Fred Basset by Alex Graham for October 18, 2024

Looks like a pretty grand slam.

Who knew a game of Bridge could be a contact sport?

Now the Dears will be playing a new game… 52 pick-up.

It could have been worse. Someone could have been decked.

It’s only fair when everyone is cheating.

Fred this time you are not in trouble ! … Fred the witness ;-)

Looking for new partners I suppose!!!

My mother’s bridge club only had women — two tables usually.

My parents had friends over for bridge. I still don’t have a clue what the game is about, nor do I care. :)

Huh? What is that all about? What is it, Fred sais in the last panel?

My husband belongs to a dominoes club. They often have petty bickering, but not to this extent.

Contact bridge.

This is off-topic but I have just watched an episode of Hart to Hart which reminded me of the recent strip in which Mr Dear tipped Fred off the chair and someone claimed Fred wasn’t allowed on the furniture while another replied that Fred is allowed to sit on seats but has to give them up for any human.

In the episode of Hart To Hart which I watched, Jonathan was suffering from amnesia following an accident which occurred after he had witnessed a murder. The mood was lightened in a scene in which Jonathan and his dog Freeway were sitting on the couch. Jonathan said to Freeway, “You ARE allowed on the furniture, aren’t you.” Freeway barked. Jonathan replied, “If you’re lying to me, you’ll pay for it.”

A moment later, their servant Max came in. He said, “Freeway! You know you’re not allowed on the furniture!” Freeway jumped off. Jonathan pointed at the dog and exclaimed, “He lied to me!”

Well, that is an unappealing was to spend an evening!

With Mr Dear because he has been meaner each year

Always frowning :-(

My grandfather wrote a sort of memoir or diary that I finally read. He was a very competitive man who loved to play bridge so in every description of anyone he met with socially he would critique their bridge playing skills. So an account of being on a steamship to Europe would have him rating everyone and who was an acceptable partner or not. He, being a professor at an Ivy League collage always considered himself better than almost anyone and could be quite scathing in his remarks about other players. But I don’t know if he ever upset the table, although my older brother would do that when playing board games if he thought that he was not performing up to his standards.