So what really did happen that made Lotan “Con Man” Fisher “miscount” his tricks at the same time as Allan didn’t see that he had one more trick coming in 4 spades? Well, now that I get his mind set, please join me to think outside the box.
Some (or many?) of Lotan’s friends (and maybe himself included) think he is the best player in the world. He has a quick brain with a high IQ and doesn’t need to look more than a second or two at a hand like this to see that it will be 10 or 11 tricks depending on the number of spade losers (you even have a chance to make the contract with spades 4-0 behind you). Lotan also knows very well that restricted choice is a better chance when the jack (or ten) pops under the queen. So why did he need some time to consider his move?
If you were able to get into his head, I am pretty sure you would see that he was planning ahead if the spade lost to Allan’s 10. Just think about it; by putting all the cards back in the slot you really have no downside. Either your opponents check the number of tricks available and you get 620 (as you would anyway, except if lefty switches to a heart from an honour), or you con them into accepting 650. Just one IMP, but in a tight match like this every IMP counts.
So why didn’t Allan spot the obvious third loser? “I showed him my hand,” Lotan cried. “What more could I do?” (When he talked to my wife on the phone, Lotan claimed the same “truth” and “apologized” for the “misclaim”. And he did the same stunning act as he did in front of the TDs: “I want to play extra boards! I don’t want to win this way!!” Nice guy. Well, isn’t the old trick of hiding one of your losers behind another card the most likely reason for this illusion?
At this point I get furious. What a piece of …. I decide to find Eddie Wold who caught the Coughing Doctors to see if he has some advice for how we can get this pair. Eddie is playing in the Swiss (which became a three day event at this Nationals so the teams eliminated in the quarter finals of the Spingold were not accepted in the tournament). We play in a Bracketed two-day KO in the basement, and I ask our captain to get the afternoon session off. I have more important things to do.