KCC-9-8-2014

MONDAY

September 8, 2014

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FLYING HIGH Kites launched at Geneva festival / 3 Greatest Ferret Show on Earth An event, the Greatest Ferret Show on Earth, is set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. The show is presented by the Greater Chicago Ferret Association. The event will include vendors, ferret supplies, a costume contest and more. For information, visit www.gfsoe.weebly.com.

‘RelationShip Happens’ at Playhouse 38 GENEVA – Tickets are available for “RelationShip Happens,” a Good Company Production at Playhouse 38, 524 W. State St., Geneva.

Performances are set for 8 p.m. Sept. 13 and 3 p.m. Sept. 14. General admission is $15, and senior admission is $12. For information, call 630-232-4542 or visit www.genevaparks.org.

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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, September 8, 2014

| NEWS

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OUT AND ABOUT

Peter Konstant, a staff member at SavWay Fine Wines & Spirits in Geneva, serves sangria to Jenni Stark of Geneva on Sunday at the Festival of the Vine downtown.

Registration underway for Harvest Hustle GENEVA – Registration is available for Geneva Park District’s twilight all-terrain Harvest Hustle 5K on Sept. 27. The chip-timed race through the fields of Peck Farm Park begins at 5:30 p.m., with on-site registration and check-in from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m.

After the race, there will be a celebration at Peck Farm Park with Chick-fil-A until 7:30 p.m. Peck Farm Park is at 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva. Registration is available online at www.signmeup.com/100968.

The early registration cost is $34 and closes Sept.

15. Late registration and day-of registration cost is $39. All participants will receive a finisher’s medal, T-shirt, complimentary sandwich, and beverage.

Additional food and drink will be available for purchase. Only early registrants are guaranteed T-shirt and finisher’s medal on race day. Proceeds benefit the Geneva Park District Scholarship fund, providing recreational opportunities to community members in need. For information, call 630-232-4542 or visit www.genevaparks.org.

Chamber of Commerce Week set ST. CHARLES – St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina has proclaimed Sept. 8 through 12, as Chamber of Commerce Week, according to a news release. The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Chamber has joined the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives in celebrating this special recognition of the contributions chambers of commerce make to Illinois civic and economic life, the release stated.

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce will kick off Chamber of Commerce Week with an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8. There will be food, raffles and networking. The chamber office is at 216 Riverside Ave., St. Charles. The week of events will continue Tuesday, Sept. 9, when the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Council will host an after-hours mixer at Old Towne Pub Wasco. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the Arcada Theatre will offer a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater and Thursday, Sept. 11, chamber members are invited to a speed networking event. For information and to register, visit www.stcharleschamber.com.

‘Almost, Maine’ set at Steel Beam ST. CHARLES – The Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles, will begin its 14th season Friday with the romantic comedy “Almost, Maine.”

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 5.

Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors and $23 for students. Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more. Visit www.SteelBeamTheatre.com or call 630-587-8521 for tickets. Audience members on opening night are invited to a complimentary reception at Riverside Pizza and Pub, which is at the corner of First Avenue and East Main Street.

Have news to share?

To submit news to the Kane County Chronicle, send a news release to editorial@kcchronicle.com.

Be sure to include the time, the date and the place, as well as contact information.

Photos by Charles Menchaca – cmenchaca@ shawmedia.com

Festival of the Vine ends weekend on sunny note

By CHARLES MENCHACA cmenchaca@shawmedia.com GENEVA – There are two things that bring Jenni Stark back every year to the Festival of the Vine – the wine and Chianti’s garlic crab pasta.

On Sunday she enjoyed the pasta, along with tastings of Rex Goliath Red Sangria and Moscato with her boyfriend Dan Paulsen of DeKalb.

“Any open-air festival like this I love,” Paulsen said.

Stark and Paulsen were among the thousands of attendees in downtown Geneva for the annual festival, which ran from Friday through Sunday. The event featured food, live music, an arts and crafts show, a flower market, trolley and horse-drawn carriage rides and of course, wine pairings and tastings.

Attendance estimates for this year’s festival weren’t available on Sunday, but the event usually draws about 75,000 people, said Jean Gaines, president of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber organizes and runs the event with up to 100 volunteers working various shifts throughout the weekend.

Friday’s turnout was affected by rainfall, but Saturday was likely a record-setting day in terms of attendance, Gaines said. The festival enjoyed sunny skies and warm temperatures on Saturday and Sunday.

“Weather is always the factor,” Gaines said Sunday. “If we’ve got good weather, we know we’re like gold.”

A total of 18 different types of wine were sold by the glass Friday through Sunday under a wine tent at Festival of the Vine’s Flavor Fare in downtown Geneva.

Gaines said the Flavor Fare tent and its adjacent wine tent are always a big hit with festival attendees. The wine tent had 18 different varieties to choose from and the fare tent offered food from 23 local restaurants.

Winfield resident Brian Gallichio said the eggplant parmesan from Josef’s Elegante Meats & Deli, 716 W. State St. in Geneva, was delicious. He, his wife, Judy, and their two children stopped by the festival Sunday for the first time after picking apples at Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park.

“Some of the best festival food you usually get is in a small town,” Brian Gallichio said.

Before the Gallichios hit the fare tent, they walked around downtown Geneva to take in the shops and the other parts of the festival. Several business owners held special events and wine tast-

ings outside their storefronts.

Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, 477 S. Third St., offered a daily wine tasting and Sunday had musician Jim Green perform live next to its patio. Phil and Kris Pasterak of Campton Township sipped on the medium-dry wine American Seyval Blanc during Green’s performance.

Kris Pasterak said her family had a rehearsal earlier in the day in Geneva for State Street Dance Studio’s upcoming production of “The Nutcracker” and stayed at the festival while their 15-year-old daughter Alexandra continued to practice. They have attended the festival every year since they moved into the area 12 years ago.

“It’s just such a great environment,” Kris Pasterak said.

“Although we are sad summer is winding down, it’s a great way to kick off autumn.”

By BRENDA SCHORY bschory@shawmedia.com

A pteradactyl kite floats Saturday at the Geneva Park District Kite Festival at Peck Farm Park Athletic Fields in Geneva.

“He had a kite to fly, so I said, ‘Let’s go.’ ” Dalia Cardona Chicago resident

Photos by Mary Beth Nolan for Shaw Media

Maribeth van Loon of Batavia and son Willem get a kite aloft at the Geneva Park District Kite Festival Saturday at Peck Farm Park Athletic Fields in Geneva. and crayons so children could cut and decorate their own.

Because Leah was too young for crayons, Adam Hammond wrote his daughter’s name on the kite, cut the pattern out and attached the string while she watched, wide-eyed.

Flying kites was for all ages, as sister and brother

Recovery is everywhere.

Mary Ann Lieberman, 73 of Indian Head Park and Ladd Peknik, 81, of Burr Ridge, bought a kite kit in bright hot neon pink, green, purple and orange.

They sat at a neighboring picnic table to assemble it.

“She called me and said ‘This sounds nice, why not?’ ” Peknik said, as he watched

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the other kites while his sister tried to fly their newly assembled kite.

The kite began a promising ascent, then promptly dropped to the ground as the breeze died down.

“She needs to catch the wind,” Peknik said as his sister gave it another try.

Dalia Cardona of Chicago and her son Alexander, 6, flew a pterodactyl kite. The flying dinosaur was never so colorful in life as a kite arrayed in purple, red and yellow.

“He had a kite to fly, so I said, ‘Let’s go,’ “ Cardona said

as Alexander’s pterodactyl soared, dipped, then smacked beak-first into a light pole before crashing. After a moment of string winding, the pterodactyl was quickly airborne again.

Three generations of a Geneva family also flew kites at the festival: Adam and Stephanie Rechkemmer with daughters Lila, 5, and Cami 2; Stephanie’s sister Nicole Tucker and four sons Beckett, 5, Levi, 4, Cole, 2 and Bode, 6 weeks; and grandma Leigh Poulos of Elburn.

“We love it,” Stephanie Rechkemmeer said, keeping an eye on her girls.

Lila fell backward with a thump but never let go of the kite string. She did not cry, and the kite stayed flying.

“If the kite had fallen, there would have been tears,” her mother said.

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• Monday, September 8, 2014

GENEVA – Kite pro Dave Zavell maneuvered a dual line stunt kite, tugging a string in each hand so that it soared and dipped against a perfect azure sky.

Zavell, owner of Chicago Kite, which hosted the Fourth Annual Kite Festival on Saturday at the Peck Farm Park Athletic fields, kept his kite aloft alongside an assortment of all types: smiley faces, butterflies, “Little Mermaids,” spirals, swirls and one-eyed space aliens, in all colors in a variety shapes, from triangles to boxes.

Matthew Conrad, 12, flew his kite so high, he ran out of string in his spindle. The seventh-grader at Geneva Middle School North was with his sister, Jenna, 10 and mother, Lisa. Though the bright and sunny day also had nice wind, it was not enough to keep Jenna’s kite aloft. It crash.

“She had a casualty with the kite,” her mother said. “It came apart.”

The Conrads were among many families that came to the event. Some brought their own kites, while others bought those offered for sale or used the free paper kite kits the company gave away.

That’s what Kami and Adam Hammond of North Aurora did while their baby daughter, Leah, 1, watched them. The company had picnic tables set out with scissors

NEWS | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Never too young or old for kite-flying joy

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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, September 8, 2014

| SPORTS

4

Jeff Krage for Shaw Media

St. Charles East’s Torree Scull races Saturday at the Jeff Leavey Invitational at Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles. The Saints won the girls team title.

JEFF LEAVEY INVITATIONAL

St. Charles East boys, girls excel at Leavey Invite

By JARED BIRCHFIELD editorial@kcchronicle.com ST. CHARLES – While the start and finish of a cross country meet draws the most attention of spectators, it is runners’ strategies on the usually unobserved interior of the course that typically decides the race.

Decisions by individual runners on running pace, passing opponents and keeping up with teammates have the most impact on how a team places in the meet.

The St. Charles East girls and boys teams made the most of their running tactics at the Jeff Leavey Invitational on Saturday at Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve. East’s girls won the varsity race with 58 points.

The varsity boys took second place with a score of 91.

“I knew if we ran our race we would be competitive for one of the top three spots,” East girls coach Mike Arenberg said. “I think some girls ran some very smart races.

Anna Arrick ran a really great race. When she came by me early in the race, she was way back, but she moved up and moved up.

“Anastatsia [Honea] also ran a great race. She ran by me at a mile and a half and I thought ‘Oh, she’s in trouble,’ but after that she picked up spots in the last mile, and that impressed me.”

Keeping the teams’ runners together was the key for the Saints’ boys, coach Chris Bosworth said.

“We are going to function this year on the split,” he said.

“We had a 30-second split between [runners] one and six. If

we can continue that throughout the season … we will be in good shape at the end of the season.”

Bosworth also was impressed with East runner Will Muckian.

“He was the guy who got us second,” Bosworth said about the senior. “He was far back at two miles and he probably passed 17, 20 people that last mile.”

Batavia (90), Barrington (96), Geneva (99) and York (123) rounded out the top five teams in the girls contest. St. Charles North came in seventh place (164) in the 12-team field.

Downers Grove North won the boys competition with a score of 53. Completing the top five teams were Jacobs (124), Batavia (127) and Waubonsie Valley (163).

Marmion and St. Charles

North tied for eighth place with 192 points. Geneva finished 11th (244) among the 14 squads that competed.

Brady Bobbitt of Marmion used his strategy to take second place in the boys race. He completed the 3-mile course in 15:11.2.

“I was conservative and comfortable in the first mile and then I tried to pick off runners one by one,” Bobbitt said.

“I finally got to second place and there was no one left to pick off and it was kind of hard running alone after that.”

St. Charles North freshman Audrey Ernst took second in the girls race with a time of 17:15.5. Early in the race, Ernst was able to keep with Jacobs’ Lauren VanVlierbergen, who won the race for the second year in a row.

VanVlierbergen, a senior,

also tied for third in last year’s IHSA Class 3A state final.

“I was just trying to hold on as long as I could,” Ernst said. “She definitely picked up the pace at the end. I tried to stay with her as long as I could but I fell back after the second mile.”

VanVlierbergen completed the course in 17:06.5.

East senior Torree Scull passed Batavia freshman Emma Stephens just in front of the finish line to take third with a time of 17:42.7. Stephens’ time was 17:43.4.

Ryan Clevenger, a Downers Grove North senior, came in first in the boys race with a time of 14:51.9. Peter Johnsrud (15:17.3) of Oswego, Alec Danner (15:20.8) from Downers Grove North and Batavia’s Ryan Wieties (15:29.6) rounded out the top five boy finishers.

MIDWEST LEAGUE WEST DIVISION FINALS: COUGARS 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 2

PREP ROUNDUP

hit and fanning seven in five shutout innings.

“He’s had a good one lately but it’s either hit or miss, either kind of up in the zone or in the dirt,” Johnson said. “Tonight, he just had that feel. He could throw it where he wanted to, and same thing with his fastball and his changeup. When you’ve got all three working, those outings can happen.”

Blackburn said he and his teammates aren’t taking this championship push for granted.

“You never know if you’re ever going to get there again, no matter what level you’re at,” Blackburn said.

Both starting pitchers dominated the first five innings in front of 1,239 fans at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. Cougars first baseman Jacob Rogers started the scoring with an opposite field, solo home run to left in the bottom of the sixth that barely eluded the outstretched glove of Cedar Rapids left fielder Max Murphy.

The Kernels took a shortlived lead in the top of the seventh on a two-run homer from Chad Christensen off Cougars reliever Tyler Ihrig.

After Penalver restored the Cougars’ lead in the seventh, Young notched an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to provide the margin of victory.

Cougars closer Francisco Carrillo struck out both batters he faced to end the game after fanning the side in the ninth Saturday at Cedar Rapids in the series opener.

Kane County

GENEVA VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL

Geneva reclaims ownership of home tournament

By JAY SCHWAB jschwab@shawmedia.com GENEVA – The Geneva girls volleyball program had a score to settle with Joliet Catholic, and the JV Vikings were happy to help.

Geneva’s JV and varsity teams both were part of Saturday’s eight-team Geneva Invitational field, and surprisingly enough, both teams defeated Joliet Catholic,

which entered play as eighttime defending tournament champions.

The varsity Vikings then defeated Burlington Central for the second time of the day in the tournament championship match, 25-23, 25-12, after topping Joliet Catholic in the semifinals.

Geneva (9-0) would have had some explaining to do if it lost to the Angels after the Vikings’ junior varsity squad

match behind goals by Nick Konopacki, Luke Laurich, WINNETKA – The St. Ian Larson and Davis DiBCharles East boys soccer iase. team won the New Trier Invitational in remarkable GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Conant Invitational: St. fashion Saturday, tying the match with a minute to go Francis topped St. Charles and scoring 30 seconds into East in the championship the golden goal, extra session match of the Conant Invitational, 25-20, 12-25, 25-22. for a 2-1 win over Lyons.

Emily Schildmeyer and Evan DiLeonardi scored on a header at the end of Meagan Smith had nine kills regulation before Taylor each for East (8-1) in the title Ortiz mustered the tourna- match while Smith also had ment-clinching goal. Chris- nine kills, Mikaela Mosquera tian Memije registered the had eight kills and Megan Schildmeyer had 19 assists assists on both goals.

East remains unbeaten on in East’s semifinal victory against Glenbard East, 25-13, the season at 6-0.

Saints coach Paul Jenni- 16-25, 25-14.

Centennial Charger Invite: son said it was East’s “poorest performance of the sea- Kaneland finished 3-2 in the son” until the late outburst. tournament, losing to ChamStill, it was an impressive paign Central and beating tournament run against a for- Mahomet in silver bracket play. The Knights’ Ellie Dunn midable field at New Trier.

“We’ve definitely learned landed on the all-tournament we can play with some of team. the best teams around,” Jennison said. “Certainly a big FOOTBALL Aurora Central Catholic 29, check mark on that list, and we also learned these guys Lisle 14: At Lisle, ACC imare very cohesive as a group. proved to 2-0 in winning the “We’ve also learned we rescheduled game at Benehave a lot to improve on. Yes, dictine University. Brandon we can put the ball away but Babler had two receiving we definitely can’t play sub- touchdowns and two rushpar like we did today. … It’s ing touchdowns, including a not something that’s going to 49-yard reception from Matt get us much success if we are Rahn on the Chargers’ first serious about being around offensive play.

Brendon Ruehl notched at the end of the year.”

Batavia 4, Oswego 0: At his second interception of the Oswego, Batavia (3-0) dom- season for ACC, which led at inated the non-conference halftime, 22-0.

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE

topped Joliet Catholic in a pool-play match.

“I was like, ‘You know what means? We’re winning this today,’ ” Geneva coach Annie Seitelman said. “They were like ‘Yeah!’ and got all excited. But some of these kids have been in the program four years, they’ve been a part of it, working this tournament, playing in this tournament.

They know that Joliet Catholic’s kind of had their run.”

Recycling & Shredding Event Free* residential recycling event no businesses please.

Saturday, September 13th, 2014; 8am – 12noon 540 S Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174 • ELECTRONICS – all electronic or electric equipment and small appliances (no large appliances/white goods).

• BOOKS – any age or condition, hard cover or paperback.

• DOCUMENT SHREDDING – Limit is 150 lbs. Staples, rubber bands, envelope windows & paper clips are ok. Remove Binders & binder clips.

• LATEX PAINT – Liquid latex paint can be recycled. *There is a per can fee for latex paint only (1qt - $1.50; 1gal - $2.50; 5gal - $8.00), payable by cash or check

See comics section for more information.

Questions? www.countyofkane.org/pages/recycling or 630-208-3841

• Monday, September 8, 2014

GENEVA – The Cougars have found so many different ways to win this season that, by now, it’s hard to find shock value in their methods.

Sunday’s 4-2 win against Cedar Rapids, clinching a twogame sweep in the Midwest League Western Division finals, might have done the trick.

Light-hitting shortstop Carlos Penalver, who entered play Sunday with one home run in 478 at-bats, uncorked a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh that gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead.

Penalver’s batting average had drooped to .211 through a woeful second half of the season offensively, although his glovework has remained impressive.

In a season in which just about everything has swung the Cougars’ way late in ballgames, add a memorable long ball from their No. 8 hitter to the glorious list.

“No kidding,” manager Mark Johnson said from a festive Cougars clubhouse. “What a huge hit, man. He’s struggled in his own mind. For him to get that hit, and even the first hit of the game [in the fifth inning] … it’s just fitting because he’s been our everyday shortstop for the whole season, and it’s just well-deserved. He’s played his butt off all year.”

The Cougars, having swept Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids in the first two rounds of the

Midwest League playoffs, are headed for their first berth in the Midwest League Championship Series since 2006, when they fell to West Michigan. The best-of-5 series against Lake County – the Cleveland Indians’ Midwest League affiliate – will open with games in Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday before shifting to Eastlake, Ohio, for the conclusion of the series, beginning with Game 3 on Saturday.

Cougars second baseman Chesny Young led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk against Kernels reliever Jared Wilson. Penalver showed bunt on the first pitch of the at-bat but pulled back to take a ball, then drilled his two-run shot to left field on a hit-and-run.

“I haven’t been offensively what I would like to,” Penalver said through a translator. “But of course now it’s playoff time, and I’m really glad to be able to contribute and to be able to put something into it and help the team win.”

Like Penalver, Cougars starting pitcher Paul Blackburn is among a handful of Cougars who have been aboard throughout a transaction-thick season. Blackburn turned in arguably his sharpest outing of the season Sunday, although the right-hander had to settle for five innings of work as he flirts with his season innings limit established by the Cubs.

Blackburn, a first-round compensation pick of the Cubs in 2012, featured a dynamic curveball in allowing only one

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By JAY SCHWAB jschwab@shawmedia.com

SPORTS | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Cougars sweep Kernels, advance to Dramatic finish gives East Midwest League Championship Series boys soccer tourney title

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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com â&#x20AC;˘ Monday, September 8, 2014

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COMICS Arlo & Janis

Garfield

Big Nate

Frank & Earnest

Crankshaft

Soup to Nutz

Stone Soup

The Born Loser

Dilbert

Rose Is Rose

Beetle Bailey

Blondie

Pearls Before Swine

Real Life Adventures

DEAR ABBY Jeanne Phillips chargers! The kids all start plugging in their cellphones and tablets, and the adults follow suit with their cellphones and laptops.

I started asking around and it’s not just happening to me. A lot of my friends have the same gripe.

Lamps, toasters, pencil sharpeners – you name it – their cords are left dangling long after the guests have departed. After the last weekend, I installed a power strip in the TV room and will direct the traffic there in the future.

Would you please let people know how rude this is? Also mention that the host is not responsible for an electronic item plugged in on a kitchen counter, or anywhere for that matter.

Example: “Aunt Sarah, who got my iPad wet?” (It was fine, but it had been plugged in on the mostused surface in the kitchen.) – Unplugged In Salem, New York Dear Unplugged: While the power strip you installed is the practical solution, the problem is that the people you have described are thoughtless.

Polite guests leave their host’s home in the same condition it was in when the guests arrived. In this instance, it means being considerate enough to plug in any appliances that the guests unplugged, so the host doesn’t have to wonder why the darned thing isn’t working after everyone has departed.

And as for electronic items foolishly left on a wet counter, if there was any damage, the fault would not be yours. Your niece/nephew was lucky.

• Write Dear Abby at www.dearabby.com.

• Monday, September 8, 2014

The Argyle Sweater

Dear Abby: Twenty-three years ago my husband and I lost our firstborn son. As my husband was active duty military, we could have buried him anywhere in the United States. At the time, we were in a place where my sister swore to me she would always live, and she would always be there to take care of him. I knew with my husband’s career we had many more moves ahead of us, and it helped to ease the loss knowing that he would be taken care of.

Well, that lasted all of three years. My husband and I are now at a point where we have settled down and we know where we should have buried our precious angel, instead of trusting my sister.

We want to have him exhumed, cremated and placed in a veterans cemetery, but my question is this: Do I have the right to ask my sister to pay part of the costs as she “broke” her promise to help care for my son? – Heartbroken Mother Dear Heartbroken: Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your son. While it’s clear that there are many hurt feelings about what happened after his original interment, I think it’s time to forgive your sister.

It’s a fact of life that sometimes unforeseen circumstances prevent people with the best of intentions from keeping promises they make. Forgive her if you can, but don’t ask her for money. She may owe you an apology, but she does not owe you any money.

Dear Abby: I’m very close to my family. We visit each other’s homes often. But for the past year or so, something has begun to bother me. It’s cellphone chargers.

Whether people come for a week or just for dinner, out come the

COMICS AND ADVICE | Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com

Moving child’s grave sparks buried anger

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Kane County Chronicle / KCChronicle.com • Monday, September 8, 2014

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PUZZLES SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

BRIDGE by Phillip Alder

Answers to Puzzle

With two choices, analyze both

SOLUTION

CELEBRITY CIPHER

In “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Oscar Wilde wrote: “Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained 35 for years.”

In bridge, you have a free choice of which card to play, with the restriction that you must follow suit. In this deal, declarer has two choices for trying to collect nine tricks. West leads the heart queen against three no-trump and East signals encouragingly with his seven. What should declarer do?

North’s two-diamond rebid was a reverse, which promised a maximum opening bid: a good 17 to 20 high-card points. His threeheart continuation, a variation of fourth-suit forcing, asked South to bid three no-trump with a heart stopper.

South has seven top tricks: two spades, one heart, one diamond and three clubs. There are two chances for the extra winners: The clubs might break 3-2 or the diamond finesse could work.

Ideally, declarer would cash dummy’s top clubs. Then, if they do not split favorably, he would take the diamond finesse. However, with the heart ace dislodged, South has no hand entry left.

What are the probabilities? A finesse is 50-50 and a 3-2 division is 67.8 percent, the much better choice.

However, before broaching the clubs, South, after winning the first or second trick with his heart ace, should lead the diamond queen. Maybe West will cover when he has the king – or take a long time ducking. Always give the opponents a chance to help you.