Ellensburg Daily Record – 21 Dic 1956
On the rubber, just before this one, Mr. Abel’s partner had been Mr. Champion. The great man’s brutal criticism had got Mr. Abel so upset that he was flubbing them all over the lot, missing bids and plays that would have been easy for him under happier conditions.
“You can have him, I don’t want him,” Mr. Champion said as Mr. Dale cut Mr. Abel for his partner in the current rubber.
Kindness Pay
“I’ll take him and it suits me just fine,” replied Mr. Dale, who knows very well how kindness to partner pays off on the score sheet. Mr. Abel was still groggy, but he had a grateful look in his eyes as he picked up his cards.
North dealer Neither side vulnerable
Mr. Champion led the queen of spades and Mr. Abel let it ride to his ace. He laid down the deuce of hearts and Mr. Champion pounced on it with the ace and returned the jack of spades. The king was put up in dummy and Mrs. Keen ruffed with the jack of hearts. She cashed the ace of diamonds and led another diamond when Mr. Champion flashed the ten. Mr. Champion won the king of diamonds and then put down the ten of spades for the setting trick.
“Take the first spade trick on the board and with the king,” said Mr. Champion and you make the hand easily.”
“But I wanted the lead in my hand.” protested Mr. Abel.
“I wanted to lead the first heart up to the board. You had overcalled, so I thought you went more likely to have the ace of hearts”
‘ I didn’t want to spend my king and knock it out if it happened to be a singleton.”
North dealer Neither side vulnerable
Lead To Hand
“Well, that may be.” said Mr. Champion, “but after winning the first trick on the board, what would keep you from going to your hand with the ace of clubs to lead hearts? ‘
“Then if Mrs. Keen trumped the second spade lead, you could just play your small one so that she would be trumping a trick you had to lose anyway.”
Mr. Champion was right, but at this point Mr. Dale stepped in.
“Look, Champion,” he said, “when I want my partner lectured, I’ll lecture him myself. Don’t worry about us. We save our heavy thinking for game and slam hands, not for puny partials.”