Reading Eagle – 15 Feb 1996 by Alfred Sheinwold and Frank Stewart
“For a second there, I had ten tricks,” South sighed.
“Time bears all things away,” West philosophized.
East took the ace of spades, and South temporarily had six trumps, three winners in dummy, and a spade. When East returned the queen of spades, however, South put up the king, and West ruffed reducing the up-to-the-minute total to nine. West then led a trump; and since South couldn’t ruff his low spades in dummy or set up the diamonds, his hour had come. East got two spades, and the defense won the day.
Mid-season form
North couldn’t resist some timely comments on South’s play. “You’re a good declarer week in and week out,” he stated, “but you’re not in mid-season form today. Let the queen win the second spade and play low again if he leads a third spade. The other guy can overruff dummy, but that’s the third and last trick for the defense.”
“Sorry,” South apologized. “It’ll he a month of Sundays before I make that mistake again.” We’d hope it’ll be a year’s worth.