Husbands and Wives

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How do some women stand playing with their husbands?

	North
	K1063
	104
Wife	AJ1063	Hubby
AJ5	84	42
KJ763		Q982
Q97	South	K854
QJ	Q987	1053
	A5
	2
	AK9762

South Wife North Hubby

1 1 Dbl* 2

4? All Pass

When West led the 6 (dummy playing low), her husband paused for thought. If the lead was fourth-best, it must be from KJ76 (Rule of Eleven), since an ace underlead was so unlikely. Therefore he privately congratulated himself as he played a clever 8. Declarer scooped up this trick with the ace and proceeded to misguess trumps by leading low to the king and then back to the nine, losing to the jack. West cashed the spade ace (hubby discarding the 2), laid down the king of hearts, and then demurely led...another heart?

East exploded upon recognizing the impending ruff and sluff. "Why, why, why?" he cried. "I discarded the 2 to show an even number of hearts, and you don't even notice? Not to mention declarer can't even have the queen now because he would have played it at trick one! What's the matter with you?" He slammed the heart queen on the table as declarer ruffed the trick in dummy and pitched a club from hand.

But now the contract was doomed, as this was the position:

	North
	-
	-
Wife	AJ1063	Hubby
-	84	-
J7		-
Q97	South	K854
QJ	Q	1053
	-
	2
	AK976

There was no way for declarer to establish his clubs without losing another trick, and it wouldn't have helped if he had ruffed the heart in hand. Down one! Had West returned a minor suit, declarer could have won, ruffed a club in dummy, and then ruffed a diamond in hand to run the clubs.

"It's a good thing you discarded a heart instead of a club, dear," West said to her husband as they started the next deal. "But of course, there's nothing ever the matter with YOU..."