Three triads with an ‘e’ in the middle makes Sep-tem-ber a symmetric month, or so it is per-cei-ved by this mes-sen-ger in his hopes of being more res-pec-ted than neg-lec-ted. But never mind that. The symmetry this month is about bridge deals, so stick around and pay attention.
A symmetric deal requires all four suits to have the same sequential distribution with identical cards in each partition. Perforce this gives each hand one card of each rank (also known as a Margie) and the same distribution as each suit. Conversely, any hand with one card of each rank converts to a distinct symmetric deal. There are 413 = 67,108,864 different symmetric deals, assuming suit identity does not make a difference. If rotations are also considered the same deal, divide this number by four.
Indisputably, the most famous symmetric deal is the incredible fluke where all four players make 3 NT against any defense. Most bridge addicts have seen it, but as a ref-res-her it is rec-rea-ted below:
The key to its notoriety is that each long suit is blocked, but whoever is on lead must allow declarer to unblock one of his suits, else lead from K-J doubleton which is worse, yielding an overtrick. For example, if West leads a spade against South’s 3 NT, declarer pitches a club from dummy then ducks a club, freeing that suit to run. West’s spades are established but hopelessly blocked, so the defense can win only four tricks. Analogously, if West leads a diamond, declarer pitches a heart from hand then ducks a heart.
Excluding suit identity and rotations, the above deal is the only known case of this phenomenon, and based on my research, I believe it is unique. In fact there is no known deal where everyone makes two notrump, which I believe is impossible.
One notrump, however, is a different story. Based on empirical evidence of one occurrence in 10,485,760 random deals, I guesstimate about five sextillion deals where everyone makes 1 NT. Among symmetric deals, there are over a million. All you need to do is find one!
Create a symmetric deal where everyone makes 1 NT against any defense.
Enter a South hand with one card of each rank, then click Make Deal. A symmetric deal will be created and its double-dummy result will be shown. No need to analyze the play! Repeat until you have a winner. Ties will be broken by the best poker hand.
Join the fun and participate! You won’t win anything, other than the satisfaction of making my Winner List if you’re clever or lucky. Contest ends September 30, 2026 at midnight GMT. Winners and solutions will be published October 2, 2026. To enter, provide your name, location and e-mail address, then click Submit. A copy of your entry will be sent to you automatically, so be sure your address is correct. Multiple entries by the same person are allowed, but only the latest one counts.
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by Richard Pavlicek by Richard Pavlicek