The Adventures of Team Porcupine, Part XLIX: High Five
By Ray Adams
frankandarchie@yahoo.com
The late and great Grant Baze once said, “The five level belongs to the opponents.” Probably most bridge buffs would agree that the five level is, indeed, a dangerous place that is best left to the opponents. Team Porcupine, of course, has trouble following rules and guidelines.
West led the ten of hearts, taken by dummy’s ace as declarer threw a diamond. Nograwowicz then ruffed a heart, ruffed a club, and ruffed another heart. One more club was trumped in dummy and the king of spades drew all the missing enemy trumps. South then ruffed dummy’s last heart.
When Nograwowicz cashed the ace of clubs, tossing a diamond from dummy, the hand was thoroughly stripped and he exited a diamond, taken by East’s king. East had no choice but to give declarer a ruff and a sluff for the eleventh trick. Nograwowicz subsequently conceded a diamond and claimed his doubled contract.
At the other table, Pas-Konejwicz played at 5♥ doubled, down two when South began the defense with a spade rather than a club. This was a nice 8 imp pickup for the Porcupines. But the interesting aspect to this hand was the fact that both sides played the contract at the five level doubled and the team still managed to gain imps. It was yet another triumph for Team Porcupine’s unorthodox approach to the game.
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