Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson

Famous detective Sherlock Holmes was once feeling bad and went to visit his good friend, Dr Watson, for a checkup. While eyeballing his blood test results and other tests, the good doctor commented:

"I saw you yesterday at the club and you looked quite fine. I wanted to ask you something, but you had already left, so... let me ask you now. That 4♠ hand, I made exactly 10 tricks, just like everyone else, but I couldn't help noticing that you managed to make 11 tricks. I cannot see how that is possible, even looking at all hands. How did you do it?"

This was the hand:

Dealer West, N-S vulnerable.


"West lead the ♥J. I finessed to the ♥Q at trick one, which held, but I still lost two diamonds and the ♠A, like everyone else," explained Watson.

"My dear friend. You spend so much time with me, and yet, you've learned nothing. Too often do I feel that there is no one in the world who reasons like me. That thought makes me feel very lonely. Watson, bridge is exactly like solving murder cases. I also got a ♥J lead and I also took that finesse. Then I played a spade, West won the ♠A and returned another trump. After pulling the third round of trumps I finessed clubs, scoring 4 tricks in that suit and discarding a diamond from hand."

"The last 4 cards are: 3 diamonds and a trump in dummy opposite ♦KJx and a trump in hand."

"Now listen carefully, think of the clues. What do we know?"

"West showed ♥KJ, ♠A and ♣K - that's 11 points. His shape is: 5 hearts, 3 spades and 3 clubs, therefore he has 2 diamonds. That makes his hand balanced. If he also had the ♦A, he would have opened 1NT. When he did not open 1NT, his diamonds must be ♦Qx. Based on this logic, I then played a diamond to the ♦K and another diamond, forcing West to win with his ♦Q and play another heart, giving me a ruff/sluff."

"Is that so complicated? I cannot imagine that you wouldn't see that, even with open cards. It's about time you start using your head, Watson!"

Unlike most times, Dr Watson didn't feel like letting the insult go without payback:

"My dear friend, the wisest of all. I regret the end of our friendship," he said in a serious tone.
"Oh, come on, it's not like you're starting to get oversensitive all of a sudden, better think of what I told you and become a wiser man yourself," said Sherlock, with bored tone and closed eyes.
"It's not that. It is your health. I fear you have very little time left," said Watson.

Sherlock opened his eyes and threw a worried glance at the doctor, who was quietly examining the results. After a few more minutes of silence, he couldn't stand it anymore and shouted: "Talk to me, what is it? What do I have?"
"Your lungs are black from smoke, your liver looks like a mop from all the drinking, and your heart... I'd rather not talk about it. Talking of your heart will break my heart," said Watson looking very sad.
Sherlock panicked, maybe for the first time in his life: "It cannot be. I recently lived a reasonably healthy life. How much time do I still have? "
"Ten..." said Watson.
"Ten what? Months? Weeks? Days?" shouted Sherlock
"...nine, eight, seven, six..." Watson never completed the countdown as he burst into laughter at his friend's visible panic.

Just like you, just like me

The great thing about playing in a bridge festival is that anyone can attend and play against top players, including players from all over the world. Israeli players are not "very shy", and are known to "move right forward" in conversations.

Here is an example from one of the festival tourneys, where a common player, after having just arrived to the table of a guest from abroad, a former world champion, started "firing" as if they were old friends. (This top player being very modest wanted to remain anonymous, so we'll just call him "Joe"):

"Hey Joe, what's up? Say you hold ♠Jxxxx ♥J ♦AQJxx ♣xx. What do you open?" asks the player.
"I'd pass," says Joe.
"What??? Come on, be serious... With such a fine distribution, using the rule of 20, I opened 1♠. Partner bid 3NT. What do you bid now?," continued the player.
"I pass again," answered Joe.
"What??? But this hand is not suitable for NT. I bid 4♦ here, which got doubled, partner corrected to 4♠, which got doubled again. What do you bid now?"
"Pass," says Joe patiently, for the 3rd time.
"Exactly!  I passed too, just like you."

He turned to his partner and said: "You see, Joe is Pass, just like me, and just like me will go down on this hand." As the point was made very clear, the conversation was over, and everyone took the cards from the board:

Dealer South, all vulnerable.

Joe lead the ♦K and our hero in South won in dummy and threw a heart from hand. After pulling out 2 rounds of trumps he tried the ♣A, and continued with the ♣10, but East covered with the ♣J, and finally the defense had a club trick to set the grand slam by 1 trick.

"Why did you not settle for 6♠? You knew from the bidding that it is very likely for the clubs to split badly," shouted  the chatty one at his partner.

After some loud talk and mutual accusations between the opponents, "our hero" turned to Joe and asked:

"Would you have bid like my partner?"

Finally, being given a real chance to talk for the first time, Joe said: "No, I would have bid 3♥ instead of double, which shows support in spades and a good hand. But after that, just like your partner, I'd bid the grand. And... I would also make it. Just throw a club from hand at trick 1, not a heart. After drawing trumps, cash ♣AKQ, ruff the 4th club, go back to dummy on trumps or on the ♥A and throw your heart loser on the 5th club."