Bridge

A new player had joined our club -- a Life Master who fancied himself a fine technician. He was playing in a duplicate game with Cy the Cynic and became declarer at today's slam.

West led a heart, and South ruffed in dummy and cashed the king of trumps. When West discarded, South had an unexpected trump loser and had to worry about his losing club. He led a trump to his ace and would have made the slam by simply leading the jack of diamonds for a finesse next. But to enhance his reputation as a master technician, South gave himself an extra chance by cashing the ace of clubs first.

Unfortunately for him, East was Minnie Bottoms, our senior member whose old bifocals make her mix up kings and jacks, often to her opponents' chagrin. Minnie followed with the king! South beamed and led a club to dummy's nine -- and Minnie produced the jack and cashed the queen of trumps for down one.

"The man thinks he's a technician," Cy told me later, "but he obviously doesn't know about the 'Principle of Restricted Choice."'

Cy was talking about the valid concept that when a defender has two equal cards he can play, such as a doubleton J-10, the play of either card offers a presumption that he doesn't hold the other, else he might just as well have played it.

"This wasn't a 'Restricted Choice' position," I protested.

"It was with Minnie defending," Cy shrugged. "To her and those bifocals, the king and jack are equals."

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable

NORTH

S K 10 7

H None