Another funny incident

[nikos59]

Today I am playing with a charming lady from Paris as a partner,

opponents are a fellow Greek and a German guy, both experts.

The lady has been known to make an error, but is charming

regardless. We play some boards, they are tough, then the

Greek goes and comes a star player from Norway -but the system

has some problems and he gets disconnected and leaves,

then comes an American guy, very nice and all, and quite

generous as defender if you get what I mean.

 

After some 10 boards while we are some 30 imps in front,

the American guy announces that this board would be his last.

 

First to speak, NV ag V, I hold:

Q10642

A754

QJ4

5

 

Now, as you see, the 10 is wider than the other pips, so

the spade suit takes much more space than the hearts,

so I imagine I have six spades. I firmly believe that

an 6-4 in the majors has to be opened, so I open 2S.

 

Partner has a 15-point balanced hand with KJx in spades

but without aces. So she blasts 3NT which makes. (4S

also may make but there are 3 aces to lose plus p&p).

 

The American guy (who has his full name in his profile)

says bye all etc. and he criticizes my 2S bid. During all

the exchange I have not realized that I opened a five-carder:

 

A: Nikos, that is a terribel 2!s bid ;-))

N: why, too strong?

A: You might miss a game in !H

N: This is for textbooks; watch experts play and they never heed this advice

A: We always heed it

N: You, but not the champions; watch Vugraphs, world championships, whatever

A: especially we champions

N: i dont mean champions of your local club, rather champions like Rodwell

A: I am an international and can tell Rodwell would call that bid idiotic

N: are you playing under an assumed name?

A: you do not know everyone, Nikos

 

Mind you, I still haven't realized that I opened a 5-4 so A. was right that

Rodwell would call that bid idiotic. Still, the ACBL encyclopedia had

not his name, and a Google search did not reveal any prominent

bridge players with that name, so either he was not an international

after all or he was international in some other field. Or was he

Meckstroth in disguise?

 

After he has left and while I am dummy, I peruse the "movie" to see

how many opened 2S with the alleged 6-4 hand. Curious, no one

opened it! And then the penny drops, when I see at last that I only

held five spades......

 

nikos