Story by David Pegg (BBO: Lemondrop6)

I started learning and playing bridge while in the military, stationed in Okinawa in 1976.

After being honorably discharged and already addicted to bridge, I played just about every day. Somehow, with the hundred or so partners I played with, I became a Life Master in about four years, in 1980.

I was living in the Los Angeles area and playing duplicate bridge when the following occurred at a Santa Monica sectional.

My partner at the time, Emmit Stadig, may he rest in peace, picked up a rather impressive hand on the very first board of the tournament. We managed to bid up to 5♠, pass, pass, pass, and made five.

On the next board, my partner and I bid a slam in spades and went down one.

The round ended, and we moved on to the next table. About halfway through the round, the director approached our table and said we had played the same board twice. I said there was no way. We could not have played the same board twice because my hand was different each time, which was true.

What actually happened was that my partner had played both hands, bidding 5♠ and making five, and then on the next board bidding 6♠ and going down one. He did not recognize the dummy as the same hand he had just held on the previous board.