About a week ago I needed stamps for the usual bunch of postcards I am expected to send to friends and family when I am abroad. I found a stamp machine in the lobby. For each one dollar bill the machine gave me the choice between two 33-cent or four 20-cent stamps. I am not a mathematician, but I know that both 2 times 33 and 4 times 20 is less than 100.

Well, I am not that stupid - of course I put 20 cents on my postcards, as they apparently were cheaper. Everyone told me that my mail would never reach Denmark, but it did - and I won the cheating battle against the stamp machine.

On this hand from the first session of the playoff, the Danish declarer had to choose as well, but here the chances were even and he made the wrong choice.

Board 8. Dealer West. Love All ª K 9 3 © A Q 5 3 ¨ Q J 10 § A K 2 ª J 10 8 7 4 ª A Q 2 © J 8 © 9 7 4 2 ¨ A 9 2 ¨ 7 6 5 § Q 10 6 § 9 8 7 ª 6 5 © K 10 6 ¨ K 8 4 3 § J 5 4 3

Final contract: 3NT by North at both tables. In the Open Room Morten Madsen led the ªA which left declarer with no hope. However, in the Closed Room Mik Kristensen got a chance when East chose to lead a club. The §A won the first trick and West erred by winning the ¨Q with the ace - if he ducks declarer has no chance to survive. After the ªJ the defense got two more spade tricks, and East played back a club won by the §K. What now?

If both diamonds and hearts are 3-3, it doesn't really matter which suit you play first. However, if they're not, you either need hearts to be 3-3 with ¨9 singleton or doubleton - or diamonds 3-3 with ¨J singleton or doubleton. Unfortunately for Mik he chose to continue with the ¨J - and he went one down like the Israeli declarer. On this hand declarer did wrong as well.

ª A Q J 10 7 3 © 4 3 ¨ J 5 § A 10 2 ª K © K 7 ¨ K 8 4 2 § K Q J 6 4 3

Lead from East: ¨5. Do you see the safety play?

The Israeli declarer did. Amit ducked to protect dummy's ¨K. He saw that if he went up with the king, West would win the ace and lead a heart to East. East then would see the urgent need to switch to diamonds, and the contract would go down. However, East, Danish Gregers Bjarnarson, had led the ¨5 according to the Rule of 11. The whole hand:

Board 27. Dealer South. Love All ª A Q J 10 7 3 © 4 3 ¨ J 5 § A 10 2 ª 8 5 4 ª 9 6 2 © Q J 10 9 © A 8 6 5 2 ¨ A Q 10 6 ¨ 9 7 3 § 7 5 § 9 8 ª K © K 7 ¨ K 8 4 2 § K Q J 6 4 3

In with the ¨9 West returned a heart to the ace and got a diamond shift. This time declarer went up with the king, but now it didn't matter.