Good neighborhood

Since the new neighbors moved in, the bridge life of Mira and her husband has changed. They stopped playing at the local bridge club, since afternoons were not too convenient, and started playing at home, in the evenings, with their new neighbors.

They liked the new neighbors a lot. They liked to play bridge with them. They liked the wine and the refreshments. And the evening hours were suitable.

Perfect? Yes! for almost a year. But then intruders ruined their fun. A new young (so they assumed as they never saw her) woman moved to the building across and destroyed their bridge evenings, making them intolerable.

So, at first, Mira and her neighbor friend wrote a letter to this annoying newcomer, in these exact words:

"Dear moaner!

With all due respect to your wonderful sex life, and its frequency – AND RESPECT WE HAVE!
We kindly request you to lower the noise.
Your shouts disturb our bridge evenings and also raise the height of expectations of our husbands for after the game... if you know what we mean.

With great appreciation,
The neighbors from the building across (who share your enjoyable moments at night)."

But, the letter didn't help. It did not reduce the moaning, nor its frequency.

In the end, Mira and her husband gave up, they quit playing with their neighbors at night and returned to the afternoon sessions in the club.

At the club, Mira became declarer against a new couple, about their age:

Dealer North, none vulnerable


West lead the ♠K and continued with a 2nd spade, after his partner encouraged. East won the ♠A and was stuck.

Finally she decided to play a 3rd spade to try to promote something with her partner. Mira almost made a mistake: If she discarded from hand and ruffed with dummy's ♥J, the ♥9 would indeed get promoted. But, at the last moment she saw it, and finally ruffed low in hand.

West discarded (no point in ruffing higher than declarer as she will overruff with the ♥J), and Mira played a heart to the ♥J, returned to hand with a diamond and continued with the ♥K, losing to West's ♥A.

Later on, her ♥Q10 pulled out West's ♥94, and the contract was made.

"Take the ♥A at trick 2 and then play your 2nd spade to East. Now a 3rd spade from her will promote your ♥9".

Her opponents didn't respond. They just smiled at each other.

Mira turned to the woman and asked: "Are you always so quiet?"

The woman remained silent and continued to smile, while looking at her partner.

Eventually her partner answered:

"Bridge is just a hobby, it's just an appetizer for us. The main course will come later in the evening. My partner here is not quiet at all. She just saves her voice for later. And we both smile because we think about that promotion... But not the one you mentioned... the one that will come in the evening. And let the neighbors from the building across die of jealousy!"