The Mississippi River Heart Hand and the Duke of Cumberland Hand (aka the 007 Moonraker Hand) have been part of whist and bridge lore for centuries. Bridge legend keeps us playing deal after deal, hoping that we will sit in on such a hand. This month’s hand fills the bill.
vul: North/South
dealer: East
the bidding
E: 3 ♦
S: 3 ♥
W: DBL
N: 3 ♠
E: 4 ♣
S: 4 ♠
W: 5 ♣
N: 5 ♠
E: 6 ♣
S: DBL
W: Pass
N: Pass
E: Pass
opening lead: ♦ A
North
♠ A Q J 6 2
♥ K 10 9
♦ Q J 9
♣ Q 9
East
♠ Void
♥ Void
♦ 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
♣ K 8 7 5 3
South
♠ K 9 4
♥ A J 8 5 4 3
♦ A K
♣ J 6
West
♠ 10 8 7 5 3
♥ Q 7 6 2
♦ Void
♣ A 10 4 2
the play
1. The ♦ Ace was trumped in Dummy.
2. The 2 of ♣ to Declarer’s King.
3. The 3 of ♦ was trumped.
4. Declarer took note of the three/two ♦ break and cashed the ♣ Ace drawing trumps.
5. The 3 of ♠s was ruffed in hand.
6. Declarer gave up a ♦ and claimed.
Note: With two voids, East bid six ♣s as a save against five ♠s. N/S holding 31 points had no trouble doubling.
Comment: “Points schmoints!” (31 for N/S, 9 for E/W). Trumps and controls rule.
tip of the day
We recently heard the expression ‘points schmoints!’ What does it mean?
I believe Marty Bergen, prolific maker of bridge conventions, coined the phrase when writing one of his many bridge books. The phrase suggests trumps and controls often are more useful than the number of points one holds.
big games & scores
March 19
Bettie Johnson/Gail Bunce
70%
Other Afternoon
March 21
Mike Pitonak/Dennis Spencer
71.13%
St. Louis Bridge Center
March 26
Lynne Puetz/Norman Jones
72.05%
St. Louis Bridge Center
March 30
Janet Vontz/Farid Azzam
71.43%
St. Louis Bridge Center
March 30
Rich Haake/Mike Giacaman
71.17%
St. Louis Bridge Center