26 North Shore Towers Courier n November 2014 Contract Bridge This deal occurred in the Life Master Pairs at the 1992 Summer North American Championships. It features an unusual play by one declarer, who succeeded where many others in the same contract failed. South arrived at four spades as shown, and West led the K-J of diamonds. Declarer played low from dummy on the second diamond, but East overtook the jack with the ace and continued with a third diamond, bringing South to the critical point of the play. Given the bidding and play thus far, it was clear that West had started with only two diamonds. If declarer discarded on dummy’s established diamond queen, or if he ruffed low, he was virtually certain to lose the trick to a low trump in West’s hand. This was an acceptable loss if West had started with three spades to the king, since a subsequent spade finesse would allow declarer to pick up the rest of the suit. But if East started with the spade king, discarding or ruffing low at trick three would ultimately lead to defeat. The question, therefore, was who had the spade king? Based on East’s overcall and the fact that West had already turned up with the K-J of diamonds, South decided East was far more likely to have the king of spades. Accordingly, he ruffed the third diamond with the jack. After this held, he led a spade to the ace, disdaining the finesse, and returned the spade four. East won with the king, but no matter what he returned, dummy’s queen of spades would sooner or later capture West’s ten, and the contract was home. (c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc. CARD-READING by STEVE BECKER THE ART OF ELDER LAW For more than 30 years the elder law firm of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates has been providing New Yorkers with legal solutions that protect, relieve and endure for generations. Our dedicated attorneys are skilled in the art of giving legal advice and are accomplished in elder law, Medicaid eligibility, estate planning, trusts, estate mediation, wills, asset protection, guardianships, probate and most issues associated with the challenges of aging. Our distinguished reputation is based on a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards and our core values of honesty, integrity, and excellence. “We won’t settle for anything less”. 1-877- ELDER LAW 1-877-ESTATES Queens • Long Island • Manhattan • Brooklyn ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
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