3 notes:
1) We've allowed this so far, but from now on, if you cannot solve the puzzle in the field, please take photographs/notes rather than abducting the puzzle for extended periods of time. 2) Please be careful when approaching GZ, the terrain is a little uneven. 3) This is the second of four caches in the "Games" series of puzzles. Please see the bookmark list for the other puzzles in the series.
(Characters borrowed shamelessly from Victor Mollo’s “Menagerie” series of bridge books. The specific hand below was taken from Chapter 1 of “Bridge in the Fourth Dimension”)
“Bridge,” explained Oscar the Owl, “is a game of talking to each other with a very limited vocabulary.” The senior kibitzer had graciously agreed to host an event to introduce new fledglings and pups to the game. Many had been corralled against their will, or tempted by the delicate repasts offered at the Griffins Club. Several in the back row had already dozed off with their eyes open.
“North partners South. East partners West. And through the bidding and play of the cards, they must make the best of what the fates have dealt them. But –“ and Oscar paused for dramatic effect, “—fate plays but a small part in this game. Probabilities. Psychology. And above all communication. These are the things that separate the wheat from the chaff.”
“Take the following hand for instance, which was played rather daringly in the contract of 7S doubled…”
Oscar was about to launch into a recital of the bidding when a door slammed and the substantial bulk of the Hideous Hog lumbered into the room. All heads turned – the Hog’s reputation as both a legendary player and an inimitable personality far preceded him.
“Sacrilege!” thundered the Hog. “Using one of my hands as a teaching tool!”
The Owl’s eyes went wide as saucers. “B-b-but, y-y-ou s-s-s-aid…”
The club never got to hear what the Hog had purportedly said, for he had reached the table, and with one chubby fist swept all 52 cards off it, scattering them in all directions. “I think,” observed Papa drolly from the back row where he had been observing the proceedings discreetly, “that this might be a good time for a coffee break.” The students needed no second invitation, and the room was empty in a flash.
“So,” said Papa sauntering to the front of the now-vacant room. “Since when did you pass up an opportunity for one of your brilliancies to be flaunted in front of a room of eager eyes.”
The Hog’s eyes glinted. “You know me too well, Papa. There was something deeper concealed in that hand which I didn’t want other to see. A clue that leads to something I’ve hidden away…”
Can you solve the mystery and find the cache? See if you deserve a hand
