1. The diamonds are blocked, preventing you from collecting five tricks in the suit. However, it would be wrong to take a spade finesse at this point, because if it lost to the king in the North hand, you could go down one, losing four hearts and a spade. A far better plan is to lead a heart ...

DEAR ANNIE: My friend of 20 years confessed to having a crush on her executive coach, which then developed into a flirtation, which then became a sexting affair. I have always known she is unhappy in her marriage, but I cannot condone cheating and have told her so. She’s also started ...

DEAR HELOISE: As my grandchildren have gotten older, it occurred to me that their parents had gotten rid of their old landline. Today, many homes rely only on cellphones. Also, parents are wary of giving their young ones cellphones. This means that when young children are safely left at home ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: My blood work showed that I was slightly low in vitamin D, so my doctor recommended that I take a supplement. My pharmacist was concerned and told me that vitamin D does not get absorbed in people with dark complexions and tends to get deposited in the arteries. The pharmacist ...

There are basically two ways for declarer to play this hand. One is right and the other is wrong. Let’s say West begins by leading three rounds of diamonds, declarer ruffing the third. South sees that he has two likely club losers and that his best chance for the contract is to try to ...

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Every corner of Italy has its own culinary traditions, from carbonara in Rome to tortellini in Bologna. Winter Olympics co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo’s signature dish is the colorful, stuffed pasta known as casunziei. The ravioli-type dish, also known as ...