The goal – 15 points per month to become a
Gold Life Master by the end of the year. Standing as of Wednesday morning –
nine more chances in August to earn seven more points.
The sinking feeling sets in on the very
first hand I play Wednesday with June Feuerstein. Lois Tatelman bids 3 Hearts
and makes an overtrick. Should have held her to three, I think. Sure enough, we
didn’t get the ruff we should have gotten.
Then I proceed to fall short on the next
two hands as declarer. Out of a possible 20 match points against Lois and Nancy
Littenberg, we get only six. 30%. By the end of the game, we’re lucky to climb
out of the 30s. 42.83%.
With Marietta Kalman still recovering from
surgery, I recruit Dr. Brian Block, father of my sleep doctor, for Thursday’s
game. Brian can be good, but he takes his time getting that way. We have two
boards taken away from us for slow play.
Despite that, we manage to shine
defensively. Five top boards, four of them on defense, one on offense – a
ridiculously improbable 2 No Trump contract that Brian brings home. We’re
East-West and, according to the hand record, only North-South can make a
contract on this one. Here it is:
Board 8. Nobody vulnerable. Dealer is
West.
West (Brian)
Spades: 6-5; Hearts: Q-J-10-7; Diamonds:
K-J-9; Clubs: K-5-4-3.
North (Allen Beroza)
Spades: J-7; Hearts: A-K-8-3; Diamonds:
A-10-8-6-3-2; Clubs: Q.
East (me)
Spades: K-Q-10-8-2; Hearts: 9-5; Diamonds:
Q-5-4; Clubs: A-8-2.
South (Art Matthies)
Spades: A-9-4-3; Hearts: 6-4-2; Diamonds:
7; Clubs: J-10-9-7-6.
If I remember the bidding correctly, Brian
passes, Allen bids 1 Diamond, I bid 1 Spade, Art passes and Brian bids 1 No
Trump. Then Allen doubles, I pass, so does Art and Brian bids 2 Hearts. Allen
doubles again. I bump Brian to 2 NT and there are passes all around.
Against a suit contract, Allen would lead his
A-K of Hearts, but this being NT, he goes with his fourth-best Heart. Brian’s 7
wins it. He winds up taking two Hearts, two Diamonds, two Clubs and two Spades.
Why didn’t the hand-record people pick up on that? (Against a 2 Spade contract, Art (South) would have the opening lead – his singleton Diamond – and, after North ditches his singleton Club, a flurry of ruffing would ensue.)
We manage to scratch out a 52.59% game,
fourth East-West, which earns us 0.62 of a point. Standings now? August total
is 8.65. Seven more chances to earn 6.35 points.
With my Canadian partner unavailable
Friday, I’m hooking up with June Feuerstein again at the Airport Bridge Club. Can
we bounce back from that miserable Wednesday? Here’s hoping.
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