An Excellent Decision.
Bridge Column for April 23, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
East-West vulnerable.  North deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: 9 6 4 2          
                              H: 10 8 4      
                              D: 10 7 3      
                              C: 8 6 5   
            WEST                             EAST
            S: Q 8 7 5                       S: K J 3        
            H: J 7 6 3                       H: A K Q 9 5  
            D: 9 6 2                         D: 6 4               
            C: 4                             C: J 9 7       
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: A 10 
                              H: Void       
                              D: A K Q J 5 
                              C: A K Q 10 3 2 
          The Bidding://
                  NORTH    EAST    SOUTH    WEST                  
                   Pass     1H      6C      Pass
                   Pass    Pass    
     Harriet Adelstein and Judy Selig of Chagrin Falls had a
great time at the recently completed Spring North American Bridge
Championships in Cincinnati.  One of the events that they
participated in was the Continuous Pairs.  This event has
replaced the "side game" that used to be available for players
who did not have the time to play in a multi-session event.  
     Now, you can play in as many sessions of the continuous
pairs as you want, with any number of different partners and each
single session is scored with it's own overall winners.  The
results of all the sessions of continuous pairs that were played
during a given two or three day period are grouped together for
the purpose of determining an overall individual winner.  They do
this by considering your two best sessions.
     Adelstein and Selig had a single session of 208 on a 156
average (1st overall) and another of 185 on a 156 average.  The
combination placed them in a tie for 1st overall for the combined
event which incluede 447 different players over six sessions. 
They each earned over 13 gold master points for their efforts.
     Today's hand provided an excellent result for them. 
Adelstein held the South cards and heard her right hand opponent
open one heart.  She had planned on opening two clubs and trying
to search for the one card in her partner's hand that would yield
a grand slam, but the heart bid gave her second thoughts.
     She could probably make six against any normal division of
the cards, but bidding slowly may give the opposition the chance
to find a favorable sacrifice, even with adverse vulnerability. 
This is especially true when your trump suit is clubs, the lowest
of the four suits.  Her decision to jump directly to the small
slam proved to be correct and her score of +920 was a clear top
board.  Six hearts, doubled, by East-West, can be defeated three
tricks for +800, which is a good score, but just not good enough.
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