NOT SO SWEET REVENGE

North-South game: South deals.

When McTavish, at South, opened a strong no-trump showing 15-17 points, West saw little prospect of game and passed in the belief that defeating vulnerable opponents was his best bet.

He could not believe it when the bidding continued thus: -

Two Hearts was a transfer and Three Spades showed a six card suit, inviting game and with a maximum and all top cards McTavish raised. West had been suffering at the hands of McTavish for as long as he could remember, and now he had a golden opportunity for sweet revenge. He doubled and led the king of diamonds.

After the ace of diamonds and a diamond ruff, McTavish led a heart to the queen and West’s ace. West led back a diamond, ruffed in dummy and McTavish won the king and ace of clubs and ruffed his last diamond. He came back to the king of hearts for his seventh trick, leaving West with his five trumps and only three left in dummy.

A heart was led and when West inserted the nine of trumps, a club was thrown from dummy. West belatedly led the queen of spades and McTavish won the ace and led a fourth heart. West desperately ruffed with the ten of spades, but McTavish simply discarded dummy’s last club. Dummy remained with the king-eight of spades over the jack-three and made the last two tricks for a score of 790 points.

“An initial trump lead would have beaten me,” pointed out McTavish, with a wide grin on his face, but West was too stunned to comprehend anything.

Sweet revenge had turned very sour.