Bridge by Frank Stewart

"Hear about Minnie getting her money's worth?" Rose asked me. Minnie Bottoms is my club's 82-year-old senior member.

"The heat at Minnie's house was out," Rose said. "An electrician fixed the problem in five minutes and handed her a bill for $80. When she complained, he said he charged $80 an hour with a one-hour minimum. So Minnie gave him a rake and made him rake leaves for the next 55 minutes."

"You have to like her style," I said.

Minnie also got her money's worth as today's South. She still wears the old bifocals that make her mix up kings and jacks — often to her opponents' dismay.

In a team match, Minnie played at 6NT with only 31 high-card points. But North-South had two five-card suits, and having Minnie and her glasses in charge of the play was worth something. Minnie won the first spade with her ace and … took the ace of clubs!

When West produced his king, Minnie peered at it through the mists, reexamined her hand and dummy, and found that she had three club tricks, two spades, two hearts, and five diamonds.

"She thought her clubs were A-K-Q-4-2," I laughed. "She was running the suit."

Minnie's play was correct. She needs only three club tricks and is safe if clubs break 3-2, but she must guard against the singleton king with West. If East-West follow low to the ace, South leads a diamond to dummy and returns a club to her jack. If that wins and West shows out, South returns a heart to dummy and leads another club to assure the slam.