Bridge on the Internet with M@nkeytail
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OKBridge theatened with death by its own popularity. The latest membership tally stands at 11,000 members. New subscribers sign up daily by e-mail. The OKBridge office in San Diego, California, is bursting at the seams with new staff.

Apparently, success has somewhat gone to the head of Matthew Clegg, the 'inventor' of OKBridge. In the early years, from 1994, the subscription rate was about $70. This entitled one to make use of all of OKBridge's services for an entire year, the tournaments included. As as the first of January this year, the annual rate has been raised to $99, exclusive of the right to participate in the tournaments. That will set you back another $99. Alright, the product is popular, so the cost is increased. That's the way it works on the Internet as well. But, an increase of some 300%?!?! (This percentage may not be quite correct; at matchpoints, my actual score always turns out less than the real percentage).

Indeed, there was some grumbling; the Newsgroup.rec.bridge saw some criticism concerning this greed, though not really a storm of indignation. No wholesale consumer boycott, no hardnosed protest actions. Monkeytail has changed all that. I have given these bigshots in the States a good scare with an (already historic) e-mail message. It has become a razorsharp charge against injustice, a bitter tirade against the abuse of power. I have threatened the withdrawal of the entire European continent from OKBridge, and the spread of the entire stockpile of bacteriological computer viruses which, for reasons nobody comprehends, are stored in the royal palaces.

This didnb't make much of an impression. The rate increase will be implemented, and I have cancelled my private boycott. Nevertheless, in this column I call out to all whizkids in The Netherlands to forthwith develop a program for playing bridge on the Internet. Besides OKBridge, there are a few small providers, but they haven't taken the right approach. It must be possible to grab a good slice of the far from saturated market - a competitive price shouldn't be a problem at all.

Good heavens....what have I done? Here I am, filling the entire column with twaddle about money. Let's log on quickly so that I may present you with a couple of good hands. Here we are, at a nice table. It's matchpoints, and my partner is declarer at 4.

-	A 9 6 3 2  K 9 5 2  Q J  Q 3	-
	N W         E S
-	K 7  A Q 10 4  9 8 5  A K 8 6	-

Soon, pard gets another chance to excel.
 

-	A 9 8 2  Q 10 9  A Q 2  J 10 5	-
3  K 3 2  9 7 5 4 3  Q 9 8 2	N  W       E  S	Q J 7 6 4  J  K J 8  A 7 6 3
-	K 10 5  A 8 7 6 5 4  10 6  K 4

N/none	@
West   Pass  Pass  Pass	North  1   1NT   4	East   1  Pass   Pass	South   Double  3    Pass

The opening lead of the 3 is won with K as East plays J. South now plays A other heart. West wins his king as East pithes the 3, and continues with a diamond, according to expectation. Declarer rises with the ace, cashes Q, and plays a club to the king, incorrectly won immediately by East.The contract is now made via a strip squeeze against East:  the club return is won with K, and South plays his remaining trumps. With three tricks to go East is thrown in with a diamond and has to play into the spade tenace.

The funny thing is that if West, after winning the K, returns a club, instead of a diamond, to East's A, and gets a spade ruff, the contract will be made in a legitimate manner. Assume West returns a diamond, South plays A (Vienna coup), unblocks Q, crosses to K, and again plays his remaing trumps. East gets squeezed in the pointed suits.

My spirits have been raised considerably. Most peculiar how magnanimous I feel about rate increases in general, and that of OKBridge in particular.
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