‘Yikes! I’ve been Grosvenored!’
This is a wail you will hear from time to time when a Declarer has been ‘had’ by the dreaded Grosvenor Gambit. It is explained in The Official Encyclopaedia of Bridge as follows: ‘A humorous psychological ploy described by Frederick Turner of Los Angeles in The Bridge World 1973. A defender deliberately makes an error, giving the Declarer an opportunity he refuses because he expects a rational defence. The hope is that the declaring side will be demoralised on later deals.’
In last weekend’s Tollemache Cup qualifier, the inter-county championships for teams of eight, Victor Silverstone, playing for Middlesex, gave us a perfect example of a true Grosvenor, and showed that behind the friendly face and bushy eyebrows is a very talented and playful bridge mind.
Victor was East, and his partner, Tony Waterlow, led the ♥K.
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