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BRIDGENumber One Hundred and Twenty-Five MAY 2013CRUISE TOBANGKOKBALI ANDBOROBUDURwith exclusivefares on a celebrationChristmas cruise fromSingapore to Bangkokon board Aegean Odyssey.SEE OVER FOR FURTHER DETAILS

YOUR CHOICEPROTECTIONBRIDGE TABLESINN ON THE PROMI have endeavoured to sendBRIDGE to thousands ofhouseholds within the UKpeaking several years ago ataround 143,000 copies.This service was sustainedwith the help of advertisersand sponsors.Indeed, demand for mypromotional magazine hasnow grown to such anextent that I have to rely onsome of you reading thesepages online using themarvellous developmentsof modern technology.However, my personalpreference is to receive it bypost and to be able to feel it,picking it up and putting itdown as and when.This month’s rise in postalcharges is the last straw – afurther 8% on top of lastyear’s draconian rise.You may now find yourselfreceiving one real copyevery three or four monthsin future. Do look at thevirtual copy online andprint off those pages thatyou want to read.Alternatively, you may takeup a subscription as thosewanting to be sure ofreceiving continuous hardcopies already do. £20 for12 issues or £35 for 24.I am not trying to sellsubscriptions and indeedknow that many of you willbe quite satisfied with theoccasional copy, just asmany of you are to receive amonthly email when thelatest issue has been addedto the library.I am a belt and braces man,so readers should beassured that your namesand addresses are protectedby our registration underthe Data Protection Act.All office waste paper iseither shredded or burnt.JUNK MAILMost of us complain, at onetime or another, aboutunsolicited mail. To stopmost of yours, you need toregister with:Mailing Preference Service,DMA. 70 Margaret Street,London. W1W 8SS.PRIZE QUIZLast month’s prize quiz isprinted below so that if youdidn’t see it, you can have ago now before turning overto page 7 for the answer.Remember you are playingAcol with a weak no-trump.As dealer, what is youropening bid?S R Designs, who supplywooden folding bridgetables, are shortly movingto a new larger warehouse.They have a quantity ofused tables which they havetaken in part exchange andare in varying states ofrepair. These are ideal forclubs who need more tablesbut cannot afford to buynew and are prepared toeither renovate or coverthem with a cloth. Pricesfor these tables range from£10 to £50 depending oncondition – with the buyercollecting from Woking.For more information call( 01483 750611 or seewww.bridge-tables.co.ukThis popular hotel on thesea front at Lytham StAnnes, Lancashire has justgiven us a new date for aJust Duplicate weekend17-19 May. £169 full boardand no single supplement.However, we are able, onthis occasion, to offer a freeplace for twin or doubleoccupancy to compensatefor the short notice of thepromotion to ensure thereare strong bookings. So theadvert should really read£169per two persons sharing.COVER STORY♠ A 9 8♥ A 7♦ A 7 4 3 2♣ 10 8 6PLAYING CARDSMy wonderful premiumquality playing cards areback in stock from thebeginning of May. I amcan confirm they will beavailable from the LondonBridge Centre at £60 for 60blue/red packs unboxedwith or without barcodes.( 0207 288 1305CLUB INSURANCEI am still scare mongering,trying to drum up evenmore business for MooreStephens. Their insurancepackage, for bridge clubs ofup to 100 members, at apremium of around £60 perannum certainly seemsgood value. Why every clubisn’t covered in thislitigious age I just do notknow. Club secretaries needto protect their committeemembers and can do so byringing Moore Stephens on( 0207 515 5270BRIDGE FORUMwww.mrbridge.co.ukOn my web page there is anopen forum and I haveasked Ned Paul to answerquestions quickly andsuccinctly on my behalf.This month I feature the2013 Christmas cruise onboard m.v. Aegean Odyssey.An attractive itinerary inthe balmy climate of southeast Asia. Sailing out ofSingapore and visitingIndonesia, Borneo,Cambodia and finallyThailand before flyinghome. Turn to page 2 andread about what to expectand the negligible singlesupplement of just £100.A more detailed brochurecan be sent to you by returnof post. Do ring my officeon ( 01483 489961.BACK IN STOCKFive popular tea towels areback in stock, see page 5.Page 4

BERNARD MAGEEFilmed Live at Haslemere Festival20111 Ruffing for Extra TricksThis seminar deals with declarer’s use of ruffingto generate extra tricks and then looks at how thedefenders might counteract this.2 Competitive TricksThis seminar focuses on competitive auctions from theperspective of the overcalling side to start with andthen from the perspective of the opening side in thesecond part.3 Making the Most of High CardsThis seminar helps declarer to use his high cards morecarefully and then looks at how defenders should carefor their precious high cards.4 Identifying & Bidding SlamsThe first half of this seminar is about identifying whena slam might be on – one of the hardest topicsto teach. The second half covers some of thetechniques used to bid slams.5 Play & Defence of 1NT ContractsThis seminar looks at the most common andyet most feared of contracts: 1NT. The first halflooks at declaring the contract and the secondpart puts us in the defenders’ seats.6 Doubling & Defenceagainst Doubled ContractsThe first half of this seminar explores penaltydoubles and the second half discusses thedefence against doubled contracts.DVDsEach £25. Boxed Set of 6 £1007 Leads2012Bernard takes you through all the basic leads and theimportance of your choice of lead. If you start to thinknot just about your hand, but about your partner’s too,then you will get much better results.8 Losing Trick CountA method of hand evaluation for when you find a fit.Bernard deals with the basics of the losing trick countthen looks at advanced methods to hone your bidding.9 Making a Plan as DeclarerBernard explains how to make a plan then expands onhow to make the most of your long suits. The first halfdeals with no-trumps, the second with suit contracts.10 Responding to 1NTThis seminar deals with Transfers and Stayman indetail. The 1NT opening comes up frequently, so havinga good, accurate system of responses is paramount.11 Signals & DiscardsThis seminar deals with Count, Attitudeand Suit-preference signals: aiming to getyou working as a partnership in defence.12 EndplaysBernard takes you through the basics of thetechnique before showing some magical handswhere you take extra tricks from defenders. In thesecond half, Bernard looks at how to avoid beingendplayed as a defender.DVDsEach £25. Boxed Set of 6 £100Make 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

Ask David continuedQNorth wasdealer. Southsaid, ‘1♣.’East remarked, ‘Bidout of turn,’ and Westcommented, ‘I wasgoing to pass anyway.’After West’s comment,should the director stilloffer West the option ofaccepting the bid out ofturn or has his remarkalready done that?P J Evans by email.AHis remark is uncalledfor and thedirector should firsttell him in future to say nothing,or he might get penalised,and second he shouldtell East that West’s commentis unauthorised informationand he should do hisbest to take no advantage.Having done that, he appliesthe laws, which includeoffering West the option toaccept the bid out of turn.♣♦♥♠QI was directingat the club andwas called tofind that a defender wason lead with a penaltycard exposed. Thedefender failed to playthe offending penaltycard and pulled outanother card instead.At this point, theopponents called me. (Iwas not called for thefirst penalty card).I ruled that as therewere now two penaltycards on the table, theopponents (declarer)had the choice ofwhich one is led.Was I correct or shouldI have ruled that thefirst penalty card shouldnow be played, andthat the new penaltycard remains on thetable (for playing atthe earliest time)?Sarah Williams, Montrose.AI do not like eitherruling, to be honest.When there is an infractionyou call the director,that applies to all four players,not just the non-offendingside. They did not, butcarried on. A penalty card isnot a penalty card in effectunless the director says so.I would allow the defenderto play the card they choseto play. The defender maynot have known whatthey were required to do,for example, and theyhave a right to know.However, I would explainthe rules of penalty cardswhich would apply fromthis moment on. In otherwords, I would deem that thecard originally exposed wasnever a penalty card untilthis moment and I deem it apenalty card from now on.If you think about thetwo options you suggested,both of them give declareran advantage from nothaving called the directorat the correct time andthat is not something weever want to happen.♣♦♥♠QPlaying in afriendly game,after three nobids the fourth playerbid 3♥. All passed afterwardsand the contractwas played and made.We all had presumedthat this had been a preemptivebid. During theplay, we realised that thedeclarer had more than9 points, actually 11 andhad opened with 3♥ (andhad used the rule of 20to open). What would bethe situation if this happenedduring a duplicatecompetition? Does anopening bid at the threelevel of a suit have tobe a pre-emptive bid?Brenda Tingley by email.ASounds perfectlynormal. Whenopening with a weakbid fourth in hand, playershave more points. After all,with six points, for example,the player would pass it out.Even if it were notnormal, players may bidwhat they like if it seemssuitable. They can misleadopponents as long as theymislead partner as well.♣♦♥♠QAn opponentheld:♠ K Q 10 9 7 5 2♥ A 4 2♦ 6 5♣ 10Dealer passed, and sheopened 2♠, second inhand, announced byher partner as a weaktwo. Is this a legal bid?Irene Holland, County Down.AIt is certainly legalsince basicallyyou can bid whatyou like. If this is a normalweak two for her, then sheshould probably amendher description of openingtwos and announce,‘Weak to Intermediate.’She may have just decidedto experiment, in which case,why not? On the other hand,she may not understand whatthe fuss is about and will tellyou she has nine points andthey play it as five to nine,not realising the differencea seven card suit makes.That may not be goodbridge, but there is nothingillegal about bad bridge.A common query inthese columns arises whensomeone makes a call thatis different from what theperson asking would do.Remember different peopleplay this game differently.♣♦♥♠QOn holidayrecently, wewere invited toplay a friendly gameof rubber. We wereplaying North/South.West passed and mypartner opened 1♠.East passed, which wasalerted by West. Weasked what this meantand were informedthat, if South passed,West would then double,which was askingpartner for her best suit.I have mentioned thisto other bridge playersand they, like us, hadnot heard of this andeven stated that it isa form of signalling.We would be gratefulfor your advice.Linda Satterley by email.AI have not heard ofit and think this ismerely an inexperiencedpair that has pickedsomething up played byother players in a differentsituation. Some pairs playthat after an opening bid andan overcall, they must reopenwith a double if partnerpasses. I do not approve ofthis either, but it has considerablymore merit than thesequence related. Anyway,it is perfectly legal, it is anagreement over bidding, notsignalling and if they want toplay it, let them.Page 11

Answers to David Huggett’sPlay Quiz on page 81. ♠ A Q 10 6♥ 7 5 3♦ J 8 6♣ K 5 4♠ 5 4 ♠ K 3WN♥ Q J 10 8 ♥ K 9 4♦ 10 7 3 2 ♦ A 9 4SE♣ 10 7 6 ♣ J 9 8 3 2♠ J 9 8 7 2♥ A 6 2♦ K Q 5♣ A QYou are declarer in 4♠ and West leadsthe ♥Q. How do you plan the play?It might seem right to take a trumpfinesse but if you do that you are indanger of losing one spade, two heartsand a diamond. A much better plan is towin the lead, cash the ace and queen ofclubs and cross to dummy with the aceof spades. Now play the king of clubs,throwing a losing heart from hand andonly now continue by playing trumps. Youwill be defeated only if the clubs break6-2 or worse and even if the third club isruffed it might be with the king of spades.2. ♠ J 9♥ A K 7 6 4♦ A Q J♣ A Q 3♠ 4 ♠ 10 3N♥ Q 10 5 2 ♥ J 8W E♦ 9 8 6 3 S ♦ 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♣ 2You are declarer in 7♠ and West leadsthe ♦8. How do you plan the play?All those minor suit queens and jacksin dummy are red herrings and you coulddo equally well without them.So, win the ace of diamonds and cashthe ace of trumps prior to cashing the toptwo hearts. Now, ruff a heart high andif dummy’s hearts are not yet winnersre-enter dummy with a spade to the jackand ruff another heart.By this time, dummy will have a masterheart on which you can discard yourlosing diamond and you can accessdummy easily with the ace of clubs.This plan will work as long as the heartsdivide no worse than 4-2.3. ♠ 7 6 4♥ J 10 6♦ A J 6 4♣ K Q 7♠ J 9 5 ♠ Q 10 8N♥ Q 9 7 2 ♥ 8 4 3W E♦ 9 7 3 S ♦ 10 5 2♣ J 8 5 ♣ 10 6 4 3♠ A K 3 2♥ A K 5♦ K Q 8♣ A 9 2You are declarer in 6NT and West leadsthe ♦7. How do you plan the play?With eleven tricks immediatelyavailable, the contract is clearly a goodone and the extra trick can come onlyfrom spades or hearts.If the heart finesse succeeds, you willbe home but it is always right to lookfor an extra chance whenever you canand, here, you will make an extra trick inspades if the suit divides 3-3.Of course, you cannot afford to playout the spades from the top in caseyou are setting up two winners for thedefence, so duck a spade first. Later, youwill be able to test the suit for an equaldivision and if you have no luck there trythe heart finesse.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 4NW E♥ 8 6♦ 2 S ♦ A 8 4♣ 8 7 5 ♣ 9 6 4 2♠ A 6♥ 7 3 2♦ K 9 6 3♣ A K Q 10You are declarer in 3NT and West leadsthe ♠3. How do you plan the play?This is a truly ghastly contract. 5♦ is somuch better, but you have to do the bestyou can.Clearly, it cannot be right to attackdiamonds because the defenders willhave too many winners when they winthe ace so you have to hope you canmake four heart tricks.For this to work, you basically needWest to hold both the king and the jack.So, win the opening lead and play aheart to the nine. If this wins, come backto hand with a club and play a heart tothe ten, then cash the club winners beforeplaying a heart to the queen.The chance of having a successfuloutcome to this contract is only about25%, but that is a lot better than playingon diamonds when you have no chanceat all.■BEGIN BRIDGE ACOL VERSIONAn Interactive Tutorial CD with Bernard Magee. See Mail Order form on page 7.£66Page 15

Answers to Julian Pottage’sDefence Quiz on Page 81. ♠ J 8 6 5 2♠ K 7 4♥ A K J♦ A 9 2♣ 9 6WNSE♠ 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 5West North East South1♠Pass 2NT 1 Pass 4♠End1game forcing spade raisePartner leads the ♣J to your ♣K. Youcash the ♣A dropping South’s ♣Q. Whatshould you lead next?Aiming to be passive, no leads areattractive. The first to rule out is a club,which surely gives a ruff and discard. Adiamond would be risky too if declarerlets it run round to the nine. A heart,albeit into the tenace, is safest. If thereis finesse position in hearts, declarer canfinesse there anyway.2. ♠ 10 6 2♥ Q 10 9 5 4 3♦ 10 6 2♣ A♠ J 9 4 ♠ A 8 7 3♥ 8 6N♥ A♦ K 9 5W ES♦ 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 5West North East South1♥ 1Pass 4♥ End1four-card majorsPartner leads the ♣J, won by the ♣A.Dummy leads a trump and you win withthe ace, all following low. What do youreturn?This time, the ♣K might be safe – ifSouth’s ♣Q is now bare – but it will oftenbe costly. Although dummy’s holdingsin the other side suits are identical andyours nearly so, there is a difference.While you can envisage wanting to coverthe ♦10 with the ♦J, it is unlikely to benecessary 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 aguess. Secondly, you retain more controlthis way. You can play ace and anotherlater to remove declarer’s entry and getoff lead.Take a bonus point if you have decidedthat, if declarer eventually tacklesdiamonds by leading low from dummy,you will play the eight or seven to protectpartner from a possible endplay.3. ♠ A J 5♥ A J 5♦ A Q J 7 4♣ 10 7♠ 9 6 4 3 ♠ Q 10 7♥ 8 6 4NW E♥ Q 9 7 3♦ 8 5 2S ♦ Void♣ 8 6 3 ♣ A K Q 9 4 2♠ K 8 2♥ K 10 2♦ K 10 9 6 3♣ J 5West North East South1♣ 1♦Pass 2♣ 1 Pass 2♦Pass 3♣ 2 Pass 3♦Pass 5♦ End1diamond raise with 10+ points2asking for a club stopperPartner leads the ♣6. You win with the♣Q and cash the ♣A, partner playingthe ♣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 anotherclub because that would give a ruffand discard.You are going to have to open upone of the majors even though you expectSouth to hold the king in each suit.Can you see why a heart is better thana spade? Your ♠10 means that your ♠Qis safe from a finesse. In hearts, by contrast,declarer may hold the ♥K-10 andhave a two-way finesse position. In thiscase, your ♥Q might not be making anyway.4. ♠ K J 10 5♥ K J 8 5♦ A Q 7♣ Q 10♠ Q 9 7 4 3 2 ♠ A 8♥ 6 4N ♥ Void♦ K J 6W ES♦ 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 3West North East South2♠ 1 2NT Pass 3♥Pass 4♥ Pass 4NTPass 5♥ 2 Pass 6♥End1weak: six spades, 6-10 points2two key cards (♥K is one key card)Partner leads the ♠4. You capture the ♠Jwith the ♠A. What do you return?You can see tenace positions in twosuits and can envisage a split tenace inclubs (South must have the ♣A to bid theslam knowing North has only two keycards) – help!The solution is similar to that on thefirst and third deals. You lead the one suitin which you think declarer might take asuccessful finesse anyway, in this case,diamonds.■Page 17

A to Z of Bridgecompiled by Julian PottageTTABLE1. A team of four, two pairs or fourplayers in a duplicate event makeup a table.2. The dummy is the hand on thetable.3. To ‘table’ one’s hand is to expose it,either as dummy or when making aclaim.4. If dummy says, ‘table,’ it is areminder to declarer that the lead isin dummy.TABLE NUMBERSNumbered cards placed on each tablefor identification purposes.TABLE PRESENCEThe almost indefinable characteristicpossessed by expert players wherebythey draw correct inferences fromtheir opponents’ mannerisms andrhythm of play etc.TACTICSGeneral manoeuvres in bidding andplay, and other choices of action inadapting one’s style to the peculiaritiesof a particular event or situation.Different methods of scoring and conditionsof contest often determine thatyou should modify your approach tothe game. Tactics also extend to decidingwhich opponents to play againstin a teams match and when each pairshould sit out if there is a team of six.For example, at matchpoint pairs,you put more effort into trying tomake overtricks than you would atother forms of the game; at IMPs, youpush for vulnerable games more thanyou would at other forms of the game;at rubber bridge, you bid differently ifyou already have a part-score.TAKE-OUTA bid in a denomination other thanthat previously bid by partner, or a bidafter partner has doubled.If partner has bid 1NT and you holda weak unbalanced hand, it is usualto take out into your long suit (via atransfer if you are playing those).If partner has made a take-outdouble, you will nearly always take outthe double.If partner has made a penaltydouble, it will be rather less commonto take out the double.TAKE-OUT DOUBLEA double used conventionally toask partner to bid his best suit.Traditionally a double is for take-outif it is:1. Of a suit bid at the one- or twolevel.2. Made at the first opportunity todouble that suit.3. Made before partner has bid.West North East South1♥DblWest North East South1♥ Pass 2♥DblWest North East South1♣Pass 1♥ Pass 2♥DblIn each of these example sequences,the double is for take-out. In thethird, the second round was West’sfirst chance to double hearts. A handconsistent with all of them is:♠ K 10 8 3♥ 4♦ K J 8 2♣ A Q 10 3NW ESTANK, TO GO INTO THETo pause for a long time when facedwith a difficult decision in bidding orplay.TAPTo knock gently on the table:1. This is a method of alertingpartner’s conventional bid (whenbidding boxes are not in use).2. In rubber bridge, to tap means topass.3. In America, to tap declarer meansto force him to ruff.TARTAN TWO BIDSOpening bids of 2♥ and 2♠ show a varietyof types of hand. 2♥ shows eithera weak hand (about 5-9 points) withfive hearts and a five-card minor, or anAcol 2♥ opener, or a strong balancedhand (about 19/20 points). 2♠ showseither a weak hand (about 5-9 points)with five spades and another five-cardsuit, or an Acol 2♠ opener. After bothopenings, a response in the next availablesuit is a relay to seek clarification.TENACEA holding of (normally high) cards inthe same suit, one ranking next aboveand the other next below a card heldby an opponent, e.g. A-Q or K-J. Aholding that is not strictly a tenace beforeplay starts may become one duringthe course of play. For example,A-J-x opposite x-x-x becomes a tenaceif the king is led. If your side leads asuit in which you have a tenace, youwant to lead towards rather than awayfrom the tenace. If the opponentsPage 18

The Olde Barn HotelMarston, Lincs NG32 2HTArdington HotelWorthing BN11 3DZBRIDGE EVENTS 201317-19 May Just Duplicate Bridge £16931 May – 2 June Just Duplicate Bridge £1697-9 June End Play & Avoidance £17921-23 June Just Duplicate Bridge £16919-21 July Just Duplicate Bridge £16916-18 August Declarer Play £1796-8 September Just Duplicate Bridge £16918-20 October Just Duplicate Bridge £1691-3 November Just Duplicate Bridge £169NEW8-10 November Bernard MageeTOPICBetter Leads & Switches £24522-24 November Just Duplicate Bridge £169Full Board – No Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.BRIDGE EVENTS17-19 May 2013 Stayman & Transfers £ 2157-9 June Suit Establishment £ 21527-29 September Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19925-27 October Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19922-24 November Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19929 Nov – 1 Dec Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19924-26 Jan 2014 Declarer Play £ 215Full Board – No Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.Chatsworth HotelWorthing BN11 3DUQPLUS 10BRIDGE EVENTS201314-16 Jun Just Duplicate Bridge £19918-20 Oct Bernard Magee Play and NEW £245TOPICDefending 1NT15-17 Nov Bernard Magee Bidding NEW £245TOPICDistributional Hands201417-19 Jan Bernard Magee Better Leads £245NEWTOPIC& SwitchesFull Board – No Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.Really user-friendly bridge-playing softwareFEATURES INCLUDE• QPlus 11 sent when ready• QPlus can be passedon to a friend• Comprehensive manual• Displays on HDand large screens• Minibridge option• 5,000 preplayed handsfor teams• 4,000 preplayed handsfor match-point pairs• New save match function• Closed room – buttonto view other table£92including post and packingQPLUSTRADE-IN OFFERReturn any QPLUS CDand booklet with acheque for £43 andreceive QPLUS 10 withthe promise of QPLUS 11when ready later thisyear for no extra charge.Order with confidence.System: 8mb RAM, CD-ROM, Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8See Mail Order Form on page 5.Page 19

A to Z of Bridge continuedlead, you would prefer a lead up torather than through the tenace.TEXAS CONVENTIONA transfer method in response to a1NT/2NT opening bid. In response, ajump to 4♦ is a transfer to 4♥ and a bidof 4♥ a transfer to 4♠. Few UK playersuse Texas.THIN1. A contract you have bid on veryslender values is a thin contract.2. A hand too weak for a specificaction you can describe as thin.TEAMA group of four or more playerscompeting as a single unit.TEMPO1. Tempo can mean to have theinitiative in the play. For example:♠ A K♥ Q J 10 9♠ Q J 10 9♥ A KNW ESImmaterialImmaterialWest, on lead against South’s notrumpcontract, has the initiative(tempo) and can guarantee fourtricks by leading his long suit. IfNorth has the lead, then he has theinitiative (tempo) and it would beNorth who made four tricks.2. In bidding or play, tempo means thegeneral rhythm of a player’s actions.TEMPORISING BIDA temporising bid keeps the biddingopen while saying little about yourhand. For example:♠ A J 9 5 3♥ 7 3♦ A Q 8 3♣ J 4NW ESWest North East South1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass?After partner’s fourth-suit forcing bid,you have to bid again even thoughthere is nothing you really want to say.The correct bid is 2♠.Temporising bids are usually cheapbids.THIRD AND FIFTH LEADSA convention whereby, from long suitswithout an honour sequence, you leadthe third highest card from threeandfour-card suits and lead the fifthhighest from longer holdings. It isquite common to play third and fifthleads in suits your partner has bid.This is because you are much morelikely to lead from a three-card suit ifpartner has bid it.THIRD HAND HIGHA traditional rule suggesting thatthe correct action to take when one’spartner has led is to play one’s highestcard (but the lowest of equals).For example:8 5 2NW ESQ 10 7 3 K 9 6A J 4When West leads the three, East mustplay the king to stop South fromscoring an underserved trick with thejack.THIRD-IN-HAND OPENERIn the third seat, it can be good tacticsto open on a hand slightly below theusual strength for an opening bid. Suchan opening is a ‘third-in-hand’ opener,and you may term it as semi-psychic.One reason why it can be a good ideato open light is that, if none of the firstthree players (including yourself) has agenuine opening, then the fourth playerprobably has the best hand at thetable and so is the favourite to becomedeclarer. By showing your suit, so longas it is a good suit, you should be helpingpartner with the opening lead.THREAT CARD (MENACE)A card that, whilst not yet a winner,may become a winner if the opponentsweaken their holding in the suit bydiscarding from it.The main use of the term is inconnection with squeezes.For example, if North holds ♥A-K-Q-J-4 and East ♥10-8-6-5-3, the ♥4 isa threat card (menace).East cannot afford to discard a heartfor fear of establishing the ♥4 as awinner.THREE-HANDED BRIDGEThere are many versions of this game,which sometimes goes by the name‘cut-throat bridge’.Usually, the three players bid againsteach other for the dummy, which mayremain concealed or have a number ofcards exposed during the auction.THREE NO TRUMPFOR TAKE-OUTAn old convention whereby an overcallof 3NT after an opponent’s three-levelpre-emptive opening is a take-outrequest.THREE-QUARTER MOVEMENTAn incomplete Howell movementwhen not all the pairs meet.One feature of the three-quartermovement is that there are morestationary pairs than in a full Howellbut fewer than in a Mitchell.Another is that it is often possibleto have the same number of boards inplay (and number of boards per round)no matter how many tables there are.For example, three-quartermovements exist with nine 3-boardrounds for 6, 7 or 8 tables.THREE-QUARTER NO TRUMPTo play a strong no-trump only whenvulnerable against non-vulnerableopponents, with a weak no-trump atother times.THREE-SUITERA hand with four or more cards inthree suits, i.e. 4441 or 5440. Threesuitedhands are often difficult todescribe, the exception being when anopponent bids your short suit, whena take-out double can enable you tosuggest three suits at once.Page 20

A to Z of Bridge continuedTHROUGH STRENGTHA lead is through strength if thesecond player to the trick, for exampledummy, has a strong holding in thesuit, or at least a stronger holding thanthat held by the fourth player.THROW AWAYTo discard.THROW IN1. A deal when all four players pass –the term comes from rubber bridgewhere players would literally throwin their cards for a redeal.2. To give a player the lead deliberately,with the expectation of a favourablereturn. Here is an example:♠ K Q 5♥ A 9 8 7 5 3♦ J 4♣ 7 4♠ 10 8 6 3 ♠ 9 7 2♥ 6 N ♥ 4♦ K Q 10 5W ES♦ 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 6South plays in 6♥. West leads the ♦K.Declarer wins this, draws trumps,cashes three rounds of spades andleads the ♦J. This throws West in. Westhas the lead but does not want it: a clubgoes into the tenace while any pointedcard would give a ruff and discard.TIGHTA contract close to failure, in otherwords, the declarer cannot afford tolose another trick.TOPHighest matchpoint score available oneach board in a duplicate pairs event.TOP OF NOTHINGOld-fashioned standard lead froma holding of three small cards (andsometimes more), e.g. you lead thenine from 9-6-3. The method has falleninto disfavour because of necessity youplay a lower card on the second round,which makes it look as if you startedwith a doubleton.During the play, it can be correct tolead top of nothing when conveyingthat you have no strength in the suitis high priority. Some pairs play top ofnothing at trick one in supported suitsas it is obvious the lead cannot be froma doubleton.TOTAL POINT SCORINGForm of scoring at teams whereby theteam with the largest aggregate scorewins.TOUCHING CARDSCards in sequence e.g. A-K or 9-8.TOUCHING SUITSClubs and diamonds, diamonds andhearts, and hearts and spades are thecombinations of touching suits.TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (TD)Person delegated by the sponsoringorganisation to see to the smoothrunning of the tournament, to giverulings on points of law and to sort outany irregularities. The TD organisesthe movement, tells the players whenit is time to move and in general hasthe same duties as a director at a club.The main difference is that a TD isunlikely to be a player.TOURNAMENTDIRECTOR’S GUIDEBook of advice for TournamentDirectors, intended as an explanatorysupplement to the Laws and as a guideto their implementation.TRAM TICKETSVery poor cards.TRANCETo pause for a substantial length oftime during bidding or play. Slow playcan disrupt the movement and irritateother players so one should avoidtrances.TRANSFER BIDSBids that show a suit other than theone bid, asking partner to bid that suit.They are most common after partneropens 1NT or 2NT and allow greaterflexibility in the bidding.The basic principle is that with, forexample, a five-card or longer heartsuit, one responds in diamonds.Partner will convert to hearts, afterwhich responder may pass with aweak hand, or make some furtherdescriptive bid.An elaborate system of ‘transferbidding’ sequences can describe arange of hand-types. For example, tomake a 2♦ transfer in reply to 1NT youmight 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 4With the first hand, you intend tostop in 2♥, playing in a safer partscorethan 1NT while keeping the strongerhand as declarer. With the second, youintend to rebid 3♣.TRANSFERRED KINGIf an opponent opens the bidding atthe one level and the next two playerspass, you can generally assume thatpartner has some values. The usualrule is to imagine that you hold a kingmore than you actually do and bidaccordingly. Partner makes suitableallowance for this.♠ 7♥ Q J 9 4♦ A 8 5 4♣ Q 10 3 2NW ESWest North East South1♠ Pass PassDblIf you had a king more, you wouldhave made a take-out of 1♠ in secondseat. You therefore have enough for areopening double.TRANSFERRING THE MENACEA squeeze play that transfers the guardfrom one defender to the other.For example:Page 21

♠ A J♥ Q 10♦ Void♣ Void♠ K Q ♠ 7♥ J 9 ♥ K 6 4♦ Void♣ VoidA to Z of Bridge continued♠ 8♥ A 3♦ ANW ES♣ Void♦ Void♣ VoidYou are aiming to make the four remainingtricks at no-trumps (or withdiamonds as trumps) and have thelead in dummy. North has two menaces,the ♠J and the ♥Q, but each opponentcontrols one of the menaces. Ifyou simply cross to the ♥A and cashthe ♦A, there is no squeeze becauseWest keeps spades and East hearts. If,however, you lead the ♥Q (covered bythe king and ace), the heart menacebecomes the ♥10 and responsibilityfor guarding it ‘transfers’ to West. Westis now squeezed on the play of the ♦A.TRAP PASSTo pass holding a strong hand in thehope the opposition will overbid andyou can extract a good penalty againsttheir final contract. You may also seethe term used to describe the situationin which you are playing negativedoubles but wish you were not.♠ 7♥ 9 6 4♦ K Q 9 5 2♣ A 8 3 2NW ESWest North East South1♠ 2♦?If a double would be negative,suggesting four hearts and askingpartner to bid, then you should pass(smoothly) in the hope that yourpartner re-opens with a double.TRAVELLER ORTRAVELLING SCORE SLIPThe slip of paper that accompanies aboard as it travels round the room ina duplicate event, on which to recordeach pair’s result.TREATMENTThat part of an agreed system designedto handle certain situations thatarise in the bidding. It may also be avariation of a particular convention.TRIAL BIDA bid in a new suit when trumps havebeen agreed that invites partner to bidhigher (normally to game) if he is goodfor his previous bidding but allowsroom for him to sign off if he is poor.With halfway values, he should referto his holding in the ‘trial bid’ suit.♠ Q 10 7 4♥ K Q 4♦ 8 5 2♣ 8 5 2NW ESWest North East South1♠ Pass2♠ Pass 3♥ Pass4♠You have little in the way of extravalues but your heart holding shouldsolidify whatever partner has inthe suit. As little as ♠A-K-x-x-x and♥A-x-x-x-x opposite makes 4♠ almostlaydown.TRICKA group of four cards, the lead andthe three subsequent cards played inrotation. A key objective in the play isto win tricks. Since there are fifty-twocards, there are thirteen tricks.TRICK POINTSPoints for contracts bid and made,recorded below the line in rubberbridge. Trick points for each trick oversix bid and made are as follows:Clubs or diamonds trumps 20Hearts or spades trumps 30No-trumps 40for the first and 30for each subsequent trickTRIPLE RAISEA raise missing out two levels ofbidding e.g. 1♠-Pass-4♠ or 1♠-2♦-Pass-5♦. It is usually pre-emptive.TRIPLE SQUEEZEThis is a squeeze against one opponentin three suits. There are numeroustypes of triple squeeze position. Inthe simplest variant, you have enoughwinners to win all but two of theremaining tricks. For example:♠ K Q♥ Void♦ K Q♣ A♠ A J♥ Void♦ 3 2♣ 3♠ 2♥ A♦ A J♣ KNW ESWhen as South, in no-trumps, youlead the ♥A, you squeeze West in threesuits. Indeed, he must throw a spade inorder 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 determinedby the last suit bid in the auction, orplaying such a card on a plain suit.Trumps are very important since,in any trick containing a trump, thehighest trump wins the trick. In theauction, you often want to arrange forthe trump suit, if there is one, to bea suit in which you and your partnerhave the maximum number of cards.TRUMP ASKING BIDA bid that enquires as to the qualityof partner’s trump holding. In manysystems, a bid of 5NT not precededby 4NT asks about partner’s trumpholding e.g. 2♣-pass-3♦-pass-5NT. InPrecision, it is quite common to playa single raise after a 1♣ opening anda positive response as a trump askingbid e.g. 1♣-pass-1♠-pass-2♠.Page 22

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A to Z of Bridge continuedTRUMP CONTROLThe player with the longest trumpholding has trump control. Whentwo players have equally long trumpsuits, ownership of trump controldepends on whether your trumps arehigh enough to draw the opposingtrumps and whether you can forceyour opponent to ruff. On deals whenone of the defenders has four trumps,there can be an intriguing battle fortrump control. For example:♠ K J 7 5♥ A K 3♦ Q J 4♣ 8 7 4♠ A 8 6 3 ♠ 2♥ J 6 5 N ♥ Q 10 7 4♦ K 10 7 5W ES♦ A 9 8 3 2♣ 9 5 ♣ 10 3 2♠ Q 10 9 4♥ 9 8 2♦ 6♣ A K Q J 6South plays in 4♠. West leads the ♦5.East wins with the ♦A and returns the♦3.Suppose that South ruffs and playsa trump. West wins with the ace andplays a third diamond, forcing South toruff again. Declarer has trump controlbecause West and North have the samenumber of trumps and declarer has thelead with the high trumps.Now, suppose the play starts thesame way but West holds up the♠A until the third round beforecontinuing diamonds. This time, Westhas the lead while North and Westhave equal trump length, so West cantake trump control.Finally, suppose that declarer(correctly) discards a heart at tricktwo. This way West is unable to setup a force (the ♦Q will be high) anddeclarer retains trump control.TRUMP COUPA stratagem whereby you can trapan opponent’s trump honour withouttaking an actual finesse. For example:♠ Void♥ J 9♠ Void♥ 7 4NW ES♠ A Q♥ Void♠ K J♥ VoidWith spades as trumps, you lead aheart from dummy. Whatever Eastdoes, you overruff and make the lasttwo tricks.To reach a position like this youneed to ensure that you have the samenumber of trumps as the defender(if you had more, you would have toruff and lead away from your trumpholding). You will also need to ensurethat the lead is not in the hand withthe trump tenace.TRUMP ECHOA high-low signal in the trump suit. Inthe trump suit, an echo shows an oddnumber (i.e. opposite to a standardsignal in a plain suit) and usually adesire to ruff.♠ 10 6 2♠ A 7 4NW ES♠ Q 9 8 5 3♠ 9 5 2NW ES♠ K J♠ Q 6 3 ♠ J 10♠ A K 8 7 4In the first trump suit, declarer playsthe ace and then up to the queen. IfWest plays the six followed by the two,this shows a third trump and stronglysuggests a desire for a ruff.In the second, declarer cashes theace-king. Here, West might playhigh-low even with no desire to ruff.When declarer stops drawing trumps,East can infer that either West has nomore trumps or that West’s remainingtrump is a winner. West’s high-lowenables East to tell which is which.TRUMP KINGOften regarded as a ‘fifth’ ace incontrol-showing bids.TRUMP PETERThis is the same as trump echo.TRUMP PROMOTIONTo promote a trump trick in adefender’s hand through leading aplain suit in which declarer and onedefender is void. This occurs mainlyin two ways:1. The lead of a plain suit card throughdeclarer can allow partner to makean extra trump trick.2. If a defender ruffs with a hightrump, this may force declarer tooverruff higher thus promoting atrump trick for partner.Suppose the trump layout is as follows:♠ 8 4 2NW ES♠ J 9 3 ♠ 10 5♠ A K Q 7 61. If East leads a suit in which Southand West are void, declarer facesan unpleasant choice: ruff low,allowing West to overruff or ruffhigh and lose the third round.2. If West leads a suit of which Eastand South are void, East shouldruff high with the ten. If declarerdiscards, the defenders have animmediate trump trick. If declareroverruffs, West wins the thirdround.As a rule, declarer does best to discarda loser rather than incur a trumppromotion.To thwart this, the defenders shouldusually arrange to cash their sidewinners before trying for a trumppromotion.TRUMP REDUCTION PLAYPlay designed to reduce the numberof trumps held in the long trumphand. You do this by ruffing, usuallyin preparation for a trump coup orendplay.The general technique is for declarerto reduce his trumps to the samelength as the defender’s.Page 24

♠ Q 10 8A to Z of Bridge continued♠ 4♥ 7 4 2NW ES♠ Void♥ K ♥ A Q J 3♠ K J 9 2♥ VoidIn this four-card ending, with Northon lead and spades as trumps, Southstarts with a trump more than West.An immediate endplay would not workbecause West could win the spadecheaply and exit with a heart. Instead,you ruff a heart, reducing your trumplength to the same as West’s, beforegiving up a spade.TRUMP SIGNALAn agreed method by defenders,when following in trumps, to showinformation in that suit or anothersuit. The usual signals are the trumpecho (to show length and/or a desirefor a ruff) and the suit-preferencesignal.TRUMP SUITIf the denomination of the last bid ofthe auction is a suit, then that suit isthe trump suit.TRUMP SUPPORTSupport for partner in his proposedtrump 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 honourpointstrength with distributionalvalues. An overcall shows a two-suitedhand with at least 5-4 distribution inthe suits pinpointed by the followingbids 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 (suchas 1♦ negative or a control-showingresponse), the principle is the same:the lowest four suit bids show thelower of touching suits; double showsnon-touching suits including the suitdoubled; no-trumps shows the othernon-touching two-suiter.You can also play Truscott over anAcol/Benjamin 2♣; all the bids are alevel higher than over a strong 1♣.TWO CLUB SYSTEMSSystems employing a strong andforcing 2♣ opening bid, such as Acoland Standard American.TWO NO TRUMP OVERCALLA balanced hand of some definedstrength, but frequently played as aconventional bid if it is a jump or afterboth opponents have bid.The most common conventionaluse of a 2NT overcall is to show atwo-suited hand with the two lowestunbid suits (called the Unusual 2NTovercall).TWO OVER ONETo respond, without jumping, topartner’s one-level opening bid witha new suit at the two-level. The bidshows greater values than are requiredfor a one-level response.TWO OVER ONE SYSTEMA system in which a two-over-oneresponse (e.g. 1♠-pass-2♣) creates agame force. With such a system, it isusual to play a forcing 1NT response to1♥ or 1♠ and to play weak or artificialjump shifts.TWO-SUIT FITIf you and your partner have eight,or usually more, cards between youin two suits, this is a two-suit fit(commonly called a double fit). Handswith a two-suit fit often produce moretricks than point count or the law oftotal tricks suggest.♠ A 9 8 5 4 2 ♠ K 10 7 3♥ 3 N ♥ 9 4♦ Q 7 4W ES ♦ A K 10 6 3 2♣ A 5 3 ♣ 2The combination of good controlsand the two-suit fit in the pointedsuits means that East-West can expectto make a slam with only 20 HCPbetween them.You should try harder than usual tobuy the contract when your side has atwo-suit fit.TWO-SUITED OVERCALLSConventional overcalls that show twosuits, at least one of which partnerknows. The unusual no-trump and theMichaels cue bid are the most populartype of two-suited overcall.TWO-SUITERA hand with at least five cards in eachof two suits.TWO-WAY FINESSEA card combination allowing declarerto finesse either opponent for a missinghonour. For example:K 10 6NW ESA J 8With the above card combination,you have the choice of finessing eitheropponent for the missing queen.When you have a two-way finesse,you usually want to delay playing thesuit. This is partly in the hope that theopponents may lead it first and partlyso you can obtain as much informationas possible before you have to decidewho is more likely to hold the missinghonour.TWO WAY STAYMANThe use of 2♣ as non-forcing Stayman(forcing for one round only) and 2♦ asgame-forcing Stayman.■Mr Bridge Premium Quality CardsStandard Faces, withor without bar codes.Unboxed.6 red/6 blue £19.9530 red/30 blue only £60Available from The London Bridge Centre.( 020 7288 1305 www.bridgeshop.comPage 25

The Diaries of Wendy WensumEpisode 13: An Aegean JauntPart 2: The Diplomatic IncidentWendy and Spouse are onthe island of Limnos. In avillage taverna, they met aFrench couple and enjoyed an eveningof rubber bridge. They agreed to playagain the following evening.Busy Myrini, the main town ofLimnos, is bisected by a rocky hill onwhich a robust castle dominates thebay and guards the harbour wheresmall fishing boats gently rock fromside to side on clear blue water. On thequayside are fish tavernas where theearly morning catch is later cooked forthe inevitable enjoyment of customers.Above the lively streets, the castle isilluminated first by the setting sunand then by the floodlighting on itsmassive walls. That evening, localsand visitors were in festive mood asthey promenaded in pairs or familygroups, appreciating the balmy air.By the harbour, Spouse and I werereunited with our new French friends,Pierre and Marie. Here, we enjoyed anexcellent meal before settling down tosome bridge. It was a long rubber ofunsuccessful contracts and bitty partscores until, at game all, Spouse dealtand, in desperation, bid 1♥.♠ 8 2♥ Q 10 8 5♦ K Q 10 2♣ A 10 5♠ 10 3 ♠ Q 9 7 6 5♥ A J 9 3N♥ 7 4♦ J 9 7 3W ES♦ 8 5 4♣ 8 3 2 ♣ Q 7 4♠ A K J 4♥ K 6 2♦ A 6♣ K J 9 6I responded 1♠ and this simple auctionensued:NorthSpouse1♥2♦5♦*BlackwoodSouthWendy1♠4NT*6NTPierre led the ten of spades. As dummyappeared, I was not too happy withSpouse, although, to be fair, his handobeyed the rule of 19. Marie played lowand I won with the jack. There seemedto be so many ways to play the handand, as usual, I could not identify thebest line. I played the king of hearts.West won with the ace, exiting withhis second spade. Entirely by luck, Iguessed the clubs correctly. With thefinesse of the ten of hearts also working,the slam made with three spadetricks, two hearts, three diamonds andfour clubs. Of course, it was a terriblecontract – but it won us the rubberand the bragging rights. I glanced atSpouse. ‘Well played,’ he said kindly,with a big beaming grin across his face.Our winnings bought the next carafeof local wine to celebrate oursuccess. This we soon consumed andPierre insisted on ordering a round ofFrench brandy. Not surprisingly, nonewas available in the taverna, so Marieproduced a bottle from her enormoushandbag. The taverna ownerproduced five glasses and toasted ourBritish victory. He admitted the Cognacwas good, but when pressed byPierre, declared rather undiplomaticallythat Greek brandy was superior.To the Frenchman, this was nothingshort of an insult and law 74 applied.Yet another split in the European Unionwas now a distinct possibility. Aone-man appeals committee in theform of an independent commissionof enquiry was established immediatelyand a bottle of Greek brandy wasproduced. National pride was again atstake. We appointed Spouse to evaluatethe evidence and make a ruling;a challenge he seemed to relish withnaïve enthusiasm. Greek and Frenchprotagonists awaited in eager anticipationas Spouse tasted each brandyin turn. Finally, with due pomp (andwith much pomposity), he announcedhis decision. ‘This French Cognac isexcellent. In cold, Northern Europe,it is hailed as the finest after-dinnerstimulant.’ Tension was now runninghigh and rising. Spouse sipped theGreek brandy again and nodded hishead sagely. ‘In this charming tavernaon this beautiful evening with thesegentle breezes caressing this idyllic island,this brandy, created from grapesripened by the warming rays of theAegean sun, is perfection.’The words tripped from his tonguelike those of a stately theatrical actor,his voice rising and falling with theflow of his passionate praise. His freehand emphasised the subtle nuancesof his speech by moving in illustrativeunison with his modulating tones. Hebowed slightly as his hushed audienceerupted into applause. Honouron both sides was satisfied by hisconciliatory judgement. During thefestivities that followed, we forgot allthe acrimony. Spouse was declared theunofficial Honorary British Consulof Limnos, after which the eveningslipped blissfully into oblivion, soundin the knowledge that the Euro-zonewas once again as safe as the Bank ofEngland.■Page 26

Bridge and Travel TipsPINS AND NEEDLESBridge tip from Sally Brock:Don’t try to land on a pinhead at IMPsSuppose partner opensa weak no-trump andyou hold:Hand A♠ Q 5 4♥ K 6 2♦ A Q 8 2♣ 5 4 3Hand B♠ Q 5 4♥ K 6 2♦ A Q 10 4 3♣ 5 4Perhaps to you they bothlook like a raise of 1NT to2NT (perhaps via some sortof non-promissory Staymanimposed on you becauseof the vagaries of your system).Maybe partner hasone of the following hands:Hand C♠ A K 3♥ Q J 10♦ 9 6 5 2♣ A 8 2Hand D♠ K 3 2♥ A J 10♦ K 6 5♣ J 10 7 6Presumably, partner willbid 3NT when he has HandC and pass when he hasHand D.Hand A facing Hand Chas little chance. HandB facing Hand D givesa good chance of ninetricks.Sometimes hands fit,sometimes they don’t.Sometimes the opponentsmake the best lead (forthem) and sometimes theydon’t. Sometimes you raiseto 2NT and partner passesbut only makes seventricks.My tip is, most of thetime at IMP scoring, makethe choice yourself: whenpartner opens with a weak1NT, with a flat 11-countand no five-card suit pass;with a good 11-count anda good five-card suit bid3NT. In the long run, youwill make a profit.Travel tip from Emma Thomson:A stitch in time savesnine – or your holidayKeep the miniature sewing kits laid out as afreebie in hotel bathrooms. They’re small, butfull of useful items for on-the-road repairs:safety pins for securing sarongs, thread which doublesup as dental floss or luggage markers and buttons foran impromptu game of travel tiddlywinks.Mr BridgeChristmas &New Year 2013/14DenhamGroveNear Uxbridge,UB9 5DU23-27 December £495Just Duplicate Bridge(with a small section forrubber/Chicago with Diana Holland)27-29 December £215Signal and Discards29 December – 2 January £445DoublesThe OldeBarnMarston, Lincs,NG32 2HT23-27 December £495Just Duplicate Bridge27-29 December £215Finding Slams29 December – 1 January £445Leads and Defence( 01483 489961e-mail: jessica@mrbridge.co.ukwebsite: www.holidaybridge.comBooking Form on page 5.Page 27

From the Baron’s Archives by Dick AtkinsonLightningStrikes TwiceYou may remember the somewhatunusual funeral arrangementsmade for his old partner,the Marquis de Sade, by my uncle,Leopold, Baron von Münchhausen.These were controversial on twofronts: firstly, Greenpeace protestersaccused my uncle of polluting thevirgin Arctic and indeed contributingto global warming by distributing deSade’s dark ashes across the otherwisehighly reflective northern ice.Secondly, the nobility of Europe weredisappointed in their expectationsof paying their last respects, ordisrespects, as the case may be.The Marquis de Sade’sMemorial ServiceThus it came about that a memorialservice was held not all that far fromWestminster Cathedral. The Cathedralitself could not be had for the affair –there is a well-substantiated rumourthat a very highly placed personagein the Vatican hierarchy vetoed anyofficial celebration of de Sade’s life.(There is a less well-substantiatedrumour that His Holiness quipped,‘Perhaps we can celebrate his death!’)A renegade priest was found toofficiate and the eulogy was given byMonsieur le Comte de Sade, the eldestlegitimate son of the late Marquis.It has long been a peculiarity ofthe de Sades that the titles Marquisand Comte are used in alternategenerations. Possibly this is to avoidthe misdirected attentions of thepolice forces of Europe.‘Please call me Aristides,’ thecharming Comte invited me. Aschance would have it, we ended upsitting together at the lavish dinnerthat evening. Rarely had the CaféRoyal entertained so much blue bloodon a single occasion. I think I wasthe only mere Mister in the wholecompany.‘Please call me Dick,’ I countered.‘Certainement, Monsieur le Duc,’ theComte replied . . .A Bridge StoryAfter a considerable quantity of clarethad been consumed, the Comtecondescended to tell me a bridgestory concerning my uncle which hehad heard from his father. He wrotethis deal in the bottom margin ofthe wine list and was just gettinginto the story when he was calledaway to be interviewed by the courtcorrespondent of the Telegraph, orwas it the Times?♠ A 4♥ K Q 3♦ Q J 10 9 8 7 2♣ 10♠ 9 7 5 3 ♠ K 10 2N♥ 9 8 7 ♥ A J 5 4W E♦ 6 4S ♦ A K♣ 6 5 4 3 ♣ J 9 8 2♠ Q J 8 6♥ 10 6 2♦ 5 3♣ A K Q 7The Baron RemembersDays later, I found the crumpled winelist when I emptied the pockets of mydinner jacket before sending it to thedry cleaner. Over lunch, I asked UncleLeo if he recalled the hand.His eyebrows lowered in athunderous frown. ‘Where did you getthis?’‘From de Sade’s son and heir,actually,’ I answered.‘Like father, like son, eh? Camille’smost annoying trait was thatcompulsive tendency to dwell – well,sadistically – on one’s occasionalembarrassments.’‘So this is a hand you misplayed?’He glared at me ominously. ‘Youforget yourself. In fact, it is a hand Idefended very competently. My fatheropened 1NT on the South cards andmy late Mama raised to 3NT, doubledand redoubled of course. De Sadeexamined his Yarborough for anypositive feature and led – correctly Ibelieve – the nine of hearts, on whichdummy’s queen is played. Plan yourdefence.’The Merrimac Coup‘Ah . . . well . . .’ Then it hit me. Ofcourse! ‘You have to cut off declarerfrom dummy’s diamonds, so you musthold off the heart. You are in with theking of diamonds at the next trick,’ Ismiled in a superior fashion, ‘and youthen make the master play, returningthe king of spades. It’s called theMerrimac Coup, sacrificing yourpotential winning honour to kill a keyentry.’‘I am perfectly aware of its name –but your Merrimac Coup is not goodenough. Declarer takes three tricksin each black suit, then throws you inwith the diamond ace. You can cashPage 28

Lightning Strikes Twice continuedtwo more tricks if you like,but you must eventuallylead to the king of hearts,which is the entry for awinning diamond, thedeclarer’s ninth trick.’‘And your father actuallyfound that line?’ I asked.‘I didn’t give him thechance. I overtook the heartqueen and played back thatking of spades immediately.In with the diamond king, Iplayed back the heart knave,a second Merrimac Coup.My double coup held Papato three spade tricks, twohearts and three clubs – onedown.’‘But?’ I knew there mustbe a ‘but’.He took out his favouritegold propelling pencil – Ilent it to him in 1997, or late’96 – and drew the followinglayout:♠ 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 N ♥ J 7W E♦ 5 3 2 S ♦ K J 9 8 7 6 4♣ K Q 6 4 ♣ Void♠ K J 9 3 2♥ 5 3♦ A Q 10♣ A 8 2TripleMerrimac Coup‘It is strange how lightningalways had a way of strikingtwice in my encounterswith my father. De Sade,West, opened 1NT, Muttiovercalled with 2♥, I called3♦ and, over my father’scareful pass, the Marquisrebid 3NT.‘They were playing first,third or fifth leads, so theknave of clubs was ledand, far-sightedly, de Sadediscarded the seven ofhearts from dummy.‘3NT obviously hasentry problems. South mayduck the first club, win thefirst diamond and returna heart. Now it looks asthough declarer must be off.But he may surmise fromthe lead and the diamonddistribution that North istoo feeble to call 2♥ withouta seven-card suit, so perhapshe will cash his second heartwinner, discarding a spade,before returning a seconddiamond. South must nowconcede the ninth trick inone or other black suit. Ifthe declarer failed to extractSouth’s second exit card inthis way, the defender wouldcash his third diamondbefore exiting.’‘But de Sade didn’t findthat line?’‘He never got thechance. My father went uppromptly with his ace ofclubs at trick one and shotback the king of spades todummy’s ace. The king ofdiamonds went to the aceand the spade knave wastaken by dummy’s queen. Adiamond to Papa’s ten wasfollowed by the spade nineto dummy’s ten, killing thediamond suit stone dead.De Sade was limited to fourspade tricks, two hearts andtwo clubs and my fathergloated unbearably abouthis Triple Merrimac Coupfor the rest of the evening.’‘Like father, like son,’ Isaid. Silently, of course. ■Previously publishedin BRIDGE 60.Reprinted to satisfypopular demand.BRIDGE EVENTSwith Bernard MageeChatsworth HotelWorthing BN11 3DUJULY 20135-7 BlunsdonHouse Hotel£245 Signals & Discards12-14 CheltenhamRegency£245 Thinking DefenceCheltenham RegencyHotelCheltenham GL51 0STOctober 201311-13 BlunsdonHouse Hotel£245 Splintersand Cue Bids18-20 Chatsworth Hotel£245 Playing &Defending 1NT25-27 QueensferryHotel£245 Finding SlamsNOVEMber 20138-10 Olde BarnHotel£245 Better Leads& Switches15-17 Chatsworth Hotel£245 BiddingDistributionalHandsQueensferry HotelNorth Queensferry KY11 1HP22-24 BlunsdonHouse Hotel£245 Better DefenceJANUARY 201410-12 Elstead Hotel£245 Doubles17-19 Chatsworth Hotel£245 TBABlunsdon House HotelSwindon SN26 7ASFull Board. No Single Supplement.See Booking Form on page 5.Page 29

QPLUS 10Reallyuser-friendlybridge-playingsoftware• QPLUS 11 sentwhen ready• QPLUS can bepassed on to a friend• Updatedcomprehensivemanual• Displays on £92HD screen• Supports largescreens• Minibridge option• Extra 500 preplayedhands for teamsmaking 5,000 in all• Extra 500 preplayedhands for matchpointpairs making4,000 in all• Improvementover two yearsfrom version 9• New save matchfunction• Save deals withautomatic filelabelling• Closed room – newbutton to viewother tableQPLUSTRADE-INOFFERReturn any QPLUSCD and booklet witha cheque for £43 andreceive QPLUS 10with the promiseof QPLUS 11 whenready later this yearfor no extra charge.Order with absoluteconfidence.BERNARD MAGEE’SINTERACTIVE TUTORIALSACOLBIDDING• Opening Bids andResponses• Slams and StrongOpenings• Support for Partner• Pre-empting• Overcalls• No-trumpOpeningsand Responses• Opener’s andResponder’s Rebids• Minors and Misfits• Doubles• CompetitiveAuctionsADVANCEDDECLARER PLAY• Making Overtricksin No-trumps• Making Overtricksin Suit Contracts• Endplays• Avoidance• WrongContract• SimpleSqueezes• Countingthe Hand• Trump Reductions& Coups• Playing DoubledContracts• Safety Plays£66£81MORE(ADVANCED)ACOL BIDDING• Basics• Advanced Basics• Weak Twos• Strong Hands• Defenceto Weak Twos• Defence to 1NT• Doubles• Two-suitedOvercalls• Defences toOther Systems• Misfits andDistributionalHandsDEFENCE• Lead vsNo-trump Contracts• Lead vsSuit Contracts• Partner of Leadervs No-trumpContracts• Partner of Leadervs Suit Contracts• CountSignals• AttitudeSignals• Discarding• Defensive Plan• Stopping Declarer• Countingthe Hand£96£76DECLARERPLAY• Suit Establishmentin No-trumps• Suit Establishmentin Suits• Hold-ups• Ruffing forExtra Tricks• Entries inNo-trumps• DelayingDrawing Trumps• Using the Lead• Trump Control• Endplays &Avoidance£76• Using the BiddingFIVE-CARDMAJORS &Strong No-Trump• Opening Bids& Responses• No-TrumpOpenings• Supportfor Partner• Slams& Strong Openings• Rebids• Minors& Misfits• Pre-empting• Doubles• Overcalls• CompetitiveAuctions£89Make 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 797302System Requirements: Windows XP, Vista or 7, 8mb RAM, CD-ROM

Stephen Cashmore SaysMake the MostEconomical BidIf you and your partner are biddingtowards a contract, it may makesense to make a cheap bid to allowroom for you both to describe yourhands. Suppose you hold:♠ A Q 8 7 5♥ K Q J 3♦ 6♣ Q 10 4You open 1♠, intending to rebid 2♥,but your partner responds 3NT. Whatdo you do now? You will just wrigglefor a few moments, before passing.Partner will have about a flat 13-count,but he might have four hearts (making4♥ a better spot), or even three spades(probably making 4♠ better).‘The most economical bid’ mightnot equate to the lowest possible bid. Itmeans you make the lowest bid that tellspartner something new about your handand allows for how the auction is likelyto develop. Here are some examples.With hands A and B you are first tospeak. 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 ♣ 8With hand A, the lowest rational bidis 1♦. There is nothing wrong withthis systemically and, because youcan rebid 2♦, the development of theauction poses no threats. Is 1♦ also themost economical bid in the sense ofgiving information to partner? No, 1NTdoes the job better. Partner will have amuch clearer idea of your strength andbalanced shape if you open 1NT.1NT, although not the lowest bid,is the most economical as it describesseveral features of your hand at once.With hand B, you could in theoryopen any of 1♦, 1♥ and 1♠. The themeof keeping the bidding low suggests thatyou open 1♦, leaving maximum spaceat the one level. Indeed, 1♦ tells partneras much as 1♥ or 1♠. How though is theauction going to develop?You will be happy if partner responds1♥ or 1♠. Now suppose he responds2♣. What is your rebid? Oops. You canscarcely rebid your four-card diamondsuit. Nor can you reverse into 2♥ or2♠ or bid 2NT as these rebids all showa stronger hand than you have. No,you should have opened 1♥ in the firstplace with 2♦ available as a rebid ifrequired. So on this deal, 1♥ is the mosteconomical opening, as it enables you todevelop the auction sensibly.Hand CHand 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 5With Hand C partner has opened 1♦,and with Hand D partner has opened1♠. What do you respond?Hand C is a good example of the mosteconomical bid also being the lowestavailable bid. Some players might bypassthe poor heart suit and respond 1♠,claiming that Q-x-x-x does not representa biddable suit. Now suppose partnerhas something like this:♠ J 8♥ J 10 6 2♦ A K Q 8♣ A 10 3After hearing your 1♠ response, hewill rebid 1NT and there the biddingwill rest, with the heart fit lost forever.No, 1♥ is the most sensible bid. It tellspartner as much as any other availablebid, and causes no future problems –and for all those reasons is easily themost ‘economical’ response.Hand D is trickier. You cannot bid 4♠with only three spades, and 2♥ wouldbe wrong on a four-card suit. With nominor, is the ‘most economical bid’3NT, describing your hand in one fellswoop? Aha! If you did that, you aregiving partner the problem you faced atthe start of this article!♠ A Q 8 7 5♥ K Q J 3♦ 6♣ Q 10 4Partner can only squirm after 3NT.You should have considered bidding2♣. What can go wrong? If partnerrebids spades, you can go to 4♠. If herebids in hearts, you can choose between4♠ and 4♥. If he rebids in a minor, youcan jump to 4♠. If instead he rebids inno-trumps, you can bid 3♠ to let himchoose between 3NT and 4♠. The spacesaving2♣ bid allows much more roomfor exploration.By the way, for the reasons givenabove, many experts no longer use a3NT response to show a flat 13-15. Forthat matter, many players no longer usea 2NT response to show a flat 11-12 forthe same reason. With a balanced handand 11 or more points, you save space ifyou bid a suit in the first round ratherthan just bashing 2NT or 3NT.Remember, the most economical bidis not always the lowest bid. It is thelowest bid that is sound and does nottangle the subsequent auction. ■Page 31

READERS’ LETTERScontinuedWHAT’S GOING ON?We are a non-profit makingcharity. We charge only£2.50 for the three hoursession, including tea andbiscuits. We offer duplicateand rubber bridge fourafternoons a week.Membership has droppedfrom 140 to 80 andattendances from 12-14tables to 6-7 tables in thelast decade. Is this a nationaltrend or are we doingsomething wrong? We wouldbe grateful for any ideas.Mr Frank Clare,Club Secretary, CanonsCommunity Association,Stanmore, Middlesex.HELP PLEASEPlease could you advise mehow to set up a village bridgegroup, say 8 to 16 playersand how to cope with oddnumbers that crop up?Lilias Simpson, Plockton,Scottish Highlands.OVERSEASI am an avid bridge player inPortugal. Please put me onyour mailing list and adviseme of postal charges.Liz Adamson,Algarve,Portugal.BRIDGE is put up on mywebsite library as and whenit goes to the printer. Readersin the UK wanting to becertain of a printed copyshould send £16 for twelvemonths. £30 for two years.Overseas, £26 and £40.PLUG REQUESTI know that, from time totime, you publish details ofbridge clubs looking for newplayers. May I introduceDenmead Bridge Club, whichwelcomes new members forDuplicate Bridge. We are afriendly but EBU unaffiliatedclub. We meet on Mondayevenings, 7 to 10pm.Contact Georgina Erskineon ( 01489 878016.Peter Rymill,Waterlooville, Hants.FUND RAISERI am interested in finding outmore about your fund raisingideas. I would love to do abridge fund-raiser, perhapsnot this year, but in future.My sister and I did a golf daylast year. We had a greatresponse, but I can’t houndmy friends again so soon.Mrs E Webster by email.Stuff and nonsense! Yourfriends love and admire youfor it. It saves them fromhaving to make the effort.ANOTHER PLUGWe have just started a NoFear Bridge Club in Bedford.Our objective is to teachbeginners to play bridgeso that they feel confidentenough to go along to one ofthe clubs in the Bedford area.We are a non-profit cluband meet Thursday morningsat the ATA Sport & SocialClub, Manton Lane, Bedford.We charge £2 table moneywhich goes towards runningcosts and new equipment.We also provide lessons inbasic Acol for beginners onMonday evenings. Ring BrianFord on ( 01234 300218.RELOCATION ASSISTI have just sent a requestfor your mag on behalf ofan elderly relative who hasjust moved back to Scotlandfrom Canada. She is missingher bridge and has notransport. I wondered if youhave any suggestions aboutbridge in Slamannan, nearFalkirk? Writing in hope.Kate Maxwell,Cheltenham, Glos.Replies direct tokatmaxwell@btinternet.comCHARITY BRIDGE EVENTSMAY 201319 HOSPISCARE.Swiss Teams at HonitonBridge Club 10.30am. £60per team includes a saladlunch and refreshments.Peter Crawford( 01395 56793029 AFRICAN MISSIONSBridge tea, Ladywell,Godalming, Surrey.1.30 for 2pm. £36 per table.Sr. June Shirville( 01483 419393junefmdm@hotmail.comJUNE 201312 BREAKTHROUGH BREASTCANCER Bridge afternoon.Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford,West Sussex. RH14 0LN.1.30pm. £20 pp (tables of4). Tea, raffle and bubbles.Jo Rees ( 01903 740512www.bartholomewbarn.co.uk14 ST MARY’S CHURCHEaton Socon, St Neots.10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50.Malcolm Howarth( 01480 21291019 Downham MarketHeritage Society. DuplicateBridge at the Town HallDownham Market, Norfolkat 1.00pm. £6pp, inc. tea.Pat Roberts( 01366 38294726 ST MATTHEWS CHURCHBridge Drive in Ripley,Derbyshire 10 for 10.30am.£13.50 inc. coffee, lunchand afternoon tea.Veronica Wragg( 01773 74546228 BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION29 Swansea Bridge Club,30 22 St James Gardens,Friday 7pm, Open & NovicePairs £4. Saturday, Session1 at 1.45pm, £5. Session 2at 7pm, £9. Sunday, Session1 at 1pm, Session 2 at4.45pm. £36 per team.Diana Panniers( 01792 297081JULY 20134 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINEROTARY CLUBOutlane Golf Club.12 for 12.30. £44 per table.Sam Smith( 01924 4925407 RUNSWICK BAY RESCUEBOAT. Bridge Day.Hinderwell Village Hall.10am. £16 includes lunch.Karen ( 01947 8410138 ROWANS HOSPICE, PURBROOKDuplicate at DenmeadBridge Club, CommunityHall, School Lane, Denmead.7pm. £2pp.Georgina Erskine( 01489 87801612 GREAT BARFORD CHURCHVillage Hall, Great Barford.10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50.Derek Fordham( 01234 870324AUGUST 201316 ST IVES DAY CARE CENTREHemingford Abbots VillageHall. Tickets £13.50.Don Moorman( 01480 463444SEPTEMBER 20134 GYDA. Corn Exchange,Faringdon. £15.Steve Braithwaite( 01367 2409295 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINEROTARY CLUBOutlane Golf Club.12 for 12.30. £44 per table.Sam Smith( 01924 492540OCTOBER 20134 ST ANDREWS CHURCHMandeville Hall.Kimbolton. £14.00.Mavis Campion( 01480 860477NOVEMBER 20134 RNLICrowborough BeaconGolf Club bridge tea.1.30pm for 2pm start.£26 per table.Penny ( 01825 8300069 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINEROTARY CLUBOutlane Golf Club.12 for 12.30. £44 per table.Sam Smith( 01924 49254022 ST MARY’S CHURCHEaton Socon, St Neots. 10.00for 10.30am. £13.50.Malcolm Howarth( 01480 212910E-mail your charity events: maggie@mrbridge.co.ukPage 33

READERS’ LETTERScontinuedREDESIGNI do enjoy reading yourmagazine, BRIDGE, and itmust seem churlish to makea slight moan but here goes.For many editions, upuntil the last two, you havehad David and Julian’squizzes on a right pagewith the answers overleaf.This arrangement hasbeen most satisfactory as Ihave been able to cut outthe quizzes and easily storethem for future reference.I may be a lone voice butif you can juggle the advertsso as to return to the previousformat, you would makethis old man very happy.John Newbold by email.VARIOUS OPTIONSI have read the letter onpage 37 in BRIDGE 123and noticed you did notcomment. On behalf ofthe readers, may I thankyou for the magazine andmake the following points.• Most, if not all, of thearticles are writtenby professionals.• The coverage is for allbridge players, learners,improvers, intermediate aswell as advanced players.• Readers can contributeto the magazine withtheir own articles, lettersof interest, advertisetheir own clubs.• Readers can receiveexpert advice inanswer to their bridgequeries using email.• Bridge is an evolutionarygame and BRIDGE helpsto keep us up to date.• It is a magazine tokeep for reference, notread once and put inthe recycling bin.• The adverts keep usup to date with bridgeweekends, cruises,software, etc.The adverts pay for themagazine, so it costs us?Nothing! So I suggestyour reader goes downto their local newsagentand checks on the price ofspecial interest publications.If still not happy, there isanother option... ask to betaken off the mailing list.Anne Glendenningby email.SUPPORT NEEDEDI’ve noted some readers’letters recently complainingabout the amount of spacegiven to advertisementsin the magazine.I would urge you tocontinue to allocate asmuch space as you findnecessary, if this allowsyou to continue to publishBRIDGE and distribute itfree of charge to the manythousands of readers whoeagerly await each issue.I would also urge readersto support the advertisers aswithout them I fear that wewould 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 saidWith 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 careTo wed an outlawed man who’d dareTo lead the thirteenth trump!‘If you had drawn their leading spadeIt meant a certain win!But no! By Pembroke’s mighty shadeThe thirteenth trump you went and playedAnd let their diamonds in!‘My girl, return at my commandHis presents in a lump!Return his ring! For, understand,No man is fit to hold your handWho leads a thirteenth trump!‘But hold! Give every man his dueAnd every dog his day.Speak up and say what made you doThis dreadful thing – that is, if youHave anything to say!’He spoke. ‘I meant at first,’ said he,‘To give their spades a bump,Or lead the hearts; but then you seeI thought against us there might be,Perhaps, a fourteenth trump!’♣♦♥♠They buried him at dawn of dayBeside a ruined stump:And there he sleeps the hours awayAnd waits for Gabriel to playThe last – the fourteenth trump.Write to Mr Bridge at:Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2THor e-mail letters@mrbridge.co.ukE-mail correspondents are asked to includetheir name, full postal address, telephonenumber and to send no attachments.Letters may be edited for length and clarity.REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR POSTAGEPostage stamps for sale at 90% of face-value,all mint with full gum. Quotations forcommercial quantities available on request.Values supplied in 100s, higher values available as wellas 1st and 2nd class (eg 2nd class: 100x37p+100x13p)(/Fax 020 8422 4906 e-mail: clive.goff@londonrugby.comPage 34

CheltenhamRegencyHotelCheltenham GL51 0STElstead HotelBournemouth, BH1 3QPBlunsdonHouseHotelSwindon SN26 7ASBRIDGEEVENTS 201317-19 May – £199Just Duplicate Bridge12-14 July – £245Bernard MageeThinking Defence26-28 July – £199Just Duplicate Bridge9-11 August – £199Just Duplicate Bridge6-8 September – £199Just Duplicate Bridge13-15 September – £199Just Duplicate Bridge11-13 October – £199Just Duplicate Bridge25-27 October – £199Just Duplicate Bridge6-8 December – £199Just Duplicate BridgeFull BoardNo Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.BRIDGE EVENTS17-19 May 2013 Rubber/Chicago £ 19914-16 June Just Duplicate Bridge £ 1998-10 November Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19915-17 November Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19922-24 November Just Duplicate Bridge £ 19910-12 Jan 2014 Bernard MageeDoubles £ 245Full Board. No Single Supplement.Booking Form on page 5.Queensferry HotelNorth Queensferry, KY11 1HPBRIDGE EVENT 201325-27 October Bernard Magee £245Finding SlamsFull Board.No Single Supplement.Booking Form on page 5.BRIDGEEVENTS5-7 July 2013£245Bernard MageeSignals & Discards11-13 October£245Bernard MageeSplinters & Cue Bids8-10 November£215Stan PowellDoubles22-24 November£245Bernard MageeBetter Defence10-12 January 2014£199Just Duplicate Bridge21-23 February£199Just Duplicate Bridge28 Feb – 2 March£199Just Duplicate BridgeFull BoardNo Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.Page 35

Julian Pottage answers your bridge questionsShould I Bid a3-Card Suit?QI would appreciateyour views onmy bidding here.♠ 10 5 4♥ 8♦ K J 9 4 3♣ A J 4 2West North East South2♦ 1 Pass 2♥ 2Pass Pass Dbl Pass?1Multi2to play facing a weak two inheartsI bid 2♠ as I assumedhe had four spades forhis double. He said thatif he had five spades,then he would bid themhimself. I suggested 2NTfor the minors mightbe a better option.Emma Jones by email.AA take-out doublenormally asks you tobid your longest suit.While you might have to bida three-card suit if your onlyfour-card suit is the opposingsuit, you do not want tobe bidding a three-card suitotherwise. You rarely wantto play voluntarily in a 4-3fit (and there is no guaranteeit is 4-3, anyway). Withyour hand, I would certainlybid 3♦. Unless you havediscussed this particularsequence, I would not expectpartner to read 2NT as showingthe minors in response tothe double or as an overcall.♣♦♥♠QMost of myfriends and Iwould open astrong two when wehave four losers or fewer,regardless of the numberof certain playingtricks or the numberof high card points wehave in our hand. Thisseems to work very wellin a high percentage ofcases – as well as goingby the number ofplaying tricks, if notbetter, in my opinion.Another friend withwhom I play once afortnight goes by thenumber of playing tricksrather than losers.What is your opinion?Julia Franklin,Hemel Hempstead.ACulbertson had arule that you openeda game force if youhad more honour tricks thanlosers, so there is certainlymerit in taking the numberof losers into account indeciding whether to open astrong (but not game forcing)two bid. However, if youignore high cards altogether,you will open some strangehands with a strong two. Thishand has only four losers:♠ K Q 10 8 7 6 5 4 2♥ Q J 7♦ 4♣ VoidSurely you would not open astrong two with this hand.Although the EBU rulesabout what counts legallyas a strong hand do notapply in the same way to anatural bid, they are a usefulguideline. If you reserve yourstrong two bids for handswith 4 or fewer losers andat least 16 HCP, that wouldbe a significant improvementon opening absolutelyany hand with four orfewer losers (or with a certainnumber of playing tricks).♣♦♥♠QI held thishand playingBenjamin:♠ A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6♥ 7 4♦ 8 2♣ VoidWhat should Ihave opened?I thought if I opened4♠ it would show eightspades and the handwas stronger than this.In the end I opened2♣ showing 8 playingtricks which everyonesaid was wrong. Whatwas the correct bid?Jane Davies,Romsey, Hampshire.AThe pragmaticopening is 4♠. Whilepartner will notexpect you to have nine tricksin your hand, nothing elseis better. If you were playingSouth African Texas, whicha few players do, you couldopen 4♦ to show a strong4♠ opening. Your friends areright: opening a Benjamin2♣ on a hand that it is likelyto make at most one trick ifyou defend is misleading.If the opponents competeover 4♠ and your partnerdoes not double them, youmight reasonably go on to5♠.Page 36

Ask Julian continuedQWhen usingStayman andopener has bothmajors, please explainwhy opener bids 2♥rather than 2♠. I amstruggling to see whatdifference it makes.Sidney Barrat by email.AOn most hands, itdoes not make anydifference, I agree.However, it is a useful principlein bidding to keep thebidding as low as possible,hence for opener to rebid2♥ with 4-4 rather than 2♠.Whatever 1NT-2♣-2♥-2♠means in your system, thegain comes when you havethe right hand for it. Youcannot bid 2♥ over 2♠ butyou can bid 2♠ over 2♥.For people playingnon-promissory Staymanfor example, 1NT-2♣-2♥-2NT denies four spadeswhile 1NT-2♣-2♥-2♠shows four spades.Other people play that ifyou (as responder) have ahand with five spades butare only interested in gameif partner has four-card support,then you can start withStayman. Then you can raiseif opener shows spades orrebid 2♠ over a 2♥ (or 2♦)reply, in the latter case stoppingsafely at the two level ifthe desired fit is not present.You will find that when(and it does not happen veryoften) almost everyone playssomething the same way,there must be a reason for it.♣♦♥♠QPlease helpme with thebidding of thefollowing hand on whichwe went one down.North2♣2♠End♠ Q 7 6 3♥ K♦ 8 7 3♣ A K Q 6 2NW ES♠ A 9 5 2♥ A Q 8 6 5♦ K Q J♣ 5South1♥2♥4♠Tony Mann by email.ASometimes, 3NTis a safer contractthan four of a majordespite the presence of a4-4 fit. This looks like one ofthose times, though difficultto identify in the bidding,when both players have asingleton. As you have 16HCP and a 2♥ rebid showsa minimum opening, I wouldnot recommend a 2♥ rebid.I would rebid 2♠: a reversebid showing extra valuesand 4-5 in the majors. Youshould finish in 4♠ which,though riskier than 3NT, willoften produce a trick more.♣♦♥♠QWe play Staymanand major suittransfers to 2NTopenings. Now, supposemy partner opens 2♦(Benjamin) and I bid 2♥(relay) and he rebids2NT. If I then bid 3♣, hetakes it as Stayman; if Ibid 3♦ or 3♥, he takes mybids as transfer bids.How can I avoid anymisunderstanding? Whattype of hand do I requirefor Stayman or transfers?Bernard Coffey my email.AIt is for you andyour partner todiscuss continuationsafter a 2NT rebid.Certainly, it is normal toplay the same continuationsafter a 2NT rebid (reachedafter only artificial bids) asafter a 2NT opening. Thus,if you play Stayman andtransfers after a 2NTopening, your partnerwould reasonably expectthem to apply on the auctionyou cite. While it is true thatresponder will always get todeclare a heart contract, Icannot see a good reason foradopting a different set ofcontinuations.You need the same sortof hand as you usuallywould for using Staymanor transfers: Stayman forhands with four-card majors,transfers for hands withfive-card or longer majors.♣♦♥♠QAfter my partneropened 1♠,I responded1NT with this hand:♠ Void♥ A 8 6 4♦ K 9 5 3♣ A 8 7 4 2My partner rebid 2♠,which went down. Shethought I had promiseda couple of spades.What should Ihave done?Doreen Parrington by email.AYour 1NT did notpromise a coupleof spades. It simplysaid that (a) you did nothave enough spades toraise (b) you were strongenough to respond and (c)you were not strong enoughto respond at the two level.If you were playing Acol,your hand fails on condition(c). 11 points is plenty forresponding at the two level,so you should not haveresponded 1NT initially.If you were playing twoover-one,your initial 1NTwas fine but you shouldhave rebid 2NT over 2♠.♣♦♥♠QSouth plays in4♠. West leadsthe ♣10.♠ Q 9♥ J 3♦ A Q 10 7 6 2♣ J 8 3♠ 7 6 3NW E ♥ 10 9 8 7S♦ J 5 4 3♣ K QWhich club shouldEast play?Lloyd Lewis by email.AWith this particularhand, I wouldsuggest playingthe queen, the lower ofthe touching honours.If you had a quick entry,it would be different,because the way to tellyour partner that you havedoubleton honours is toplay them in reverse order.Here, you can see thatpartner will be the one toget in, so trying to showthe second honour takesprecedence over trying toshow the doubleton. ■E-mail your questions for Julian to:julianpottage@mrbridge.co.ukPage 38

Join Bernard Magee and discoverMediterraneanMedley12th - 26th September 2013 15 days from £2,089ppVENICEMARSEILLENICE LIVORNOANCONACIVITAVECCHIASIBENIKHVARDUBROVNIKWhy choose this cruise?• Rome with its remarkable legacies ofthe Roman Empire• Magnificent archaeological sites ofPompeii and Herculaneum• Dubrovnik Old City on UNESCO’sWorld Heritage List• Venice – a city of magnificent art andarchitecturePRP RO MI C ESIECASTELLAMMAREDI STABIABRINDISIMESSINAEnthralling Rome – at the heart of the mighty Roman Empire, beautifulVenice – ‘the Queen of the Adriatic’ and enchanting Dubrovnik describedas ‘heaven on earth’ by George Bernard Shaw! Three notable cities on thisvoyage opening up fascinating chapters of Mediterranean history, visitingcities reborn after recent conflict and others that nature left frozen in time.Immerse yourself in art, architecture and culture and enjoy the dazzlingconstellations of islands strung out like pearls along Croatia’s Adriatic coast.STANDARD FARES ARECOVERED BY THE VOYAGES OFDISCOVERY PRICE PROMISEStandard fareS (per person)2 Bed inside from £2,0892 Bed outside from £2,399Balcony Suite from £3,799Prices for all categories on requestcomplimentary Chauffeur service to the porton higher grade cabins – see brochure for full detailsincluded in your fareYOUR VOYAGE INCLUDES:• Evening bridge†• Afternoon bridge when at sea• Bridge seminars when at sea• Exclusive Mr Bridge drinks parties• All meals, entertainment andonboard gratuities• Comprehensive lecture and guestspeaker programme• Captain’s cocktail parties and galadinnersyour itineraryVOY130912Date Port arrive DePart12 Sep MarSeiLLe, France 10.00pm13 Sep nice, France 12.00pm 7.00pm14 Sep Livorno, italy 8.00am 7.00pm15 Sep civitaveccHia, italy 8.00am 6.00pm16 Sep caSteLLaMMare Di StaBia 7.00am 5.00pm17 Sep MeSSina, Sicily 8.30am 6.00pm18 Sep at Sea19 Sep BrinDiSi, italy 7.00am 6.00pm20 Sep at Sea21 Sep ancona, italy 7.00am 5.00pm22 Sep venice, italy 7.00am 6.30pm23 Sep SiBeniK, croatia 9.00am 11.00pm24 Sep Hvar, croatia 8.00am 6.00pm25 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia 7.00am Overnight26 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia• 14-night cruise aboard Voyager includingall meals, entertainment and port charges• Your choice of cabin type, location andnumber• Flights or eurostar London/Marseilleand flights Dubrovnik/London includingall pre-paid airport taxes (connectingflights from Manchester are available at asupplement*)• Gratuities – other lines add up to £270per couple to your bill• Service Charges – other lines add up to18% to your bill• Comprehensive Guest Speakerprogramme*Flights from Manchester may not be direct01483 489961 for brochures and bookingswww.bridgecruises.co.ukDiscovery club members save an aDDitional 5%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 anyother 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 changedor 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 eligibleto 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.

GLOBAL TRAVELINSURANCEServices LimitedGLOBAL TRAVEL INSURANCEA1 Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, BN13 3QZ. ( 01903 267432 Fax 01903 268946Email info@globaltravelinsurance.co.uk Website www.globaltravelinsurance.co.ukGLOBAL TRAVELINSURANCEServices LimitedSINGLE TRIP SUMMARY OF COVERThe following represent the Significant and Key Features of the policy including Exclusions and Limitations thatapply 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, juryservice, the police requiring you to remain at or return to your home due to seriousdamage 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 increasedexcesses applicable to claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions.PERSONAL ACCIDENT up to £15,000A cash sum for accidental injury resulting in death, loss of sight, loss of limb or permanent totaldisablement. No Policy Excess.MEDICAL AND OTHER EXPENSES up to £10,000,000Including a 24 HOUR WORLDWIDE MEDICAL EMERGENCY SERVICEThe cost of hospital and other emergency medical expenses incurred abroad, including additionalaccommodation and repatriation expenses.Limit £250 for emergency dental treatment and £5,000 burial/cremation/transfer of remains.Limit £2,500 for transfer of remains to your home if you die in the UK.Policy Excess £75 Areas 1, 2 & 3, £150 Area 4 or on a Cruise.For persons aged 61 to 70 years the excess is increased to £150 Areas 1, 2 & 3, £500 Area4 or on a Cruise.For persons aged 71 to 90 years the excess is increased to £300 Areas 1, 2 & 3, £1,000 Area4 or on a Cruise.See section headed Increased Excess for Pre Existing Medical Conditions for increasedexcesses applicable to claims arising from pre-existing medical conditions.HOSPITAL BENEFIT up to £300An additional benefit of £15 per day for each day you spend in hospital abroad as an in-patient.No Policy Excess.PERSONAL LUGGAGE, MONEY & VALUABLES up to £2,000Covers accidental loss, theft or damage to your personal luggage subject to a limit of £200 for anyone article, pair or set and an overall limit of £200 for valuables such as cameras, Jewellery, furs,etc. Luggage and valuables limited to £1500. Delayed luggage, up to £75. Policy Excess £50.Money, travel tickets and travellers cheques are covered up to £500 against accidental loss or theft(cash limit £250). Policy Excess £50.No cover is provided for loss or theft of unattended property, valuables or money or for loss or theftnot reported to the Police within 24 hours of discovery.PASSPORT EXPENSES up to £200If you lose your passport or it is stolen whilst abroad, you are covered for additional travel andaccommodation costs incurred in obtaining a replacement. No Policy Excess.DELAYED DEPARTURE up to £1,500If your outward or return trip is delayed for more than 12 hours at the final departure point to/fromUK due to adverse weather conditions, mechanical breakdown or industrial action, you are entitledto either (a) £20 for the first 12 hours and £10 for each further 12 hours delay up to a maximumof £60, or (b) the cost of the trip (up to £1,500) if you elect to cancel after 12 hours delay on theoutward trip from the UK. Policy Excess £50 (b) only.MISSED DEPARTURE up to £500Additional travel and accommodation expenses incurred to enable you to reach your overseasdestination if you arrive too late at your final UK outward departure point due to failure of thevehicle in which you are travelling to deliver you to the departure point caused by adverse weather,strike, industrial action, mechanical breakdown or accident to the vehicle. No Policy Excess.PERSONAL LIABILITY up to £2,000,000Covers your legal liability for injury or damage to other people or their property, including legalexpenses (subject to the laws of England and Wales). Policy Excess £250.LEGAL EXPENSES up to £25,000To enable you to pursue your rights against a third party following injury. No Policy Excess.MAIN EXCLUSIONS AND CONDITIONSThe following represents only the main exclusions. The policy document sets out all of theconditions and exclusions. A copy of the full policy wording is available on request in writing priorto application.MAIN HEALTH EXCLUSIONSInsurers will not pay for claims arising1. Where You (or any person upon whose health the Trip depends) have or have had symptomswhich are awaiting or receiving investigation, tests, treatment, referral or the results of any ofthe foregoing, unless We have agreed in writing to cover You.2. From any terminal illness suffered by You (or any person upon whose health the Trip depends).3. From any medical condition for which You (or any person upon whose health the Trip depends)have within 12 months prior to the date of issue of this insurance been diagnosed with a medicalcondition or have been admitted or undergone a procedure/ intervention.4. Medical conditions existing prior to the payment of the insurance premium or any consequencethereof in respect of which a Medical Practitioner would advise against travel or that treatmentmay be required during the duration of the Trip.OTHER GENERAL EXCLUSIONSClaims arising from1. Winter sports, any hazardous pursuits, any work of a non sedentary nature.2. Self inflicted injury or illness, suicide, alcoholism or drug abuse, sexual disease.3. War, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities or warlike operations, civil war, rebellion,Terrorism, revolution, insurrection, civil commotion, military or usurped power but thisexclusion shall not apply to losses under Section 3 – Medical Expenses unless suchlosses are caused by nuclear, chemical or biological attack, or the disturbances were alreadytaking place at the beginning of any Trip.4. Failure or fear of failure or inability of any equipment or any computer program.5. Bankruptcy/liquidation of any tour operator, travel agent, airline, transportation company oraccommodation supplier.6. Travelling to countries or regions where the FCO or WHO has advised against travel.7. Your failure to contact the Medical Screening Line where required.Pre Existing Medical ConditionsYou only need to undergo medical screening if You are travelling to Area 4, on a Cruise,or for a period in excess of 31 days. For all other Trips there is no need to advise us ofyour pre existing medical conditions.If you have a history of any medical condition and are travelling within Area 4 or on a Cruise,you must first contact Towergate Medical Screening Line to establish whether we can providecover for your trip.The number to call is: 0844 892 1698If you are accepted, the level of excess stated below will apply. You will receive writtenconfirmation that you are covered for the trip. In the event that you are not accepted for coverhaving been screened, we may be able to offer you cover under our Single Trip “PLUS”product. Please ask us for further details or go to our website.INCREASED EXCESS FOR Pre ExistingMedical ConditionsAcceptance of pre existing medical conditions is made by the application of increasedexcesses in the event of claims arising from the pre existing condition.If You already suffer from or have a history of any medical condition, the following excess willapply (other than in respect of claims that are specifically excluded) :Under the Cancellation or Curtailment section – double the normal excess.Under the Medical & Other Expenses section –For persons aged 60 years or less the excess is increased to £500 Areas 1&2, £750 Area 3,£1,000 Area 4 or on a Cruise.For persons aged 61 to 90 years the excess is increased to £1,000 Areas 1&2, £1,500 Area3, £2,000 Area 4 or on a Cruise.Please note that we consider a Cruise to be a Trip by sea in a liner calling at a number of ports.POLICY EXCESSES:The amount of each claim for which insurers will not pay and for which you are responsible. Theexcess as noted in the policy summary applies to each and every claim per insured person undereach section where an excess applies.

Single Trip travel insurance is arranged by Global TravelInsurance Services Ltd who are authorised and regulated by theFinancial Services Authority and our status can be checked on the FSARegister by visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/register or by contacting the FSAon 0845 606 1234.This policy is underwritten by ETI – International Travel Protection theUK branch of Europäische Reiseversicherung A.G., an ERGO groupCompany, incorporated and regulated under the laws of Germany,Companies House Registration FC 25660 and Branch Registration BR007939. ETI is authorised by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht(BAFIN – www.bafin.de) and subject to limited regulationby the Financial Services Authority. Our regulation by the FSA are availablefrom Us on request. Our registration number is 220041.SINGLE TRIP INSURANCE PRODUCT SUITABILITYAs this description contains the Key Features of the cover provided itconstitutes provision of a statement of demands and needs.This insurance is suitable for a single round trip starting and finishingin the UK and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration, forpersons whose age is 90 years or less.This insurance is only available to persons who are permanentlyresident and domiciled in the UK and Channel Islands.Single Trip PREMIUM RATING SCHEDULEGEOGRAPHICAL AREAS1. United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland,Isle of Man, including all islands comprising the British Isles (except theChannel Islands and the Republic of Ireland). Any British Isles or UKCruises are rated as Area 2.2. 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Catching Upby Sally BrockAfter weeks of decluttering,countless visits to the tip andvarious charity shops and aweek’s work from a painter and decorator,my house is finally on the market.Does anyone know someone whowants a large family house in HighWycombe? All reasonable offers considered.The first weekend in February sawus start our challenge on this season’sGold Cup. Although the match waslevel at half-time, we won convincingly,our obliging opponents concedingwith a set to go because they had beenunable to start early and knew wehad plans for the evening. Heatherand Jeremy Dhondy have moved outof London to a village just outsideBlandford Forum and all their friendswere invited to their housewarmingparty. We stayed overnight in a B&B,then drove slowly home, stoppingoff for coffee with my brother-in-lawMartin in Romsey on the way.We progressed in other competitionstoo. We won a NICKO matchcomfortably, only to draw the strongde Botton team in the next round. Weseem to be carrying all before us in theBerks & Bucks League this year, havingwon all our matches heavily so farwith everyone playing well.And then there was the Tollemache,the inter-county teams of eight.It’s funny how just occasionallyeverything clicks into place andbridge seems to be an easy game.Back in November we played in thequalifying round, winning our groupconvincingly, with all our five pairsat the top of the Butler (whereby eachpair’s score is calculated). The finalcarried on where the qualifying roundfinished. We all played well again andhad 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 ofluck too: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 ♠ 7N♥ J 10 9 ♥ 7 3W E♦ 9 6 S ♦ Q J 10 7 4 2♣ J 10 ♣ 8 7 5 3♠ A 8♥ K Q 6 5 2♦ A K 8 5 3♣ KOur opponents stopped in six hearts,which looks high enough withthat less-than-robust trump suit,particularly as West’s vulnerable weaktwo opening warns of potential badbreaks.Short of inspiration, I led the king ofspades. Declarer won the ace, cashedthe ace and king of diamonds, discardingspades and ruffed a diamond. Nowshe played a club to her king and ruffedanother diamond, but, of course, I wasable to discard a club on this trick. Shenow cashed the ace of clubs discardinga spade as I ruffed. It didn’t matterwhat I played now as she still had adiamond loser she couldn’t get rid of.A better line would be simply toruff a diamond at trick two, now aclub to the king and another diamondruff. Now she cashes the ace of clubsthrowing a spade and then the queenof clubs, throwing a diamond as Iruff. Whatever I do now, she can drawtrumps and claim.One of our pairs, Gary Jones and EdScerri, had a more ambitious auctionwhen West did not open the bidding:West North East SouthPass Pass Pass 1♥2♠ 3♣ Pass 3♦Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠Pass 4♣ Pass 4NTPass 5♥ Pass 6♦Pass 7♥ All PassIn a grand slam, the winning line ofplay is somewhat easier to find – theclub suit just has to come in. So Joneswon the spade lead, cashed the kingof clubs, played the king, queen andace of trumps and ran the clubs. Noproblem.At the end of the week was the semifinalof the Berks & Bucks knock-out. Itstarted with a bit of excitement. Richardpicked me up to go to the matchand his satnav sent us down some tinycountry roads. Suddenly, we cameupon some water in the road. After dueconsideration, we decided to risk it but,after a few yards, it became obvious thatit was too deep. The car stopped and Ihad visions of having to wade back inmy thoroughly unsuitable shoes. Luckily,he managed to start the car and reverseout of the water but then the cargot stuck in the soft verge. It simply refusedto move (and was later declaredan insurance write-off).Page 42

Catching Up continuedEventually, someonecame to get us and thematch proceeded.We were a few down witha set to go and early on inthe last set Barry pulledthe wrong card to go downin a cold game. With threeboards to go, the situationlooked bleak, but thenthings hotted up a bit. First,we bid and made a thinsix clubs. And then therewas this – I held as South,vulnerable against not:♠ Q 6 5 4♥ A 10 9 5 4♦ A 6♣ K 5West North East South1♣ Pass 1♥Dbl 2♣ Pass 3NTPass 4♣ Pass 4♦Dbl Pass Pass RdblPass 4♠ Pass 4NTPass 5♣ Dbl ?I am not sure that redoublingfour diamonds to confirmthe ace was very sensible –surely I wouldn’t have cuebida second-round controlon this particular auction.Taking the opportunity toshow the ace of hearts aswell would have been better.We do not play Blackwoodwhen a minor suit is agreed,so my four no-trumpssimply showed a better handthan five clubs would havedone (though, looking at thehand now, I don’t know whyI didn’t just bid six clubsover four clubs – I couldhardly have had a betterhand). I had been intending,rather wimpishly, to passfive clubs, but when Eastdoubled (heaven knowswhy) I redoubled. Thatmade with an overtrick,Barry’s hand being:♠ A K 10 7♥ Void♦ 7 2♣ Q J 10 7 6 4 2On the final board, wemanaged to play in amaking three no-trumps,rather than a failing fourhearts, in our 5-3 fit. 33IMPs in three boards and anarrow victory.The following morning,Briony and I set off fromLuton Airport for a week’sholiday in Tenerife. Justwhat we needed – a bit ofwinter sun, though Tenerifeis tricky at this time of year:the sky is a flat, bright azure,so you strip off and lie bythe pool, but suddenly it isfull of cloud, so you get upand get dressed to embarkon some sort of outing, bywhich time the flat azure isback. Actually, we did quitea lot. We had three separatedrives out, just amblingalong and stopping wherewe felt like it. And don’tthink I was simply restingon the other days – she gotme jet skiing, quad bikingand horse riding. AlthoughI had to take my laptop withme and spent several hoursworking (mostly in the earlymorning before she was up),it was great to be able tospend relaxed time togetherwithout too many otherdemands on our time.Back to England lateSaturday night and anuneventful journey home tofind Barry asleep in front ofthe TV.Sunday was spentworking by all three of us,with the occasional comingtogether for meals and thenit was back to what passesfor routine…■RUBBER /CHICAGOElstead HotelBournemouth BH1 3QP17-19 May 2013with Diana HollandChatsworth HotelWorthing BN11 3DU7-9 February 2014with Shelia Rogers£199 Full BoardNo Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.DenhamGroveDenham,Buckinghamshire,UB9 5DG4-6 October 2013Doubles £215Gary Conrad25-27 October 2013Finding Slams £215Sandy BellFull BoardNo Single SupplementBooking Form on page 5.Page 43

Seven Daysby Sally BrockMondayBack to earth with a bump. It doesn’ttake long to get up – now I don’t haveto take Briony to school, I tend to startwork in my pyjamas. I fully intendto go to the gym, but by the time I’vemade the finishing touches to Zanzibarand Bosnia and then done thework necessary on the British Guildof Travel Writers’ Yearbook, I’ve runout of time. Briony comes home fromschool and talks to me while I getdressed. We have started a Weightwatchers’diet today so there is foodto plan. Then it’s a drive into Londonto have supper with Nicola at Zizzi’sbefore our Young Chelsea knockoutmatch against Janet de Botton’steam. Team-mates Willie Coyle andColin Simpson have a good first halfand although we are not so good weare 11 IMPs up. However, the secondhalf does not go so well and we lose by10. Still, this year the format has beenchanged so that you are not eliminateduntil you’ve lost twice, so we are still inthe competition.I head home, stopping off for a cupof tea with Barry on the way.TuesdayThere is work to do first thing, butthen I do struggle to the gym. I’vebeen slacking recently but have decidedto be easier on myself until the endof the month when the BGTW Yearbookgoes to press.Briony and I have decided toconsult a nutritionist. Briony hasproblems that mostly seem to becaused by intolerance to gluten anddairy products, though sometimesshe has an upset tummy even thoughshe hasn’t had any problem food. Icould probably do with some adviceon handling my type 2 diabetes.In addition, I would like to knowhow I should eat when playing ininternational bridge events. Nicolaand I seem to spend all our time eatingfor fear that we might make errors dueto loss of concentration caused bylow blood-sugar levels. I am sure weeat much more than is necessary, butother team members go without foodfrom breakfast to dinner and I don’tthink that is right either. I downloadsome forms that she wants us to fillin before meeting with her next week.It takes a long time, but is fun to dotogether.Then it’s a Weight Watchers’ hamand bean hotpot, along with a newvegetable – have you tried ‘flowersprouts’? A rather delicious crossbetween a sprout and kale.Afterwards, we continue to makeinroads into the TV that we recordedwhile we were away…WednesdayThe work I was expecting today doesn’tturn up (a fairly frequent occurrence –then I have two lots to do on anotherday), so after spending a few hourswith Briony (she doesn’t have schoolon a Wednesday), I decide to go toBarry’s earlier than I had intended. I’mgoing to stay until Sunday as I have anumber of different bridge and socialengagements. My normal route is totake the train from High Wycombe toSouth or West Ruislip where I changeover to the Circle Line. I am just aboutto board the Circle Line train when Irealise that I have left my laptop chargerat home. Maybe the sensible thing todo would have been to go on to Londonand buy a new charger but I don’tthink of that at the time. Instead, I wait45 minutes at South Ruislip to get atrain back to High Wycombe, then geta taxi up the hill, to walk in the door at1.50, just 15 minutes late for an onlinesession with Richard and Gerry. Barryisn’t working so I at least have the funof playing with him. As soon as we finish,I leave again. Bus down the hill,train to South Ruislip, underground toShepherds Bush – no hitches this time.In the evening, we meet Margaretand Martin and other friends fordinner to celebrate Martin’s birthday.Just as we are walking from the tube tothe restaurant, Barry gets a phone callasking him why he isn’t at the YoungChelsea for a league match. So, off herushes to Earls Court while I proceedto have an excellent dinner at a Frenchbistro in Primrose Hill. I think I hadthe best of the deal – especially as helost his match.ThursdayI get up early and we both get on withsome work. At around five o’clock,I make my way to a diner in Richmondto meet up with some friendsfor ‘a late lunch’ before the ‘Night ofthe Stars’. This is the most fantasticannual event which raises vast sumsof money for charity. Until this year,it was held at Wimbledon, but nowit has moved to Richmond. I hope Ihaven’t missed out any key organisersbut the frontline work seems to bedone by Terry Hewett, who seems tobe able to persuade just about anyoneto pay just about anything for playingwith just about anyone, Marietta Andreeand Janet Cahm. How it worksis that various experts are auctionedoff to the highest bidder as partnersfor the evening, then on the night thePro-Am pairs are joined by club pairsfor a duplicate. There is excellent food(I have never seen as good a selectionPage 44

Seven Days continuedof cheeses and I have dined in someposh places) and wine. Everything isdonated and I think there are variousother money-raising angles exploitedas well. This year, they raised over£41,000.I was bought by Anita Sinclair, acomparative newcomer to the bridgescene, who has made her mark,playing with David Greenwood, ZiaMahmood and Fredrick Björnlund.We have a terrible start (mostly myfault) and after two rounds are onabout 10%, but things improve andeventually we finish third. The eventis won by Jeremy Dhondy and EBUChair, Sally Bugden.FridayToday starts innocently enough. Barryis working so I keep out of his waywhile he gets himself ready to leavethe flat at 8.30. I have some breakfastand do a little work before deciding tomove to work at his desk which will bemore comfortable. Suddenly the roomspins, and spins, and spins and I getwhat turns out to be a case of severevertigo, or labyrinthitis. It seems to getworse. I can barely sit, let alone stand.I start to feel sick. It’s rather scary andI contemplate dialing 999, but thatdoes seem a little melodramatic. Barryis in court so I can’t ring him. Luckily,he finishes early and rings me priorto going to Chambers and soon headshome instead. I feel so bad that eventuallyhe takes me in a taxi to HammersmithHospital. They do countlesstests … time marches on … they giveme stuff to make me feel a bit better,but I am still not great. I am kept inovernight and they give me a CT scanat past midnight …Saturday… The next morning, they tell methat the cause is either a problem withmy middle ear, or it could be a smallstroke at the base of my brain. They referme to the Stroke Unit at the CharingCross Hospital and off I go in anambulance. Fortunately, the strokespecialists take one look at me and decidethat I haven’t had one. I can stillsay, ‘Red lorry, yellow lorry,’ ‘Baby hippopotamus,’and, ‘British constitution.’I can still turn one hand over backand forth in the other. I can still touchmy nose followed by someone’s fingerquickly back and forth as they movetheir finger. And sundry other teststhey put me through. I then performagain for what seems like every studentdoctor in the hospital. I can go home(though need to come back to a cliniclater on). This is at about two o’clock.By the time I have my newly prescribedmedicines and the doctor has writtenand printed out a letter of release, it isafter six. Briony has been there waitingpatiently with little to do but go downand pay for another hour’s parking atregular intervals. She takes me (still inmy pyjamas, slippers and overcoat) toBarry’s where he runs me a bath andbrings me a nice cup of tea.I decide that I am feeling wellenough to proceed with our earlierplans and go out to a small bridgeparty with dinner at Guy and Fiona’s.I am much steadier on my feet andwith a little support almost feel likemyself again. We play eight boardsof bridge – probably the worst I haveever had – and are minus 63. Then,there is a delicious dinner and another16 boards. For the last eight, I playedagainst Barry and he did well on thisdeal, aided by a mistake by my partner.Dealer East. Game All.♠ A Q J 3♥ 8 4♦ 7 5 3♣ Q 10 8 6♠ 8 ♠ 5 4 2NW ES♥ 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♣ JWest North East SouthPass 1♠Dbl 2♣ Pass 2♥Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠All PassNorth’s choice of actions were alittle unorthodox, but a fair amountof alcohol had been consumed bymost people by then (not me, evenif I hadn’t been unsteady enough onmy feet without it, I have cut downconsiderably recently and feel a lotbetter for it).I led the queen of diamonds. Now,there are certainly occasions whenit is right to play the king fromking doubleton when partner leadsthe queen, but when it is the only highcard in your hand it is rarely right todo so. There is no need to unblockthe suit as partner will have entriesanyway.Barry won the ace of diamonds, drewtrumps and played a club to his jack. Iwon and was completely endplayed. Ijust had to hope that partner has theten of diamonds to go with the king,but there was no way I could stophim making ten tricks. And he gloatshorribly.I do confess that I was beginningto wilt during the last set. But it was athoroughly good evening.SundayUp reasonably early to go home (Barryhas to drive me as I am not going tobe able to drive for a few days). Brionyhas gone to the supermarket and I geton with a few last-minute changes tothe Yearbook.There is a launch planned for thisYearbook at the Turkish Embassy onMarch 12th, so you can imagine thatthe editor was in quite a panic as Isuddenly stopped working on Fridaywith the final deadline due that day.He managed to get an extension until7am Monday morning, so things arestill tight.We are expecting Ben, Gemma andHayden for lunch – roast chickenfollowed by chocolate meringue cake,which Briony cooks for us all.After lunch, we go to the BookerAirdrome and show Hayden all thehelicopters, planes and gliders goingup and coming down.They leave at about five and thereare still more finishing touches to theYearbook, which is finally uploaded tothe printers’ site before I go to bed atmidnight.■Page 45