A Tie for Greater New York Player of the Year Jared Lilienstein and Michael Polowan of New York City scored a trifecta at the Edgar Kaplan Winter Regional in Manhattan at the end of December. They won the two main events, the Truscott Board-a-Match (with their teammates, R. Jay Becker and Chris Willenken of New York City) and the Goldman Pairs. And these victories gave them enough points to tie as the Greater New York Bridge Association's Players of the Year and Team Players of the Year. They were well ahead as Players of the Year, but won the Team Player by only one point from Willenken. They did very well in the diagramed deal, from the second day of the Board-a-Match Teams. In the scoring for this event, a team wins one point for a net plus and half a point for a tie. Polowan (South) opened one no-trump, showing 15 to 17 points. Lilienstein (North) responded two hearts, a transfer bid. Now East, showing no fear, overcalled three clubs, which, if South had doubled, probably would have cost 1,100. South, however, having a suitable hand for play in his partner's suit, rebid three spades. North control-bid (cue-bid) four diamonds; South control-bid four hearts; and North jumped to five spades, indicating that he held the values for a slam but had at least two immediate club losers. After South control-bid six clubs, perhaps North should have settled for six spades, but he suggested a grand slam with six diamonds. Then South, knowing the club finesse was working, confidently converted to six no-trump, hoping that plus 1,440 would win the point against minus 1,430 at the other table for six spades bid and made. Oddly, West led a diamond. Declarer won with dummy's ace and ran the heart queen, West taking the trick and now leading his club, covered by the nine, king and ace. This gave South the luxury of being able to squeeze either opponent. He could have taken his three minor-suit winners to force a fatal discard from West. But instead Polowan cashed his spade ace, played a spade to dummy's jack, took the spade king, led a club to his queen and cashed his three heart winners, bringing everyone down to three cards. Dummy had the king-queen-five of diamonds, and South the heart four, diamond ten and club eight. East, though, could not hold both his club jack and three diamonds. He was squeezed in the minors. Plus 1,440 was a win on the board when the opponents bid to seven spades, which could not be made as the cards lay.