Long night
Susanna Gross
The pleasures of bridge are inexhaustible; every hand seems to present a new challenge. I never willingly stop playing — it’s always a case of dragging myself away. At university we always assumed a game of bridge would last all night, and I still remember the feeling of disappointment when dawn crept up on us.
These days, in the working world, few of us can afford these all-night sessions. But once a year there is a tournament in which all-night play is not just possible but obligatory: the 24hour Marathon at the Young Chelsea. The club is usually full to bursting for this event, and I’m always amazed at how lively everyone seems right till the end. In the early hours, however, there’s no doubt that standards plummet — even among experts. Last year, Espen Erichsen partnered another equally fine player, Norman Selway. At 5 a.m. this hand came up: N/S Vulnerable Dealer North North’s 2♦ bid showed a weak hand with both majors; South leapt to 3NT. Espen (West) led the 4K, and the defence took the first five tricks. Declarer discarded a heart, a diamond and two clubs. The contract was off: what now? Espen decided to go for a ‘top’ (at ‘pairs’ every trick is crucial). Shrugging off his sleepiness he focused on the hand. He felt sure his partner held the rQ: after all, if South held rQxx he would surely have explored a heart contract rather than bid 3NT, and with rQx, he probably wouldn’t have discarded a heart. So Espen underled his rA! Declarer duly played dummy’s rJ how could he guess that Espen had underled another winner rather than cash it? But Norman, usually so brilliant, was equally duped, and instead of playing his rQ, played low! Declarer now went just one off instead of three — and Espen and Norman went on to come second in the tournament. Ah well, even Homer nods.
*The YC Marathon starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday 3 June. Tel: 020 7373 1665.
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