The world’s most successful single-session charity bridge event had its 46th outing on May 12 at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan, with most of
the top New York area players competing. Organized by Marci Miron and Peggy Schwartz, the event raised more than $110,000 for the . It was a pro-am, the winners being Kerry Kappell and Barbara Kimmel. They finished four-tenths of a board ahead of Jared Lilienstein and Nora Stonehill, with Jeff Hand and Cynthia Colin third. There is, so it is claimed, a thin line between love and hate. At the bridge table there can be a thin line between success and disaster. At almost all tables in the diagramed deal, after West opened one diamond and North made a takeout double, East responded one heart. South probably advanced with one no trump, but West rebid two diamonds. The North-South heart fit had been picked off, and East-West usually ended plus 130. When the winners were North-South, though, the “am” sitting East cautiously passed. (If you would have responded had your right-hand opponent passed, strain to bid despite his intervention.) This allowed Kappell (South) to bid one heart. After West rebid two diamonds, Kimmel (North) aggressively raised to two hearts. Now East should have bid three diamonds or, given the prevailing vulnerability, risked a double of two hearts. Against two hearts West started the defense with three rounds of spades. South won, played a heart to the ten and queen, then called for a diamond.
East went in with the ace and returned a diamond, West winning with her jack and continuing with the king. Declarer ruffed with dummy’s heart ace, ran the heart eight, played a heart to his nine, cashed the heart king and tried the club finesse. When it lost, Kappell was down one, losing two spades, two diamonds and two clubs. But minus 100 was better than minus 130, giving the winners a top board.