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| August 09, 2006 | Wednesday | Rajab 13, 1427 |
Night of the Generals
THE phone call was totally unexpected. “Could you be in Islamabad in May? You are to receive an award from the President of Pakistan and play in a tournament.” The caller was Tariq Aziz, a longtime bridge friend, now the National Security Advisor and right hand to General Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan.
The combination of the honor and the prospect of meeting the legendary General was irresistible. Yes, I would certainly be available.
President Musharraf is well known to the West as a vital ally in the war against terror as well as the leader of a sometimes volatile land who has successfully balanced the precarious pillars of politics and religion. I personally also know that he is a genuine lover of bridge. I looked forward to the meeting.
On arrival in Pakistan, we were driven to the meeting with an impressive police escort. I will admit, however, that I wasn’t sure whether the discovery that our car was bullet-proof was comforting or not.
The President was a delight. Informal and charming, he described how he grew to love bridge in his early army days, recounting how four friends would sneak off for all-night sessions, telling their wives that they were on “war maneuvers,” a successful ploy until the ruse was discovered by one of the wives who dispatched a message to the game--there would be a real war unless they returned home immediately!
The tournament at the elegant Islamabad Club was a success. Although there are not too many tournament players in Pakistan, those who are there are true aficionados (okay, I’ll admit that our team would have finished higher if we hadn’t sat in the same direction in a crucial match, but you can’t have everything).
The big news was that the President would attend the victory banquet (imagine President Bush doing the same!). General Musharraf is quite unique in his active support of the game. Naturally, it wasn’t long after the announcement that a huge contingent of security personnel arrived. They cordoned off the club from the early afternoon. It is common knowledge that the General has narrowly escaped several assassination attempts, a fact that you would never sense from his relaxed manner.
The highlight of the trip for me was being asked, after the dinner, to play with the President against two of his top Generals. It was a fun game with the leg-pulling and interplay as important as the actual play.
The system of choice for me and the General was his army-manufactured strong club (19 or more high-card points) with responses that defined a point-count range.
The Generals were no mean performers and, though my partner and I were in harmony (we both bid and doubled too much!), it wasn’t long before we fell behind.
Now to be an established bridge player partnering the President of his country and to be beaten by mere Generals is not too dignified. It was time to fight back.
So when I picked up *S* 10 6 5 *H*Q J 104 *D*J 4 3 *C* 10 8 6, I decided to revert to type and opened a strong I*C*! My left-hand General (LHG) passed, and the President responded 1 *H*, showing 7-8 HCP. Great system: I open a “strong” club and already know that the opponents have at least a game. Right-hand General (RHG) doubled, I pass (sinking lower in my seat), and when LHG passes, partner bids 2*D*. RHG passes (good!), I pass and everyone at the table – as well as a few of the security guards bristle noticeably, while I slide deeper into my chair. To my relief, LHG passes, too.
The President respectfully commented that this was not the expected auction, but before anyone changed their mind, I put down my dummy, exposing the psych.
Roars of laughter erupted around the table (to their credit, equally from the opponents), and the General announced, “You see, Zia, how difficult my job is when my Generals are so easily deceived.”
The game ended soon after with honors about even, but the memories of the night with the Generals remain priceless.
As I flew home, I reflected that if I could only send a copy of the General’s strong club system to a few other world leaders, maybe….
(The writer is a former world bridge champion from Pakistan)
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