Destiny Served

When Karen McCallum arrived in Verona last week, she tried to beg off of her date to play in the Mixed Pairs with Matthew Granovetter. She has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer and the chemotherapy affected her play. Granovetter, saying he believed they were destined to win, prevailed upon McCallum to play - and win they did.

On the last round, when the results with a round to go were distributed, McCallum and Granovetter found that they were leading. This was the next-to-last deal of the event:

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ 7 ♥ A Q 10 8 5 2 ♦ Q J 9 8 ♣ Q 3
♠ A J 10 4 ♥ K J 7 4 ♦ 6 5		♠ Q 6 5 ♥ 6 3 ♦ 7 4 2
	♠ K 9 8 3 2 ♥ 9 ♦ A K 10 3 ♣ A 10 9

West	North	East	South
	1♥	Pass	1♠
Pass	2♥	Pass	3NT
All Pass

West led the ♣4, ducked by McCallum. East erred by putting up the king, taken by McCallum with the ace. She did not like her contract, but there was not much she could do about it except try to make it and hope for some luck.

She played a heart to dummy's queen, which held, then followed with the ♥A and a third round of the suit. West won the ♥J and thought for a long time before underleading his ♠A, providing a much-relieved McCallum with her ninth trick. Plus 600 was a 62% score. Minus 100 would have been 26%. They did even better on the next deal when East-West bid to a hopeless 4♠, down one. Plus 100 was worth 81% for the winners. Perhaps it was destiny after all.