Practice makes perfect.
Bridge Column for March 12, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Both sides vulnerable.  South deals.
                              NORTH           
                              S: 6                       
                              H: A Q 9 8     
                              D: J 7         
                              C: A 10 8 7 5 4
            WEST                             EAST
            S: Q J 9 5 4                     S: 10 8 3 2     
            H: 3 2                           H: 4          
            D: A 9 6 5 4                     D: Q 10 8 3 2        
            C: 2                             C: Q J 3       
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: A K 7
                              H: K J 10 7 6 5
                              D: K         
                              C: K 9 6    
          The Bidding://
                  SOUTH    WEST    NORTH    EAST                  
                   1H      Pass     3H      Pass
                   4NT     Pass     5H      Pass
                   6H      Pass     Pass    Pass
     February 22nd is widely known as George Washington's
birthday.  It is also Hyman 'Zaz' Krasny's birthday.  Krasny
celebrated his 89th birthday last month with an afternoon of
bridge at Barbara Greenspan's Beachwood Duplicate Bridge Club
which meets at the Beachwood Recreation Center.   The center is
located at the corner of Fairmount Blvd. and Richmond Rd.  Games
are held on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons at 12:30 p.m,
as well as Monday evenings at 7:15 p.m.
     Krasny has been a player, teacher, and director in the
Cleveland bridge community for most of his adult life.  His
uncanny ability to remember each and every player's name will
always astound me.  
     He held the South cards on this deal and once again proves
that age is not a limiting factor when it comes to playing good
bridge.  Krasny opened the bidding with one heart.  North, Frank
Aquila of Akron, made a three heart response which was an old
fashioned forcing raise.  Four no trump was the Blackwood
convention.  When Aquila responded five hearts, showing two aces,
Krasny bid the small slam.
     West opened the queen of spades and it appears at first that
the slam depends on a favorable split in the club suit.  That
does not mean, however, that an experienced declarer should not
prepare for other possibilities.  Krasny has been playing long
enough to know that the favorable split that you always need is
very rarely there.
     The opening lead was captured in hand with the ace of spades
and trumps were drawn in two rounds.  Krasny cashed the king of
spades, discarding the seven of diamonds.  His last spade was
trumped in dummy.  A club was led to the king and the six of
clubs was returned to the ace.  Had clubs divided 2-2, Krasny
would now be able to claim the rest of the tricks.
     However, West could not follow to the second club.  He
discarded a diamond, and Krasny's careful play paid off.  Krasny
led the jack of diamonds to his singleton king and when West won
the ace, the contract was unbeatable.  Upon winning that card,
West had to lead a spade or a diamond, and in either case, Krasny
would trump in dummy and discard his last club from hand, leaving
him with only trumps.
     It is true that if East had held the ace of diamonds he
would have won the key trick and he would have been able to cash
the queen of clubs to defeat the contract, but if that was the
case, the contract was not going to be made.
     What Krasny did on this hand was to combine all of his
chances so as to maximize the probability that he could score
twelve tricks.  Sometimes it is easier to visualize this when you
are playing a slam contract, but good technique in any contract
will maximize the results.  
     Krasny and Aquila finished in second place on this
"birthday" afternoon.  It would have been fitting to come in
first on your birthday, but most bridge players agree that
playing well is it's own reward.  I just hope that we are all
figuring out end plays when we reach our 89th birthday.
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