Bridge | 12 September 2019

Not many male bridge players over a certain age (ten) would call themselves feminists. I won’t repeat what the partner of one female European gold medallist said of her (and all women bridge players) at the table, but it wasn’t pretty.
 
At a recent mixed pairs tournament a married couple — let’s call them Jack and Jill — were playing and Jill was declarer, never a relaxing moment for hubby. It seems she conceded a trick at the end of the hand when in fact, as Jack pointed out, she had the rest. The director was called and read aloud from the law book: ‘A player cannot concede a trick when it’s impossible to lose another trick’ — at which point Jack said to the director and anyone within earshot that it was never impossible for Jill to lose another trick. She could always find a way.
 
I thought of this story when today’s hand came up playing rubber bridge.