1517 MR BRIDGE May cover final Layout 1 …Singapore Borneo/ Malaysia Semarang Bali INdonesia Java Sea Gulf of Thailand Bangkok Thailand Kuching Sihanoukville Cambodia JAVA 3 VOYAGES

BRIDGENumber One Hundred and Twenty-Five MAY 2013

CRUISE TO BANGKOKBALI ANDBOROBUDUR with exclusivefares on a celebration Christmas cruise fromSingapore to Bangkok on board Aegean Odyssey.

SEE OVER FOR FURTHER DETAILS

1517 MR BRIDGE May cover final_Layout 1 03/04/2013 21:01 Page 1

Singapore

Borneo/Malaysia

SemarangINdonesiaBali

Java Sea

Gulf ofThailand

BangkokThailand

Kuching

SihanoukvilleCambodia

JAVA

VOYAGES TOANTIQUITY10093

ABTA No.Y2206www.mrbridge.co.uk

CALL ON 01483 489961

DEC 12 Depart UK

DEC 13 Arrive SINGAPORE hotelDEC 14 SINGAPORE Embark Aegean Odyssey

DEC 15/16 At Sea

DEC 17-19 BALI Indonesia

DEC 20 At Sea

DEC 21 SEMARANG/BOROBUDUR Indonesia

DEC 22/23 At Sea

DEC 24 KUCHING Borneo, Malaysia

DEC 25 Christmas Day at Sea

DEC 26 SIHANOUKVILLE Cambodia

DEC 27 At Sea

DEC 28 BANGKOK ThailandDisembark Aegean Odyssey hotel

DEC 29 BANGKOK ThailandTransfer to airport for flight home

Standard Inside £3,395ppPremium Inside from £3,550ppStandard Outside £3,950pp

Premium Outside from £4,095ppDeluxe Outside from £4,795ppDeluxe Balcony from £5,295pp

Prices are per person, double occupancy in double cabins and include MR BRIDGE SPECIAL SAVINGS. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES

PAST PASSENGERS CAN SAVE EVEN MORE

Combine the great sights of Asia with daily bridge on this celebratory voyage

18-day Christmas cruise-tourdeparting December 12, 2013

Mr Bridge Passengers The bridge programmeis exclusive to Mr Bridge bookings but is completely optional. Mr Bridge passengerscan participate as much, or as little as theywish. There will be a duplicate session everyevening and bridge every afternoon the ship is at sea. Singles are made especially welcome– a playing partner will always be found.

CRUISE TOBALI,BANGKOK &BOROBUDUR

fares from just £3,395 include:

•FULL BRIDGE PROGRAMME •SCHEDULED FLIGHTS

•EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES

•SHORE EXCURSIONS IN ALL PORTS OF CALL

•EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS

•WINE WITH DINNER ON BOARD

•OPEN-SEATING DINING

• GRATUITIES ON BOARD

•EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT JUST £100

What better way to spend Christmas? Call Mr Bridge to reserve your cabin or for a brochure to find out more about Aegean Odyssey.

Sail from Singapore to Bangkok via Bali and amazing Borobudur. Visit Borneo and Cambodia. Join in the on-board festivities on Christmas Day and enjoy daily duplicate bridge with .

2013CHRISTMAS

VOYAGE

Extend your stay in Singapore or Bangkok & Angkor Wat,

please call for details

Singapore

BorneoMalaysi

SemarangINdBali

Java Sea

Gulf ofThailand

BangkokThailand

Kuching

SihanoukvilleCambodia

JAVA

1516 Mr Bridge Xmas Cruise ad 1_Layout 1 03/04/2013 20:48 Page 1

Page 3

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961e-mail:

[email protected]:

www.mrbridge.co.uk

Publisher and Managing Editor

Mr Bridge

Bridge Consultant Bernard Magee

Technical Consultant Tony Gordon

Typesetting & Design Ruth Edmondson

Proof Readers Tony & Jan Richards Catrina Shackleton

Richard Wheen Hugh Williams

Office Manager Rachel Everett

Events & Cruises ( 01483 489961

Rosie Baker Jessica Galt

Megan Riccio Sophie Pierrepont

Clubs & Charities Maggie Axtell

[email protected]

Address Changes Elizabeth Bryan

( 01483 485342 [email protected]

All correspondence should be addressed to Mr Bridge.Please make sure that all letters, e-mails and faxes carry full postal addresses and telephone numbers.

BRIDGEFEATURES

3 Bidding Quiz by Bernard Magee

4 Mr Bridge 8 Declarer Play Quiz

by David Huggett

8 Defence Quiz by Julian Pottage

10 David Stevenson Answers Your Questions

15 Declarer Play Answers by David Huggett

17 Defence Quiz Answers by Julian Pottage

18 The A to Z of Bridge: T by Julian Pottage

26 The Diaries of Wendy Wensum

27 Bridge and Travel Tip

28 Lightning Strikes Twice by Dick Atkinson

31 Stephen Cashmore Says Make the Most Economical Bid

32 Readers’ Letters

34 The Last Trump

36 Julian Pottage Answers Your Questions

42 Catching Up by Sally Brock

44 Seven Days by Sally Brock

46 Bidding Quiz Answers by Bernard Magee

ADVERTISEMENTS 2 Bali, Bangkok &

Borobudur with Voyages to Antiquity

5 Bridge Event Booking Form

5 Mail Order Form 6 Denham Grove

May Event 2013

7 Tunisia 2013/2014

9 Bernard Magee Haslemere DVDs

12 Duplicate Bridge Rules Simplified

13 Mr Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge

14 The Cities and Sites of Ancient Asia with Voyages to Antiquity

15 Begin Bridge with Bernard Magee

16 Eric Hill – Kalinda

19 Bridge Events at: Ardington Hotel The Olde Barn Hotel Chatsworth House

19 QPlus 10

23 Eric Hill – Joanna

25 Mr Bridge Playing Cards

27 Mr Bridge Christmas & New Year 2013/2014

29 Bridge Events with Bernard Magee

30 Tutorial Software and QPlus

33 Charity Events

34 Stamps

35 Bridge Events at: Cheltenham Regency Hotel Elstead Hotel Queensferry Hotel Blunsdon House Hotel

39 Voyages of Discovery Mediterranean Medley on board Voyager

40 Global Travel Insurance

43 Rubber / Chicago Bridge Events

43 Bridge Events at Denham Grove

43 S R Designs Bridge Tables

46 Bridge Events at: The Inn on the Prom

47 Voyages of Discovery Land of the Midnight Sun on board Voyager

48 Venice to Rome with Voyages to Antiquity

Bernard Magee’s Bidding Quiz

You are West in the auctions below, playing ‘Standard Acol’ with a weak no-trump (12-14 points) and 4-card majors. (Answers on page 46.)

NW E

S

1. Dealer West. Love All.

♠ A K 4 3

♥ K Q 7 2

♦ 4 3 2

♣ 3 2

West North East South

?

NW E

S

2. Dealer East. Love All.

♠ K J 3 2

♥ K 7 2

♦ 4

♣ 8 7 6 3 2


1♠ Pass

2♠ Pass 2NT Pass

?

NW E

S

3. Dealer North. Love All.

♠ K 5 3 2

♥ 7 2

♦ A 7 6 3 2

♣ K 4


1♥ 1NT Pass

?

NW E

S

4. Dealer East. N/S Game.

♠ A Q 9 2

♥ 2

♦ A 7 6 5 4

♣ A 4 3


3♥ 3♠

?

Page 4

YOUR CHOICE

I have endeavoured to send BRIDGE to thousands of households within the UK peaking several years ago at around 143,000 copies. This service was sustained with the help of advertisers and sponsors.

Indeed, demand for my promotional magazine has now grown to such an extent that I have to rely on some of you reading these pages online using the marvellous developments of modern technology. However, my personal preference is to receive it by post and to be able to feel it, picking it up and putting it down as and when.

This month’s rise in postal charges is the last straw – a further 8% on top of last year’s draconian rise. You may now find yourself receiving one real copy every three or four months in future. Do look at the virtual copy online and print off those pages that you want to read.

Alternatively, you may take up a subscription as those wanting to be sure of receiving continuous hard copies already do. £20 for 12 issues or £35 for 24.

I am not trying to sell subscriptions and indeed know that many of you will be quite satisfied with the occasional copy, just as many of you are to receive a monthly email when the latest issue has been added to the library.

PROTECTION

I am a belt and braces man, so readers should be assured that your names and addresses are protected by our registration under the Data Protection Act. All office waste paper is either shredded or burnt.

JUNK MAIL

Most of us complain, at one time or another, about unsolicited mail. To stop most of yours, you need to register with: Mailing Preference Service, DMA. 70 Margaret Street, London. W1W 8SS.

PRIZE QUIZ

Last month’s prize quiz is printed below so that if you didn’t see it, you can have a go now before turning over to page 7 for the answer.

Remember you are playing Acol with a weak no-trump. As dealer, what is your opening bid?

♠ A 9 8

♥ A 7

♦ A 7 4 3 2

♣ 10 8 6

PLAYING CARDS

My wonderful premium quality playing cards are back in stock from the beginning of May. I am can confirm they will be available from the London Bridge Centre at £60 for 60 blue/red packs unboxed with or without barcodes. ( 0207 288 1305

BRIDGE TABLES

S R Designs, who supply wooden folding bridge tables, are shortly moving to a new larger warehouse. They have a quantity of used tables which they have taken in part exchange and are in varying states of repair. These are ideal for clubs who need more tables but cannot afford to buy new and are prepared to either renovate or cover them with a cloth. Prices for these tables range from £10 to £50 depending on condition – with the buyer collecting from Woking. For more information call ( 01483 750611 or see www.bridge-tables.co.uk

CLUB INSURANCE

I am still scare mongering, trying to drum up even more business for Moore Stephens. Their insurance package, for bridge clubs of up to 100 members, at a premium of around £60 per annum certainly seems good value. Why every club isn’t covered in this litigious age I just do not know. Club secretaries need to protect their committee members and can do so by ringing Moore Stephens on ( 0207 515 5270

BRIDGE FORUM www.mrbridge.co.uk

On my web page there is an open forum and I have asked Ned Paul to answer questions quickly and succinctly on my behalf.

INN ON THE PROM

This popular hotel on the sea front at Lytham St Annes, Lancashire has just given us a new date for a Just Duplicate weekend 17-19 May. £169 full board and no single supplement. However, we are able, on this occasion, to offer a free place for twin or double occupancy to compensate for the short notice of the promotion to ensure there are strong bookings. So the advert should really read

£169per two persons sharing.

COVER STORY

This month I feature the 2013 Christmas cruise on board m.v. Aegean Odyssey. An attractive itinerary in the balmy climate of south east Asia. Sailing out of Singapore and visiting Indonesia, Borneo, Cambodia and finally Thailand before flying home. Turn to page 2 and read about what to expect and the negligible single supplement of just £100. A more detailed brochure can be sent to you by return of post. Do ring my office on ( 01483 489961.

BACK IN STOCK

Five popular tea towels are back in stock, see page 5.

Page 5

Mr Bridge MAIL ORDER

Prices are inclusive of VAT and postage to UK mainland.

I enclose a cheque for £..........

Mr/Mrs/Miss .................................................................................................

Address ..........................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................

Postcode ........................................( ...........................................................

Expiry: ............. CVV ........ Issue No. ........... (CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)

✄

✄

PLAY SOFTWAREQPlus 10 / QPlus 11 when ready £92.00 ........

QPlus 10 Trade-in £43.00 ........

QPlus 9, clean, second-hand £49.00 ........

Bridge Baron £63.00 ........

TUTORIAL SOFTWAREBegin Bridge Acol Version £66.00 ........

Acol Bidding £66.00 ........

Advanced Acol Bidding £96.00 ........

Declarer Play £76.00

Advanced Declarer Play £81.00

Defence £76.00 ........

Five-Card Majors with Strong No-Trump £89.00 ........

Better Bridge with Bernard Magee Haslemere 2011 £69.00 ........

Bundleware Offer Any two CDs £140.00 ........

TEA TOWELS

Life’s a Game, but Bridge is Serious £7.00 ........

The Pot Boiler. A Double Dummy Problem £7.00 ........

10 Commandments for Bridge Players £7.00 ........

10 Commandments for Duplicate Players £7.00 ........

Make your cheque payable to Mr Bridge and send to: Mr Bridge, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961 www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop

25 Road Traffic Signs for Bridge Players £7.00 ........

TUTORIAL DVDs2011 Series – £25 each

Ruffing for Extra Tricks ........

Competitive Auctions ........

Making the Most of High Cards ........

Identifying & Bidding Slams ........

Play & Defence of 1NT Contracts ........

Doubling & Defence to Doubled Contracts ........

All 6 DVDs as a boxed set £100.00 ........

2012 Series – £25 each

Leads ........

Losing Trick Count ........

Making a Plan as Declarer ........

Responding to 1NT ........

Signals & Discards ........

Endplays ........

All 6 DVDs (boxed) as a boxed set £100.00 ........

MR BRIDGE TIE £15.00 ........

BOOKDuplicate Bridge Rules Simplified £5.95 ........

✄✄

BRIDGE BREAKS

Please book ..... places for me at £....... per person,

Single .... Double .... Twin ....

Name of Hotel/Centre ............................................................

Date(s) ...................................................................................

Mr/Mrs/Miss ........................................................................

Address ..................................................................................

...............................................................................................

Postcode ................................................................................

( ..........................................................................................

Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed, but we will do our best to oblige).

...............................................................................................

Please give the name(s) of all those covered by this booking.

...............................................................................................

Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per place by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice for the balance will be sent with your booking confirmation. On receipt of your final payment, 28 days before the event, a programme and full details will be sent together with a map. Cancellations are not refundable. Should you require insurance, you should contact your own insurance broker.

Expiry: ................................ CVV ........................ Issue No. .................. (CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)

♦ Full-board

♦ All rooms with en-suite facilities

♦ No single supplement

♦ Two seminars*

♦ Two supervised play sessions*

♦ Four bridge sessions**

Mr Bridge, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH.

( 01483 489961e-mail: [email protected]

website: www.holidaybridge.com*on tutorial weekends only. **6 sessions on rubber/Chicago events.

Please note: Just Bridge events contain no seminars and do not award prizes.

£100 per day2. £270 for all three days3.A limited number of bedrooms are available:

Dinner, bed and breakfast: £90 per person, per night.

Contact Mr Bridge to book your place or for further details: ( 01483 489961

These seminars are to be filmed. When ready, a full boxed set of DVDs will be sent.1Not with Bernard Magee. 2Includes buffet lunch. 3Day guests only.

BERNARD MAGEE

at Denham Grove near Uxbridge, Bucks, UB9 5DG.

Wednesday 15 May

From 9.30 am Check in

Tea, Coffee & Biscuits

10.30 am – 12 noon Splinters & Cue Bids

12 noon – 2.30 pm Supervised Play1

3-Course Buffet Lunch

3 pm – 4.30 pm Play & Defence

at Duplicate Pairs

4.30 pm – 7 pm Supervised Play1


Day guests may stay until 7pm.

Thursday 16 May



10.30 am – 12 noon Hand Evaluation

(without a fit)



3 pm – 4.30 pm Avoidance Play




Tuesday 14 May



10.30 am – 12 noon Thinking Defence



3 pm – 4.30 pm Pre-emptive

Bidding




Page 7

Mr Bridge

AT THE ROYAL KENZ

TUNISIA

Two-week half-board duplicate

bridge holiday

3-17 November 2013 Golf available

Tony and Jan Richards

£769*

23 Feb – 9 March 2014 Golf available

Bernard Magee and his team

£799* *per person half-board sharing a twin-bedded room and is inclusive of bridge fees. Single supplement £6 per night. These prices are based on air travel from Heathrow to Tunis. Flights from other UK airports are available at a supplement. Prices for seven-night stays are available on application.

Pay £70 per fortnight per person extra and have a pool-facing room, tea & coffee making facilities, bath robe and a bowl of seasonal fruit.

These holidays have been organised for Mr Bridge by Tunisia First Limited, ATOL 5933.

DETAILS & BOOKINGS

( 01483 489961

DENHAM FILMING

Last month, I announced the relocation of my annual filming programme to the DeVere Denham Grove Conference Centre.

This month, I feature an advertisement on the facing page, promoting the content of the lectures. In the advert, it is difficult to convey the value and importance of the supervised play, which previous events of this type have not had. So I am using this column to stress that these seminars, being given at a conference centre rather than in a theatre, enables those who attend to be comfortably watered and fed.

Included in the price of the ticket are teas and coffees and at a time to suit, you can take a break to eat your three course buffet lunch. So, to summarize, day guests should be able to enjoy at least three or four hours of supervised play....and those staying overnight should be able to resume after dinner.

ABSOLUTELY FREE

A really big bonus for both day and residential guests is that a boxed set of the 6 DVDs covering all the lectures will be provided absolutely free of charge when they are published later in the year.

Dress code: smart casual, as it is all being filmed.

START SAVING

Please remember to save your used postage stamps in support of Little Voice, a children’s orphanage and school in Addis Ababa. Full details of where to send the used stamps will be included in the next issue.

VOYAGER

Bernard Magee is joining m.v. Voyager as the on board bridge host for three cruises this year.

Celtic Treasures 25 May – 2 June

Prices from £849pp Please ring for details.

Midnight Sun 11 – 25 June

Prices from £1869pp See page 47 for details.

Med Medley 12 – 26 September

Prices from £1749pp See page 39 for details.

On each voyage he will sail with an experienced team dedicated to making the bridge element of your holiday truly memorable. Please telephone for really keen prices on all these Voyager sailings.

BARON FOR MAC

As QPlus is based on the Windows operating system, if you want to use the software on your MAC, you will need to install a Windows for MAC converter program. However, many of you with MAC are reluctant to do that, so I have listed the latest version of Bridge Baron (23) as the best MAC bridge-playing program, see page 5.

BARON UPGRADE

As a special treat for those with earlier versions of Bridge Baron, I will accept that disc and a cheque for £25 and will send you Bridge Baron 23 by return.

QPLUS NEWS

More hands for you to try: 0265-11, 6598-05 and 1762-10. Meanwhile, Johannes Leber, the programming brains of this wonderful bridge playing software assures me that QPlus11 will be ready in late summer.

This being so, readers should send £92 now and receive the current version (QPlus10) right away. I promise to send you QPlus 11 as soon as it is ready. As both versions are self- contained products, you will be able to give QPlus10 to a friend once you receive your QPlus11. If you are looking to upgrade from an earlier version of QPlus, just return the disc and the instruction booklet, with a cheque for £43.

GOFFIE’S STAMPS

If you want to save on postage you should try Clive Goff’s discounted stamp service.

Value supplied in two stamps, combined to make up the 50p 2nd class rate, 2nd class to you 41p. 1st class 60p, only 50p to you. Available in lots of 100. ( 0208 422 4906. [email protected]

CHRISTMAS 2013

It is once again the time of year to start advertising the 2013 festive season events. For details see page 27.

All good wishes,

Mr Bridge

PS Quiz answer: 1NT. Winners listed month.

Page 8

NW E

S

1. ♠ J 8 6 5 2 ♥ A K J ♦ A 9 2 ♣ 9 6 ♠ Void ♥ 10 5 4 3 ♦ 10 5 4 3 ♣ A K 7 4 2

West North East South 1♠ Pass 2NT1 Pass 4♠ End1game forcing spade raise

Partner leads the ♣J to your ♣K. You cash the ♣A dropping South’s ♣Q. What should you lead next?

NW E

S

2. ♠ 10 6 2 ♥ Q 10 9 5 4 3 ♦ 10 6 2 ♣ A ♠ A 8 7 3 ♥ A ♦ J 8 7 3 ♣ K 7 4 2

West North East South 1♥1

Pass 4♥ End1four-card majors

Partner leads the ♣J, won by the ♣A. Dummy leads a trump and you win with the ace, all following low. What do you return?

NW E

S

3. ♠ A J 5 ♥ A J 5 ♦ A Q J 7 4 ♣ 10 7 ♠ Q 10 7 ♥ Q 9 7 3 ♦ Void ♣ A K Q 9 4 2

West North East South 1♣ 1♦ Pass 2♣1 Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣2 Pass 3♦ Pass 5♦ End1diamond raise with 10+ points2asking for a club stopper

Partner leads the ♣6. You win with the ♣Q and cash the ♣A, partner playing the ♣8. How do you continue?

NW E

S

4. ♠ K J 10 5 ♥ K J 8 5 ♦ A Q 7 ♣ Q 10 ♠ A 8 ♥ Void ♦ 10 9 5 4 3 2 ♣ K J 7 4 2

West North East South 2♠1 2NT Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥ Pass 4NT Pass 5♥2 Pass 6♥ End1weak: six spades, 6-10 points22 key cards (♥K is a key card)

Partner leads the ♠4. You capture the ♠J with the ♠A. What do you return?

DEFENCEQUIZ

by Julian Pottage (Answers on page 17)

You are East in the defensive positions below. It is your turn to play. Both sides are using Acol with a 12-14 1NT.

NW E

S

1. ♠ A Q 10 6

♥ 7 5 3

♦ J 8 6

♣ K 5 4

♠ J 9 8 7 2

♥ A 6 2

♦ K Q 5

♣ A Q

You are declarer in 4♠ and West leads the ♥Q. How do you plan the play?

NW E

S

2. ♠ J 9

♥ A K 7 6 4

♦ A Q J

♣ A Q 3

♠ A K Q 8 7 6 5 2

♥ 9 3

♦ 7 2

♣ 2

You are declarer in 7♠ and West leads the ♦8. How do you plan the play?

NW E

S

3. ♠ 7 6 4

♥ J 10 6

♦ A J 6 4

♣ K Q 7

♠ A K 3 2

♥ A K 5

♦ K Q 8

♣ A 9 2

You are declarer in 6NT and West leads the ♦7. How do you plan the play?

NW E

S

4. ♠ 7 5

♥ A Q 10 9

♦ Q J 10 7 5

♣ J 3

♠ A 6

♥ 7 3 2

♦ K 9 6 3

♣ A K Q 10

You are declarer in 3NT and West leads the ♠3. How do you plan the play?

DECLARER

PLAY

QUIZby David Huggett

(Answers on page 15)

You are South as declarer playing teams or rubber bridge. In each case, what is your play strategy?

BERNARD MAGEEFilmed Live at Haslemere Festival

Make your cheque payable to Mr Bridge and send to: Mr Bridge, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961 www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop Fax 01483 797302

DVDs

Each £25. Boxed Set of 6 £100

DVDs

Each £25. Boxed Set of 6 £100

20127 Leads

Bernard takes you through all the basic leads and the importance of your choice of lead. If you start to think not just about your hand, but about your partner’s too, then you will get much better results.

8 Losing Trick Count

A method of hand evaluation for when you find a fit. Bernard deals with the basics of the losing trick count then looks at advanced methods to hone your bidding.

9 Making a Plan as Declarer

Bernard explains how to make a plan then expands on how to make the most of your long suits. The first half deals with no-trumps, the second with suit contracts.

10 Responding to 1NT

This seminar deals with Transfers and Stayman in detail. The 1NT opening comes up frequently, so having a good, accurate system of responses is paramount.

11 Signals & Discards

This seminar deals with Count, Attitude and Suit-preference signals: aiming to get

you working as a partnership in defence.

12 Endplays

Bernard takes you through the basics of the technique before showing some magical hands where you take extra tricks from defenders. In the second half, Bernard looks at how to avoid being endplayed as a defender.

20111 Ruffing for Extra Tricks

This seminar deals with declarer’s use of ruffing to generate extra tricks and then looks at how the defenders might counteract this.

2 Competitive Tricks

This seminar focuses on competitive auctions from the perspective of the overcalling side to start with and then from the perspective of the opening side in the second part.

3 Making the Most of High Cards

This seminar helps declarer to use his high cards more carefully and then looks at how defenders should care for their precious high cards.

4 Identifying & Bidding Slams

The first half of this seminar is about identifying when a slam might be on – one of the hardest topics to teach. The second half covers some of the techniques used to bid slams.

5 Play & Defence of 1NT Contracts

This seminar looks at the most common and yet most feared of contracts: 1NT. The first half looks at declaring the contract and the second part puts us in the defenders’ seats.

6 Doubling & Defence against Doubled Contracts

The first half of this seminar explores penalty doubles and the second half discusses the defence against doubled contracts.

Page 10

QI have read the letters and your replies from Mr

Chasmer and Mr Scott in BRIDGE and also share a concern on this matter.

If a call of, say, 2♥ is made and either the convention card or the answer to a question states only, ‘strong, 8 playing tricks,’ and the analysis of clear-cut tricks you have outlined is, say, 6 then is this an illegal call? In other words, must the other criteria you have stated (rule of 25 and 16+ HCP) be stated in the answer or on the convention card to be applicable?Peter Chapman by email.

A It is illegal to agree with partner to open a strong artificial

opening on a hand that the EBU does not treat as strong.

That has nothing to do with the convention card. So long as a pair is playing a legal system, they should merely describe it in any suitable fashion on the convention card.

♣♦♥♠

QI was interested to read David Stevenson’s

reply to Rod Bach’s letter on ethics in BRIDGE 123. I felt I too had an ethical problem a few weeks ago.

When I got home, I spotted that the results for one of our hands had been recorded incorrectly. Ethically, was I duty bound to do anything about it?

When I asked several more experienced mem-bers of my bridge club I got different answers. Some said I should let sleeping dogs lie and we’d had our chance to check the results at the table, but others said that I was duty bound, in fairness to all the other competitors, to report it. I checked on the Club’s Ethics and Etiquette information sheet but no guidance was given.

The hand in question was a bid of 5♠ which was recorded correctly. Our opponents made 11 tricks, but recorded the result as +1. Nearly everyone else was in 4♠, making 11 tricks and also recorded the result as +1. So all very understandable but, whilst it didn’t affect our position in the final rankings, it did mean

our opponents ended up coming second instead of third and, of course, another pair who were entirely innocent of the matter ended up coming third instead of second.

I can’t be the first per-son to find themselves in this position. Should there not be some clear ruling which is well publicised so everyone knows where they stand?Mike Fairclough, Wirral.

AWhile the ethics of the game do not require you to point

out your own infractions, the same does not apply to scoring errors. You should point scoring errors out.

You say there should be a clear ruling published: as is shown by the large number of queries published here, there are an amazing number of situations possible and it is far too difficult to decide, rule and publicise every one. If you have a difficulty, you can always write to me.

♣♦♥♠

QMy RHO opened 1♦, I overcalled with

1NT although I had only 11 points. The

bidding finished with our opponents in 2♥.

After the hand was played, the declarer told me I should not have called 1NT with fewer than 15/16 points and I had stopped them bidding game. The director was called and she agreed I was in the wrong.

I have always under-stood that one could call anything one liked, as it would confuse partner and opponents alike. Margaret Jacobs by email.

A You are quite right and your opponents and director are quite

wrong. Agreements between partners are not sacrosanct and, if you wish to deviate from them on occasion, you may do so. It is a risky business, since partner might do something as a result that gets a bad score, but it is fun and on occasion, as in this case, gets you a good score.

David Stevenson answers all queries based on the facts supplied by the letter writer.

Neither Mr Bridge nor David Stevenson has any way of knowing whether those facts are correct or complete.

David Stevenson answers your questions on Laws and Ethics

Strong Twos

Described on the

Convention Card

Page 11

QNorth was dealer. South said, ‘1♣.’

East remarked, ‘Bid out of turn,’ and West commented, ‘I was going to pass anyway.’

After West’s comment, should the director still offer West the option of accepting the bid out of turn or has his remark already done that?P J Evans by email.

A His remark is un-called for and the director should first

tell him in future to say noth-ing, or he might get penal-ised, and second he should tell East that West’s comment is unauthorised informa-tion and he should do his best to take no advantage.

Having done that, he ap-plies the laws, which include offering West the option to accept the bid out of turn.

♣♦♥♠

QI was directing at the club and was called to

find that a defender was on lead with a penalty card exposed. The defender failed to play the offending penalty card and pulled out another card instead.

At this point, the opponents called me. (I was not called for the first penalty card).

I ruled that as there were now two penalty cards on the table, the opponents (declarer) had the choice of which one is led.

Was I correct or should I have ruled that the first penalty card should

now be played, and that the new penalty card remains on the table (for playing at the earliest time)?Sarah Williams, Montrose.

A I do not like either ruling, to be honest. When there is an in-

fraction you call the director, that applies to all four play-ers, not just the non-offend-ing side. They did not, but carried on. A penalty card is not a penalty card in effect unless the director says so.

I would allow the defender to play the card they chose to play. The defender may not have known what they were required to do, for example, and they have a right to know.

However, I would explain the rules of penalty cards which would apply from this moment on. In other words, I would deem that the card originally exposed was never a penalty card until this moment and I deem it a penalty card from now on.

If you think about the two options you suggested, both of them give declarer an advantage from not having called the director at the correct time and that is not something we ever want to happen.

♣♦♥♠

QPlaying in a friendly game, after three no

bids the fourth player bid 3♥. All passed after-wards and the contract was played and made. We all had presumed that this had been a pre-emptive bid. During the play, we realised that the declarer had more than 9 points, actually 11 and had opened with 3♥ (and had used the rule of 20

to open). What would be the situation if this hap-pened during a duplicate competition? Does an opening bid at the three level of a suit have to be a pre-emptive bid?Brenda Tingley by email.

A Sounds perfectly normal. When opening with a weak

bid fourth in hand, players have more points. After all, with six points, for example, the player would pass it out.

Even if it were not normal, players may bid what they like if it seems suitable. They can mislead opponents as long as they mislead partner as well.

♣♦♥♠

QAn opponent held:

♠ K Q 10 9 7 5 2

♥ A 4 2

♦ 6 5

♣ 10

Dealer passed, and she opened 2♠, second in hand, announced by her partner as a weak two. Is this a legal bid?Irene Holland, County Down.

A It is certainly legal since basically you can bid what

you like. If this is a normal weak two for her, then she should probably amend her description of opening twos and announce, ‘Weak to Intermediate.’

She may have just decided to experiment, in which case, why not? On the other hand, she may not understand what the fuss is about and will tell you she has nine points and they play it as five to nine,

not realising the difference a seven card suit makes. That may not be good bridge, but there is nothing illegal about bad bridge.

A common query in these columns arises when someone makes a call that is different from what the person asking would do. Remember different people play this game differently.

♣♦♥♠

QOn holiday recently, we were invited to

play a friendly game of rubber. We were playing North/South.

West passed and my partner opened 1♠. East passed, which was alerted by West. We asked what this meant and were informed that, if South passed, West would then double, which was asking partner for her best suit. I have mentioned this to other bridge players and they, like us, had not heard of this and even stated that it is a form of signalling.

We would be grateful for your advice.Linda Satterley by email.

A I have not heard of it and think this is merely an inexperi-

enced pair that has picked something up played by other players in a different situation. Some pairs play that after an opening bid and an overcall, they must re-open with a double if partner passes. I do not approve of this either, but it has consid-erably more merit than the sequence related. Anyway, it is perfectly legal, it is an agreement over bidding, not signalling and if they want to play it, let them.

Ask David continued

Page 12

QPlease will you tell me the penalty for a

revoke at trick 12.Shirley Craze by email.

A There is no penalty. The card is just cor-rected. If the revoke

is by a defender and the sight of that card helps the other defender to play the right card to trick 12, then the director may adjust.

♣♦♥♠

QAt a friendly league match, partner dealt

and opened 1NT (12-14). RHO bid 2♦ which was alerted. I held 13HCP, a hand I would have opened 1NT had I been dealer. I enquired as to the meaning of the bid and was told it was a single suited hand as yet undefined. I asked a supplementary question, ‘Was this bid forcing for one round,’ and was told it was. I passed, LHO bid 2♠, partner passed and this was corrected to 3♥ by RHO, doubled by me and three down vulnerable for 800.

In the other room 3NT, scoring 400, was

the contract. During the tea break this hand came up for discussion, and the question was posed, ‘What would have happened if LHO decided to pass 2♦, since this might be passed out and we might well lose on the hand?’

I would be inter-ested in your verdict on the situation.Bob Parker by email.

A The players had probably not re-ally thought about

it. It is perfectly normal to pass with, for example, six diamonds and few points. It is very unusual to play such a bid as forcing.

Still, if they told you it was forcing and passed it, a director would prob-ably adjust, feeling this was misinformation.

♣♦♥♠

QIs there a mini-mum number of points needed

to bid Stayman? If fewer than 11 points, should this be alerted?John Dodds by email.

A No, there is no minimum, unless a pair wish to agree

a minimum. When a player announces that his partner’s 2♣ is Stayman, you can only

Ask David continued assume it asks for four-card majors, nothing more. If you want to know what hands it is used on, whether it shows a four-card major or not and suchlike, you have to ask.

♣♦♥♠

QI wonder if you could help? My partner and

I were, very gently, reproved by another player recently for what he said was misus-ing a convention.

I had opened 1NT (weak) and partner responded 2♦. I took this as a transfer and an-nounced, ‘hearts,’ and so bid 2♥. My partner then bid 3♦. I recognised her bid as being weak with six diamonds and so passed. The gentle-man we were playing against wasn’t sure whether this was legal or not, but didn’t call the director for a ruling. Can you advise, please? Derek Allum by email.

A It is perfectly legal, but is not a transfer and must not be

announced as such. When you announced, ‘hearts,’ you mis-described the bid to your opponents and they could have had an adjustment because of misinformation.

If you play a 2♦ response as either hearts, or weak with diamonds, you must alert it, not announce it, and describe it as, ‘hearts or weak with diamonds,’ in answer to a question and on your system card.

♣♦♥♠

QLast night, playing duplicate bridge, my

partner was dealer and

opened 1♦. No opposition bidding. I had 16 points with a 6-card spade suit and bid 1♠. My partner rebid, stop 3♦. I had six spades, four clubs to the king-queen, two very small diamonds and the singleton ♥K. I wanted further information and to keep below 3NT, so bid 3♥. My partner rebid 3NT. I decided to leave this as I was playing against two good, experienced players, one being the director.

When I put my hand down, he was very critical of my bid and said that it was psyche and if I did it again he would report me.

In this situation was my bid a psyche? I certainly have never psyched before and didn’t intend it as such.

Our opponents had 11 hearts between them and were very aggrieved. I understand that but don’t feel that I did anything unethical.Terry Bunn by email.

A Your opponents seem to have some idea that a

psyche is illegal. Sure, your 3♥ bid would probably be considered a psyche, though your intent was not to deceive, but it is perfectly reasonable and your opponents’ attitude was unacceptable.

Lots of players make bids every so often that are not the same as their opponents would bid. That is no excuse for the opponents to be critical or rude nor is it illegal unless the opponents have been misinformed as to the system.

Certainly a ‘one-off’ call of any sort, unexpected by partner, is perfectly legal.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE RULES SIMPLIFIED

(otherwise known as the Yellow Book)

by John Rumbelow and revised by David Stevenson

Available from Mr Bridge ( 01483 489961

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Page 13

QI was defending a no-trump con-tract and declarer

was in dummy for the last two tricks. Dummy had ♣A and ♠10 and declarer claimed saying, ‘Dummy high.’ I held ♠Q and a diamond winner, so asked declarer to play on. Declarer now played the ♣A first making one trick. However, because he had obviously forgot-ten about the ♠Q, he might not have done so and by playing the ♠10 first he would lose two tricks. Declarer’s claim alerted him to the fact that he might be mis-taken and so avoid the possible error of playing the ♠10 first. What should the director’s ruling be?Mike James, Holton le Clay, Lincs.

A The first thing the director should do is tell you off thor-

oughly. When a claim is made, you have only got two options. Either you accept it, or you call the director. By asking declarer to play on, you have put yourself in the wrong. No doubt, if you had called the director, he would have given you two tricks. So declarer’s claim gave him no advantage, it was you, illegally, telling him to play on that gave him an advantage. Once you have told him to play on, you have made life very difficult for the director. I expect he might feel he should give you two tricks, but I could not blame him if he only gave you one.

QWe have eight couples who play round the houses

informally, with supper and bridge and have an annual get together.

What different ways could we play four tables?Fred Lawson, Acanthus BC, Edinburgh.

A For the annual get-together you could just play an ordinary

duplicate. One possibility is to play a share and relay Mitchell, so each pair only plays four other pairs, but it can be very relaxed.

A second possibility is to play a Howell, so everyone moves except one pair, and each pair plays everyone, playing 14, 21 or 28 boards as people wish.

Perhaps a three-quarter Howell is better, six opponents only, two stationary pairs, 12, 18 or 24 boards. Most clubs have suitable Howell cards. You could play a teams with four teams of four and three matches, possibly pivoting each match, i.e. partnerships rotate within the team.

The most difficult to arrange is an individual, where people only play a couple of boards with each partner then move on to a new one. You will have to find a suitable movement.

Alternatively, you may just want to play rubber bridge in your normal partnerships. If so, I recommend the variation called Chicago, which means each rubber only lasts four deals. That way, there is no prolonged waiting for other tables to finish. ■

Ask David continued

E-mail your questions on bridge laws to: [email protected]

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Page 15

Answers to David Huggett’s Play Quiz on page 8

NW E

S

1. ♠ A Q 10 6

♥ 7 5 3

♦ J 8 6

♣ K 5 4

♠ 5 4 ♠ K 3

♥ Q J 10 8 ♥ K 9 4

♦ 10 7 3 2 ♦ A 9 4

♣ 10 7 6 ♣ J 9 8 3 2

♠ J 9 8 7 2

♥ A 6 2

♦ K Q 5

♣ A Q

You are declarer in 4♠ and West leads the ♥Q. How do you plan the play?

It might seem right to take a trump finesse but if you do that you are in danger of losing one spade, two hearts and a diamond. A much better plan is to win the lead, cash the ace and queen of clubs and cross to dummy with the ace of spades. Now play the king of clubs, throwing a losing heart from hand and only now continue by playing trumps. You will be defeated only if the clubs break 6-2 or worse and even if the third club is ruffed it might be with the king of spades.

NW E

S

2. ♠ J 9

♥ A K 7 6 4

♦ A Q J

♣ A Q 3

♠ 4 ♠ 10 3

♥ Q 10 5 2 ♥ J 8

♦ 9 8 6 3 ♦ K 10 5 4

♣ J 9 7 5 ♣ K 10 8 6 4

♠ A K Q 8 7 6 5 2

♥ 9 3

♦ 7 2

♣ 2

You are declarer in 7♠ and West leads the ♦8. How do you plan the play?

All those minor suit queens and jacks in dummy are red herrings and you could do equally well without them.

So, win the ace of diamonds and cash the ace of trumps prior to cashing the top two hearts. Now, ruff a heart high and if dummy’s hearts are not yet winners re-enter dummy with a spade to the jack and ruff another heart.

By this time, dummy will have a master heart on which you can discard your losing diamond and you can access dummy easily with the ace of clubs. This plan will work as long as the hearts divide no worse than 4-2.

NW E

S

3. ♠ 7 6 4

♥ J 10 6

♦ A J 6 4

♣ K Q 7

♠ J 9 5 ♠ Q 10 8

♥ Q 9 7 2 ♥ 8 4 3

♦ 9 7 3 ♦ 10 5 2

♣ J 8 5 ♣ 10 6 4 3

♠ A K 3 2

♥ A K 5

♦ K Q 8

♣ A 9 2

You are declarer in 6NT and West leads the ♦7. How do you plan the play?

With eleven tricks immediately available, the contract is clearly a good one and the extra trick can come only from spades or hearts.

If the heart finesse succeeds, you will be home but it is always right to look for an extra chance whenever you can and, here, you will make an extra trick in spades if the suit divides 3-3.

Of course, you cannot afford to play out the spades from the top in case you are setting up two winners for the defence, so duck a spade first. Later, you will be able to test the suit for an equal division and if you have no luck there try the heart finesse.

NW E

S

4. ♠ 7 5

♥ A Q 10 9

♦ Q J 10 7 5

♣ J 3

♠ K J 9 3 2 ♠ Q 10 8 4

♥ K J 5 4 ♥ 8 6

♦ 2 ♦ A 8 4

♣ 8 7 5 ♣ 9 6 4 2

♠ A 6

♥ 7 3 2

♦ K 9 6 3

♣ A K Q 10

You are declarer in 3NT and West leads the ♠3. How do you plan the play?

This is a truly ghastly contract. 5♦ is so much better, but you have to do the best you can.

Clearly, it cannot be right to attack diamonds because the defenders will have too many winners when they win the ace so you have to hope you can make four heart tricks.

For this to work, you basically need West to hold both the king and the jack. So, win the opening lead and play a heart to the nine. If this wins, come back to hand with a club and play a heart to the ten, then cash the club winners before playing a heart to the queen.

The chance of having a successful outcome to this contract is only about 25%, but that is a lot better than playing on diamonds when you have no chance at all. ■

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Page 17

Answers to Julian Pottage’s Defence Quiz on Page 8

NW E

S

1. ♠ J 8 6 5 2

♥ A K J

♦ A 9 2

♣ 9 6

♠ K 7 4 ♠ Void

♥ Q 8 6 ♥ 10 5 4 3

♦ Q 8 7 ♦ 10 5 4 3

♣ J 10 8 3 ♣ A K 7 4 2

♠ A Q 10 9 3

♥ 9 7 2

♦ K J 6

♣ Q 5


1♠

Pass 2NT1 Pass 4♠

End 1game forcing spade raise

Partner leads the ♣J to your ♣K. You cash the ♣A dropping South’s ♣Q. What should you lead next?

Aiming to be passive, no leads are attractive. The first to rule out is a club, which surely gives a ruff and discard. A diamond would be risky too if declarer lets it run round to the nine. A heart, albeit into the tenace, is safest. If there is finesse position in hearts, declarer can finesse there anyway.

NW E

S

2. ♠ 10 6 2

♥ Q 10 9 5 4 3

♦ 10 6 2

♣ A

♠ J 9 4 ♠ A 8 7 3

♥ 8 6 ♥ A

♦ K 9 5 ♦ J 8 7 3

♣ J 10 8 6 3 ♣ K 7 4 2

♠ K Q 5

♥ K J 7 2

♦ A Q 4

♣ Q 9 5


1♥1

Pass 4♥ End1four-card majors

Partner leads the ♣J, won by the ♣A. Dummy leads a trump and you win with the ace, all following low. What do you return?

This time, the ♣K might be safe – if South’s ♣Q is now bare – but it will often be costly. Although dummy’s holdings in the other side suits are identical and yours nearly so, there is a difference. While you can envisage wanting to cover the ♦10 with the ♦J, it is unlikely to be necessary to play the ♠A on the ♠10.

A spade exit is correct. For two reasons, you should lead low rather than the ace. First, declarer might have the K-J and a guess. Secondly, you retain more control this way. You can play ace and another later to remove declarer’s entry and get off lead.

Take a bonus point if you have de-cided that, if declarer eventually tackles diamonds by leading low from dummy, you will play the eight or seven to protect partner from a possible endplay.

NW E

S

3. ♠ A J 5

♥ A J 5

♦ A Q J 7 4

♣ 10 7

♠ 9 6 4 3 ♠ Q 10 7

♥ 8 6 4 ♥ Q 9 7 3

♦ 8 5 2 ♦ Void

♣ 8 6 3 ♣ A K Q 9 4 2

♠ K 8 2

♥ K 10 2

♦ K 10 9 6 3

♣ J 5


1♣ 1♦

Pass 2♣1 Pass 2♦

Pass 3♣2 Pass 3♦

Pass 5♦ End1diamond raise with 10+ points2asking for a club stopper

Partner leads the ♣6. You win with the ♣Q and cash the ♣A, partner playing the ♣8. How do you continue?

Partner has played upwards in clubs, thereby indicating three rather than two. This means you do not want to play an-other club because that would give a ruff and discard.

You are going to have to open up one of the majors even though you ex-pect South to hold the king in each suit. Can you see why a heart is better than a spade? Your ♠10 means that your ♠Q is safe from a finesse. In hearts, by con-trast, declarer may hold the ♥K-10 and have a two-way finesse position. In this case, your ♥Q might not be making any-way.

NW E

S

4. ♠ K J 10 5

♥ K J 8 5

♦ A Q 7

♣ Q 10

♠ Q 9 7 4 3 2 ♠ A 8

♥ 6 4 ♥ Void

♦ K J 6 ♦ 10 9 5 4 3 2

♣ 8 6 ♣ K J 7 4 2

♠ 6

♥ A Q 10 9 7 3 2

♦ 8

♣ A 9 5 3


2♠1 2NT Pass 3♥

Pass 4♥ Pass 4NT

Pass 5♥2 Pass 6♥

End1weak: six spades, 6-10 points2two key cards (♥K is one key card)

Partner leads the ♠4. You capture the ♠J with the ♠A. What do you return?

You can see tenace positions in two suits and can envisage a split tenace in clubs (South must have the ♣A to bid the slam knowing North has only two key cards) – help!

The solution is similar to that on the first and third deals. You lead the one suit in which you think declarer might take a successful finesse anyway, in this case, diamonds. ■

Page 18

TTABLE1. A team of four, two pairs or four

players in a duplicate event make up a table.

2. The dummy is the hand on the table.

3. To ‘table’ one’s hand is to expose it, either as dummy or when making a claim.

4. If dummy says, ‘table,’ it is a reminder to declarer that the lead is in dummy.

TABLE NUMBERSNumbered cards placed on each table for identification purposes.

TABLE PRESENCEThe almost indefinable characteristic possessed by expert players whereby they draw correct inferences from their opponents’ mannerisms and rhythm of play etc.

TACTICSGeneral manoeuvres in bidding and play, and other choices of action in adapting one’s style to the peculiari-ties of a particular event or situation. Different methods of scoring and con-ditions of contest often determine that you should modify your approach to the game. Tactics also extend to decid-ing which opponents to play against in a teams match and when each pair should sit out if there is a team of six.

For example, at matchpoint pairs, you put more effort into trying to make overtricks than you would at other forms of the game; at IMPs, you push for vulnerable games more than

you would at other forms of the game; at rubber bridge, you bid differently if you already have a part-score.

TAKE-OUTA bid in a denomination other than that previously bid by partner, or a bid after partner has doubled.

If partner has bid 1NT and you hold a weak unbalanced hand, it is usual to take out into your long suit (via a transfer if you are playing those).

If partner has made a take-out double, you will nearly always take out the double.

If partner has made a penalty double, it will be rather less common to take out the double.

TAKE-OUT DOUBLEA double used conventionally to ask partner to bid his best suit. Traditionally a double is for take-out if it is:1. Of a suit bid at the one- or two-

level.2. Made at the first opportunity to

double that suit.3. Made before partner has bid.


1♥

Dbl


1♥ Pass 2♥

Dbl


1♣

Pass 1♥ Pass 2♥

Dbl

In each of these example sequences, the double is for take-out. In the third, the second round was West’s first chance to double hearts. A hand consistent with all of them is:

N

W ES

♠ K 10 8 3

♥ 4

♦ K J 8 2

♣ A Q 10 3

TANK, TO GO INTO THETo pause for a long time when faced with a difficult decision in bidding or play.

TAPTo knock gently on the table:1. This is a method of alerting

partner’s conventional bid (when bidding boxes are not in use).

2. In rubber bridge, to tap means to pass.

3. In America, to tap declarer means to force him to ruff.

TARTAN TWO BIDSOpening bids of 2♥ and 2♠ show a va-riety of types of hand. 2♥ shows either a weak hand (about 5-9 points) with five hearts and a five-card minor, or an Acol 2♥ opener, or a strong balanced hand (about 19/20 points). 2♠ shows either a weak hand (about 5-9 points) with five spades and another five-card suit, or an Acol 2♠ opener. After both openings, a response in the next avail-able suit is a relay to seek clarification.

TENACEA holding of (normally high) cards in the same suit, one ranking next above and the other next below a card held by an opponent, e.g. A-Q or K-J. A holding that is not strictly a tenace be-fore play starts may become one dur-ing the course of play. For example, A-J-x opposite x-x-x becomes a tenace if the king is led. If your side leads a suit in which you have a tenace, you want to lead towards rather than away from the tenace. If the opponents

A to Z of Bridgecompiled by Julian Pottage

Page 19

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Page 20

lead, you would prefer a lead up to rather than through the tenace.

TEXAS CONVENTIONA transfer method in response to a 1NT/2NT opening bid. In response, a jump to 4♦ is a transfer to 4♥ and a bid of 4♥ a transfer to 4♠. Few UK players use Texas.

THIN1. A contract you have bid on very

slender values is a thin contract.2. A hand too weak for a specific

action you can describe as thin.

TEAMA group of four or more players competing as a single unit.

TEMPO1. Tempo can mean to have the

initiative in the play. For example:

NW E

S

♠ Q J 10 9

♥ A K

♠ A K Immaterial

♥ Q J 10 9

Immaterial

West, on lead against South’s no-trump contract, has the initiative (tempo) and can guarantee four tricks by leading his long suit. If North has the lead, then he has the initiative (tempo) and it would be North who made four tricks.

2. In bidding or play, tempo means the general rhythm of a player’s actions.

TEMPORISING BIDA temporising bid keeps the bidding open while saying little about your hand. For example:

N

W ES

♠ A J 9 5 3

♥ 7 3

♦ A Q 8 3

♣ J 4


1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass

2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass

?

After partner’s fourth-suit forcing bid, you have to bid again even though there is nothing you really want to say. The correct bid is 2♠.

Temporising bids are usually cheap bids.

THIRD AND FIFTH LEADSA convention whereby, from long suits without an honour sequence, you lead the third highest card from three- and four-card suits and lead the fifth highest from longer holdings. It is quite common to play third and fifth leads in suits your partner has bid. This is because you are much more likely to lead from a three-card suit if partner has bid it.

THIRD HAND HIGHA traditional rule suggesting that the correct action to take when one’s partner has led is to play one’s highest card (but the lowest of equals).

For example:

NW E

S

8 5 2

Q 10 7 3 K 9 6

A J 4

When West leads the three, East must play the king to stop South from scoring an underserved trick with the jack.

THIRD-IN-HAND OPENERIn the third seat, it can be good tactics to open on a hand slightly below the usual strength for an opening bid. Such an opening is a ‘third-in-hand’ opener, and you may term it as semi-psychic. One reason why it can be a good idea to open light is that, if none of the first three players (including yourself) has a genuine opening, then the fourth play-er probably has the best hand at the table and so is the favourite to become declarer. By showing your suit, so long as it is a good suit, you should be help-ing partner with the opening lead.

THREAT CARD (MENACE)A card that, whilst not yet a winner, may become a winner if the opponents weaken their holding in the suit by discarding from it.

The main use of the term is in connection with squeezes.

For example, if North holds ♥A-K-Q-J-4 and East ♥10-8-6-5-3, the ♥4 is a threat card (menace).

East cannot afford to discard a heart for fear of establishing the ♥4 as a winner.

THREE-HANDED BRIDGEThere are many versions of this game, which sometimes goes by the name ‘cut-throat bridge’.

Usually, the three players bid against each other for the dummy, which may remain concealed or have a number of cards exposed during the auction.

THREE NO TRUMP FOR TAKE-OUTAn old convention whereby an overcall of 3NT after an opponent’s three-level pre-emptive opening is a take-out request.

THREE-QUARTER MOVEMENTAn incomplete Howell movement when not all the pairs meet.

One feature of the three-quarter movement is that there are more stationary pairs than in a full Howell but fewer than in a Mitchell.

Another is that it is often possible to have the same number of boards in play (and number of boards per round) no matter how many tables there are.

For example, three-quarter movements exist with nine 3-board rounds for 6, 7 or 8 tables.

THREE-QUARTER NO TRUMPTo play a strong no-trump only when vulnerable against non-vulnerable opponents, with a weak no-trump at other times.

THREE-SUITERA hand with four or more cards in three suits, i.e. 4441 or 5440. Three-suited hands are often difficult to describe, the exception being when an opponent bids your short suit, when a take-out double can enable you to suggest three suits at once.

A to Z of Bridge continued

Page 21

THROUGH STRENGTHA lead is through strength if the second player to the trick, for example dummy, has a strong holding in the suit, or at least a stronger holding than that held by the fourth player.

THROW AWAYTo discard.

THROW IN1. A deal when all four players pass –

the term comes from rubber bridge where players would literally throw in their cards for a redeal.

2. To give a player the lead deliberately, with the expectation of a favourable return. Here is an example:

NW E

S

♠ K Q 5

♥ A 9 8 7 5 3

♦ J 4

♣ 7 4

♠ 10 8 6 3 ♠ 9 7 2

♥ 6 ♥ 4

♦ K Q 10 5 ♦ 9 8 7 3 2

♣ K 9 8 5 ♣ J 10 3 2

♠ A J 4

♥ K Q J 10 2

♦ A 6

♣ A Q 6

South plays in 6♥. West leads the ♦K. Declarer wins this, draws trumps, cashes three rounds of spades and leads the ♦J. This throws West in. West has the lead but does not want it: a club goes into the tenace while any pointed card would give a ruff and discard.

TIGHTA contract close to failure, in other words, the declarer cannot afford to lose another trick.

TOPHighest matchpoint score available on each board in a duplicate pairs event.

TOP OF NOTHINGOld-fashioned standard lead from a holding of three small cards (and sometimes more), e.g. you lead the

nine from 9-6-3. The method has fallen into disfavour because of necessity you play a lower card on the second round, which makes it look as if you started with a doubleton.

During the play, it can be correct to lead top of nothing when conveying that you have no strength in the suit is high priority. Some pairs play top of nothing at trick one in supported suits as it is obvious the lead cannot be from a doubleton.

TOTAL POINT SCORINGForm of scoring at teams whereby the team with the largest aggregate score wins.

TOUCHING CARDSCards in sequence e.g. A-K or 9-8.

TOUCHING SUITSClubs and diamonds, diamonds and hearts, and hearts and spades are the combinations of touching suits.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (TD)Person delegated by the sponsoring organisation to see to the smooth running of the tournament, to give rulings on points of law and to sort out any irregularities. The TD organises the movement, tells the players when it is time to move and in general has the same duties as a director at a club. The main difference is that a TD is unlikely to be a player.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR’S GUIDEBook of advice for Tournament Directors, intended as an explanatory supplement to the Laws and as a guide to their implementation.

TRAM TICKETSVery poor cards.

TRANCETo pause for a substantial length of time during bidding or play. Slow play can disrupt the movement and irritate other players so one should avoid trances.

TRANSFER BIDSBids that show a suit other than the one bid, asking partner to bid that suit. They are most common after partner

A to Z of Bridge continued opens 1NT or 2NT and allow greater flexibility in the bidding.

The basic principle is that with, for example, a five-card or longer heart suit, one responds in diamonds. Partner will convert to hearts, after which responder may pass with a weak hand, or make some further descriptive bid.

An elaborate system of ‘transfer bidding’ sequences can describe a range of hand-types. For example, to make a 2♦ transfer in reply to 1NT you might hold:

Hand 1 Hand 2

♠ 8 2 ♠ 8 2

♥ K J 7 4 2 ♥ K J 7 4 2

♦ 10 9 7 5 ♦ K

♣ 8 6 ♣ A Q 9 5 4

With the first hand, you intend to stop in 2♥, playing in a safer partscore than 1NT while keeping the stronger hand as declarer. With the second, you intend to rebid 3♣.

TRANSFERRED KINGIf an opponent opens the bidding at the one level and the next two players pass, you can generally assume that partner has some values. The usual rule is to imagine that you hold a king more than you actually do and bid accordingly. Partner makes suitable allowance for this.

N

W ES

♠ 7

♥ Q J 9 4

♦ A 8 5 4

♣ Q 10 3 2


1♠ Pass Pass

Dbl

If you had a king more, you would have made a take-out of 1♠ in second seat. You therefore have enough for a reopening double.

TRANSFERRING THE MENACEA squeeze play that transfers the guard from one defender to the other.

For example:

Page 22

NW E

S

♠ A J

♥ Q 10

♦ Void

♣ Void

♠ K Q ♠ 7

♥ J 9 ♥ K 6 4

♦ Void ♦ Void

♣ Void ♣ Void

♠ 8

♥ A 3

♦ A

♣ Void

You are aiming to make the four re-maining tricks at no-trumps (or with diamonds as trumps) and have the lead in dummy. North has two men-aces, the ♠J and the ♥Q, but each op-ponent controls one of the menaces. If you simply cross to the ♥A and cash the ♦A, there is no squeeze because West keeps spades and East hearts. If, however, you lead the ♥Q (covered by the king and ace), the heart menace becomes the ♥10 and responsibility for guarding it ‘transfers’ to West. West is now squeezed on the play of the ♦A.

TRAP PASSTo pass holding a strong hand in the hope the opposition will overbid and you can extract a good penalty against their final contract. You may also see the term used to describe the situation in which you are playing negative doubles but wish you were not.

N

W ES

♠ 7

♥ 9 6 4

♦ K Q 9 5 2

♣ A 8 3 2


1♠ 2♦

?

If a double would be negative, suggesting four hearts and asking partner to bid, then you should pass (smoothly) in the hope that your partner re-opens with a double.

TRAVELLER OR TRAVELLING SCORE SLIPThe slip of paper that accompanies a board as it travels round the room in a duplicate event, on which to record each pair’s result.

TREATMENTThat part of an agreed system designed to handle certain situations that arise in the bidding. It may also be a variation of a particular convention.

TRIAL BIDA bid in a new suit when trumps have been agreed that invites partner to bid higher (normally to game) if he is good for his previous bidding but allows room for him to sign off if he is poor. With halfway values, he should refer to his holding in the ‘trial bid’ suit.

N

W ES

♠ Q 10 7 4

♥ K Q 4

♦ 8 5 2

♣ 8 5 2


1♠ Pass

2♠ Pass 3♥ Pass

4♠

You have little in the way of extra values but your heart holding should solidify whatever partner has in the suit. As little as ♠A-K-x-x-x and ♥A-x-x-x-x opposite makes 4♠ almost laydown.

TRICKA group of four cards, the lead and the three subsequent cards played in rotation. A key objective in the play is to win tricks. Since there are fifty-two cards, there are thirteen tricks.

TRICK POINTSPoints for contracts bid and made, recorded below the line in rubber bridge. Trick points for each trick over six bid and made are as follows:

Clubs or diamonds trumps 20Hearts or spades trumps 30No-trumps 40

for the first and 30 for each subsequent trick

TRIPLE RAISEA raise missing out two levels of bidding e.g. 1♠-Pass-4♠ or 1♠-2♦-Pass-5♦. It is usually pre-emptive.

TRIPLE SQUEEZEThis is a squeeze against one opponent in three suits. There are numerous types of triple squeeze position. In the simplest variant, you have enough winners to win all but two of the remaining tricks. For example:

NW E

S

♠ A J

♥ Void

♦ 3 2

♣ 3

♠ K Q

♥ Void

♦ K Q

♣ A

♠ 2

♥ A

♦ A J

♣ K

When as South, in no-trumps, you lead the ♥A, you squeeze West in three suits. Indeed, he must throw a spade in order to avoid a second squeeze again.

TRIPLETONA holding of three cards in a suit e.g. A-J-5 or 7-3-2.

TRUMPA card in the trump suit as determined by the last suit bid in the auction, or playing such a card on a plain suit. Trumps are very important since, in any trick containing a trump, the highest trump wins the trick. In the auction, you often want to arrange for the trump suit, if there is one, to be a suit in which you and your partner have the maximum number of cards.

TRUMP ASKING BIDA bid that enquires as to the quality of partner’s trump holding. In many systems, a bid of 5NT not preceded by 4NT asks about partner’s trump holding e.g. 2♣-pass-3♦-pass-5NT. In Precision, it is quite common to play a single raise after a 1♣ opening and a positive response as a trump asking bid e.g. 1♣-pass-1♠-pass-2♠.


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Page 24

TRUMP CONTROLThe player with the longest trump holding has trump control. When two players have equally long trump suits, ownership of trump control depends on whether your trumps are high enough to draw the opposing trumps and whether you can force your opponent to ruff. On deals when one of the defenders has four trumps, there can be an intriguing battle for trump control. For example:

NW E

S

♠ K J 7 5

♥ A K 3

♦ Q J 4

♣ 8 7 4

♠ A 8 6 3 ♠ 2

♥ J 6 5 ♥ Q 10 7 4

♦ K 10 7 5 ♦ A 9 8 3 2

♣ 9 5 ♣ 10 3 2

♠ Q 10 9 4

♥ 9 8 2

♦ 6

♣ A K Q J 6

South plays in 4♠. West leads the ♦5. East wins with the ♦A and returns the ♦3.

Suppose that South ruffs and plays a trump. West wins with the ace and plays a third diamond, forcing South to ruff again. Declarer has trump control because West and North have the same number of trumps and declarer has the lead with the high trumps.

Now, suppose the play starts the same way but West holds up the ♠A until the third round before continuing diamonds. This time, West has the lead while North and West have equal trump length, so West can take trump control.

Finally, suppose that declarer (correctly) discards a heart at trick two. This way West is unable to set up a force (the ♦Q will be high) and declarer retains trump control.

TRUMP COUPA stratagem whereby you can trap an opponent’s trump honour without taking an actual finesse. For example:

NW E

S

♠ Void

♥ 7 4

♠ Void ♠ K J

♥ J 9 ♥ Void

♠ A Q

♥ Void

With spades as trumps, you lead a heart from dummy. Whatever East does, you overruff and make the last two tricks.

To reach a position like this you need to ensure that you have the same number of trumps as the defender (if you had more, you would have to ruff and lead away from your trump holding). You will also need to ensure that the lead is not in the hand with the trump tenace.

TRUMP ECHOA high-low signal in the trump suit. In the trump suit, an echo shows an odd number (i.e. opposite to a standard signal in a plain suit) and usually a desire to ruff.

NW E

S

♠ A 7 4

♠ 10 6 2 ♠ K J

♠ Q 9 8 5 3

NW E

S

♠ 9 5 2

♠ Q 6 3 ♠ J 10

♠ A K 8 7 4

In the first trump suit, declarer plays the ace and then up to the queen. If West plays the six followed by the two, this shows a third trump and strongly suggests a desire for a ruff.

In the second, declarer cashes the ace-king. Here, West might play high-low even with no desire to ruff. When declarer stops drawing trumps, East can infer that either West has no more trumps or that West’s remaining trump is a winner. West’s high-low enables East to tell which is which.

TRUMP KINGOften regarded as a ‘fifth’ ace in control-showing bids.

TRUMP PETERThis is the same as trump echo.

TRUMP PROMOTIONTo promote a trump trick in a defender’s hand through leading a plain suit in which declarer and one defender is void. This occurs mainly in two ways:1. The lead of a plain suit card through

declarer can allow partner to make an extra trump trick.

2. If a defender ruffs with a high trump, this may force declarer to overruff higher thus promoting a trump trick for partner.

Suppose the trump layout is as follows:

NW E

S

♠ 8 4 2

♠ J 9 3 ♠ 10 5

♠ A K Q 7 6

1. If East leads a suit in which South

and West are void, declarer faces an unpleasant choice: ruff low, allowing West to overruff or ruff high and lose the third round.

2. If West leads a suit of which East and South are void, East should ruff high with the ten. If declarer discards, the defenders have an immediate trump trick. If declarer overruffs, West wins the third round.

As a rule, declarer does best to discard a loser rather than incur a trump promotion.

To thwart this, the defenders should usually arrange to cash their side winners before trying for a trump promotion.

TRUMP REDUCTION PLAYPlay designed to reduce the number of trumps held in the long trump hand. You do this by ruffing, usually in preparation for a trump coup or endplay.

The general technique is for declarer to reduce his trumps to the same length as the defender’s.


Page 25

NW E

S

♠ 4

♥ 7 4 2

♠ Q 10 8 ♠ Void

♥ K ♥ A Q J 3

♠ K J 9 2

♥ Void

In this four-card ending, with North on lead and spades as trumps, South starts with a trump more than West. An immediate endplay would not work because West could win the spade cheaply and exit with a heart. Instead, you ruff a heart, reducing your trump length to the same as West’s, before giving up a spade.

TRUMP SIGNALAn agreed method by defenders, when following in trumps, to show information in that suit or another suit. The usual signals are the trump echo (to show length and/or a desire for a ruff) and the suit-preference signal.

TRUMP SUITIf the denomination of the last bid of the auction is a suit, then that suit is the trump suit.

TRUMP SUPPORTSupport for partner in his proposed trump suit.

TRUSCOTT CONVENTIONDefence mechanism against strong (16+pts) artificial opening bids of 1♣ (as in Precision and Blue Club systems). The principle is to counter honour-point strength with distributional values. An overcall shows a two-suited hand with at least 5-4 distribution in the suits pinpointed by the following bids over 1♣.

1♦ shows diamonds and hearts1♥ shows hearts and spades1♠ shows spades and clubs2♣ shows clubs and diamonds1NT shows diamonds and spadesDouble shows clubs and hearts.

In fourth seat, after an artificial 1♣ opening and artificial response (such as 1♦ negative or a control-showing response), the principle is the same: the lowest four suit bids show the lower of touching suits; double shows non-touching suits including the suit doubled; no-trumps shows the other non-touching two-suiter.

You can also play Truscott over an Acol/Benjamin 2♣; all the bids are a level higher than over a strong 1♣.

TWO CLUB SYSTEMSSystems employing a strong and forcing 2♣ opening bid, such as Acol and Standard American.

TWO NO TRUMP OVERCALLA balanced hand of some defined strength, but frequently played as a conventional bid if it is a jump or after both opponents have bid.

The most common conventional use of a 2NT overcall is to show a two-suited hand with the two lowest unbid suits (called the Unusual 2NT overcall).

TWO OVER ONETo respond, without jumping, to partner’s one-level opening bid with a new suit at the two-level. The bid shows greater values than are required for a one-level response.

TWO OVER ONE SYSTEMA system in which a two-over-one response (e.g. 1♠-pass-2♣) creates a game force. With such a system, it is usual to play a forcing 1NT response to 1♥ or 1♠ and to play weak or artificial jump shifts.

TWO-SUIT FITIf you and your partner have eight, or usually more, cards between you in two suits, this is a two-suit fit (commonly called a double fit). Hands with a two-suit fit often produce more tricks than point count or the law of total tricks suggest.

N

W ES

♠ A 9 8 5 4 2 ♠ K 10 7 3

♥ 3 ♥ 9 4

♦ Q 7 4 ♦ A K 10 6 3 2

♣ A 5 3 ♣ 2

A to Z of Bridge continued The combination of good controls and the two-suit fit in the pointed suits means that East-West can expect to make a slam with only 20 HCP between them.

You should try harder than usual to buy the contract when your side has a two-suit fit.

TWO-SUITED OVERCALLSConventional overcalls that show two suits, at least one of which partner knows. The unusual no-trump and the Michaels cue bid are the most popular type of two-suited overcall.

TWO-SUITERA hand with at least five cards in each of two suits.

TWO-WAY FINESSEA card combination allowing declarer to finesse either opponent for a missing honour. For example:

NW E

S

K 10 6

A J 8

With the above card combination, you have the choice of finessing either opponent for the missing queen.

When you have a two-way finesse, you usually want to delay playing the suit. This is partly in the hope that the opponents may lead it first and partly so you can obtain as much information as possible before you have to decide who is more likely to hold the missing honour.

TWO WAY STAYMANThe use of 2♣ as non-forcing Stayman (forcing for one round only) and 2♦ as game-forcing Stayman. ■

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Page 26

Wendy and Spouse are on the island of Limnos. In a village taverna, they met a

French couple and enjoyed an evening of rubber bridge. They agreed to play again the following evening.

Busy Myrini, the main town of Limnos, is bisected by a rocky hill on which a robust castle dominates the bay and guards the harbour where small fishing boats gently rock from side to side on clear blue water. On the quayside are fish tavernas where the early morning catch is later cooked for the inevitable enjoyment of customers. Above the lively streets, the castle is illuminated first by the setting sun and then by the floodlighting on its massive walls. That evening, locals and visitors were in festive mood as they promenaded in pairs or family groups, appreciating the balmy air. By the harbour, Spouse and I were reunited with our new French friends, Pierre and Marie. Here, we enjoyed an excellent meal before settling down to some bridge. It was a long rubber of unsuccessful contracts and bitty part scores until, at game all, Spouse dealt and, in desperation, bid 1♥.

NW E

S

♠ 8 2

♥ Q 10 8 5

♦ K Q 10 2

♣ A 10 5

♠ 10 3 ♠ Q 9 7 6 5

♥ A J 9 3 ♥ 7 4

♦ J 9 7 3 ♦ 8 5 4

♣ 8 3 2 ♣ Q 7 4

♠ A K J 4

♥ K 6 2

♦ A 6

♣ K J 9 6

I responded 1♠ and this simple auction ensued:

North South

Spouse Wendy

1♥ 1♠

2♦ 4NT*

5♦ 6NT

*Blackwood

Pierre led the ten of spades. As dummy appeared, I was not too happy with Spouse, although, to be fair, his hand obeyed the rule of 19. Marie played low and I won with the jack. There seemed to be so many ways to play the hand and, as usual, I could not identify the best line. I played the king of hearts. West won with the ace, exiting with his second spade. Entirely by luck, I guessed the clubs correctly. With the finesse of the ten of hearts also work-ing, the slam made with three spade tricks, two hearts, three diamonds and four clubs. Of course, it was a terrible contract – but it won us the rubber and the bragging rights. I glanced at Spouse. ‘Well played,’ he said kindly, with a big beaming grin across his face.

Our winnings bought the next ca-rafe of local wine to celebrate our success. This we soon consumed and Pierre insisted on ordering a round of French brandy. Not surprisingly, none was available in the taverna, so Ma-rie produced a bottle from her enor-mous handbag. The taverna owner produced five glasses and toasted our British victory. He admitted the Co-gnac was good, but when pressed by Pierre, declared rather undiplomati-cally that Greek brandy was superior. To the Frenchman, this was nothing short of an insult and law 74 applied. Yet another split in the European Un-

ion was now a distinct possibility. A one-man appeals committee in the form of an independent commission of enquiry was established immedi-ately and a bottle of Greek brandy was produced. National pride was again at stake. We appointed Spouse to evalu-ate the evidence and make a ruling; a challenge he seemed to relish with naïve enthusiasm. Greek and French protagonists awaited in eager antici-pation as Spouse tasted each brandy in turn. Finally, with due pomp (and with much pomposity), he announced his decision. ‘This French Cognac is excellent. In cold, Northern Europe, it is hailed as the finest after-dinner stimulant.’ Tension was now running high and rising. Spouse sipped the Greek brandy again and nodded his head sagely. ‘In this charming taverna on this beautiful evening with these gentle breezes caressing this idyllic is-land, this brandy, created from grapes ripened by the warming rays of the Aegean sun, is perfection.’

The words tripped from his tongue like those of a stately theatrical actor, his voice rising and falling with the flow of his passionate praise. His free hand emphasised the subtle nuances of his speech by moving in illustrative unison with his modulating tones. He bowed slightly as his hushed audience erupted into applause. Honour on both sides was satisfied by his conciliatory judgement. During the festivities that followed, we forgot all the acrimony. Spouse was declared the unofficial Honorary British Consul of Limnos, after which the evening slipped blissfully into oblivion, sound in the knowledge that the Euro-zone was once again as safe as the Bank of England. ■

The Diaries of Wendy WensumEpisode 13: An Aegean JauntPart 2: The Diplomatic Incident

Page 27

Mr BridgeChristmas &

New Year 2013/14

Denham Grove

Near Uxbridge, UB9 5DU

23-27 December £495 Just Duplicate Bridge(with a small section for

rubber/Chicago with Diana Holland)

27-29 December £215 Signal and Discards

29 December – 2 January £445 Doubles

The Olde Barn

Marston, Lincs, NG32 2HT

23-27 December £495 Just Duplicate Bridge

27-29 December £215 Finding Slams

29 December – 1 January £445 Leads and Defence

( 01483 489961e-mail: [email protected]

website: www.holidaybridge.comBooking Form on page 5.

Suppose partner opens a weak no-trump and you hold:

Hand A

♠ Q 5 4

♥ K 6 2

♦ A Q 8 2

♣ 5 4 3

Hand B

♠ Q 5 4

♥ K 6 2

♦ A Q 10 4 3

♣ 5 4

Perhaps to you they both look like a raise of 1NT to 2NT (perhaps via some sort of non-promissory Stayman imposed on you because of the vagaries of your sys-tem). Maybe partner has one of the following hands:

Hand C

♠ A K 3

♥ Q J 10

♦ 9 6 5 2

♣ A 8 2

Hand D

♠ K 3 2

♥ A J 10

♦ K 6 5

♣ J 10 7 6

Presumably, partner will bid 3NT when he has Hand C and pass when he has Hand D.

Hand A facing Hand C has little chance. Hand B facing Hand D gives a good chance of nine tricks.

Sometimes hands fit, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the opponents make the best lead (for them) and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes you raise to 2NT and partner pass-es but only makes seven tricks.

My tip is, most of the time at IMP scoring, make the choice yourself: when partner opens with a weak 1NT, with a flat 11-count and no five-card suit pass; with a good 11-count and a good five-card suit bid 3NT. In the long run, you will make a profit.

PINS AND NEEDLESBridge tip from Sally Brock:

Don’t try to land on a pinhead at IMPs

Bridge and Travel Tips

Travel tip from Emma Thomson: A stitch in time saves nine – or your holiday

Keep the miniature sewing kits laid out as a freebie in hotel bathrooms. They’re small, but full of useful items for on-the-road repairs:

safety pins for securing sarongs, thread which doubles up as dental floss or luggage markers and buttons for an impromptu game of travel tiddlywinks.

Page 28

You may remember the some-what unusual funeral arrange-ments made for his old partner,

the Marquis de Sade, by my uncle, Leopold, Baron von Münchhausen.

These were controversial on two fronts: firstly, Greenpeace protesters accused my uncle of polluting the virgin Arctic and indeed contributing to global warming by distributing de Sade’s dark ashes across the otherwise highly reflective northern ice. Secondly, the nobility of Europe were disappointed in their expectations of paying their last respects, or disrespects, as the case may be.

The Marquis de Sade’s Memorial Service

Thus it came about that a memorial service was held not all that far from Westminster Cathedral. The Cathedral itself could not be had for the affair – there is a well-substantiated rumour that a very highly placed personage in the Vatican hierarchy vetoed any official celebration of de Sade’s life. (There is a less well-substantiated rumour that His Holiness quipped, ‘Perhaps we can celebrate his death!’)

A renegade priest was found to officiate and the eulogy was given by Monsieur le Comte de Sade, the eldest legitimate son of the late Marquis. It has long been a peculiarity of the de Sades that the titles Marquis and Comte are used in alternate generations. Possibly this is to avoid the misdirected attentions of the police forces of Europe.

‘Please call me Aristides,’ the charming Comte invited me. As chance would have it, we ended up

sitting together at the lavish dinner that evening. Rarely had the Café Royal entertained so much blue blood on a single occasion. I think I was the only mere Mister in the whole company.

‘Please call me Dick,’ I countered.‘Certainement, Monsieur le Duc,’ the

Comte replied . . .

A Bridge Story

After a considerable quantity of claret had been consumed, the Comte condescended to tell me a bridge story concerning my uncle which he had heard from his father. He wrote this deal in the bottom margin of the wine list and was just getting into the story when he was called away to be interviewed by the court correspondent of the Telegraph, or was it the Times?

NW E

S

♠ A 4

♥ K Q 3

♦ Q J 10 9 8 7 2

♣ 10

♠ 9 7 5 3 ♠ K 10 2

♥ 9 8 7 ♥ A J 5 4

♦ 6 4 ♦ A K

♣ 6 5 4 3 ♣ J 9 8 2

♠ Q J 8 6

♥ 10 6 2

♦ 5 3

♣ A K Q 7

The Baron Remembers

Days later, I found the crumpled wine list when I emptied the pockets of my

dinner jacket before sending it to the dry cleaner. Over lunch, I asked Uncle Leo if he recalled the hand.

His eyebrows lowered in a thunderous frown. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘From de Sade’s son and heir, actually,’ I answered.

‘Like father, like son, eh? Camille’s most annoying trait was that compulsive tendency to dwell – well, sadistically – on one’s occasional embarrassments.’

‘So this is a hand you misplayed?’He glared at me ominously. ‘You

forget yourself. In fact, it is a hand I defended very competently. My father opened 1NT on the South cards and my late Mama raised to 3NT, doubled and redoubled of course. De Sade examined his Yarborough for any positive feature and led – correctly I believe – the nine of hearts, on which dummy’s queen is played. Plan your defence.’

The Merrimac Coup

‘Ah . . . well . . .’ Then it hit me. Of course! ‘You have to cut off declarer from dummy’s diamonds, so you must hold off the heart. You are in with the king of diamonds at the next trick,’ I smiled in a superior fashion, ‘and you then make the master play, returning the king of spades. It’s called the Merrimac Coup, sacrificing your potential winning honour to kill a key entry.’

‘I am perfectly aware of its name – but your Merrimac Coup is not good enough. Declarer takes three tricks in each black suit, then throws you in with the diamond ace. You can cash

Lightning Strikes Twice

From the Baron’s Archives by Dick Atkinson

Page 29

two more tricks if you like, but you must eventually lead to the king of hearts, which is the entry for a winning diamond, the declarer’s ninth trick.’

‘And your father actually found that line?’ I asked.

‘I didn’t give him the chance. I overtook the heart queen and played back that king of spades immediately. In with the diamond king, I played back the heart knave, a second Merrimac Coup. My double coup held Papa to three spade tricks, two hearts and three clubs – one down.’

‘But?’ I knew there must be a ‘but’.

He took out his favourite gold propelling pencil – I lent it to him in 1997, or late ’96 – and drew the following layout:

NW E

S

♠ Void

♥ Q 10 9 8 6 4 2

♦ Void

♣ J 10 9 7 5 3

♠ 8 7 6 5 ♠ A Q 10 4

♥ A K ♥ J 7

♦ 5 3 2 ♦ K J 9 8 7 6 4

♣ K Q 6 4 ♣ Void

♠ K J 9 3 2

♥ 5 3

♦ A Q 10

♣ A 8 2

Triple Merrimac Coup

‘It is strange how lightning always had a way of striking twice in my encounters with my father. De Sade, West, opened 1NT, Mutti overcalled with 2♥, I called 3♦ and, over my father’s careful pass, the Marquis rebid 3NT.

‘They were playing first, third or fifth leads, so the knave of clubs was led and, far-sightedly, de Sade discarded the seven of hearts from dummy.

‘3NT obviously has entry problems. South may duck the first club, win the first diamond and return a heart. Now it looks as though declarer must be off. But he may surmise from the lead and the diamond distribution that North is too feeble to call 2♥ without a seven-card suit, so perhaps he will cash his second heart winner, discarding a spade, before returning a second diamond. South must now concede the ninth trick in one or other black suit. If the declarer failed to extract South’s second exit card in this way, the defender would cash his third diamond before exiting.’

‘But de Sade didn’t find that line?’

‘He never got the chance. My father went up promptly with his ace of clubs at trick one and shot back the king of spades to dummy’s ace. The king of diamonds went to the ace and the spade knave was taken by dummy’s queen. A diamond to Papa’s ten was followed by the spade nine to dummy’s ten, killing the diamond suit stone dead. De Sade was limited to four spade tricks, two hearts and two clubs and my father gloated unbearably about his Triple Merrimac Coup for the rest of the evening.’

‘Like father, like son,’ I said. Silently, of course. ■

Lightning Strikes Twice continued

Previously published in BRIDGE 60.

Reprinted to satisfy popular demand.

JULY 2013

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l Opening Bids and Responses

l Slams and Strong Openings

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l Minors and Misfits

l Doubles

l Competitive Auctions

MORE (ADVANCED)

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l Basics

l Advanced Basics

l Weak Twos

l Strong Hands

l Defence to Weak Twos

l Defence to 1NT

l Doubles

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l Defences to Other Systems

l Misfits and Distributional Hands

DECLARER PLAY

l Suit Establishment in No-trumps

l Suit Establishment in Suits

l Hold-ups

l Ruffing for Extra Tricks

l Entries in No-trumps

l Delaying Drawing Trumps

l Using the Lead

l Trump Control

l Endplays & Avoidance

l Using the Bidding

ADVANCED DECLARER PLAY

l Making Overtricks in No-trumps

l Making Overtricks in Suit Contracts

l Endplays

l Avoidance

l Wrong Contract

l Simple Squeezes

l Counting the Hand

l Trump Reductions & Coups

l Playing Doubled Contracts

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DEFENCE

l Lead vs No-trump Contracts

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Page 31

If you and your partner are bidding towards a contract, it may make sense to make a cheap bid to allow

room for you both to describe your hands. Suppose you hold:

♠ A Q 8 7 5 ♥ K Q J 3 ♦ 6 ♣ Q 10 4

You open 1♠, intending to rebid 2♥, but your partner responds 3NT. What do you do now? You will just wriggle for a few moments, before passing. Partner will have about a flat 13-count, but he might have four hearts (making 4♥ a better spot), or even three spades (probably making 4♠ better).

‘The most economical bid’ might not equate to the lowest possible bid. It means you make the lowest bid that tells partner something new about your hand and allows for how the auction is likely to develop. Here are some examples. With hands A and B you are first to speak. What do you open?

Hand A Hand B ♠ K 10 6 ♠ A J 9 3 ♥ A 5 ♥ K J 7 5 ♦ Q J 10 9 5 ♦ A J 9 8 ♣ K 6 5 ♣ 8

With hand A, the lowest rational bid is 1♦. There is nothing wrong with this systemically and, because you can rebid 2♦, the development of the auction poses no threats. Is 1♦ also the most economical bid in the sense of giving information to partner? No, 1NT does the job better. Partner will have a much clearer idea of your strength and balanced shape if you open 1NT.

1NT, although not the lowest bid, is the most economical as it describes several features of your hand at once.

With hand B, you could in theory open any of 1♦, 1♥ and 1♠. The theme of keeping the bidding low suggests that you open 1♦, leaving maximum space at the one level. Indeed, 1♦ tells partner as much as 1♥ or 1♠. How though is the auction going to develop?

You will be happy if partner responds 1♥ or 1♠. Now suppose he responds 2♣. What is your rebid? Oops. You can scarcely rebid your four-card diamond suit. Nor can you reverse into 2♥ or 2♠ or bid 2NT as these rebids all show a stronger hand than you have. No, you should have opened 1♥ in the first place with 2♦ available as a rebid if required. So on this deal, 1♥ is the most economical opening, as it enables you to develop the auction sensibly.

Hand C Hand D ♠ K Q 10 9 ♠ K 6 3 ♥ Q 8 7 3 ♥ 10 9 5 2 ♦ 3 2 ♦ A 10 2 ♣ 9 6 5 ♣ A K 5

With Hand C partner has opened 1♦, and with Hand D partner has opened 1♠. What do you respond?

Hand C is a good example of the most economical bid also being the lowest available bid. Some players might bypass the poor heart suit and respond 1♠, claiming that Q-x-x-x does not represent a biddable suit. Now suppose partner has something like this:

♠ J 8 ♥ J 10 6 2 ♦ A K Q 8 ♣ A 10 3

After hearing your 1♠ response, he will rebid 1NT and there the bidding will rest, with the heart fit lost forever. No, 1♥ is the most sensible bid. It tells partner as much as any other available bid, and causes no future problems – and for all those reasons is easily the most ‘economical’ response.

Hand D is trickier. You cannot bid 4♠ with only three spades, and 2♥ would be wrong on a four-card suit. With no minor, is the ‘most economical bid’ 3NT, describing your hand in one fell swoop? Aha! If you did that, you are giving partner the problem you faced at the start of this article!

♠ A Q 8 7 5 ♥ K Q J 3 ♦ 6 ♣ Q 10 4

Partner can only squirm after 3NT.You should have considered bidding

2♣. What can go wrong? If partner rebids spades, you can go to 4♠. If he rebids in hearts, you can choose between 4♠ and 4♥. If he rebids in a minor, you can jump to 4♠. If instead he rebids in no-trumps, you can bid 3♠ to let him choose between 3NT and 4♠. The space-saving 2♣ bid allows much more room for exploration.

By the way, for the reasons given above, many experts no longer use a 3NT response to show a flat 13-15. For that matter, many players no longer use a 2NT response to show a flat 11-12 for the same reason. With a balanced hand and 11 or more points, you save space if you bid a suit in the first round rather than just bashing 2NT or 3NT.

Remember, the most economical bid is not always the lowest bid. It is the lowest bid that is sound and does not tangle the subsequent auction. ■

Make the Most Economical Bid

Stephen Cashmore Says

Page 32

READERS’LETTERSOPPOSITE VIEWUnlike Mr Emerson, Readers’ Letters, BRIDGE 123, I find the camera switches on Bernard Magee’s DVDs relaxing and helpful in maintaining my concentration through the intensive instruction. Please don’t just show us the cards.Mr John Jordan,West Hallam, Derbyshire.

BRIDGE BINGOWould you like to publish my bingo bridge card and rules?

These can be found on www.worldclasscoins.com/bingobridge.pdfAlan Finch,Eastbourne, Sussex.

A TO Z OF BRIDGEI am a convert back to bridge after a 25 year gap and I love your A-Z of bridge section.

It’s a great way to revise and get up to date with all the modern buzz words. However, I came in at ‘G’. Is there any way I can get A-F? Scilla Carney, Birmingham.The A to Z feature began in BRIDGE 105. It can be viewed or downloaded if you wish from my library online at: www.mrbridge.co.uk

MAFEKINGHaving received BRIDGE for several years, I have always valued the tips about bidding and the playing of the hand. However, I must agree with the sentiments expressed by Mrs M Thrower in April issue, number 124.

Out of a total of 48 pages

there were 9 devoted to advertisements, as well as 8 to expensive cruises and 11 listing 130 bridge terms beginning with S. I shall be relieved when we finally get to the letter Z.David Eastwood,Kendal, Cumbria.

HE NEEDS A BEST FRIENDOn a bridge holiday in Jordan, to your published list of bridge etiquette was added – check personal hygiene. This applies just as much when in the UK.M Fraser by email.Quite so.

UNUSUALI play rubber bridge every week at a local club. Last week, when drawing for dealer, all four players drew a two. My husband believes the odds for this are 270,725 to 1.

At our club, with an average of six tables per week, this should happen about once in every 150 years. Mrs Brenda Garfield,Ilford, Essex.

DEPRESSEDThe January issue of BRIDGE was filled with doom and gloom and so am I.

Having travelled with you since 2004, 31 cruises to date and lots of weekends, I decided to try Aegean Odyssey. Great advert and it said no single supplement. The very next day after receiving the magazine, I

phoned only to be given a quote, I think, of roughly £600 more than the base price quoted. So I looked up m.v. Voyager – not a price for singles in sight. Years ago you had a scheme where you would ring me with last minute ideas but the phone never rings, so I’m with you Mr Bridge. Doom and gloom.Pat Davies,Sandbach, Cheshire. I have restarted the late bookers service now using email. Send me yours to [email protected] with your full postal address and phone number as well.

MEMORIESEvery Tuesday afternoon on coming home from school, there was my mother sitting in the front room with three friends. The bridge table would be in the centre and the trolley would be ready for me to wheel back into the kitchen where I could finish off any of the delicate little sandwiches or leftover slices of her famous fruit cake.

In the early days, I was sometimes allowed to take up a freshly dealt hand and sort it into suit order as a treat. This enabled me to become used to handling the cards from a very early age.

As children we played lots of card games; whist, rummy and snap, sometimes very uncomfortably in the Morrison Table Shelter in the kitchen, during the Norwich Blitz. We didn’t play with the cards used for bridge which were kept for that purpose and seemed almost sacrosanct.

Later on, when I had changed out of my school uniform, I was sometimes encouraged to take a hand and, an even more exciting experience, if someone was late I would get to play a few hands. It wasn’t

Acol and counting HCPs. Then, it was, ‘two and a half quick tricks to open,’ and, ‘one and a half to respond.’

My mother’s friends were an interesting bunch. The local doctor used to play on his afternoon off and there were usually 2 or 3 ladies of leisure, bringing a little butter from their rations, or a sponge cake made with dried eggs.

Two of my older sisters sometimes joined in for an afternoon, whilst on leave, one from the WAAFs and the other from the VADs.

I can’t remember the sirens sounding on any of those afternoons; that usually happened in the dead of night, when we had to rush downstairs and cross the road to, ‘go down the shelter,’ with cards and books.

It was horrible and stank of stale tobacco smoke. Worst of all I wasn’t allowed to take my dog down with me.

Since the 1940s, I have played bridge in many different places. Sailing the Med to the Near East for a year’s voluntary work, during the course of which I learnt the words for clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades in many different languages.

On the Norfolk Broads, with the bridge cloth blowing in the breeze.

Happy days.Minda Alexander by email.

RE-PLUGThank you very much for your free plug which resulted in two new members for Wendover Bridge Club.

We meet every Tuesday evening at 7.30pm. Further details are available from me, ( 01296 624089 or by email [email protected] Peeler,Wendover, Bucks.

Page 33

READERS’ LETTERScontinued

MAY 2013

19 HOSPISCARE. Swiss Teams at Honiton Bridge Club 10.30am. £60 per team includes a salad lunch and refreshments. Peter Crawford ( 01395 567930

29 AFRICAN MISSIONS Bridge tea, Ladywell, Godalming, Surrey. 1.30 for 2pm. £36 per table. Sr. June Shirville ( 01483 419393 [email protected]

JUNE 2013

12 BREAKTHROUGH BREAST CANCER Bridge afternoon. Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford, West Sussex. RH14 0LN. 1.30pm. £20 pp (tables of 4). Tea, raffle and bubbles. Jo Rees ( 01903 740512 www.bartholomewbarn.co.uk

14 ST MARY’S CHURCH Eaton Socon, St Neots. 10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50. Malcolm Howarth ( 01480 212910

19 DOWNHAM MARKET HERITAGE SOCIETY. Duplicate Bridge at the Town Hall Downham Market, Norfolk at 1.00pm. £6pp, inc. tea. Pat Roberts ( 01366 382947

26 ST MATTHEWS CHURCH Bridge Drive in Ripley, Derbyshire 10 for 10.30am. £13.50 inc. coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Veronica Wragg ( 01773 745462

28 BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION 29 Swansea Bridge Club, 30 22 St James Gardens,

Friday 7pm, Open & Novice Pairs £4. Saturday, Session 1 at 1.45pm, £5. Session 2 at 7pm, £9. Sunday, Session 1 at 1pm, Session 2 at 4.45pm. £36 per team. Diana Panniers ( 01792 297081

JULY 2013

4 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE ROTARY CLUB Outlane Golf Club. 12 for 12.30. £44 per table. Sam Smith ( 01924 492540

E-mail your charity events: [email protected]

CHARITY BRIDGE EVENTS 7 RUNSWICK BAY RESCUE

BOAT. Bridge Day. Hinderwell Village Hall. 10am. £16 includes lunch. Karen ( 01947 841013

8 ROWANS HOSPICE, PURBROOK Duplicate at Denmead Bridge Club, Community Hall, School Lane, Denmead. 7pm. £2pp. Georgina Erskine ( 01489 878016

12 GREAT BARFORD CHURCH Village Hall, Great Barford. 10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50. Derek Fordham ( 01234 870324

AUGUST 2013

16 ST IVES DAY CARE CENTRE Hemingford Abbots Village Hall. Tickets £13.50. Don Moorman ( 01480 463444

SEPTEMBER 2013

4 GYDA. Corn Exchange, Faringdon. £15. Steve Braithwaite ( 01367 240929


OCTOBER 2013

4 ST ANDREWS CHURCH Mandeville Hall. Kimbolton. £14.00. Mavis Campion ( 01480 860477

NOVEMBER 2013

4 RNLI Crowborough Beacon Golf Club bridge tea. 1.30pm for 2pm start. £26 per table. Penny ( 01825 830006


22 ST MARY’S CHURCH Eaton Socon, St Neots. 10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50. Malcolm Howarth ( 01480 212910

WHAT’S GOING ON?We are a non-profit making charity. We charge only £2.50 for the three hour session, including tea and biscuits. We offer duplicate and rubber bridge four afternoons a week.

Membership has dropped from 140 to 80 and attendances from 12-14 tables to 6-7 tables in the last decade. Is this a national trend or are we doing something wrong? We would be grateful for any ideas.Mr Frank Clare, Club Secretary, Canons Community Association, Stanmore, Middlesex.

HELP PLEASEPlease could you advise me how to set up a village bridge group, say 8 to 16 players and how to cope with odd numbers that crop up?Lilias Simpson, Plockton, Scottish Highlands.

OVERSEASI am an avid bridge player in Portugal. Please put me on your mailing list and advise me of postal charges.Liz Adamson, Algarve,Portugal.BRIDGE is put up on my website library as and when it goes to the printer. Readers in the UK wanting to be certain of a printed copy should send £16 for twelve months. £30 for two years. Overseas, £26 and £40.

PLUG REQUESTI know that, from time to time, you publish details of bridge clubs looking for new players. May I introduce Denmead Bridge Club, which welcomes new members for Duplicate Bridge. We are a friendly but EBU unaffiliated

club. We meet on Monday evenings, 7 to 10pm.

Contact Georgina Erskine on ( 01489 878016.Peter Rymill,Waterlooville, Hants.

FUND RAISERI am interested in finding out more about your fund raising ideas. I would love to do a bridge fund-raiser, perhaps not this year, but in future. My sister and I did a golf day last year. We had a great response, but I can’t hound my friends again so soon.Mrs E Webster by email.Stuff and nonsense! Your friends love and admire you for it. It saves them from having to make the effort.

ANOTHER PLUGWe have just started a No Fear Bridge Club in Bedford. Our objective is to teach beginners to play bridge so that they feel confident enough to go along to one of the clubs in the Bedford area.

We are a non-profit club and meet Thursday mornings at the ATA Sport & Social Club, Manton Lane, Bedford.

We charge £2 table money which goes towards running costs and new equipment. We also provide lessons in basic Acol for beginners on Monday evenings. Ring Brian Ford on ( 01234 300218.

RELOCATION ASSISTI have just sent a request for your mag on behalf of an elderly relative who has just moved back to Scotland from Canada. She is missing her bridge and has no transport. I wondered if you have any suggestions about bridge in Slamannan, near Falkirk? Writing in hope.Kate Maxwell, Cheltenham, Glos.Replies direct to katmaxwell@ btinternet.com

Page 34

READERS’ LETTERScontinued

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(/Fax 020 8422 4906 e-mail: [email protected]

Write to Mr Bridge at: Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH or e-mail [email protected]

E-mail correspondents are asked to include their name, full postal address, telephone number and to send no attachments.

Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

REDESIGNI do enjoy reading your magazine, BRIDGE, and it must seem churlish to make a slight moan but here goes.

For many editions, up until the last two, you have had David and Julian’s quizzes on a right page with the answers overleaf.

This arrangement has been most satisfactory as I have been able to cut out the quizzes and easily store them for future reference.

I may be a lone voice but if you can juggle the adverts so as to return to the previous format, you would make this old man very happy.John Newbold by email.

VARIOUS OPTIONSI have read the letter on page 37 in BRIDGE 123 and noticed you did not comment. On behalf of the readers, may I thank you for the magazine and make the following points.l Most, if not all, of the

articles are written by professionals.

l The coverage is for all bridge players, learners, improvers, intermediate as well as advanced players.

l Readers can contribute to the magazine with their own articles, letters of interest, advertise their own clubs.

l Readers can receive expert advice in

answer to their bridge queries using email.

l Bridge is an evolutionary game and BRIDGE helps to keep us up to date.

l It is a magazine to keep for reference, not read once and put in the recycling bin.

l The adverts keep us up to date with bridge weekends, cruises, software, etc.

The adverts pay for the magazine, so it costs us? Nothing! So I suggest your reader goes down to their local newsagent and checks on the price of special interest publications.

If still not happy, there is another option... ask to be taken off the mailing list.Anne Glendenningby email.

SUPPORT NEEDEDI’ve noted some readers’ letters recently complaining about the amount of space given to advertisements in the magazine.

I would urge you to continue to allocate as much space as you find necessary, if this allows you to continue to publish BRIDGE and distribute it free of charge to the many thousands of readers who eagerly await each issue.

I would also urge readers to support the advertisers as without them I fear that we would have no Mr Bridge.Malcolm Finebaum,Enfield, Middlesex.Quite so. ■

‘THE LAST TRUMP’ by Arthur Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson (1864-1941)

Australian poet. Poem published 1902

‘You led the trump,’ the old man said With fury in his eye,‘And yet you hope my girl to wed!Young man! your hopes of love are fled,‘Twere better she should die!

‘My sweet young daughter sitting there, So innocent and plump! You don’t suppose that she would care To wed an outlawed man who’d dare To lead the thirteenth trump!

‘If you had drawn their leading spade It meant a certain win! But no! By Pembroke’s mighty shade The thirteenth trump you went and played And let their diamonds in!

‘My girl, return at my command His presents in a lump! Return his ring! For, understand, No man is fit to hold your hand Who leads a thirteenth trump!

‘But hold! Give every man his due And every dog his day. Speak up and say what made you do This dreadful thing – that is, if you Have anything to say!’

He spoke. ‘I meant at first,’ said he, ‘To give their spades a bump, Or lead the hearts; but then you see I thought against us there might be, Perhaps, a fourteenth trump!’

♣♦♥♠

They buried him at dawn of day Beside a ruined stump: And there he sleeps the hours away And waits for Gabriel to play The last – the fourteenth trump.

Page 35

Blunsdon House Hotel

Swindon SN26 7AS

BRIDGE EVENTS

5-7 July 2013 £245

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11-13 October £245

Bernard Magee Splinters & Cue Bids

8-10 November £215

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22-24 November £245

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Full Board No Single Supplement


Elstead HotelBournemouth, BH1 3QP

BRIDGE EVENTS17-19 May 2013 Rubber/Chicago £ 199

14-16 June Just Duplicate Bridge £ 199




10-12 Jan 2014 Bernard Magee Doubles £ 245

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Queensferry HotelNorth Queensferry, KY11 1HP

BRIDGE EVENT 2013

25-27 October Bernard Magee £245 Finding Slams

Full Board. No Single Supplement.


Cheltenham Regency

HotelCheltenham GL51 0ST

BRIDGE EVENTS 2013

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6-8 December – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge



Page 36

QI would appreci-ate your views on my bidding here.

♠ 10 5 4

♥ 8

♦ K J 9 4 3

♣ A J 4 2


2♦1 Pass 2♥2

Pass Pass Dbl Pass

?1Multi2to play facing a weak two in

hearts

I bid 2♠ as I assumed he had four spades for his double. He said that if he had five spades, then he would bid them himself. I suggested 2NT for the minors might be a better option. Emma Jones by email.

A A take-out double normally asks you to bid your longest suit.

While you might have to bid a three-card suit if your only four-card suit is the oppos-ing suit, you do not want to be bidding a three-card suit otherwise. You rarely want to play voluntarily in a 4-3 fit (and there is no guaran-

tee it is 4-3, anyway). With your hand, I would certainly bid 3♦. Unless you have discussed this particular sequence, I would not expect partner to read 2NT as show-ing the minors in response to the double or as an overcall.

♣♦♥♠

QMost of my friends and I would open a

strong two when we have four losers or fewer, regardless of the num-ber of certain playing tricks or the number of high card points we have in our hand. This seems to work very well in a high percentage of cases – as well as go-ing by the number of playing tricks, if not better, in my opinion.

Another friend with whom I play once a fortnight goes by the number of playing tricks rather than losers.

What is your opinion?Julia Franklin, Hemel Hempstead.

A Culbertson had a rule that you opened a game force if you

had more honour tricks than

losers, so there is certainly merit in taking the number of losers into account in deciding whether to open a strong (but not game forc-ing) two bid. However, if you ignore high cards altogether, you will open some strange hands with a strong two. This hand has only four losers:

♠ K Q 10 8 7 6 5 4 2

♥ Q J 7

♦ 4

♣ Void

Surely you would not open a strong two with this hand.

Although the EBU rules about what counts legally as a strong hand do not apply in the same way to a natural bid, they are a useful guideline. If you reserve your strong two bids for hands with 4 or fewer losers and at least 16 HCP, that would be a significant improve-ment on opening abso-lutely any hand with four or fewer losers (or with a certain number of playing tricks).

♣♦♥♠

QI held this hand playing Benjamin:

♠ A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6

♥ 7 4

♦ 8 2

♣ Void

What should I have opened?

I thought if I opened 4♠ it would show eight spades and the hand was stronger than this. In the end I opened 2♣ showing 8 playing tricks which everyone said was wrong. What was the correct bid?Jane Davies, Romsey, Hampshire.

A The pragmatic opening is 4♠. While partner will not

expect you to have nine tricks in your hand, nothing else is better. If you were playing South African Texas, which a few players do, you could open 4♦ to show a strong 4♠ opening. Your friends are right: opening a Benjamin 2♣ on a hand that it is likely to make at most one trick if you defend is misleading.

If the opponents compete over 4♠ and your partner does not double them, you might reasonably go on to 5♠.

Julian Pottage answers your bridge questions

Should I Bid a 3-Card Suit?

Page 37

QIn the A-Z you describe the ROPI gadget.

1. Why not simply make the normal responses as the double has not interfered in any way?

2. What advantage could you gain by doubling the 4NT bid?Ken Davies, Birmingham.

A The A to Z covers things that you may come across at the

bridge table, some being more sensible than others. Playing that you ignore the double certainly is possible.

As it happens, my partner doubled a 4NT bid only last week. I had bid diamonds and he had not raised; this led me to wonder whether he was asking me to lead my suit. In fact, he had doubled just to find out whether the opponents had agreed what to do after the double.

♣♦♥♠

QAlthough the textbooks I have seen say that a

cue bid should be a first-round control (ace or void), you have given an example with K-9-4-2 in diamonds, which looks to me like second round control, there being no ace or void.

Can you please help me under-stand this better? Vernon Gamon, Royston, Herts.

A It is a matter of judgement and partnership

agreement whether you can cue bid a second

round control. At tournament and expert

level, it is common to play that you can cue bid a second round control below the level of 4NT. This is safe because you know that partner can check on aces/key cards via 4NT. For a small slam, it is important that at least one member of the partnership has first- or second round control in every suit, hence the importance of identifying second-round controls.

Cue bids are useful in slam auctions because they enable the players to give each other information (rather than for one player to take control and only receive information). They are also useful in enabling a player to express slam interest without going past game. If you make a cue bid below game when partner has an unlimited hand, you are merely showing that you have the suit controlled. If you make a cue bid above game or after partner has shown a limited hand then, as well as showing a control, you are showing extra values.

♣♦♥♠

QPlease could you explain the weak two opening?

Shirley Ann by email.

A A weak two is similar to a weak three, only a level lower and

with less shape. The typical requirements are 5-9 or 6-10 points and a 6-card suit. In the UK, it is most common to play weak twos in the major suits only. In the US, it is usual to play weak twos in three suits (spades, hearts and diamonds).

Some pairs will have an agreement about whether you need two of the top three

honours in the suit when vulnerable, whether you can have four cards in an unbid major and whether you may make the bid with a five-card suit. Whatever the standard agreement, it is usual to allow a little latitude in third seat.

If partner opens a weak two, nearly everyone plays 2NT as a strong enquiry asking for further information.

♣♦♥♠

QThe following hand occurred at a duplicate

club night.

NW E

S

♠ A Q J 8 4

♥ Q J

♦ Void

♣ A K J 7 6 4

♠ K 7 2

♥ 9 6 3

♦ A K J 8 7 4 3

♣ Void

How should the bidding proceed, North is dealer, a) with standard Acol and b) with Benjamin?

Contracts varied from 6NT to 1♠.Chris Dicker, Tavistock, Devon.

A You think the bidding might be different playing Benjamin.

In fact, I would open 1♣ in any case, reserving the Benjamin 2♣ opening for single-suited hands.

A possible auction is:

North South

1♣ 1♦

2♠ 3♦

3♠ 4♠

South’s raise to 4♠ should

probably deny a heart control (4♥ would agree spades and show a heart control), in which case North passes knowing the opponents have two hearts to take.

In some partnerships, North would not have this inference available and so might raise to 5♠, high-lighting the need for a heart control. Lacking one, South would pass 5♠.

♣♦♥♠

QIf you are playing Roman Key-card Blackwood,

how do you show 1 key card and a void?Pat Murphy by email.

A Eddie Kantar, in his excellent book on the subject,

recommends that with an odd number of key cards and a void, you jump to the six level in your void (or to six of the trump suit if your void is in a higher ranking suit than the trump suit).

♣♦♥♠

QPlease could you remind me what a high

reverse means? John Dunbar by email.

A Although a high reverse is a bit of a misnomer, as the

term is in common use, I use it too. It is when opener rebids, without a jump, in a new suit at the three level e.g. 1♠-pass-2♥-pass-3♣.

A high reverse shows similar values to a standard reverse. Because responder has shown the values to respond at the two level and the high reverse shows extra values in opener’s hand, it creates a game force.

Ask Julian continued

Page 38

NW E

S

♠ Q 7 6 3

♥ K

♦ 8 7 3

♣ A K Q 6 2

♠ A 9 5 2

♥ A Q 8 6 5

♦ K Q J

♣ 5

North South

1♥

2♣ 2♥

2♠ 4♠

End

Tony Mann by email.

A Sometimes, 3NT is a safer contract than four of a major

despite the presence of a 4-4 fit. This looks like one of those times, though difficult to identify in the bidding, when both players have a singleton. As you have 16 HCP and a 2♥ rebid shows a minimum opening, I would not recommend a 2♥ rebid. I would rebid 2♠: a reverse bid showing extra values and 4-5 in the majors. You should finish in 4♠ which, though riskier than 3NT, will often produce a trick more.

♣♦♥♠

QWe play Stayman and major suit transfers to 2NT

openings. Now, suppose my partner opens 2♦ (Benjamin) and I bid 2♥ (relay) and he rebids 2NT. If I then bid 3♣, he takes it as Stayman; if I bid 3♦ or 3♥, he takes my bids as transfer bids.

How can I avoid any misunderstanding? What type of hand do I require for Stayman or transfers?Bernard Coffey my email.

Ask Julian continued A It is for you and your partner to discuss continuations

after a 2NT rebid. Certainly, it is normal to

play the same continuations after a 2NT rebid (reached after only artificial bids) as after a 2NT opening. Thus, if you play Stayman and transfers after a 2NT opening, your partner would reasonably expect them to apply on the auction you cite. While it is true that responder will always get to declare a heart contract, I cannot see a good reason for adopting a different set of continuations.

You need the same sort of hand as you usually would for using Stayman or transfers: Stayman for hands with four-card majors, transfers for hands with five-card or longer majors.

♣♦♥♠

QAfter my partner opened 1♠, I responded

1NT with this hand:

♠ Void

♥ A 8 6 4

♦ K 9 5 3

♣ A 8 7 4 2

My partner rebid 2♠, which went down. She thought I had promised a couple of spades.

What should I have done?Doreen Parrington by email.

A Your 1NT did not promise a couple of spades. It simply

said that (a) you did not

have enough spades to raise (b) you were strong enough to respond and (c) you were not strong enough to respond at the two level.

If you were playing Acol, your hand fails on condition (c). 11 points is plenty for responding at the two level, so you should not have responded 1NT initially. If you were playing two-over-one, your initial 1NT was fine but you should have rebid 2NT over 2♠.

♣♦♥♠

QSouth plays in 4♠. West leads the ♣10.

NW E

S

♠ Q 9

♥ J 3

♦ A Q 10 7 6 2

♣ J 8 3

♠ 7 6 3

♥ 10 9 8 7

♦ J 5 4 3

♣ K Q

Which club should East play?Lloyd Lewis by email.

AWith this particular hand, I would suggest playing

the queen, the lower of the touching honours.

If you had a quick en-try, it would be different, because the way to tell your partner that you have doubleton honours is to play them in reverse order.

Here, you can see that partner will be the one to get in, so trying to show the second honour takes precedence over trying to show the doubleton. ■

E-mail your questions for Julian to: [email protected]

QWhen using Stayman and opener has both

majors, please explain why opener bids 2♥ rather than 2♠. I am struggling to see what difference it makes.Sidney Barrat by email.

AOn most hands, it does not make any difference, I agree.

However, it is a useful prin-ciple in bidding to keep the bidding as low as possible, hence for opener to rebid 2♥ with 4-4 rather than 2♠.

Whatever 1NT-2♣-2♥-2♠ means in your system, the gain comes when you have the right hand for it. You cannot bid 2♥ over 2♠ but you can bid 2♠ over 2♥.

For people playing non-promissory Stayman for example, 1NT-2♣-2♥-2NT denies four spades while 1NT-2♣-2♥-2♠ shows four spades.

Other people play that if you (as responder) have a hand with five spades but are only interested in game if partner has four-card sup-port, then you can start with Stayman. Then you can raise if opener shows spades or rebid 2♠ over a 2♥ (or 2♦) reply, in the latter case stop-ping safely at the two level if the desired fit is not present.

You will find that when (and it does not happen very often) almost everyone plays something the same way, there must be a reason for it.

♣♦♥♠

QPlease help me with the bidding of the

following hand on which we went one down.

The fare shown is per person, based on two people sharing the lowest twin bedded cabin category currently available, is for new bookings only, includes all applicable discounts and cannot be combined with any other discount, excluding Discovery Club Discount for past passengers. Cabin number may not be given at time of booking. All fares are correct at time of going to print, are subject to availability and may be changed or withdrawn at any time. †To be part of the Mr Bridge group a supplement of £30pp will be charged at the time of booking. Terms and conditions apply. Only bookings made through the Mr Bridge office are eligible to be part of the Mr Bridge Group. See brochure for full terms and conditions. Voyages of Discovery is the trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.

Join Bernard Magee and discover Mediterranean Medley

12th - 26th September 2013 15 days from £2,089pp

Discovery club members save an aDDitional 5%

Enthralling Rome – at the heart of the mighty Roman Empire, beautiful Venice – ‘the Queen of the Adriatic’ and enchanting Dubrovnik described

as ‘heaven on earth’ by George Bernard Shaw! Three notable cities on this voyage opening up fascinating chapters of Mediterranean history, visiting cities reborn after recent conflict and others that nature left frozen in time. Immerse yourself in art, architecture and culture and enjoy the dazzling constellations of islands strung out like pearls along Croatia’s Adriatic coast.

• Rome with its remarkable legacies of the Roman Empire

• Magnificent archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum

• Dubrovnik Old City on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

• Venice – a city of magnificent art and architecture

Why choose this cruise?

www.bridgecruises.co.uk01483 489961 for brochures and bookings

your itinerary

Date Port arrive DePart

12 Sep MarSeiLLe, France 10.00pm

13 Sep nice, France 12.00pm 7.00pm

14 Sep Livorno, italy 8.00am 7.00pm

15 Sep civitaveccHia, italy 8.00am 6.00pm

16 Sep caSteLLaMMare Di StaBia 7.00am 5.00pm

17 Sep MeSSina, Sicily 8.30am 6.00pm

18 Sep at Sea

19 Sep BrinDiSi, italy 7.00am 6.00pm

20 Sep at Sea

21 Sep ancona, italy 7.00am 5.00pm

22 Sep venice, italy 7.00am 6.30pm

23 Sep SiBeniK, croatia 9.00am 11.00pm

24 Sep Hvar, croatia 8.00am 6.00pm

25 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia 7.00am Overnight

26 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia

V O Y 130912

included in your fare

• 14-night cruise aboard Voyager including all meals, entertainment and port charges

• Your choice of cabin type, location and number

• Flights or eurostar London/Marseille andflightsDubrovnik/Londonincludingall pre-paid airport taxes (connecting flightsfromManchesterareavailableatasupplement*)

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*Flights from Manchester may not be direct

Standard fareS (per person)2 Bed inside from £2,089

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Balcony Suite from £3,799

Prices for all categories on request

PR

O M I S E

P R I C E

STANDARD FARES ARE COVERED BY THE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY PRICE PROMISE

complimentaryChauffeurservicetotheporton higher grade cabins – see brochure for full details

CIVITAVECCHIA

MESSINA

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ANCONA

VENICE

HVAR

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DUBROVNIK

YOUR VOYAGE INCLUDES:

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SPS_S13_meditteranean medley_updated 26213.indd 1 04/03/2013 10:21:17

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The following represent the Significant and Key Features of the policy including Exclusions and Limitations that apply per person. A full copy of the policy document is available on request.

CANCELLATION OR CURTAILMENT up to £1,500If you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to illness, injury, redundancy, jury service, the police requiring you to remain at or return to your home due to serious damage to your home, you are covered against loss of travel and accommodation costs. Policy Excess £75. For persons aged 61 to 70 years the excess is increased to £100. For persons aged 71 to 90 years the excess is increased to £150.See section headed Increased Excess for Pre Existing Medical Conditions for increased excesses applicable to claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions.

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Insurers will not pay for claims arising1. Where You (or any person upon whose health the Trip depends) have or have had symptoms

which are awaiting or receiving investigation, tests, treatment, referral or the results of any of the foregoing, unless We have agreed in writing to cover You.

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Page 42

After weeks of decluttering, countless visits to the tip and various charity shops and a

week’s work from a painter and deco-rator, my house is finally on the mar-ket. Does anyone know someone who wants a large family house in High Wycombe? All reasonable offers con-sidered.

The first weekend in February saw us start our challenge on this season’s Gold Cup. Although the match was level at half-time, we won convincingly, our obliging opponents conceding with a set to go because they had been unable to start early and knew we had plans for the evening. Heather and Jeremy Dhondy have moved out of London to a village just outside Blandford Forum and all their friends were invited to their housewarming party. We stayed overnight in a B&B, then drove slowly home, stopping off for coffee with my brother-in-law Martin in Romsey on the way.

We progressed in other competi-tions too. We won a NICKO match comfortably, only to draw the strong de Botton team in the next round. We seem to be carrying all before us in the Berks & Bucks League this year, hav-ing won all our matches heavily so far with everyone playing well.

And then there was the Tollemache, the inter-county teams of eight. It’s funny how just occasionally everything clicks into place and bridge seems to be an easy game. Back in November we played in the qualifying round, winning our group convincingly, with all our five pairs at the top of the Butler (whereby each pair’s score is calculated). The final

carried on where the qualifying round finished. We all played well again and had won the event with a round to go, finishing up 35 VPs clear of the field (with 20 available on any one match) – which we think is a record margin.

Of course, we had our fair share of luck too:

NW E

S

Dealer West. E/W Vul.

♠ 6 5 4 3

♥ A 8 4

♦ Void

♣ A Q 9 6 4 2

♠ K Q J 10 9 2 ♠ 7

♥ J 10 9 ♥ 7 3

♦ 9 6 ♦ Q J 10 7 4 2

♣ J 10 ♣ 8 7 5 3

♠ A 8

♥ K Q 6 5 2

♦ A K 8 5 3

♣ K

Our opponents stopped in six hearts, which looks high enough with that less-than-robust trump suit, particularly as West’s vulnerable weak two opening warns of potential bad breaks.

Short of inspiration, I led the king of spades. Declarer won the ace, cashed the ace and king of diamonds, discard-ing spades and ruffed a diamond. Now she played a club to her king and ruffed another diamond, but, of course, I was able to discard a club on this trick. She now cashed the ace of clubs discard-ing a spade as I ruffed. It didn’t mat-ter what I played now as she still had a diamond loser she couldn’t get rid of.

A better line would be simply to

Catching Up by Sally Brock

ruff a diamond at trick two, now a club to the king and another diamond ruff. Now she cashes the ace of clubs throwing a spade and then the queen of clubs, throwing a diamond as I ruff. Whatever I do now, she can draw trumps and claim.

One of our pairs, Gary Jones and Ed Scerri, had a more ambitious auction when West did not open the bidding:


Pass Pass Pass 1♥

2♠ 3♣ Pass 3♦

Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠

Pass 4♣ Pass 4NT

Pass 5♥ Pass 6♦

Pass 7♥ All Pass

In a grand slam, the winning line of play is somewhat easier to find – the club suit just has to come in. So Jones won the spade lead, cashed the king of clubs, played the king, queen and ace of trumps and ran the clubs. No problem.

At the end of the week was the semi-final of the Berks & Bucks knock-out. It started with a bit of excitement. Rich-ard picked me up to go to the match and his satnav sent us down some tiny country roads. Suddenly, we came upon some water in the road. After due consideration, we decided to risk it but, after a few yards, it became obvious that it was too deep. The car stopped and I had visions of having to wade back in my thoroughly unsuitable shoes. Luck-ily, he managed to start the car and re-verse out of the water but then the car got stuck in the soft verge. It simply re-fused to move (and was later declared an insurance write-off).

Page 43

Eventually, someone came to get us and the match proceeded.

We were a few down with a set to go and early on in the last set Barry pulled the wrong card to go down in a cold game. With three boards to go, the situation looked bleak, but then things hotted up a bit. First, we bid and made a thin six clubs. And then there was this – I held as South, vulnerable against not:

♠ Q 6 5 4

♥ A 10 9 5 4

♦ A 6

♣ K 5


1♣ Pass 1♥

Dbl 2♣ Pass 3NT

Pass 4♣ Pass 4♦

Dbl Pass Pass Rdbl

Pass 4♠ Pass 4NT

Pass 5♣ Dbl ?

I am not sure that redoubling four diamonds to confirm the ace was very sensible – surely I wouldn’t have cue-bid a second-round control on this particular auction. Taking the opportunity to show the ace of hearts as well would have been better. We do not play Blackwood when a minor suit is agreed, so my four no-trumps simply showed a better hand than five clubs would have done (though, looking at the hand now, I don’t know why I didn’t just bid six clubs over four clubs – I could hardly have had a better hand). I had been intending, rather wimpishly, to pass five clubs, but when East doubled (heaven knows why) I redoubled. That

made with an overtrick, Barry’s hand being:

♠ A K 10 7

♥ Void

♦ 7 2

♣ Q J 10 7 6 4 2

On the final board, we managed to play in a making three no-trumps, rather than a failing four hearts, in our 5-3 fit. 33 IMPs in three boards and a narrow victory.

The following morning, Briony and I set off from Luton Airport for a week’s holiday in Tenerife. Just what we needed – a bit of winter sun, though Tenerife is tricky at this time of year: the sky is a flat, bright azure, so you strip off and lie by the pool, but suddenly it is full of cloud, so you get up and get dressed to embark on some sort of outing, by which time the flat azure is back. Actually, we did quite a lot. We had three separate drives out, just ambling along and stopping where we felt like it. And don’t think I was simply resting on the other days – she got me jet skiing, quad biking and horse riding. Although I had to take my laptop with me and spent several hours working (mostly in the early morning before she was up), it was great to be able to spend relaxed time together without too many other demands on our time.

Back to England late Saturday night and an uneventful journey home to find Barry asleep in front of the TV.

Sunday was spent working by all three of us, with the occasional coming together for meals and then it was back to what passes for routine… ■

Catching Up continued

Denham Grove

Denham, Buckinghamshire,

UB9 5DG

4-6 October 2013 Doubles £215 Gary Conrad

25-27 October 2013 Finding Slams £215

Sandy Bell



RUBBER / CHICAGO

£199 Full Board No Single Supplement


Chatsworth Hotel Worthing BN11 3DU

7-9 February 2014 with Shelia Rogers

Elstead Hotel Bournemouth BH1 3QP

17-19 May 2013 with Diana Holland

Page 44

Seven Daysby Sally Brock

MondayBack to earth with a bump. It doesn’t take long to get up – now I don’t have to take Briony to school, I tend to start work in my pyjamas. I fully intend to go to the gym, but by the time I’ve made the finishing touches to Zan-zibar and Bosnia and then done the work necessary on the British Guild of Travel Writers’ Yearbook, I’ve run out of time. Briony comes home from school and talks to me while I get dressed. We have started a Weight-watchers’ diet today so there is food to plan. Then it’s a drive into London to have supper with Nicola at Zizzi’s before our Young Chelsea knock-out match against Janet de Botton’s team. Team-mates Willie Coyle and Colin Simpson have a good first half and although we are not so good we are 11 IMPs up. However, the second half does not go so well and we lose by 10. Still, this year the format has been changed so that you are not eliminated until you’ve lost twice, so we are still in the competition.

I head home, stopping off for a cup of tea with Barry on the way.

TuesdayThere is work to do first thing, but then I do struggle to the gym. I’ve been slacking recently but have decid-ed to be easier on myself until the end of the month when the BGTW Year-book goes to press.

Briony and I have decided to consult a nutritionist. Briony has problems that mostly seem to be caused by intolerance to gluten and dairy products, though sometimes she has an upset tummy even though she hasn’t had any problem food. I could probably do with some advice

on handling my type 2 diabetes. In addition, I would like to know how I should eat when playing in international bridge events. Nicola and I seem to spend all our time eating for fear that we might make errors due to loss of concentration caused by low blood-sugar levels. I am sure we eat much more than is necessary, but other team members go without food from breakfast to dinner and I don’t think that is right either. I download some forms that she wants us to fill in before meeting with her next week. It takes a long time, but is fun to do together.

Then it’s a Weight Watchers’ ham and bean hotpot, along with a new vegetable – have you tried ‘flower sprouts’? A rather delicious cross between a sprout and kale.

Afterwards, we continue to make inroads into the TV that we recorded while we were away…

WednesdayThe work I was expecting today doesn’t turn up (a fairly frequent occurrence – then I have two lots to do on another day), so after spending a few hours with Briony (she doesn’t have school on a Wednesday), I decide to go to Barry’s earlier than I had intended. I’m going to stay until Sunday as I have a number of different bridge and social engagements. My normal route is to take the train from High Wycombe to South or West Ruislip where I change over to the Circle Line. I am just about to board the Circle Line train when I realise that I have left my laptop charg-er at home. Maybe the sensible thing to do would have been to go on to Lon-don and buy a new charger but I don’t think of that at the time. Instead, I wait 45 minutes at South Ruislip to get a

train back to High Wycombe, then get a taxi up the hill, to walk in the door at 1.50, just 15 minutes late for an online session with Richard and Gerry. Barry isn’t working so I at least have the fun of playing with him. As soon as we fin-ish, I leave again. Bus down the hill, train to South Ruislip, underground to Shepherds Bush – no hitches this time.

In the evening, we meet Margaret and Martin and other friends for dinner to celebrate Martin’s birthday. Just as we are walking from the tube to the restaurant, Barry gets a phone call asking him why he isn’t at the Young Chelsea for a league match. So, off he rushes to Earls Court while I proceed to have an excellent dinner at a French bistro in Primrose Hill. I think I had the best of the deal – especially as he lost his match.

ThursdayI get up early and we both get on with some work. At around five o’clock, I make my way to a diner in Rich-mond to meet up with some friends for ‘a late lunch’ before the ‘Night of the Stars’. This is the most fantastic annual event which raises vast sums of money for charity. Until this year, it was held at Wimbledon, but now it has moved to Richmond. I hope I haven’t missed out any key organis-ers but the frontline work seems to be done by Terry Hewett, who seems to be able to persuade just about anyone to pay just about anything for playing with just about anyone, Marietta An-dree and Janet Cahm. How it works is that various experts are auctioned off to the highest bidder as partners for the evening, then on the night the Pro-Am pairs are joined by club pairs for a duplicate. There is excellent food (I have never seen as good a selection

Page 45

Seven Days continued

of cheeses and I have dined in some posh places) and wine. Everything is donated and I think there are various other money-raising angles exploited as well. This year, they raised over £41,000.

I was bought by Anita Sinclair, a comparative newcomer to the bridge scene, who has made her mark, playing with David Greenwood, Zia Mahmood and Fredrick Björnlund. We have a terrible start (mostly my fault) and after two rounds are on about 10%, but things improve and eventually we finish third. The event is won by Jeremy Dhondy and EBU Chair, Sally Bugden.

FridayToday starts innocently enough. Barry is working so I keep out of his way while he gets himself ready to leave the flat at 8.30. I have some breakfast and do a little work before deciding to move to work at his desk which will be more comfortable. Suddenly the room spins, and spins, and spins and I get what turns out to be a case of severe vertigo, or labyrinthitis. It seems to get worse. I can barely sit, let alone stand. I start to feel sick. It’s rather scary and I contemplate dialing 999, but that does seem a little melodramatic. Barry is in court so I can’t ring him. Luck-ily, he finishes early and rings me prior to going to Chambers and soon heads home instead. I feel so bad that even-tually he takes me in a taxi to Ham-mersmith Hospital. They do countless tests … time marches on … they give me stuff to make me feel a bit better, but I am still not great. I am kept in overnight and they give me a CT scan at past midnight …

Saturday… The next morning, they tell me that the cause is either a problem with my middle ear, or it could be a small stroke at the base of my brain. They re-fer me to the Stroke Unit at the Char-ing Cross Hospital and off I go in an ambulance. Fortunately, the stroke

specialists take one look at me and de-cide that I haven’t had one. I can still say, ‘Red lorry, yellow lorry,’ ‘Baby hip-popotamus,’ and, ‘British constitution.’ I can still turn one hand over back and forth in the other. I can still touch my nose followed by someone’s finger quickly back and forth as they move their finger. And sundry other tests they put me through. I then perform again for what seems like every student doctor in the hospital. I can go home (though need to come back to a clinic later on). This is at about two o’clock. By the time I have my newly prescribed medicines and the doctor has written and printed out a letter of release, it is after six. Briony has been there waiting patiently with little to do but go down and pay for another hour’s parking at regular intervals. She takes me (still in my pyjamas, slippers and overcoat) to Barry’s where he runs me a bath and brings me a nice cup of tea.

I decide that I am feeling well enough to proceed with our earlier plans and go out to a small bridge party with dinner at Guy and Fiona’s. I am much steadier on my feet and with a little support almost feel like myself again. We play eight boards of bridge – probably the worst I have ever had – and are minus 63. Then, there is a delicious dinner and another 16 boards. For the last eight, I played against Barry and he did well on this deal, aided by a mistake by my partner.

NW E

S

Dealer East. Game All.

♠ A Q J 3

♥ 8 4

♦ 7 5 3

♣ Q 10 8 6

♠ 8 ♠ 5 4 2

♥ K J 10 ♥ 9 7 5 3

♦ Q J 9 6 4 ♦ K 2

♣ A K 4 2 ♣ 9 7 5 3

♠ K 10 9 7 6

♥ A Q 6 2

♦ A 10 8

♣ J


Pass 1♠

Dbl 2♣ Pass 2♥

Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠

All Pass

North’s choice of actions were a little unorthodox, but a fair amount of alcohol had been consumed by most people by then (not me, even if I hadn’t been unsteady enough on my feet without it, I have cut down considerably recently and feel a lot better for it).

I led the queen of diamonds. Now, there are certainly occasions when it is right to play the king from king doubleton when partner leads the queen, but when it is the only high card in your hand it is rarely right to do so. There is no need to unblock the suit as partner will have entries anyway.

Barry won the ace of diamonds, drew trumps and played a club to his jack. I won and was completely endplayed. I just had to hope that partner has the ten of diamonds to go with the king, but there was no way I could stop him making ten tricks. And he gloats horribly.

I do confess that I was beginning to wilt during the last set. But it was a thoroughly good evening.

SundayUp reasonably early to go home (Barry has to drive me as I am not going to be able to drive for a few days). Briony has gone to the supermarket and I get on with a few last-minute changes to the Yearbook.

There is a launch planned for this Yearbook at the Turkish Embassy on March 12th, so you can imagine that the editor was in quite a panic as I suddenly stopped working on Friday with the final deadline due that day. He managed to get an extension until 7am Monday morning, so things are still tight.

We are expecting Ben, Gemma and Hayden for lunch – roast chicken followed by chocolate meringue cake, which Briony cooks for us all.

After lunch, we go to the Booker Airdrome and show Hayden all the helicopters, planes and gliders going up and coming down.

They leave at about five and there are still more finishing touches to the Yearbook, which is finally uploaded to the printers’ site before I go to bed at midnight. ■

Page 46

NW E

S

1. Dealer West. Love All.

♠ A K 4 3

♥ K Q 7 2

♦ 4 3 2

♣ 3 2


?

1NT. Your system is the weak no-trump: with 12-14 points and a balanced hand, you should open 1NT. There is no mention of needing a high card in each suit. In fact, very rarely will you have a stop in every suit. You are simply describing your hand and letting your partner take control of the auction.

I give no responding hand because it is not relevant: the trouble you are in if you choose to open in a suit becomes evident when your partner bids 2♣. What on earth would you bid next?

NW E

S

2. Dealer East. Love All.

♠ K J 3 2 ♠ A Q 10 5

♥ K 7 2 ♥ Q J 4

♦ 4 ♦ A 7 5

♣ 8 7 6 3 2 ♣ A 5 4


1♠ Pass

2♠ Pass 2NT Pass

?

4♠. 2NT is an invitational bid: you have agreed spades, but it shows a balanced hand with 17-18 points. You need to make two decisions: is game on and should you be in no-trumps or spades? Rarely will you choose to play in no-trumps, but if you are very flat as well as partner, then no-trumps might be sensible. Here, you are certainly not flat, but neither are you weak: your diamond singleton is valuable. You should downgrade your hand using the losing trick count because

of your lack of aces, but you are still strong for your 2♠ response. Therefore, you bid 4♠, choosing spades as trumps and going for game.

Your partner’s hand is what you should expect: very flat and strong. 3NT is hope-less after a diamond lead, whilst 4♠ is an excellent contract.

NW E

S

3. Dealer North. Love All.

♠ K 5 3 2 ♠ A Q 10 4

♥ 7 2 ♥ A K 6 4

♦ A 7 6 3 2 ♦ K 5

♣ K 4 ♣ 8 7 5


1♥ 1NT Pass

?

2♣. Your partner has made a 1NT overcall which shows 15-18 points. With 10 HCP, you have enough strength for game and it is just a matter of settling on the denomination. You should use the same conventions as you play over a 1NT opening. Hence, you should look for a spade fit by using Stayman. Your partner would show four spades and you would raise to 4♠.

NW E

S

4. Dealer East. N/S Game.

♠ A Q 9 2 ♠ 6 3

♥ 2 ♥ A Q J 9 8 7 6

♦ A 7 6 5 4 ♦ 9 8

♣ A 4 3 ♣ 7 6


3♥ 3♠

?

Double. Your partner has opened with a pre-emptive bid: 3♥. This shows 5-9 points and a seven-card suit. Your partner has described his hand accurately so you become the boss of the auction: you

Answers to Bernard Magee’s Bidding Quiz on page 3

decide the final contract. You have four likely tricks – the spade finesse is likely to work – so game might be possible. However, do not consider 3NT – you will have no entries to your partner’s hand. 4♥ may well make on the two hands, but there is a much better result. Look at the vulnerability: they are vulnerable and you are not; game is worth 420, but two off doubled is worth 500.

Your spade holding may well be worth three tricks in 3♠ so you are likely to take the contract off with your own strength, but with the ♥A in partner’s hand you may well manage to defeat 3♠ by two or even three tricks. After a pre-emptive bid by your own side, doubles are for penal-ties, so you should double and enjoy. ■

The Inn on the Prom Bridge Events

12-14 July 2013 Gwen Beattie

Just Duplicate Bridge £169

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21-23 March 2014 Bernard Magee

tba £245



St Annes-on-Sea FY8 1LU

The fare shown is per person, based on two people sharing the lowest twin bedded cabin category currently available, is for new bookings only, includes all applicable discounts and cannot be combined with any other discount, excluding Discovery Club Discount for past passengers. Cabin number may not be given at time of booking. All fares are correct at time of going to print, are subject to availability and may be changed or withdrawn at any time. †To be part of the Mr Bridge group a supplement of £30pp will be charged at the time of booking. Terms and conditions apply. Only bookings made through the Mr Bridge office are eligible to be part of the Mr Bridge Group. See brochure for full terms and conditions. Voyages of Discovery is the trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.

Join Bernard Magee and discover The Land of the Midnight Sun11th – 25th June 2013 15 days from £1,869pp

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As summer solstice approaches, treasure the experience of exploring the North Cape and the awe-inspiring scenery around Norway’s

deeply fissured coastline. A profusion of rugged fjords, majestic mountains, small fishing communities and remote islands are part of an ever-changing kaleidoscope of breathtaking vistas on this voyage to the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’. Along the way, turn the pages on Norway’s fascinating history, its folklore and legends as you follow in the wake of Vikings, adventurers and pioneers.

• Trollstigen and the Atlantic Road – two contrasting but equally amazing scenic road journeys

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included in your fare• 14-night cruise aboard Voyager including

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SPS_S13_land of midnight sun_updated 26213.indd 1 01/03/2013 16:39:45

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Mediterranean Sea

Adriatic Sea

Tyrrhenian Sea

13 days departing October

4, 2013OCT 4

Fly to VEN

ICE

ItalyTransfer to Aegean O

dysseyovernight

OCT 5/6V

ENIC

EItaly

overnightOCT 7

SPLITC

roatia

OCT 8K

OR

CU

LA C

roatia

OCT 9D

UBR

OV

NIK

Croatia

OCT 10At Sea

OCT 11SYR

ACU

SESicily

OCT 12/13PA

LERM

O(M

onreale) Sicilyovernight

OCT 14/15SO

RR

ENTO

(Pompeii)

Italyovernight

OCT 15SO

RR

ENTO

Italy

OCT 16C

IVITAV

ECC

HIA

ItalyTransfer to airport for flight hom

e

Spend two days exploring Venice then sail south via the

Adriatic's beautiful cities and around the heel of Italy to Sicily. Visit the ancient G

reek Theatre at Syracuse, the extraordinary Palatine C

hapel in Palermo and explore the ruins of Pom

peii from

Sorrento while enjoying daily bridge.


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RATU

ITIES ON

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BR

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TAIL PA

RTY

Mr Bridge Passengers

The bridge programm

eis exclusive to

Mr Bridge bookings but is com

pletely optional. Mr Bridge

passengerscan participate as m

uch, or as little as they wish.

There will be a duplicate session every evening and bridge

every afternoon the ship is at sea. Singles are made especially

welcom

e–

a playing partner will alw

ays be found.

CALL ON

01483 489961

Call M

r Bridge to reserve your cabin and take advantage of these special fares, or for a brochure to find out m

ore about our ship, Aegean Odyssey.

Standard Inside £2,150pp

Premium Inside from

£2,295pp

Standard Outside£2,750pp

Premium Outsidefrom

£2,895pp

Deluxe Outside from

£3,495pp

Deluxe Balconyfrom

£4,295pp

MR BRID

GE SPECIAL FARES

NO

SING

LE SUPPLEM

ENT

ww

w.mrbridge.co.uk


PAST PASSENG

ERS CAN SAVE EVEN

MO

RE

Extend your holiday with a hotel

stay in Rom

e, please call for details

1520 Mr Bridge Back C

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