After grilling Brigid for a half hour, I found out nothing more than this: She liked to open weak four-card majors, and she hates artificial bidding. She told me she'd reveal more in her hotel suite, if I called on her at 7 that night. She left and one minute later entered Joel Cairo, a strange little fellow with perfume. When I wasn't looking he pulled a deck of cards on me and asked me where the bird was. I told him there was no bird. He made me look at this bridge hand, which he dealt face up on the table, and told me about its history.

When the hand was first played in Istanbul, at the turn of the century, two ex-Norwegians then living in Casablanca were sitting North-South and had a relay sequence to 4NT. The auction is far too complicated to explain, but after North bid 4NT, South knew that his partner held 2-2-6-3 shape, no aces, no kings and no queens. At this point South had to make a decision where to play the hand. Unfortunately for him, South could no longer play in 5, because that would have been relay number 17 in the auction, asking for a jack. So South bid 6, a sign off. West, who was half asleep at this point, or so it seemed, led the king of diamonds and this was dummy:

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 South
   A K J 5 4
   A 9
   A
   A K Q 9 4

I won the lead -

YOU won the lead?

No, I mean the ex-Norwegian sitting South. Forgive me, it's been told so many times that I often mix up who sat where. The South player won the first trick and led the ace and king of spades, all following. How would you continue?

 South
   A K J 5 4
   A 9
   A
   A K Q 9 4

I would lead a spade and if West follows, I would discard a heart.

You may survive after that, Cairo said. But here's what did happen. He led a low spade, planning to ruff with the ten if West followed low (he told kibitzers afterward). If the spades were 4-2, and the 10 of clubs held, he would come to his hand in hearts and play a fourth spade, discarding a heart, then later ruff a heart in dummy with a low trump - a beautiful example of the 'transfer ruff.' But West followed with the queen of spades on the third spade, so declarer ruffed LOW in dummy. East overruffed! Declarer was already leaning forward to claim, but East showed him his 3 of clubs and declarer went into a state of shock.

There was no reason not to ruff with the ten, I said.

Of course, but declarer assumed the queen of spades was third when it appeared on the third round and carelessly ruffed low, perhaps out of disrespect to his opponents. Suddenly war broke out between Morocco and Turkey. West, the son of the king of Turkey, was not really sleeping.

 South
   J 5 4
   A 9
   —
   A K Q 9 4

West's play of the spade queen was a master play. But the ensuing war was hardly worth it. The bird, sir, show me where it is and I will kindly leave.

The bird? I don't know what you're talking about. But if East returns anything but a diamond after the overruff, the hand is cold.

Cairo looked down at the table to see what I was talking about, and I grabbed the gun and plunged my fist through his glasses. He went out immediately. When he came to, he gave me his card and told me a FAT man would be phoning.

THE END of Part IV.

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 South
   A K J 5 4
   A 9
   A
   A K Q 9 4

South 1 1	West pass pass	North 1 1	East pass pass
(14 rounds later)		4NT	pass
6	all pass
Opening lead: Q

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