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Elementary, my dear Watson!
by Bernard Marcoux,
Sainte-Adèle, Québec
Dr. Watson was
kibitzing his old friend Sherlock Holmes, who was playing a
little rubber at their club in London. Watson didn’t play
bridge. Well, he did play but never with Holmes. In fact,
nobody wanted to sit at Holmes’ table. Everybody thought he
could see through the cards: he always took winning finesses,
always found a missing Queen and always made the right switch.
Furthermore Holmes had a nasty tongue that frightened all his
partners. At dummy’s sight, he would take out his magnifying
glass, lean over the table, examining carefully his partner’s
cards and would almost always say :
- My dear friend,
even with a magnifying glass, I can’t find what you promised me
in the bidding.
The only players
willing to play with Holmes were Jack the Ripper, Dr. Moriarty
and inspector Lestage of Scotland Yard. Jack and Moriarty
played together, naturally, and the inspector teamed with
Holmes, the good against the bad, like when we were kids.
Left of Holmes was
Jack the Ripper. Holmes, 4th seat, opened his hand:
 x x
 A 9
 x x x
 A Q 10 8 x x
Jack Lestage
Moriarty Holmes
1
Pass 1NT! 2
2
3 Pass 5
Jack led a heart.
Dummy
K x x
K 8 7 x
A Q x x
7 3
Holmes
x x
A 9
x x x
A Q 10 8 x x
When dummy hit,
Holmes jumped on his chair, took out his magnifying glass,
leaned slowly over the table and started to examine the cards.
He hovered like a helicopter, going from the spades to the
hearts, suddenly diving towards those two little clubs. He
would then look at the inspector through his magnifying glass.
The inspector, not a bit intimidated, opposed a defying grin
that only all-powerful government officials can display.
At first glance, Watson could count 6 losers: 2 spades, 2
diamonds and 2 clubs. He was preparing himself to hear the
chapter of insults that Holmes generally addressed to his
partners who grossly misbid. But his portable phone rang. He
had to go away to answer and, upon his return, the hand was
over. He bent down to check the score sheet and saw 100 in
Holmes’ column. Holmes had made 11 tricks! Holmes felt the
surprise of his old friend, turned to him and offered his most
mischievous smile.
After the game, walking back to his flat on Bond Street, Holmes
explained the hand.
-
So, this hand, Holmes, how did you make 11
tricks ? asked Watson. 3 winning finesses, I imagine ?
Watson knew only
finesses in bridge. That is the reason why Holmes would not
play with him.
-
No, said Holmes. I would say maybe one, if
finesse means 50 % chance of winning. Once the 1rst finesse
won, the rest was forced.
-
Explain, please.
Dummy
K x x
K 8 7 x
A Q x x
7 3
Holmes
x x
A 9
x x x
A Q 10 8 x x
Heart lead.
Holmes started :
- The bidding has
revealed that my friend Jack has 6 spades. Does he have a
singleton heart ? Not probable. He has 3 or 4. One cannot
accuse Jack of being timid in the bidding either. With seven
spades, I know him, he would have rebid 3.
On dummy’s little heart, Moriarty played the Queen and I took
the ace. The heart Jack was then most probably on my left. To
find the club king, I have to locate the spade Ace first. It is
the only play where I need to be lucky, 50 %, to be exact. So I
played spade. Jack jumped on his Ace and played back a spade,
Moriarty following with the Queen and the Jack. So, for his
opening bid, Jack has 6 spades to the Ace, probably the heart
Jack, the King of diamonds (with the Jack maybe) and the King of
clubs. So, after the King of spades, I played a club to my Ace,
picking up Jack’s stiff King.
- Bravo, Holmes!
- Elementary, my
dear Watson!
- So, a beer at
Piccadilly Circus, Holmes?
- I am not
finished, Watson. Up to now, I have only 10 tricks. How did I
make 11 ?
- One of them
revoked ?
- I played the 9 of
heart, ducked in dummy. Moriarty won the 10 and played a club.
I won in dummy with the 7. Everything is in place now for a
trump coup.
- Donald Trump,
where, Holmes??
- Not Donald Trump,
Watson, a Trump Coup. This is the position :
Dummy
x
K 8
A Q x x
--
Jack
Moriarty
10xx
--
J
x x
KJx
10 x x
-- J 9
Holmes
--
--
x x x
Q 10 8 x
- King of hearts,
Moriarty follows, I pitch a diamond and the Jack falls on my
left. Master 8 of heart, Moriarty follows and I ruff.
- Why ruff a
winner ? You had smoked again ?
- No, Watson. To
succeed, I have to reduce my trumps to the same number as
Moriarty. In fact, here we have a Grand Trump Coup because I
ruff a winning card in order to reduce my trump holding. So
small diamond to the Queen.
- Ah ha ! A
finesse !!
- No, not a
finesse. A certainty. In dummy with the diamond Queen, I play
spade, Moriarty sluffs and I ruff again.
- Again ??
Dummy
--
--
A x x
--
Jack Moriarty
--
Immaterial --
10
J 9
Holmes
--
--
x
Q 10
- Small
diamond to the Ace and diamond. Moriarty is finished. That’s
what we call a Grand Trump Coup. With this coup, you pick up
one opponent’s trumps without playing trump. It is a beautiful
coup, rare enough to talk about it when it arrives.
At the corner of
Oxford Street, they noticed a brouhaha near Selfridges, one of
the biggest department store of London. They rushed towards the
crowd. The police, recognizing Holmes, let them through. On
the sidewalk was lying Dr. Moriarty, dead, his chest ripped
opened.
- What happened ?
asked Holmes.
- Jack the Ripper
left his card, he heard.
- You can say that
again, commented Holmes.
On the corpse they
found a playing card covered with blood.
- What card is it,
Holmes ? asked Dr. Watson.
- Elementary, my
dear Watson! It is the card Moriarty had to play to defeat 5§.
Lestage
K x x
K 8 7x
A Q x x
7 3
Jack the Ripper
Dr. Moriarty
A 10 x x x x Q J
J x x
Q 10 x x
K J x
10 x x
K J 9 x x
Holmes
x x
A 9
x x x
A Q 10 8 x x
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