A fine swindle.
Bridge Column for February 24, 2007, Harvey Bernstein
Special To The Plain Dealer
East-West vulnerable.  North deals.
                              North
                              S: 10 6 4           
                              H: 8 7         
                              D: A Q 10 9 5 2
                              C: J 3     
            West                             East
            S: A Q J 8 7 5 3 2               S: K            
            H: Q J 6                         H: 5 4 3       
            D: Void                          D: 7 6 4             
            C: 10 7                          C: A K 9 6 4 2 
                              South                         
                              S: 9        
                              H: A K 10 9 2 
                              D: K J 8 2   
                              C: Q 8 5    
          The Bidding:  
                   North   East   South    West                   
                    Pass   Pass    1H       4S  
                    5H     Dbl     Pass    Pass
                    Pass
          Opening lead: AS
     Thanks to Bob Bartko of Aurora for this hand from a local
duplicate game.  Bartko held the North cards and watched his
partner, Sidney Borison of Beachwood, play this doubled contract.
     First, don't be misled.  East-West were going to make their
four spade contract and North's five heart bid was clearly a
sacrifice.  I am guessing that East doubled to stop West from
bidding on.  Watch how Borison approached this "impossible"
contract.
     West led the ace of spades and decided to continue with a
second spade, forcing declarer to trump.  Borison trumped this
trick with the nine of hearts and led the two of hearts without
much thought at all.  West, having heard his partner double the
final contract, played low and the eight in dummy won the trick.
     A heart back to the ace and king completed the extraction of
the opponents trumps, and the diamond suit provided two club
discards.  Making five doubled was easily a top score.
     There is a bridge mantra that goes "second hand low".  It is 
a good guide but it isn't the law    

     District Five of the American Contract Bridge League held
the Rock and Roll Regional Bridge Tournament in Independence on
January 10 - 14.  The following players were successful in their
respective events on January 14.  Other results appeared in
previous columns.
     Morning Side Game Series (58 players). 1. Robert Quinlan,
Pittsburgh.  2. Constance Hoechstetter, Corapolis, PA.
     Afternoon Side Game Series (164 players). 1/2. Louis Joseph,
Pittsburgh, and Gail Hastings, Verona, PA.
     Evening Side Game Series (165 players). 1/2. Louis Joseph,
Pittsburgh, and Gail Hastings, Verona, PA. 
     Flight A Swiss Teams (26 teams) Stratum A1. 1. Phillip
Becker, Beachwood, Frank Cymerman, Pittsburgh, Kenneth and Laurie
Kranyak, Bay Village, Don and Kathleen Sulgrove, Twinsburg. 2.
Lloyd Loux, Westlake, Robert Sulgrove, Spring Valley, Richard
Rudolph, Westerville, Jim Bachelder, Columbus, and Michael Cassel
II, Roseville, MN.  Stratum A2. 1. Harriet Adelstein, Chagrin
Falls, Eva Lefton, Cleveland, McKinley Whittlesey, Bratenahl, and
Charlotte Friedman, Lyndhurst. 2. Lois Butler, Chagrin Falls,
Barbara Sobel, Willoughby, Jack and Vicki Goodykoontz,
Morgantown, WV.
     Flight B Bracketed Swiss Teams.  Bracket 1 (8 teams). 1.
Marlene Zinamon, Beachwood, Henry Essig, Westlake, Victor Vertes
and Shafik Ismail, Cleveland.  2. Peter Miller, Shaker Heights,
Bonnie Goodman, Pepper Pike,  Alexander Bealles, Butler, PA, and
Henry Nelson, Zelienople, PA.  Bracket 2 (8 teams). 1. Donald
Southam, Brecksville, Vivian Shanafelt, Medina, Lia Staaf and
Douglas Henderson, Rocky River.  2. Patti Perlmuter, Beachwood,
Rusty Ellison, Aurora, Stephanie Bernstein, Solon, and Kathy
Eisner, Cleveland.  Bracket 3 (8 teams).  1. Beverly Girard, 
Harold Kolp, and Terrence Kessler, Canton, with Michael Neds,
Yorktown, VA.  2.  Mary Lou Vermerris, Gates Mills, Wayne Ward,
Newbury, Frank Scali, North Ridgeville, and Sylvia Barsotti,
Hendersonville, NC.  Bracket 4 (8 teams).  1. Nicholas Ogan,
Moreland Hills, Martha Wilk, Willoughby, Barbara Kotton and
Sidney Borison, Beachwood.  2. Istvan Bardi, Judit Bardi, and
Jean Picone, Pittsburgh, with Flora Sniderman, Youngstown. 
Bracket 5 (8 teams). 1. Bert Gelmine, William Connellan, and Dana
Elliott, Rochester, MI, with Connie Dugger, Birmingham, MI.  2.
Martin Seltzer, Columbus, Suman Agarwal, Hilliard, Jeremy
Williams, Reynoldsburg, and Jerome Williams, Westerville. 
Bracket 6 (8 teams). 1. Philip Dawson, Cleveland, J. Lawniczak,
Novelty, Tucker Marston and Gordon Berry, Chagrin Falls.  2. Roy
Larson, Wadsworth, James Pivarski Jr, Munroe Falls, Susan and
Richard Roberts, Cuyahoga Falls.  Bracket 7 (7 teams).  1. Keith
and Flora More with Virginia and John Gajar, Ann Arbor, MI.  2.
Beverly Nagy, Cleveland, Marge Spira, Beachwood, Husein Nakhooda,
Rocky River, and Anthony Asher, Moreland Hills.
______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon. 
To reach Harvey Bernstein:
hjb0416@yahoo.com