When the two men returned to our table, there was a slight discrepancy in the score. They thought they were only winning by 38 IMPs. We went over the results, and found the error on board six. Unfortunately, we were right.
They seemed almost apologetic about being so far ahead. Bridge isn't an in-your-face kind of game. There's no dancing in the end zone.
I realized that the fact that they had fewer masterpoints than us didn't mean all that much. They were a lot younger. It takes a long time to accumulate masterpoints. Arnold, Lucy, and Gloria had all been playing for about fifty years. Trapp had only played about thirty, having quit for a while. The team we were up against had probably been playing less than fifteen years, but they had already won enough masterpoints to be in the top bracket. They were, I realized, about the age of Trapp and Annabel the last time they played together.
We started with boards one through six this time. On board one, our opponents tried to stop at two spades, but Trapp, who had passed throughout, suddenly said, "Three diamonds."
He only had seven points: the ace of hearts and the queen and jack of diamonds. I tried to keep my expression blank as I placed the 3
card on the table. West bid three spades, and we set it by one trick. That was fifty points for us. If Trapp had let them play two-spades, they would have scored 110 points.
It was a start.
"Pour me another cup of tea," he said.
On the very next board, he bid six clubs and made it for 1,370.
"Well bid," West said, after the hand was over. "Our teammates will probably be in three no-trump."
"You got to push a little when you're down by forty-one," said Gloria.
"It's not forty-one anymore," said East, a worried expression on his face.
Trapp and Gloria kept on pushing. They made slam on board five, and then doubled the opponents on board six, setting them by two tricks for 500.
The caddy came by with boards seven through twelve just as we finished board six. I poured my uncle another cup of tea.
On board seven, Trapp had almost all black cards: seven spades, headed by the king and queen, and five clubs, headed by the king and jack. His only red card was the three of diamonds.
He was first to bid. "Four spades," he said.
I confidently set the bid on the table, and I was still just as confident when he was doubled. In fact, I was a little disappointed he didn't redouble.
He only took eight tricks. That was worth 500 points to our opponents. However, in the post-mortem, our opponents realized they actually could have made six diamonds for 1,370, so this was still a good board for us.
I looked at the IMPs chart. If Lucy and Arnold had bid six diamonds on the board, we would gain 13 IMPs.
Trapp wasn't happy about it. "I could have held it to down one if I played you for jack-ten doubleton of clubs," he said to the guy with the tattoo.
"It's always easier after you've seen all four hands," the man replied.
It's funny how quickly people forget that Trapp cannot actually see the cards.
I started to give him his hand for board eight, but he was still grumbling about board seven.
"It won't matter if Lucy and Arnold bid the slam," I said.
"Six diamonds is hard to bid," he said. "Everybody's going to open four spades with my hand. It's called a preemptive bid. It makes it hard for the opponents to bid, since their very first bid has to be at the five-level."
I think that might have been the first time he ever took the time to explain bridge to me. It felt good.
I started to give him his hand for board eight.
"C'mon, c'mon," he interrupted.
I had been saying his cards too slowly.
We reached board ten. The thermos was empty. I thought about calling Teodora and asking her to bring down more tea, but you weren't allowed to use cell phones in the playing area.
The contract was four hearts. West was declarer, and after the first seven tricks, he'd won five and we'd won two. We needed two more tricks to set the contract.
These were Trapp's remaining cards:
"Two of clubs," said Gloria, placing that card on the table.
West called for dummy's ten of clubs, and then it was Trapp's turn.
He thought awhile. The jack of clubs was my choice, but Trapp was on a roll. If he played the eight, I knew it would be right.
"Queen of clubs," he said.
I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I didn't do anything. I just sat there.
After a long and uncomfortable moment, Trapp wanted to know what was happening.
"We're still waiting for Alton to play a card," said West.
"Queen of clubs," Trapp repeated.
I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. I remained motionless.
"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to call the director," said West.
"I think you better," Trapp said, his voice quaking.
East raised his hand. "Director, please!"
"I'm sorry," said West.
"No need to apologize," said Trapp.
The director arrived and the situation was explained to him.
"He instructed Alton to play the queen of clubs," said West.
"And apparently, I do not hold that card," said Trapp.
His voice was without emotion, but I could feel his humiliation.
The director thought a moment. I doubted this situation was anywhere in his rule book.
"Okay," he said at last. "We're going to treat this as unauthorized information." He turned to Gloria. "You now know your partner doesn't hold the queen of clubs. You will have to play the rest of the hand as if you don't have that information. Of course, if you're the one holding the queen, then there is no unauthorized information, but don't say so, one way or the other. Otherwise, you'll be giving unauthorized information to your partner."
He turned to West. "You are permitted to know that South doesn't have the queen of clubs, and if that information helps you, you may use it to your advantage. After the hand is over, call me back if you feel you've been damaged."
He then told me to take Trapp aside and tell him his remaining cards. "But you are not to in any way suggest what card to play, and you are not to tell him what cards have already been played, either by him or by anyone else."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell the director that there was nothing I could possibly tell my uncle that he didn't already know. I wanted to tell him that not only did Trapp know every card that was played, he also could tell you every card in everyone's hand.
Except that wasn't the case. Not this time.
I rose from my chair.
Trapp remained seated.
"C'mon," I said.
He didn't move.
I pulled on his arm, but I might just as well have been tugging at a block of cement.
"I'm done," he said.
"You have to finish the match," I said.
"You know how to play," he said. "You finish it."
I looked to Gloria for help. Tears were flowing down her face.
"Call my room," said Trapp. "Have Teodora come and get me."
With an unnaturally controlled voice, Gloria asked our opponents if they had any objections to Alton playing the remaining hands.
"That's not a problem," East said, his voice quiet and sober.
I found a house phone and called Trapp's suite. When Teodora answered, I said, "Trapp needs help." Then I returned to the table and played the jack of clubs.