Darkest night in October due,Hearkens for the witches brew.West and South, East and NorthWaken mortals! Venture forth!
Opening leads, I cannot seeThreaten not my spell on thee.Win the ace, or win the king?To my cauldron, it will cling!
Ducking plays are often cute,Not if mixed with eye of newt!Drawing trump on harvest moon?Hardly, it can wait till June!
Finessing once, finessing twice?Evil magic does it thrice!Cover, then Ill just play highr.Wilst thou join me in the fire?
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.Wield thy sword and take this dare.Should thou find my quiz not fun?Just be glad my poem is done!
Witchever way you spell it, this is a declarer-play challenge for all bridge players. You, South, are declarer in 4 on each of the six problems. Choose your play from options A-F. Each option is rated on a 1-to-10 scale based on my judgment.
In October of 2000 these problems were presented as a contest, which had 196 entrants from 72 locations. The contest is now closed, but you can still challenge yourself and find your score immediately.
Bidding is standard (unless noted). Opponents use standard leads and signals.For a reference see Standard American Bridge. Assume all players are experts.
Times a-wasting. Let the fire burn and the cauldron bubble. You have nothing to worry about. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!Make it through without toil and trouble, and you might win a valuable prize.*
*Prizes include fillet of bat, eye of newt, root of hemlock and scale of dragonfly.Winners must be at least 18 years of age and licensed in sorcery.
Your play?A. Win first heart, A, duck diamondB. Win first heart, A, A, duck diamondC. Win first heart, A, A-K, lead diamondD. Win second heart, A, duck diamondE. Win second heart, A, A, duck diamondF. Win second heart, A, A-K, lead diamond
Your play?A. Win K, lead QB. Win K, lead spade to queenC. Win K, K, A, ruff clubD. Win A, K, ruff heartE. Win A, A, lead spade to queenF. Win A, K, lead spade to queen
Your play?A. Win first heart, lead 3B. Win first heart, lead 7C. Win first heart, K, A, lead clubD. Win second heart, lead 3E. Win second heart, K, A, lead clubF. Win second heart, K, ruff heart
After winning the A, what next?A. Ruff a clubB. Lead a heartC. Run diamondsD. Win A, lead a heartE. Win A, run diamondsF. Win A-K, run diamonds
Your play?A. Win first heart, lead diamondB. Win first heart, lead 5C. Win first heart, lead spade to kingD. Win second heart, lead diamondE. Win second heart, K, ruff heartF. Win second heart, lead spade to king
Your play?A. Win first club, A-K, lead 2B. Win first club, A-K, lead 3 and pitch clubC. Win first club, A-K, lead 3 and ruff lowD. Win second club, A-K, lead 2E. Win second club, A-K, lead 3 and ruff lowF. Win second club, A-K, lead 3 and ruff high
Note: If you lead a third heart, East follows.
Click to see how you did
© 2000 Richard Pavlicek