Our next junior star of the 1990s is Fred Gitelman. A Canadian international, Gitelman founded the bridge platform Bridge Base Online and developed the Bridge Master software.
Here is Gitelman as declarer in the Cavendish Pairs. After the natural and limited two-club opener, reaching the 4-4 heart fit was almost impossible, particularly when East-West, Alan Sontag and Peter Weichsel, could raise the ante in clubs.
Gitelman finished in five diamonds and found a neat extra chance, giving Sontag the opportunity for an equally fine defense. Weichsel led a helpful heart, which Gitelman won in hand. Declarer then crossed to dummy with a trump to ruff a club, drew a second round of trumps and then cashed the heart ace to get the bad news. Can you see how Gitelman managed to improve on the simple spade finesse for his contract now?
Gitelman found the elegant maneuver of leading the club king and discarding a low spade from his hand. Sontag won with his club ace (ducking does not beat the contract) and could not safely give a ruff-and-discard since declarer would throw a spade from hand, ruff in dummy and then lead a spade to establish a trick in that suit.
In fact, Sontag took the spade ace and led a low spade, hoping that his partner had the jack, and Gitelman now had a home for his heart loser on the spades.
The defense did have a resource available; Sontag could have underled his spade ace and queen at once to beat the contract — would you have thought of it?