Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! You are about to witness the most lifelike figures ever created in wax. Please note that food and drink, cameras, or recording devices of any kind are prohibited, and conversation must be held to a whisper. This way, please.
As my first exhibit I present Joan of Arc, who was mercilessly burned at the stake for heresy at the age of 19. After her horrific death, her charred remains were burned over and over into powdery ashes to remove any trace of her existence from souvenir seekers.
Lady! Move away from that figure! Waxworks are extremely delicate and must never be touched. The facial features may appear real, but that is the artistry of my hands, aided by my assistant Igor. I assure you they’re entirely wax, except for clothing and hair strands.
At the right you will see my creation of Marie Antoinette, that is, before her head was severed by guillotine at the age of 37 — which I consider a triumph, reaching almost double the age of Joan. Perhaps she could have added a few more years if she had changed her catchphrase to: Let them eat wax.
Warning! My next six exhibits are dangerously close to a towering guillotine, which is not made of wax. Its razor-sharp, tempered-steel blade could sever six heads as easily as one, so keep this in mind as you test your declarer play on these problems at IMP scoring. Opponents use standard leads and signals.
Choose your play on each problem then click “Score Me” to see how you did. Explanations follow the quiz.
This way, please. Keep to the left for your safety, and try not to make any horrific plays.
Quit
To increase your chances if neither red suit breaks 3-3, duck the first club, win the K (West ducks) then lead a third club to let West run his suit. You lose four tricks early, but East is later squeezed in the pointed suits.
To effect a successful trump elopement, you must give up a club without letting East cash a spade or lead a third club.
Club leads are urgent so do not hold up. If West wins the A to lead trumps, preventing a diamond ruff, the long heart sets up.
Hopefully you unblocked the A at Trick 1. Both top hearts must be won immediately to have any hope for a squeeze, after which a double squeeze ensues.
The crux is to make West win his trump trick early, then one heart ruff will isolate that threat for a double squeeze.
With diamonds 4-3 it looks like 13 easy tricks with the Q onside, but South will be one-suit squeezed as diamonds are run. The only legitimate chance is the J with East, which produces an entry squeeze.
There were 86 participants, and only one attempt was allowed for each. Only those scoring 32 or higher are listed below. Ties are broken by the date and time of entry (earliest wins).
Photo credits to Warner Bros. House of Wax (1953)© 2018 Richard Pavlicek
by Richard Pavlicek by Richard Pavlicek