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Bridge by Frank Stewart

Kids can get their Bible stories confused. In Sunday school, one 7-year-old had to draw a biblical event and produced a picture of four people in an airplane.

Kids can get their Bible stories confused. In Sunday school, one 7-year-old had to draw a biblical event and produced a picture of four people in an airplane.

"What's that?" her teacher asked.

"The flight into Egypt," the little girl said, referring to events after Christ's birth.

"I see Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus," the teacher said. "Who's the fourth figure?"

"That's Pontius, the pilot."

A player may sometimes judge to flee from a doubled contract and seek something safer. I know of a deal where a player at 6NT doubled was sure the opening leader had an A-K to cash. He ran to seven of a suit his partner had bid, putting the other defender on lead and forcing him to guess the killing lead.

In today's deal from a Bermuda Bowl, U.S. v. Italy, the 1NT response by the U.S. North, Bobby Goldman, was forcing. When South bid two hearts next, Goldman raised to game.

East, Pietro Forquet, thought his opponents had overreached. If North had moderate values and West had spade strength, the deal could have been a disaster for North-South. But when Forquet doubled, Goldman fled nimbly to four spades.

Forquet doubled again but couldn't beat the contract. West led the ace and ten of diamonds, and dummy won and led a spade. East took the ace and gave West a heart ruff, but South won the rest for plus 790.

In the other room Italy's North-South also reached four hearts, but the U.S. East passed quietly for plus 200.