Endplaying the Ex
So i already twittered about this, and maybe it’s bad form to memorialize it in a bridge column, but i can’t help myself.
We’re playing in the Thursday night team game at the local bridge club. I’m playing with one of my favorite lady partners, who had asked me just before the game about any existing tension between me and my ex. Things are civil between us at this point, but I tell her i’m always hoping to do something really good against him at the bridge table. After a near blitz in the first round we draw his team - they had a good first round, too.
The rounds are only 6 boards, and we have one bad result where i misjudged and came in vulnerable to go down 300. On the last board of the set, our side has a pretty normal auction to 3NT.
♠ Q 8 3 2 ♥ K T 3 ♦ A J 9 6 ♣ 5 3 ♠ T 7 ♠ J 9 5 4 ♥ 8 7 6 5 ♥ Q 9 4 ♦ 5 2 ♦ K 8 4 3 ♣ A K T 8 2 ♣ Q 9 ♠ A K 6 ♥ A J 2 ♦ Q T 7 ♣ J 7 6 4
East South West North 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass
West makes the spectacularly awful lead of the club King. East (my ex) dutifully unblocks the Queen. East decides not to continue clubs and switches to the spade Ten, which i win in hand with the King.
I have 9 tricks if the diamond hook is on and nothing else to develop, so i take an immediate hook. Ex wins the King (this wouldn’t be an interesting hand otherwise, would it?) and puts the club nine on the table. I duck, and West thinks about overtaking, but also ducks. (We all know at this point he’s regretting not leading fourth best at trick one.) When East can’t continue another club and leads a spade instead, i breathe a small sigh of relief.
I now have three spades, two hearts, and three diamonds. I win the spade Ace in hand, West following with the 7, and cash diamonds. West follows to two diamonds, pitching two hearts. The spades are probably 2-4 from the play, so West is counted out as 2-4-2-5. I cash the third spade to confirm - yep, West pitches another heart (he is hanging onto those dear useless clubs, i don’t know why). I now have a marked play in hearts - cash the King and finesse the Jack. However, instead i choose to play the last spade to the ex, endplaying him to lead into my heart tenace.
He wins, and i simply show my hand, claiming. He seems confused. It turns out, he didn’t realize he had won the spade trick. (That part makes the story doubly fun for me.)
My partner is ecstatic on my behalf and declares she will buy me a drink after the game. We win the match, thanks to a decent card by our teammates, though we go on to lose the next two matches. That’s OK, my night had already been made.