Strawman — Puzzle S3

The Declarer’s final pile holds these 22 cards: I, XXI, K♦, Q♠, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, 7♣, 8♣, 9♣, 10♣, 2♥, 3♥, 4♥. The Declarer’s Pagat (the I) quietly won the very last trick of the hand, unannounced.

strawman Puzzle #147

Count the Card Points, say whether the contract succeeded, and total the Victory Points both players write.

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Answer

22 Card Points: 22 cards ÷ 3 gives 7 with one card left over, and a single leftover rounds away to nothing, so the base stays 7. Pips: the I and XXI (Trull) = 8, the K♦ = 4, the Q♠ = 3, total 15; 7 + 15 = 22, nowhere near the 36 needed. The contract fails, and the opponent writes 3 Victory Points for the win. But the Pagat Ultimo happened anyway, and bonuses belong to whoever earns them, win or lose: the Declarer still writes 1 Victory Point for the quiet Pagat Ultimo. Strawman’s forgiving core, doubled: an announced bonus never costs you if it fails, and a completed bonus never checks whether your contract did too.