breath, “Hmm, I could have made it….” Meanwhile, as dealer on the next hand he has placed his card on the tray. What should you do?
Let him suffer and after they lose the match you can console him that he actually cannot make the hand because you are a very good defender :)
December 28, 2005 Nik
Say nothing, he is distracted be self-disappointment and will be a softer opponent for it. Later, you can point out that you would have played the ten if he had led low to the Q.
December 28, 2005 Sam
What would someone propose I do? Point out: “don’t worry I would have popped the diamond ten?” Aside from the fact that its far from true whether I (or very many people posting) would really make that play if a small diamond is led in tempo at trick two, it’s a self-aggrandizing remark by someone way up in a match, whose secret goal is to get the fourth quarter off.
December 28, 2005 Jack Oest