By Al Sobel
| ♠ 10 7 3 | ||
| ♥ K 8 | ||
| ♦ A K Q J | ||
| ♣ A K Q 5 | ||
| ♠ 4 | ♠ A 6 5 | |
| ♥ Q 10 5 | ♥ A J | |
| ♦ 10 6 4 2 | ♦ 9 8 7 5 3 | |
| ♣ J 10 6 3 2 | ♣ 9 7 4 | |
| ♠ K Q J 9 8 2 | ||
| ♥ 9 7 6 4 3 2 | ||
| ♦ — | ||
| ♣ 8 |
This hand occurred in the Greater New York Charity Game and on this particular hand Harry Fishbein, sitting South, decided to open the auction with 4♠. Don’t ask me why – I’m glad he did it otherwise I wouldn’t have had a hand of the year. After West’s pass, North took a well-calculated risk (knowing Fishbein) and bid 6♠. East promptly doubled and that was the final contract. West opened the ♣J and Harry won it and then proceeded to discard all six losing hearts on the good clubs and diamonds. It’s seldom if ever that you see a losing six-card suit discarded, but to do it before trump is drawn is out of this world. This could only happen to Fishy. Whether you agree or not, it gets the Sobel Prize for hand of the year.