In answer to Sour Grapes’s query, perhaps smiling sweetly and saying “Sorry, I pulled the wrong card” might be an idea – at teams, anyway. At pairs, the danger is that a seething opponent will then mess up against other pairs sitting the same way as ourselves. All shades of the Grosvener coup (at least psycholgically) but, if you can’t see funny side of being fixed why play bridge (or poker or backgammon or cribbage or whatever) – stick to chess, Go, shogi or similar – then lose online to someone who is using a computer.
My favourite case of being fixed was where I was in 2S havign opened 1S in 4th, heard 1N form pard and rebid 2S with AQJxxx opposite xx. Late on, I noticed that RH9 had produced an 11 count and I was on table not having broached trumps (apart from ruffing once in each hand) so I led small from dummy and went up with the Ace (just in case LHO had stiff K) and then played the Q. This roolled round to RGHO’s SKx (he’d miscounted his points – a keen but improving player) and he led a plain suit promoting his partner’s S10xx into another trick. I made 8 tricks in a position where Mrs. Guggenheim would have made 10 by playing a spade to the Q then hopefully bashing down the Ace. Cue helpless laughter all round the table when RHO’s brilliant “mistake” came to light.
Less flippantly, I once had to give CPR to someone who collapsed at a club while an old friend’s regular partner (in a session where he was unavailable) keeled over and died in the middle of a hand. Sorry to be morbid but let’s keep our fascinating and enjoyable game in perspective
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Hi Bobby,
In answer to Sour Grapes’s query, perhaps smiling sweetly and saying “Sorry, I pulled the wrong card” might be an idea – at teams, anyway. At pairs, the danger is that a seething opponent will then mess up against other pairs sitting the same way as ourselves. All shades of the Grosvener coup (at least psycholgically) but, if you can’t see funny side of being fixed why play bridge (or poker or backgammon or cribbage or whatever) – stick to chess, Go, shogi or similar – then lose online to someone who is using a computer.
My favourite case of being fixed was where I was in 2S havign opened 1S in 4th, heard 1N form pard and rebid 2S with AQJxxx opposite xx. Late on, I noticed that RH9 had produced an 11 count and I was on table not having broached trumps (apart from ruffing once in each hand) so I led small from dummy and went up with the Ace (just in case LHO had stiff K) and then played the Q. This roolled round to RGHO’s SKx (he’d miscounted his points – a keen but improving player) and he led a plain suit promoting his partner’s S10xx into another trick. I made 8 tricks in a position where Mrs. Guggenheim would have made 10 by playing a spade to the Q then hopefully bashing down the Ace. Cue helpless laughter all round the table when RHO’s brilliant “mistake” came to light.
Less flippantly, I once had to give CPR to someone who collapsed at a club while an old friend’s regular partner (in a session where he was unavailable) keeled over and died in the middle of a hand. Sorry to be morbid but let’s keep our fascinating and enjoyable game in perspective
Regards,
Iain