Do Not Forget King From Ace-King
Anne Maverick of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sent in several senryu, including: Lead the ace or king / Obvious except when not / Forgive me partner.
Today’s deal features an important defensive agreement that is virtually unknown below the expert level, but it isn’t that hard to remember.
At trick one, you usually lead ace from ace-king. But if you are leading from a suit that your partnership has bid and supported, then you should lead king from aceking. This is one position when you might opt to lead an unsupported ace; a choice that is usually frowned upon. How does that help the defenders in this deal?
WIN BRIDGE
AT
In the auction, West might have intervened with two no-trump, showing at least 5-5 in the two unbid suits. But he did not like his weak clubs. Then North’s twospade rebid guaranteed four trumps because he would have made a support double with only three. South, with only six losers and knowing about the double fit, was happy to jump to game.
When West led the heart king, East encouraged with his nine to indicate the queen. This told West how to defeat the contract. At trick two, he shifted to his singleton diamond. South took the trick in his hand and led a sneaky spade jack, trying to look like someone about to finesse for the spade queen. But West wasn’t buying it. He won with his ace and played the heart eight to his partner’s queen. Then East returned a diamond for West to ruff to defeat the contract.
The main other time to lead king from ace-king (and king-queen) is after trick one.
Dear Readers: Every year I step away from my column to work on other creative projects. I hope you enjoy these “Best Of ” Q&A from 10 years ago. Today’s topic is: digital dating.
I’ll be back with fresh Q&A next week.
Dear Amy: I recently met a wonderful man through an online dating site. He lives in northern Michigan. I live in Minnesota.
He is sweet, honest, good, kind and unspoiled, and we had a very nice, fun time during the weekend he came to my town to visit.
He thinks a longdistance relationship could work between us, and I believe he could be right.
Early on, before we spoke on the phone, he warned me that he has a certain kind of “northern Michigan/Canadian” accent.
I responded, “Oh, you don’t sound like the people in the movie ‘Fargo,’ do you?” Amy, he does! And it really is a discordant note to my ears.
I came from a rural area in Wisconsin, and the first thing I worked on when I went off to college was the sloppy diction, etc., that I grew up with. Now, no one would guess where I was born.
Can I ask him if he’d be willing to work on his accent? Or do I just have to take it or leave it? My friends are divided, and I am torn.
— Mystified in Minneapolis
Dear Mystified: As someone whose own accent arguably resides within the “Fargo” spectrum, I fail to see what is so awful about this, although you obviously find this (or maybe any other than your own “no one would guess where I was born” accent) grating.
But when everyone in North America starts to sound like a news anchor, we will have lost something important, not to mention charming.
Because your friend brought this up before you two spoke, you have to assume that his accent has been a factor in other encounters and relationships, leading one to assume that he might already be working on it.
The nice thing about the initial stages of getting to know someone is that you can raise these obvious issues and use your discussion as a way to further your understanding of the person. But please remember that the content of a person’s character will always be more important than his pronunciation.
Dear Amy: After 30 years of a wonderful marriage, I was widowed at the age of 51.
At 54, I have dipped my toes into several online dating sites to try to find a match.
My issue is that I used to be quite obese, and since my wife’s death, I have shed 135 pounds and gotten my life back.
Most of the responses I have gotten are from ladies 10 years either way of my age and from ladies the size I used to be.
My profile is very specific about my eating and exercise habits. I always answer all responses, and I am always polite and try to let these women know that I am not interested in dating a large woman. I have lived that lifestyle and do not want to go back.
I get a lot of hateful and abusive responses!
I know that we should each look to the person inside, but if there is no initial attraction, there is no initial attraction. Is it kinder to leave the ladies wondering, or to let them know directly that I am definitely not interested?
— New to Dating
Dear New: For an expert’s opinion on this, I shared your letter with Bela Gandhi, a dating coach and founder of Smart Dating Academy in Chicago (smartdating academy.com).
She says, “The rules are totally different in online dating. ‘No response’ is the right thing to do when you’re not interested — it’s the polite way of saying, ‘No thanks!’ It’s much more humane. Who wants to wake up to an inbox full of detailed rejection notes?”
“Online dating is a whole new world, where anyone can contact anyone, and you’re competing against millions of men. Make sure your photos are current and show you at your best: Well-dressed and smiling, with head shots and body shots. Also, make sure your online profile essays reflect interesting and fun specifics about yourself, not just eating and exercise habits.”
Copyright 2021 by Amy Dickinson
Q: I am hearing about elderberry syrup as an immune booster. Do you have any pros or cons?
A: Elderberry juice or extract is a traditional tonic for colds and coughs. Researchers have found that the extract from one Sambucus species has antiviral activity against coronavirus in test tubes (Frontiers in Pharmacology, Jan. 11, 2021). Other laboratory research has found that an extract of the flowers, in combination with beta-glucan and vitamin D3, may help reduce inflammation (Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, December 2020).
Don’t try to make your own elderberry extract at home, though. Unripe or uncooked berries, along with the rest of the plant, contain cyanide and are poisonous.
Q: My husband and I have been taking glucosamine and chondroitin for about six months to ease arthritis pain. After a cholesterol screening, we were surprised to learn that my husband’s already high cholesterol had risen 67 points, from 243 to 310. Mine remained unchanged.
My husband has been monitoring his cholesterol closely for over a decade. That’s because his brother had to have angioplasty for clogged arteries.
Have you heard from others with a similar story?
A: We have heard from many other readers that glucosamine appeared to raise their cholesterol. However, this effect has not been confirmed in the medical literature.
Many other people tell us that, like you, they have not experienced any change in lipid levels after taking glucosamine. This leaves us wondering if there is a genetic component to the variable responses you have noticed.
Q: My son had angular cheilitis for a couple of years. Sometimes it would get so bad that the corners of his mouth would bleed during the night.
I read about using Aquaphor, an over-thecounter lip balm, for this. It worked beautifully! My son was at the dentist recently when we noticed that he was getting it again and the dentist recommended Aquaphor. I told him we had several tubes at home. Once again, it did the job!
A: Sometimes these sores at the corners of the mouth are caused by yeast overgrowth. Sealing out moisture can help, and your lip moisturizer should do that. Aquaphor Lip Repair Ointment contains castor oil, shea butter and beeswax as well as vitamin E, vitamin C, magnesium and a chamomile compound, bisabolol, along with moisturizers. Castor oil discourages the growth of yeast (Candida albicans) and some bacteria (BMC Research Notes, Dec. 1, 2017). Bisabolol also has antifungal activity (World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, March 2017).
Another reader found that a change in diet got rid of the lesions: “Nothing worked for me until for unrelated reasons I completely cut added sugar from my diet. Then the symptoms just went away. Interestingly, over time my toenail fungus also disappeared — as did many other minor ailments.” Reducing sugar in the diet may make skin less vulnerable to yeast infections.
A different reader recommended oral vitamin B2 (riboflavin) to treat angular cheilitis, also known as perleche. This person suggested that soft drinks could exacerbate a lack of riboflavin in the diet.