A New Deal

Phillip Alder of the New York Times describes “a tied world record,” charting out an exceedingly rare occurrence at last year’s national bridge congress in Hamilton, 60 miles south of Auckland. “New Zealand is one of the world’s most beautiful countries, with climates from tropical in the north to Antarctic in the south. And the friendly residents are a major part of the appeal,” writes Alder, in his bridge column. He then describes what turns out to be an intricate description of a singular bridge aberration, speaking of ruffed spades, dummy jacks, overruffed aces and one-no-trump rebids. The side-suit deuce takes the final trick in a trump contract – a surprise ending. “What won Trick 13? Dummy’s spade deuce. When did you last see that happen?”