Gentle Minds, Gentle Deeds

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: North
Lead: 5

	weaver A 9 5 4 2 Q A K 3 A 10 8 6
brando K J 8 6 A J 8 7 3 Q J 9 5		jb_1 10 3 10 6 5 4 2 7 6 2 9 4 3
	Maestro Q 7 K 9 10 8 5 4 K Q J 7 2

West Pass Pass Pass

North 1 3 4 Pass

East Pass Pass Pass Pass

South 2 3NT 6

 

The gentle mind by gentle deeds is known.
For a man by nothing is so well bewray’d,
As by his manners.
–Spenser

The expert is not a result merchant. The expert does not blame his partner for a bad board. The expert does not leave the table after a catastrophe. At least that’s what I used to think.

Gee is South today. We have an uncontroversial auction — assuming, as I think, that 2C just shows 11+ and is not game-forcing — until Gee bids 3NT. Now there’s nothing wrong with the bid or the contract, which is cold even on a heart lead. But North has a slammish hand with excellent trump support and extras. He cues 4D to show it.

My inexpert eye sees nothing wrong with this bid either. North has a stiff heart and first round control in the other suits, and 5C is likely to be safe, maybe even safer than 3NT. Gee, however, reevaluates his aceless balanced minimum and leaps to 6C. The result is what you might expect.

As he claims down 1 the specs bestir themselves:

Spec #1: here come the recriminations
G: pd… 3NT was worth 7.75 IMPS
Spec #2: Oh :<<
G: why take me out of it?
Spec #2: You sure called that one
Spec #1: bridge is a lecture
Spec #3: [Spec #1] is a jaded veteran in the ways of the G
G: I can’t play like that… then specs judge me and say I am a bum
G: sorry
Spec #1: god i love that
G: my last one now
Spec #4: lol
Spec #2: Oh my god.
Spec #1: actually, specs judge you and say you’re a flaming asshole
Spec #5: gerard is all ego and little skill
Spec #5: i have played with him live and online
Spec #3: live?? I feel sorry for you
Spec #5: nothing is his fault
Spec #1: bum too, but that’s on other evidence
Spec #4: maybe we should all stop speccing him
Spec #5: we had a 3rd overall in a pair event in anaheim
Spec #5: with one of my students we would have won the event lol
G: what play? this was not play
Spec #4: oh brother!
Spec #1: he’s lucky this isn’t live
Spec #1: because I’d be looking for a blunt instrument by now