Bridge
The climax of the tournament year for players in the New York area is the Winter Regional Championships of the Greater New York Bridge Association, beginning today at the Sheraton New York Hotel, Seventh Avenue at 53d Street in Manhattan.
These events are scheduled:
Today, Charity Pairs 1:30 P.M.; Stratified Open Pairs and Stratified Women's Pairs 1:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M.; Bracketed Knockout Teams 7:30 P.M. and continues.
Tomorrow, Flighted Pairs and Senior Pairs 10:30 A.M. and 2:30 P.M.
Saturday, Swiss Teams (qualifying), Senior Pairs and Stratified Pairs 2 P.M. and 8 P.M.; Magic Show midnight.
Sunday, Swiss Teams (final), Senior Swiss Teams and Flighted Swiss Teams noon and 7 P.M.; Annual Meeting 6:30 P.M.
Stratified games throughout for players with fewer than 100 master points.
If you have a successful partnership in one area, there is a good case for extending it to another. Mel Colchamiro of Merrick, L.I., and Janet Schiff of Port Washington, L.I., were married a month ago after winning four regional titles together in 1993. One of the victories was in October in the Swiss Teams in Kiamesha Lake, N.Y., where they defended well on the diagramed deal.
The one-club opening was strong and artificial, and the one-heart response was negative, equivalent to one diamond in most such systems. South eventually landed in two no-trump, and the spade nine was led to the king. Colchamiro as East now made a crucial shift to the heart nine, attacking South's line of communication to dummy's clubs.
South won with dummy's queen and worked on clubs. East held up his ace for one round, and then cashed the heart ace and led the diamond queen. The declarer had no way to make more than seven tricks. He could take two diamond winners and surrender a diamond to East, but that player could cash the spade ace and lead another. South could finesse, but had to lose a sixth trick, either in spades or in diamonds.