THE story goes that a man asked God if a millennium to Him is as but a minute.
“That’s true,” God replied.
“And is it also true,” the man asked, “that to you a million dollars is as but a penny?”
“Yes.”
“Well, God,” said the man, “do you have a penny you could spare?”
“Sure,” God said. “Just a minute.”
An average deal takes about eight minutes to play, but some deals seem to take forever. In today’s deal, the auction slowed down after South’s jump to four hearts. North was unsure what South had (a bid of three hearts would have been forcing) but decided South would have a chance at six hearts no matter what. So North leaped to slam.
South suspected that a grand slam would succeed but couldn’t bid seven with confidence. He passed after a long mull, and West led a trump.
When dummy appeared, North-South spent a few more minutes dissecting the bidding. In time, South won the opening lead in dummy, cashed the king of spades and led to his ace.
West ruffed and led his last trump — and South could take as much time as he wanted but could win only 11 tricks. Eventually, he tried a club finesse with the jack, but East produced the queen.
South could save time if he played safe. On the second spade he should play low from his hand. Even if West ruffed East’s winner to lead a second trump, South could get home. He could ruff his last two low spades in dummy and also win two high spades, five trumps in his hand, a diamond and two clubs.