reaDers' letters - Mr Bridge

READERS’LETTERSstrictly privateI received my copy of BRIDGEalready, for which I thankyou. Today, I received aseparate brochure from HPB.However, I don’t know whoelse would have given themmy name but you (I could,of course, be wrong), butkindly ensure that my detailsare not given to any otherorganisation in future.June Posey by email.We do not give outmembers’ details to anyorganisations or individuals.GLOBAL REPLYIn BRIDGE 107, I saw theletter from Mr E Johnsonunder the heading ‘buyerbeware’. I would like to reply.The claim from Mr Johnsonwas indeed declined. It wasdeclined due to the fact thathe, the insured, had failed tocomply with the conditions ofthe insurance. These requirethat any person admitted toa hospital as an inpatientmust contact our medicalemergency service. Theinsured failed to do this.There are many reasonsfor having this condition,the principal one being toprotect the insured. We needto be able to make sure thatthe insured is well enough totravel after their admissionand, in many cases, we assistin arranging repatriation. Wealso need to control costs,making sure that there isno unnecessary treatmentand, in particular, that withinthe EU countries, Spain inthis case, the local facilitytreats the insured within thereciprocal agreements byaccepting the EHIC card topay for most of the costs.In the event that aninsured is not happy with adecision, they have the rightto complain to the insurer. Asfar as we are aware, no suchcomplaint has been made.Philip Bacon,Managing Director,Global Travel Insurance.This letter has reminded meto obtain new EHIC cardsfor Mrs Bridge and myself.WHAT DO YOU THINK?I am an elderly lady whoseassociation with bridge isantediluvian – well at leastfrom before the SecondWorld War. As a small child,I would peep through thebanisters and watch mymother’s bridge friendsarriving in evening dressfor a bridge party. I wasplaying bridge myself at 12years old and yes, of course,we played Culbertson (openon 2½ tricks). We have allmoved on a bit since thosedays. In fact, I taught basicAcol for beginners andobtained my bridgeteaching qualificationsfrom EBUTA way back in1987. Once a teacher,always a teacher.I am not only puzzled butquite concerned. I play ata little club where there areoften several beginners andI have encountered a trulyamazing difference of opinionon the subject of overcallsand take out doubles.When the opposition haveopened the bidding andyou are next in hand – Iwould teach that you shouldovercall when you havea good 5-card suit (widepoint range depending onsuit quality, level at whichovercall is made ....I won’tgo into details) and that thisovercall neither promisednor denied an opening bid.You might have 12 or morepoints and be trying seriouslyto buy the contract (sacrificingif necessary), or you mayjust be trying to disrupt theenemy bidding space, oreven just suggesting a lead.In fact, a one spade bid overone club is worth its weight ingold and can be made, nonvulnerable,on as little as 8points. But, I repeat, an overcalldoes not deny an openingbid, it is an importanttool in any form of bridge.On the other hand, youmay have 12 or more pointsand no biddable suit withwhich to overcall. With 16or more points and stoppersin the enemy suit, youmay overcall 1NT. But ifyou have a shortage in theenemy suit and modestsupport in the other three,you should make a takeoutdouble. You are forcing yourpartner to bid and to choosethe suit. You are promising,at the very least, an openinghand and preferablymore points than this.But, and this is the essenceof this letter, I have beentold that if you have 12 ormore points you shouldnot overcall. You shouldalways double. Is this reallythe latest thing in bidding?Is this modern bridge – oris it a misunderstandingthat has crept in? This olddinosaur would like to know.Mrs D Gill-Carey,St Agnes, Cornwall.EYE OPENERAs a rubber bridge player,I have often wondered whyI cannot take to duplicate.After reading DavidStevenson in your Aprilissue, with his reference tothe differences betweenPermitted Agreement11N7 and PermittedAgreements 11P and 11P3C,I believe I can see why.Michael Zaidner by email.GREAT FUNDRAISINGThe Exeter Golf & CountryClub Bridge Section’s AnnualCharity Swiss Teams in aidof Hospiscare was againa great success. Since theinception of this event,£52,824 has been raisedfor the local hospice.Mr Oliver Amor,Chairman Bridge Section,Charity Committee.GREAT IDEAIt might help resolve someof the problems peopleface with their lapsingregistrations if you wereable to put informationabout their current statuson the address panel.Paul Oates,Shirley, Surrey.Coming soon.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 1st class: 100x37p+100x5p)(/Fax 020 8422 4906 e-mail: clive.goff@londonrugby.comPage 33

CHARITY BRIDGE EVENTSAUGUST 20115 LITTLE GRANSDENCHURCH TOWER APPEAL.Village Hall, Little Gransden.10.00 for 10.30am.Tickets: £13.50.Margaret Hipwell( 01767 677259Barbara Horne(01767 67789524 RNLI.Duplicate bridge competitionfor the Dick Powell Trophy.1.45pm. Tickets £5.South Wootton Village Hall,Kings Lynn.Cream Tea, raffle.Ivan Gerstel( 01553 768236SEPTEMBER 20117 GYDA (Gulu Youth DevelopmentAssociation, Northern Uganda)Corn Exchange, Faringdon. £15.Steve Braithwaite( 01367 24092916 ST MARY’S CHURCHEaton Socon, St Neots.10.00 for 10.30am. £13.00.Malcolm Howarth( 01480 21291022 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINEROTARY CLUB.Outlane Golf Club12 for 12.30pm.£44 per table including lunch.Brian Noble( 01484 42753623 RIDING FOR THE DISABLEDVillage Hall, Hemingford Abbots.10.00 for 10.30.Cost: £14.00.Sue O’Donovan( 01487 82270127 St Teresa’s HOSPICERichmond Support Group‘Bridge the Gap’.2pm. Hudswell Village Hall.Play will be directed by MikeBaker. Tickets £10.( 01748 85020828 PRINCESS ALICE HOSPICEPutney Leisure Centre.10 for 11am.£68 per table includeslunch and prizes.Pam Turner( 0208 995 2270OCTOBER 20117 ST ANDREW’S CHURCHThe Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton.10.00 for 10.30am. £14.00.Mavis Campion( 01480 86047715 RNLI. Cheltenham Bridge Club.10.30am-4pm.Lunch & glass of wine. £15pp.Margaret Beverley( 01242 51019321 CHESHIRE HOMES.Village Hall, Hartford,Hunts, Cambs.10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50.Malcolm Howarth( 01480 21291021 VICTORIA SCHOOL’SSPARKLE APPEALLytchett Matravers’ Village Hall,Dorset. 2pm.£24 per table, includes prizes,raffle and afternoon tea.Stella Brake ( 01202 624224stellabrake@aol.com28 OUR KINDERGARTEN IN BOSNIAHERZEGOVINAOur Lady Queen of All CreationRC Church, Rant Meadow,Hemel Hempstead.9am tea/coffee.9.45am bridge starts.Hot lunch. £15pp.Pat Henry ( 01442 391087NOVEMBER 201111 HEMINGFORD VILLAGE HALL &ADDENBROOKES HOSPITALCANCER UNIT.Village Hall, Hemingford Abbots.10.00 for 10.30am. £14.00.Ann Tooher ( 01480 35278924 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINEROTARY CLUB.Outlane Golf Club.12 for 12.30pm.£44 per table including lunch.Brian Noble ( 01484 427536DECEMBER 20116 St Teresa’s HOSPICE,DARLINGTON.Christmas party at St George’sBridge Centre, Darlington.1.15pm. Only £5 to includefestive tea and luxury prizes.( 01325 469785E-mail your charity events: maggie@mrbridge.co.ukREADERS’ LETTERScontinuedSIGNALLINGFurther to your response tothe letter in the June issueof BRIDGE regarding adiscard signalling system, mypartner and I play a versionof HELD (High Encouraging,Low Discouraging) thatwe call HELOSSC (HighEncourages, Low OtherSuit Same Colour). Thishas the advantage overHELD that the low cardnot only discourages,but suggests a specific suit.There are usually two waysof suggesting a lead – ahigh card is more noticeablewhen one can afford it,but, when one can’t, a lowcard is equally suggestivealthough less noticeable.To give an example: ifI want to suggest a heartlead I would discard eithera high heart (7 plus) or alow diamond (6 minus).One can also use thesystem to show either lack ofhelp to partner or to guidehim away from opening upa new suit. If I am discardingon spades, say, I discarda low club which asks fora spade, showing that Ican’t help with a new suit.I think it a particularlysimple system for theordinary club player, beingbased on HELD with whichthey are already familiar.Ken Brookes, Ledbury.ONLY A LITTLE LIEOn Alan Solomon’s quizhand, BRIDGE 107 p6, Iam surprised that none ofyour experts have suggestedthe unusual 2NT saying, ‘Ihave two five-card minors,please bid your better one.’It is true that there are onlyfour clubs but they are suchgood ones that such a minorfib is surely acceptable.On quite another matter,the layout with quiz answerson the page following thequestions is so much betterthan having to search allover the magazine for them.Elizabeth Lonkhurstby email.APPRECIATIONThe location of quiz answerson the page following thequestions is a great help.Humphrey Millerby email.I’m so glad you’ve noticed.HELP PLEASEPlease provide some articleson tactics for playing teamsand the difference betweenteams and duplicate pairs.Mr Chasmer by telephone.No need for help. At ourlevel, don’t worry about it.Just make your contract.EXPLANATIONI have just received an EBUbooklet intended as a gestureof goodwill in recompensefor the long delay.Your covering note leftme a little confused and Iwould welcome clarification.Mr S Hanslip, Normanton,West Yorkshire.The proposed contentsof Bridge Club DirectionSimplified is to be publishedin a forthcoming issue ofBRIDGE. The EBU booklet isthe best currently available.WAY FORWARDAt its forthcoming AGM, myclub is to consider whetherto buy a computeriseddealing system. The generalopinion is no, but I feel this isbecause the members havehad no experience with them.I would like to have youropinion. Would you adviseusing them or not? I haveplayed with them elsewhereand find they make for animproved night’s bridge.E Clark by email.Page 34

READERS’ LETTERScontinuedP2PAt the last AGM, our clubwithdrew from the EBUbecause of the introductionof P2P. This withdrawal wasto be reconsidered at thisyear’s AGM (June). As Chair,I would like to give the clubthe best advice possible,hence the following question.Do you know of anysource of information as tothe success, or otherwise, ofP2P during this year? Anycomment or advice fromyou on this subject wouldbe greatly appreciated.Mr John Pettet by email.Ned Paul replies:As you may know, I wrotea few articles reviewing theintroduction of P2P unfavourablyand did not andhave not affiliated any ofmy playing groups via P2P.As a result, two clubs thatI operate left the EBU andthe possibility of affiliatingother groups was lost.It is just over a year nowand attendance at myclubs has not been affectedgreatly. There is admittedly awide selection of games localto me (SW London), someaffiliated and some not, sopeople do have a choice. Butwhat comes across is thatpeople choose the gamebecause of the standard ofbridge offered or the socialambience of the game, noton whether it is affiliatedor not. Take Mondays forexample. The biggest gamein my area is one where onlya fairly heavily restrictedbidding system is allowed,discouraging better or moreambitious players (quite alot of what Bernard Mageerecommends is not allowed).This is affiliated and awardsmasterpoints. Those whoplay in it seem to enjoy boththe exclusion of playerswho play differently fromthem and the masterpoints.Another affiliated gamelocally on the same night isknown as an ‘expert’ gamebut that discourages ordinaryplayers, whether ambitiousor not. Again on Mondays, ina venue between these twogames, I run an unaffiliatedgame in a nice venue witha bar and try and maintaina good social atmospherewhile allowing any normalbidding system. I find thatif you introduce yourself atthe table and are pleasant indescribing any conventionsyou play, other players willbe interested intellectuallyin how your bidding worksrather than hostile to itwhich is the normal reactionat many clubs. In this way,people stay more open togood bidding ideas andgood practice spreadsfaster. Weak twos, transfers,splinter bids, unassumingcue bids are all regardedas pretty normal and evenstrong club systems aretolerated. I think I have thenicest players and 15 tableseach Monday tells me I amdoing something right.So, with regard to yourclub, what would affiliatingand paying P2P bring to yourclub? There are a numberof benefits none of whichare compelling or unique,except that masterpoints willbe awarded. These have novalue except to accumulateto gain various ranks of longservice award in the EBU,but, like any other collectionhabit, certain peopledo get keen on them. Theseplayers then tend to vote as ablock at club AGMs because,like any other group,they like the idea of otherpeople’s money subsidisingtheir own spending.The club has to payfor everyone but only themasterpoint collectors getanything they value. If youare that keen on masterpointsthen there should bea ‘beacon’ club, as the EBUcall it, in your area wherethey can go and play withlike minded players, andthe other clubs should justconcentrate on being niceplaces to play bridge wherebridge is played ‘properly’but people value each other’scompany just as much ascaring about the results.Of course, it would begreat if we had a nationalfederation which was inclusivebut, under the presentbridge regime, that is not onoffer. And it is the club thatfaces unremitting monthlybills for P2P, not the individual,and for the size of bill theclub management should askwhat value the club is getting.In London, none of thebigger proprietorial clubs –Andrew Robson, Acol, myclubs, Putney BC, Ruff Club,etc – are affiliated and a lotof nice-cup-of-tea-and-a-biscuitlittle clubs are not either.I don’t think anyone plans tochange any time soon. Thosethat are in have got used tothe bills. Those that are out?Well, people still come.LIFE-SAVERLast year, due to familyissues, illness etc., I lost allmy confidence and gaveup playing bridge. I reallymissed it. When I wasstarting to feel a little betterI began taking advancedlessons and hope to soonreturn to competitive bridge.Mrs W M McKeever,Knutsford, Cheshire.GREAT READAre there any plans topublish the A-Z of bridge asa separate reference book?Andrew Ellis,Christchurch, Dorset.THE FOLLOWING AREAMONG THOSE WHOSENT IN USED STAMPSU3A members, Hampstead, London.Mrs S Robertson, NSW, Australia.Mrs B Marks, London N2. Mrs A Bell,Middlesex. Mrs K Adamson, Oxton.Mrs M Maxwell, Newton Stewart. Mr& Mrs R Wallis, Hampshire. Mr & MrsV Cochrane, Eastleigh, Hants. Miss AFitzpatrick, County Down. Mrs J Staples,Pulborough. Mrs Cook, Lightwater. MrsL Kirkpatrick, Fife. Mrs J Papworth,Cambridge. Mr M Rennolds, Kent.Mrs M Sells, Enfield. Mr & Mrs Milton,Kent. Mr & Mrs R Harriman, Solihull.Mrs J Shackell, Middx. Mrs B Quinton,Sutton Coldfield. Mrs M Robinson,Heswall. Mrs Ellis, Cheam. Mrs AReid, Banchory. Mr A Connel, GreatDunmow. Mrs B Blacklin, HaylingIsland. Mrs Allgood, Bath. Mr & Mrs MBarron, Halifax. Mrs P Holman, Oundle.Mrs M McKinnon, Glasgow.Mrs Wylie, Sutton Coldfield.Mrs Adamson, Prenton. Mrs Thompson,Durham. The Association of Wrens,London. Mrs P Wood, Nelson, Lancs.Mr B Leonard, Hazel Grove. Mr P Smith,Isles of Scilly. Mrs J McCartney, Falkirk.Please keep saving your used stampsfor Little Voice and send them to:Colin Bamberger, 179 High Road,Trimley St Mary, IP11 0TNWHAT’S BESTDavid Stevenson says that‘there is no requirement forany player to point out anestablished revoke by himselfor partner. Neither thelaws nor the general ethicsof the game require it,’ seepage 18 in BRIDGE 107.I cannot see that thiscan be described as being‘Best Behaviour at Bridge’.In golf, it is normal andexpected and indeed partof the game that you call apenalty on yourself. Othersports have the same code.The calling of a penalty onpartner or self should bemade without question.Mr E Noble, BognorRegis, West Sussex.OVER THE PONDPlease continue to includeme in your mailing.I feel that BRIDGE is somuch better than the ACBLBridge Bulletin that wehave here in the U.S. whichincludes 18 pages of whowon what, where and when.Mr J Rebello,Deerield Beach, Florida.Page 35

READERS’ LETTERScontinuedSIGNALSRegarding the DefenceQuiz by Julian Pottagein BRIDGE 107, we useMcKenney Discards, whichwould have solved everyquestion with ease. Whynot publish an article onMcKenney Discards?Chris Plant,Skircoat Green, Halifax.Look forward to it in October.ALSO COMING SOONJust thought I would sendyou an email to say howgood Bernard’s BiddingQuiz was in BRIDGE 107.Normally, I get most of theauctions right, but this timeI got only one right. Pleasecan we have more problemslike these? The answers wereso obvious afterwards.Mrs J Davies,Romsey, Hampshire.NOT MEYou have a big mark-upon duplicate flippers.Mr L Simpson, Solihull.Unless your purchase isclearly branded QPlus orMr Bridge, it is not, repeatnot, from Mr Bridge.HOSTESS REPLIESIn reply to Mr Brooks ofDoncaster, see Readers’Letters BRIDGE 107, I havebeen running Mr BridgeChicago weekends for manyyears and would be happyto supply some ideas if hewould like to email me;di25406@talktalk.netBetter still, book for one ofthe rubber/Chicago eventsand get ideas first hand.Diana Holland by email.PRODIGAL’S RETURNLike Mr Wallace, lettersBRIDGE 107, I returnedrecently to the game after along absence to discover thedelights of bidding boxes,alerts and announcements.Assuming that, like me, heplays duplicate bridge at alocal club, I think his attitudeto these recent innovationsis somewhat dismissive(‘they do no harm’ is surelydamning with faint praise).Bidding boxes have a numberof obvious advantages.They help minimiseunauthorised information(eg the double with thevoice of thunder, obviouslyfor penalties). They preventbidding errors due tomishearing (‘Hearts’ vs.‘Pass’). They remove the needfor time-consuming requeststo repeat the bidding andthey allow the personconsidering the opening leadto review the bidding easily.I have yet to meet a playerwho thinks that biddingboxes are not a good idea.As for the alert andannouncement procedure,I think it’s obvious whythere has to be an alertprocedure for certain bids.The announcement (eg, ‘12-14’ for 1NT, ‘Spades’ for a2♥ transfer bid) is simply arecognition that some bidsare used so widely, andrequests for informationso likely, that the EBU havedecided that it is simplerand quicker for partnerto make an immediateannouncement rather thanissue an alert and wait forthe inevitable question. Thejustification is, it saves time.Information about alertingand announcing is availablevia the EBU website andother sources, but I agreethat a brief article coveringannouncing and bidding boxusage could well be useful.In my experience, someclub players do seem to beunaware of all the details.Dave Simmons,Buntingford, Herts.WORTHY PLUGAnyone for AfternoonBridge in Norfolk?We are a duplicatebridge club which meetsat Bawburgh Village Hall(just off the southern bypass)every Wednesdayand Thursday afternoonat 1.30pm. All hands arepre-dealt and scoring isdone using Bridgemates.We are a friendly clubwelcoming all abilities.Bridge events in our calendarinclude Sim Pairs, Teamsand Pairs’ Championships.Four ‘All Day Bridge Events’are held in the course ofthe year, which are happysocial events with lunchprovided by outside caterers.Come and give us a try,preferably with a partner,but we do have a ‘finda partner’ scheme.See our website atwww.bawburghbc.comFelicity Leigh by email.LETTER IN TWO PARTSJust to tell you that my wifeand I are enjoying version10 of QPlus. We find thebidding more accurate andthe layout very clear indeed.John Newbold by email.PS. I also want to say thatI am really pleased thatyou have the answers tothe various quizzes overthe page. It means that Ican cut out just one pageif I want to and keep thatquiz for future reference.LET THEM EAT CAKEI attend an afternoon bridgeclub, where we take turns toprovide the tea each week.We have enjoyed somewonderful home bakedcakes, cookies and biscuits.I have asked the ladies toprovide me with copies oftheir recipes. Would yourreaders be interested?Bernice Bailey,Dorking, Surrey.BIDDING BOXHISTORYIn response to Mr AllanMitchell Wallace, seeReaders’ Letters, BRIDGE107, I wish to point outthat bidding boxes wereoriginally designed fordeaf people, like myself.A few years ago, mylip-reading class wasterminated due to lackof funding and I was indesperate need of anotherbrain-storming occupation.Fortunately, I plucked upthe courage to attend alocal beginner’s bridgeclass. I am now hooked onduplicate bridge and onceagain use bidding boxes.Mrs C Turley,Gerrards Cross, Bucks.NEED A COACH?As an enthusiastic bridgeplayer of many years, I amsadly no longer able to playdue to failing eyesight. Iwould however like to sharemy lifetime’s experience ofthe game to encourage otherplayers. I have coached afellow player for severalyears and am keen to offerfree tuition to others in thedistrict. ( 01243 262092.Mr R Gardiner, Aldwick,Bognor Regis,West Sussex.■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.Page 36

A to Z of Bridge continuedDECLARERThe member of the partnership whofirst bid the denomination of the finalcontract.West North East South1♦ Pass1♠ Pass 2♠ EndWest North East South1NT Pass 2♣3♣ EndIn the first auction, West, who bidsspades before East, becomes declarer.In the second auction, West againbecomes declarer. South is an opponentand so his 2♣ bid has no significancein determining the eventualdeclarer.DEEP FINESSE1 A finesse when three or more cardshigher than the card finessed aremissing.A J 9NW ES4 3 2Needing two tricks in this suit andwith plenty of entries, South playsa low card from hand planning toplay the nine if West follows low. Ifthe nine loses to the king or queen,South can later take a simple finesseof the jack.2 A computer program that analyses,on a double-dummy basis, linesof play on a deal; it shows whichresult in success and which indefeat. Printouts of computer dealsoften show makeable contracts ascomputed by Deep Finesse.DEFEAT THE CONTRACTTo win, in defence, enough tricks sothat declarer cannot make his contracteven if he wins all the remaining tricks.If the contract is 3NT, the defendersneed to score at least five tricks todefeat the contract. In a grand slam,the defenders need only a single trickto defeat the contract.DEFECTIVE TRICKA trick that contains fewer than ormore than four legally played cards.Assuming the players pay attentionto the game, defective tricks areextremely rare.DEFENCE, THE1 The two defenders – these areEast-West if North-South buy thecontract and vice versa.2 Term also refers to the line ofplay or defensive strategy that thedefending side adopts.DEFENCE TO 1NTTerm given to a partnership agreementabout entering the bidding after anopponent’s 1NT opening bid. Thereare a number of conventions in usebecause nothing is entirely effectivein overcoming the pre-emptive effectof a 1NT opening. More and moreplayers are using a simple defencecalled Landy, whereby a 2♣ overcallshows both majors and all other suitovercalls are natural.DEFENCE TOARTIFICIAL STRONG CLUBTerm given to a partnership agreementabout entering the bidding afteran opponent’s strong artificial 1♣opening bid. Since game for the nonopeningside is unlikely, it is usual tobid on weak distributional hands withthe aim of disrupting the opposingbidding.DEFENCE TO MULTITerm given to partnership agreementabout entering the bidding afteran opponent’s Multicoloured TwoDiamond opener. In second seat,you expect to get two chances to bid,which increases your options. Youcan bid directly 2♥, 2♠, 3♣ or 3♦ asnatural, 2NT to show a strong notrump.Double is usually two-way, showingeither a balanced hand too weak to bid2NT or any strong hand. In sixth seat(i.e. when you are in second seat butpass first time), double of 2♥/2♠ is fortakeout.In fourth seat, a simple method isto treat the auction 2♦(Multi) – pass –2♥ the same as 2♥(weak) – pass – passand 2♦(Multi) – pass – 2♠ the same as2♠(weak) – pass – pass.DEFENCE TOOPENING THREE-BIDTerm given to a partnership agreementabout entering the bidding after anopponent’s pre-emptive three-levelopening. At one time, it was commonto play 3NT as for takeout and thenext development was a variety ofconventional takeout bids. It hasnow become almost universal to playdouble for takeout whether you areover or under the bid.DEFENDERSDuring the play, the non-declaringside.During the auction, the defendersare the non-opening side, though it israrer to find the term used this way.DEFENSIVE BIDDINGBidding by the non-opening side,sometimes with an obstructive intent.DEFENSIVE TRICKDuring the bidding, a holding thatyou expect to win a trick even if theopponents buy the contract; duringthe play, a card combination that winsa trick for the defending side.Aces and kings are quite likely towin tricks whatever the contract. Bycontrast, a holding like J-10-x-x isunlikely to win a defensive trick unlessit is in the opposing trump suit.DELAYED GAME RAISEWhen partner opens one of a majorsuit and the responder has the valuesfor game, it is valuable to distinguishbetween hands with distributionalvalues and hands with both trumpsupport and all round strength(usually 13 to 15 points).In the first case, a direct raise togame, which has the additional valueof having a pre-emptive effect, is inorder. In the second case, bidding asecond suit and then bidding gamein partner’s opening suit at the nextopportunity may better describe thehand – a delayed game raise. Forexample:Page 38

A to Z of Bridge continued♠ K J 6 3♥ 8 2♦ A 5 3♣ A Q 7 5With this hand, after partner opens1♠, you respond 2♣ knowing you canbid 4♠ next time.The use of splinters and 2NT as agame-forcing raise of partner’s majorhas made the delayed game raise lesscommon than it once was.DELAYED SUPPORTAn invitational raise in partner’sfirst bid suit on the second round ofbidding, usually showing three-cardsupport, as in this sequence:West North East South1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass2♣ Pass 3♥DENIAL BIDA bid that indicates lack of supportfor partner’s suit (e.g. 1♠-Pass-1NT),or general weakness such as the 2♦response to an Acol 2♣ opening.DENOMINATIONA general term meaning clubs,diamonds, hearts, spades, or notrumps.During the auction, thedenominations follow that rank, withclubs as the lowest and no-trumps asthe highest.DEPOConvention handling interventionafter a Blackwood 4NT bid.The name is a mnemonic for ‘DoubleEven Pass Odd’. A double afterintervention shows zero, two or fouraces, a pass shows one or three.Due to the ambiguity, most pairs donot use this method, preferring DOPEor DOPI.DESCHAPELLES’ COUPDefensive play involving the sacrificeof a high card in order to gain entry topartner’s hand.For example:A 5NW ESQ 6 4 K 8 7 3J 10 9 2When requiring an entry into partner’shand, East makes the Deschapelles’coup by leading the king. If dummy’sace wins, the queen becomes an entry;if declarer allows the king to hold, Eastleads another card to the now bare ace,establishing the queen as an entry.DEUCEA colloquial name sometimes used inreference to the two. Derivative fromdeux (French) and duo (Latin).DEVIL’S COUPA rare coup whereby a seeminglycertain trump loser vanishes. Forexample:♠ 9♥ K 10♦ Void♣ Void♠ 8♠ VoidN♥ Q 7 ♥ J 8 4W E♦ VoidS ♦ Void♣ Void♣ Void♠ Void♥ A 9♦ Q♣ VoidHearts are trumps, and South,declarer, leads the ♠9 from dummy.East ruffs and South will overruff.If East ruffs with the ♥J, South ruffswith the ♥A and finesses the ♥10. IfEast trumps with a lower card, Southruffs with the ♥9 and takes the toptwo trumps for the final two tricks.DIRECT KING CONVENTIONIf, during the auction, a member ofthe partnership reveals how manyaces he has, a subsequent Blackwood4NT enquiry will ask him aboutkings. As the associated conventionsthat disclose aces early in the auctionhave gone out of popular use, thisconvention is now quite rare.DIRECTIONNorth, South, East or West.DIRECTIONALASKING BID (DAB)After an overcall, a cue bid of theopponent’s suit by either member ofthe opening side asks partner to bidno-trumps if he holds a partial stopper(or better) in the opposing suit. Tomake such a bid it would be usualto hold a partial stopper oneself. Forexample:♠ J 6 3♥ A Q 3♦ K 5♣ A Q 8 5 3West North East South1♣ 1♠ 2♦ Pass2♠DIRECTORThis person organises the movement ofpairs and boards as well as dealing withany irregularities that arise. Most clubshave a playing director as it is hard tofind volunteers to give up an eveningto serve as director. In a tournament,there would be a non-playing director.DISCARDA card played to a trick that is neitherof the suit led nor of the trump suit.♠ Void♥ J 7 5 3♦ 10 7 5 4 3♣ Q 7 4 2On a spade lead, if spades are trumpsor there are no-trumps, any card youplay will be a discard. On any otherlead, you will be following suit ratherthan making a discard. The term‘discard’ is also a verb, meaning tomake a discard.DISCOURAGING CARDA card signalling the fact that adefender does not wish to have the suitled or continued. In standard methods,you discourage by playing low (thelowest card you hold in the suit).Page 39

A to Z of Bridge continued♠ Void♥ 7 5 2♦ Q 10 7 5 4♣ K J 9 4 2If partner leads a heart or you discarda heart on a spade, you would belikely to want to discourage hearts byplaying the two.DISCOVERY PLAYA declarer who tests the distributionof the outstanding cards in the unseenhands before committing himself toone line of play is making a ‘discoveryplay’. For example:♠ 6 4♥ A J 5♦ A Q 9♣ K 10 7 3 2♠ J 10 7 5 3 2 ♠ 9 8♥ 9 8 6N♥ 10 3 2♦ 5 4 3W ES ♦ J 10 7 2♣ 6 ♣ Q 9 8 5♠ A K Q♥ K Q 7 4♦ K 8 6♣ A J 4West leads the ♠J against South’s 7NT.You have twelve top tricks and thethirteenth will come from a successfulfinesse against the ♣Q. By playingoff the winners in spades, hearts anddiamonds, you find that West startedwith a 6-3-3-1 distribution. You cancash the ♣K and finesse against Easton the second round of clubs confidently.DISTRIBUTIONDistribution assesses the number ofcards in a suit as dispersed around thetable or in an individual player’s hand.For example: 5-4-3-1 ‘distribution’.This is also the hand’s ‘pattern’ or‘shape’.A hand or deal with a lot ofdistribution will have more than theaverage number of singletons or voids.On the preceding deal, South’sdistribution is 3-4-3-3, North’s is 2-3-3-5 and East’s is 2-3-4-4. The spadedistribution is 6322, the heart anddiamond distributions are 4333 andthe club distribution is 5431.DISTRIBUTIONALPOINT COUNTPoints based on distribution that youadd to the High Card Points’ value ofa hand to estimate its playing strengthmore accurately. A number of methodsare in use, some based on shortages,others on length. For example:The standard Goren Count (or3-2-1 count) adds three points for avoid, two for a singleton and one fora doubleton. When the partnershiphas a good fit, Goren recommendsadding five points for a void, three fora singleton and one for a doubleton.The Karpin Count adds points notfor shortages, but for extra length inthe bid suit, one extra point for eachcard over four in the longest suit;so a five-card suit gains one point, asix-card suit gains two extra points,etc. Opener uses the Karpin count inevaluating his hand. In responding,with primary trump support, the5-3-1 count is more accurate while the3-2-1 count is more accurate with onlysecondary support.While the shortage and lengthpoints’ methods produce similarresults, it is a good idea to make thefollowing adjustments:With a singleton king, queen or jack,deduct one point. With five trumps inthe responding hand, add one point.♠ K 9 6 5 4♥ 8♦ 8 5 3♣ A 8 5 2With this hand, it would be usual tocount three points for the singletonheart if partner bids one of the blacksuits because then you have primarytrump support.If partner bids diamonds, thesingleton is worth only two points.If partner bids hearts or no-trumps,the singleton is not worth anydistributional points.DISTRIBUTIONAL VALUEA holding of worth, due to shortage orlength in suits.DIXON CONVENTIONFirst recognized defence to the Multi,based on the principle that a doubleof 2♦ shows a fairly balanced handof about 13-16 points, immediateovercalls of 2♥ and 2♠ show theequivalent of a takeout double of theother major and all other bids arenatural.DODD DISCARDSA system of discards in which the facevalue (odd/even) of the discard maysignal attitude or suit preference. Evencards Encourage the suit discardedwhile Odd cards are Off-putting(discouraging) and ask for the othersuit of the same colour.For instance, when discarding on aspade lead, the ♥2 asks for a heart, the♥3 asks for a diamond and the ♣5 isneutral (as it asks theoretically for aspade).DOPE/ROPEConventions used after interventionfollowing a Blackwood 4NT, allowingresponder to show an odd or evennumber of aces.After an intervening bid, Doubleshows an Odd number of aces, Passan Even number. After an interveningdouble, Redouble shows an Oddnumber of aces and Pass an Evennumber. Due to the ambiguity, mostpairs do not use this method.DOPI/ROPIConventions used after interventionfollowing a Blackwood 4NT. Followingan intervening bid, Double showszero (O) aces, Pass one (I) and otherresponses on a step principle, the firstbid (e.g. 5♥ after a 5♦ overcall) showingtwo aces etc. After an interveningdouble, Redouble shows zero (O) aces,Pass one (I) ace etc.If you are playing Keycard Blackwoodor Roman Keycard Blackwood,it is usual to play that you double (orredouble) to show the first step responseor pass to make the secondstep response. The cheapest actual bidshows the third step response and soon.Page 40

A to Z of Bridge continuedWest 1♠ K 9 5 3♥ A Q J 8 3♦ 7 5♣ A 2West 2♠ Q 9 5 3♥ A Q J 8 3♦ 7 5♣ A 2West North East South1♥ 2♦ 2♠ 3♦4♠ Pass 4NT 5♦?On the first hand, playing KeycardBlackwood, you want to show threekey cards. That is a fourth stepresponse. Thus, as double and passdeal with the first and second steps,you bid 5♠. On the second hand, youhave two key cards and so bid 5♥.With Roman Keycard Blackwoodyou have (zero or) three key cards onthe first hand (first step response) andso double. With the second hand, youhave two key cards and the trumpqueen, which is a fourth step response,and so bid 5♠.DOUBLEA call that (if it ends the auction)increases the value of tricks bid andmade, the penalty for undertricks, thebonuses for overtricks and will leadto an additional bonus of 50 points ifthe doubled contract is successful. Thecall is in use for several conventionalpurposes. At low levels, most doublesare for takeout.DOUBLE DUMMYA play in a particular situation thatthe players could not possibly bettereven if they could see all four hands.To examine a deal, double dummy,is to look at all four hands simultaneously.A double dummy problem is onein which all four hands are on display.DOUBLE FINESSEA finesse against two outstandinghonours. For example:A Q 10NW ESK J 8 9 7 6 25 4 3Declarer must first finesse dummy’sten and later the queen to take allthree tricks. If East held one honour,the double finesse would gain only onetrick.DOUBLE JUMP OVERCALLAn overcall skipping two levelsof bidding (e.g. 1♥-3♠). Facing anunpassed partner, a double jumpovercall is pre-emptive, trying toobstruct the opponents. It shows asimilar hand to a pre-emptive openingbid.DOUBLE JUMP RAISEA raise missing out two levels ofbidding. It is usually pre-emptive innature, e.g. 1♥-4♥.DOUBLE OFTHREE NO TRUMP BIDSWhen the opponents bid to 3NT, adouble by the defender who will not beon lead usually acts as lead-directingdouble, asking for a particular lead,often dummy’s first bid suit.If both defenders have bid a differentsuit, the double asks partner to leadhis own suit rather than that of thedoubler.If nobody has bid a suit, a doubleshows a long solid suit and askspartner to lead his shortest suit.West North East South1♥ Pass 2♣Pass 2NT Pass 3NTDblWest North East South1♣ 1♥1♠ 2♦ Pass 3♦Pass 3NT Pass PassDblOn both auctions, West’s double asksfor a club lead.On the first auction, East would belikely to lead a spade or a diamondwithout the double. On the secondauction, East would be likely to lead aspade without the double.DOUBLE RAISEA raise of partner’s suit by two levels(e.g. 1♥-Pass-3♥). In Acol, this is alimit raise, usually showing fourcardsupport and eight losers or 10-12points.Opener can also make a double raise(e.g. 1♣-Pass-1♥-Pass-3♥). This wouldshow four-card support and betterthan a minimum opening (six losersor 15-17 points).DOUBLE SQUEEZEThis is a squeeze against bothopponents. In one suit, you havea threat against one opponent. Inanother suit, you have a threat againsthis partner. In a third suit, you havea threat that the opponents share theburden of protecting.For example:♠ A J♥ K♦ Void♣ Void♠ K 5 ♠ Q 6N♥ A♥ VoidW E♦ VoidS ♦ A♣ Void♣ Void♠ 7♥ Void♦ K♣ AAs South, declarer, you lead the ♣A.To keep the ♥A West throws a spade.After dummy throws the ♥K, East isin a similar position to his partner. Tokeep the ♦A, East too throws a spade,leaving the ♠A-J to win the last twotricks.Key requirements for a doublesqueeze are that at least one ofthe single guarded menaces lies overthe stopper (they both do in theexample) and that, prior to playingthe squeeze card, declarer has lost anylosers that the defenders are due totake.Page 41

A to Z of Bridge continuedDOUBLED INTO GAMEA player is said to have been doubledinto game if an opponent has doubledhis contract and the score for the tricksmade, if the contract is successful, willexceed 100, while this score would havebeen less than 100 had the contract notbeen doubled. For example, to doublea contract of 2♠ would be to doubleinto game but to double a contract of2♦ would not.DOUBLERThe person who doubles.DOUBLETONA holding of only two cards in a suit.DOWNFailing to make the contractednumber of tricks.DRAWING TRUMPSThe act of playing successive rounds oftrumps in order to remove the opponents’trumps. The objective is to stopthe opponents from ruffing your winners.Popular folklore says that playerswho fail to draw trumps end up walkingbarefoot along the Embankment.The truth is that there are almost asmany hands on which you need todo something else before drawingtrumps, such as taking ruffs in dummyor setting up a long suit.You are South, playing in spades,and receive a heart lead to your ace.♠ Q 10 2♥ 9 4♦ A Q J 3♣ 9 5 3 2NW ES♠ A K J 7 4♥ A 2♦ K 9 6♣ 10 7 4On the layout above, you shoulddraw trumps and run the diamonds.Drawing trumps is essential to stopsomeone from ruffing one of yourdiamond winners.♠ Q 10 2♥ 9♦ A 10 8 5 4♣ 9 6 5 3NW ES♠ A K J 7 4♥ A 4 2♦ K 6♣ 10 7 4On this layout, you should not drawtrumps. Instead, you start by ruffing aheart, returning to the ♦K and ruffinga second heart. You cannot afford todraw trumps because you need two ofdummy’s trumps for ruffing.DRIVE OUTTo force out an opponent’s high cardby leading a sufficiently high card inthe same suit and continuing the suituntil the high card has gone.DROPTo play a high card and cause anopponent to follow with a lowermissing high card, as in the expression:‘to drop the singleton king offside’.DRURY CONVENTIONA conventional 2♣ response to a thirdorfourth-hand opening asking if theopener has a sound or sub-minimumopener. This convention is not ingeneral use in the UK.DUCKTo decline to take a trick that onecould have won. Ducking is often agood idea to avoid playing a high cardon a low one, to leave the opponentswith a guess or to disrupt the opposingcommunications. Ducking can alsomaintain your side’s communications:♦ A 9 5 3 2NW ES♦ K J 10 ♦ Q 8♦ 7 6 4If you are trying to set up the diamondsuit when North has no side entry, youneed to duck the first two rounds ofthe suit, conserving the ♦A as an entryto the long cards.DUKE OFCUMBERLAND’S HANDDealt to the son of George IV at whist.Clubs were trumps and the Duke held:♠ A K Q♥ A K Q J♦ A K♣ K J 9 7His opponents bet that he wouldnot make a single trick in his hand.According to the story, he acceptedthe bet and lost all thirteen tricks. Thecomplete deal was:♠ Void♥ Void♦ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2♣ A Q 10 8♠ A K Q ♠ J 10 9 8 7 6♥ A K Q J N ♥ 10 9 8 7 6W E♦ A KS♦ Q J♣ K J 9 7♣ Void♠ 5 4 3 2♥ 5 4 3 2♦ Void♣ 6 5 4 3 2Following whist principles of the time,the Duke led the ♣7. North won withthe ♣8 and after two diamond ruffsand two further club leads throughthe Duke, North could draw the lasttrump and cash the seven remainingdiamonds.DUMB BIDDER (SILENT BIDDER)Device to permit silent bidding. It is aboard placed in the centre of the table,subdivided into labelled regions, 1♣,1♦, 1 ♥, 1♠, 1 NT, 2♣ etc. (up to 7NT),Dbl, Redbl, Alert, Stop and Pass.A player makes his call by touchingthe appropriate region of the boardwith a pen or pencil, or moving asmall counter placed on the dumbbidder. Bidding boxes have rendereddumb bidders almost obsolete.Page 42

A to Z of Bridge continuedDUMMY1 This is the partner of thedeclarer, who takes nopart in the play, except atduplicate, in playing thecards as instructed.2 This is also the hand ofdeclarer’s partner, as laidout on the table so thatthe other three playerscan see it.DUMMY REVERSALA method of play by whichthe hand with longertrumps (declarer) ruffslosers. Dummy’s trumpsthen draw the remainingtrumps.For example:♠ J 10 9♥ A K 5♦ A 7 5 4♣ Q 7 2♠ 6 4 3 ♠ 8 2♥ Q J 10 N ♥ 8 7 4 3♦ K J 10 9W ES ♦ Q 6 3 2♣ 6 5 3 ♣ 10 9 8♠ A K Q 7 5♥ 9 6 2♦ 8♣ A K J 4You are South in a contractof 7♠ and have twelve toptricks. You can get homehowever, when the suitsbreak evenly, by means of adummy reversal.By ruffing dummy’s threelosing diamonds with toptrumps, you end up withthree trump tricks, fourclub tricks, three tricks fromthe red-suit winners andthree tricks by trumpingdiamonds in hand.DUPLICATE BRIDGEA form of bridge in whichdifferent players play thesame deal. This eliminatesthe luck of the deal sinceplayers’ scores comparewith the other results oneach board.The first application ofthe duplicate principle wasin Duplicate Whist by JohnT. Mitchell, inventor ofthe first pairs’ movement.Duplicate Auction Bridgebegan in 1914 under theauspices of the AmericanWhist League.Most bridge clubs andalmost all tournaments playduplicate bridge.DUPLICATIONOF DISTRIBUTIONA duplication of distributionoccurs when both playershave exactly the samelength in one or more suits.‘Mirror Distribution’ is asimilar term, suggestingthe duplication is in severalsuits.♠ K Q 10 7 5♥ Q♦ J 8 5♣ A Q 10 2NW ES♠ A J 9 8 3♥ 9♦ 10 4 2♣ K J 9 4Due to the duplication ofdistribution in the red suits,the likely North-Southcontract of 4♠ is doomedto failure. If one player heldthree hearts and a singletondiamond, however, therewould be only two losersand eleven tricks.DUPLICATIONOF VALUESA duplication of valuesoccurs either when oneplayer is short in the other’sstrong suit (e.g. K-Q-xfacing a singleton) or whenboth players have a strongholding in a particular suitwith the result that, whilstthe combined honour pointstrength is high, the tricktakingpotential is limited.♠ A Q♥ K Q 6♦ 7 6 4 2♣ K J 5 4NW ES♠ K J 3♥ A J♦ Q 8 5 3♣ 7 6 3 2Whilst the combined pointcount for North-Southis 26, they can take onlysix certain tricks and areunlikely to make game.DUPLIMATEA Swedish designed carddealingmachine that candeal any pack of cards butworks best with those thathave barcodes. It also printshand records.DUSTBIN BIDColloquial name for a 1NTresponse to 1♥ or 1♠. If youlack the values for a twoover-oneresponse, you mayhave to respond 1NT on avariety of hands, includingthose that are far frombalanced.♠ Void♥ J 9 5 4 3 2♦ 9 7♣ A J 8 7 4If partner opens 1♠, youshould respond 1NT. ■To be continuedBetter HandEvaluationBernard MageeIntroductionBetter Hand Evaluation isaimed at helping readers toadd greater accuracy to theirbidding. It deals with auctionsin which you and your partner,against silent opponents, candescribe your hands fully toeach other and, by evaluatingthem accurately, find the bestfinal contract. The emphasis ofall good, accurate bidding is onhand evaluation.There are two general types ofauction: a) a fit is found and b)no fit is found.When you do not have a fit,you are aiming to describe thestrength of your hand as soonas possible, most often usingno-trump bids. This book beginsby discussing balancedhand bidding in Acol, as itis very important that bothmembers of a partnershiphave an accurate knowledge ofhow to show hands of differentstrengths.When a fit is found, there ismuch re-evaluation of thehand to be done; point count,though still important, needsto be evaluated together withdistribution. The best way ofreaching an accurate assessmentis to use the Losing TrickCount; this is an importantmethod of hand evaluation andtakes up a number of chapters.Finally, we move on to differentforms of evaluation includinggame tries and splinter bids.You can never know enoughmethods of hand evaluation;the more you learn, the betteryou get at judging your hand.Although the Losing TrickCount is used more easily intandem with your partner, alarge proportion of the ideasin this book can be used by anindividual. For example, evaluatingyour hand to be worthan extra point is going to helpanyone you partner – as longas you get it right.£14 including postageSee Mail Order Formon page 7Page 43

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This insurance is only available to persons who are permanently resident and domiciled in the UK.SINGLE TRIP SUMMARY OF COVERThe following represent the Significant and Key Features of the policy including Exclusions and Limitations that apply per person.A full copy of the policy document is available on request.CANCELLATION OR CURTAILMENT up to £1,500If you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to illness, injury, redundancy, jury service, the policerequiring you to remain at or return to your home due to serious damage to your home, you arecovered against loss of travel and accommodation costs.Policy Excess £50.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. 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Your failure to contact the Medical Screening Line where required.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 £75.Money, travel tickets and travellers cheques are covered up to £500 against accidental loss or theft(cash limit £250). Policy Excess £75.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 £75 (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.Medical ScreeningUnless you are traveling to North or Central America or the Caribbean or on a Cruise,there is no need to advise us of your pre existing medical conditions. Please note thatwe consider a Cruise to be any international sailing or sea voyage travelling internationalwaters but not River Trips.If You have a history of any medical condition and are traveling to North or CentralAmerica or the Caribbean or on a Cruise, you must first contact the Medical ScreeningLine to establish whether we can provide cover for your trip. If you are accepted, thefollowing levels of excess will apply. You will receive written confirmation that you arecovered for the trip. The number to call is:0844 8921698If you are not accepted for cover having been screened, we may be ableto offer you cover under our Single Trip “PLUS” product.Please ask us for further details or go to our website.Increased Excess for Pre Existing Medical ConditionsProvision for the acceptance of pre existing medical conditions has been made by theapplication of increased excesses in the event of claims arising.For claims arising from any medical condition, other than those that are specifically excluded,the excess is further increased as follows: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 unless travelling withinNorth or Central America or the Caribbean or on a Cruise when increased to £1,000.For persons aged 61 to 70 years the excess is increased to £1,000 unless travelling withinNorth or Central America or the Caribbean or on a Cruise when increased to £2,000.For persons aged 71 to 90 years the excess is increased to £1,500 unless travelling withinNorth or Central America or the Caribbean or on a Cruise when increased to £3,000.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 insurance is underwritten by ETI International Travel Protection(ETI) the UK branch of Europäische Reiseversicherung A.G. Munich, anERGO group Company, incorporated and regulated under the laws ofGermany, Companies House Registration FC 25660 and Branch RegistrationBR 007939. ETI is licensed by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht(BAFIN – www.bafin.de) and approved by theFinancial Services Authority to undertake insurance business in the UK.If you have a complaint about the sale of this insurance you must firstwrite to the Managing Director of Global Travel Insurance Services Ltd.Subsequently, complaints may be referred to the Financial OmbudsmanService. If we are unable to meet our liabilities you may be entitled tocompensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.If you would like more information or are unsure of any details containedherein, you should ask Global Travel Insurance Services Ltd for furtheradvice.Single Trip PREMIUM RATING SCHEDULEGEOGRAPHICAL AREAS1. United KingdomEngland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, including allislands comprising the British Isles (except the Channel Islands and theRepublic of Ireland). (Any British Isles or UK Cruises are rated as Area 2).2. EuropeArea 1 and Continental Europe west of the Ural mountain range, allcountries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (except, Egypt, Israel,Jordan, Lebanon, Libya & Syria), the Channel Islands and the Republicof Ireland, Iceland, Madeira, The Canaries and The Azores. (Personsresiding in the Channel Islands need to pay Area 2 rates for UK trips).3. Worldwide excluding North AmericaAreas 1 & 2 and All countries outside of the above (except the continentof North America, countries comprising Central America and theCaribbean Islands).4. Worldwide including North AmericaAreas 1,2 & 3 and The United States of America, Mexico and othercountries comprising Central America, Canada, Cuba and theCaribbean Islands.✄Single Trip Travel InsuranceSuitable for individual round trips up to 122 days durationthat start and finish in the UK arranged byGlobal Travel InsuranceA1 Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, BN13 3QZ( 01903 267432 Fax 01903 268946SINGLE TRIP APPLICATION FORMPlease FULLY complete the following in BLOCK CAPITALS. Once complete,return the application panel direct to Global Travel Insurance with a chequeor with card details entered. Insurance is not effective until a Policy has beenissued. Please allow at least 5 days before you need to travel.Details of the ApplicantTitle (Mr/Mrs/Miss)SurnameTelephone No.House Number/NameStreet NameTown NamePostcodeDate of leaving HomeDate of arrival HomeScreening RefIntroducerMr BridgeInitialsGeographical Area - See Premium Panel(1,2,3 or 4)Names of all persons to be insured Age PremiumSCHEDULE OF PREMIUMS1£Valid for policies issued up to 31/3/2012and for travel completed by 31/12/2012.Areas 1 & 2 - Applicable per person up to age 90 years on the dateof return to the UK.Areas 3 & 4 - Applicable per person up to age 80 years on the dateof return to the UK.Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 41 - 3 days £15.60 £23.80 £49.90 £71.904 & 5 days £18.70 £30.00 £62.70 £90.406 -10 days £21.80 £40.40 £85.10 £121.8011-17 days £24.90 £44.20 £94.60 £136.3018-24 days £28.00 £50.80 £106.50 £153.4025-31 days £31.10 £57.80 £121.20 £174.50Each + 7 days £5.60 £11.40 call for a quotationor part thereof (maximum period of 122 days)All premiums include the Government Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)PREMIUM ADJUSTMENTSAll age adjustments apply to the age on the date of return to the UKThe following adjustments apply ONLY to trips in excess of 31 daysfor all persons aged 65 years and overGeographical AreaPremium IncreaseArea 2 EuropePlus 50% (1.5 times)Infants up to 2 years inclusive are FREE subject to being included with anadult paying a full premium.Children 3 to 16 years inclusive are HALF PRICE subject to being includedwith an adult paying a full premium. Unaccompanied children pay the adult rate.Group Discounts – Contact us for discounts available starting at 10 persons.✄23456Credit/Debit Card DetailsCard NoTOTAL PREMIUMStart Date End Date Issue NoSecurity CodeDECLARATIONOn behalf of all persons listed in this application, I agree that this application shallbe the basis of the Contract of Insurance. I agree that Insurers may exchangeinformation with other Insurers or their agents. I have read and understoodthe terms and conditions of the insurance, with which all persons above are inagreement and for whom I am authorized to sign. The form MUST be signed by oneof the persons to be insured on behalf of all persons to be insured.Signed.......................................................... Date...................................The form MUST be signed by one of the persons to be insured on behalf of all persons to be insured.Mr Bridge is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Global Travel InsuranceServices Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.239STI11££££££

Seven Daysby Sally BrockTwo months ago, I began my article with the sentence, ‘February was rather quiet.’ That is going to be the only quiet time I shallsee all year. March and early April were not too bad; the fun really started on April 15th when I flew to Belfast for the LadyMilne (women’s home international). You may recall that Susannah Gross and I finished second in the trials for that event backin January. My first problem was that I had not written the Lady Milne dates in my diary and it clashed with a booked holidayto Egypt with my daughter, Briony.Luckily, the holiday had been for ten days, so it was not too disastrous to shorten it to a week. Belfast went OK. We startedbadly but recovered and ended up sharing the trophy with Scotland (if it was like the Ashes, we should have retained it). I arrivehome mid-afternoon, spend a few frantic hours washing, packing, answering emails etc and we set off for Gatwick where we areto spend the night prior to an early flight the following day. We had a fabulous time – three nights by the Red Sea and then fourin Luxor – and certainly benefited from the shortage of other tourists due to the political troubles.We arrived home very late Tuesday night and had a couple of days of normality before the Royal Wedding. Barry and I decidedwe would rather be as far away from it all as possible (especially as Briony was sure to be glued to the TV all weekend), so we wentto France. We took a late morning crossing via Eurotunnel, lunch in Sangatte and posh dinner plus overnight stay just outsideBoulogne. We then had lunch picnicking on Le Touquet beach, afternoon tea by the lake in Ardres, cheese and wine shopping inCalais before dinner there and the journey home – lovely.MondayDentist first thing – two fillings, plusa scale and polish: £150 – a good startto the week.Home to work: I finish off Israelbefore moving on to Lapland. In theafternoon, I have an online bridgesession with Richard and Gerry. Later,both children have exams soon andI have promised an hour a day inhelping Briony with revision: testingher French vocabulary today.TuesdayI just about have time to get to the gymand home again in time to take Brionyto the orthodontist. She is getting almostdesperate to have her braces takenoff but they are still not quite ready.Later Su, my bookkeeper, comes totry to sort out my complicated affairsat the end of the financial year. I ammeeting Briony in town after school –she wants a second piercing in her earsand I have to give consent.WednesdayI have a London League match withNicola this evening. I mean to read thesystem on the train but do not quiteget round to it. I will just have to wingit. The first half is OK (when I forgetthe system I get away with it) but IMPsdrift away in the second, so we lose15-5 eventually.Last season we were in the seconddivision and won every match (well,that might not quite be true; we wonso many early on that it did not matterwhether we lost some at the end). Thisyear, in the first division, we have yetto win a match at all.Here is a defensive problem for you:Dealer West. Love All.♠ 6♥ 9 3♦ A J 10 9 6 5 4♣ J 4 2♠ 8 7 4 2N♥ J 10 6 4W ES ♦ Q 7 2♣ K 9West North East SouthPass 3♦ Pass 3NTAll PassYour partner leads the ten of spades,which runs round to declarer’s jack.At trick two, he plays the three ofdiamonds, partner plays the eight andhe plays the jack from dummy. Whatis going on and what do you do?At the table, East won the diamondand shifted to the jack of hearts.While this finds partner with A-Q-x,three heart tricks and the queen ofdiamonds are all you take becausedeclarer started with K-3 of diamondsand has three black-suit winners.The winning defence is to duckthe diamond, effectively killing thesuit. When you think about it, evenif partner started with K-8, the worstthat can happen if you duck is that yougive declarer a quick second diamondtrick. Here, if you duck the diamond,declarer has no chance.ThursdayThis afternoon, we have a Crockford’smatch. It is the last round before thefinal and a 48-board affair (which iswhy we are starting so early). The firsthalf is a nightmare and we are 37 IMPsdown (against Nick Irens, David Bakhshi,Tom Townsend, Espen ErichsenPage 46

and Norman Selway). Thesecond half is better and wenearly win, losing by just 5IMPs. This includes a flatgrand slam, bid missing theace of trumps. At the othertable, they had some sortof excuse because heavypre-emption meant theycould not use Blackwood;we, however, managed thisfeat despite managing to bid4NT. (If you have agreedspades and bid 4NT and anopponent bids five clubs,how many aces does a fivediamond response show?)Afterwards, we have dinnerand drown our sorrows;we have enjoyed the season.Our teammates RichardPalmer and Ed Scerri haveplayed well and been excellentteammates.FridayI stay at Barry’s and work onmy laptop all day. I am soglad I have managed to getmy home computer and laptop(and phone for that matter)synchronized so thatI can work on my laptopanywhere. Given how muchI seem to be away, this is essential.In the last few weeks,we (that is the English women’steam) have received(and accepted) two trips toBeijing later in the year toplay in tournaments withvery generous prize money.I have holidays booked inMalta and Crete; I have alsoarranged to spend the wholeweek in Brighton for thesummer congress.In the evening, I play atthe Young Chelsea withMargaret (Nygren – exJames/Courtney). After acouple of rounds, we are minus36 IMPs, due mainly tobad luck, so we are pleasedto end up plus 21 or so,having correctly bid three7♦ contracts! Two madeand one was a 500 sacrificeover a making vulnerable6♥ (lucky though thatthey did not press on to themaking grand). Déjà vu allover again. When I was atuniversity, there was a specialreward for bidding andmaking 7♦. (I think you gotbought a pint of whateveryou wanted from the unionbar – Purple Poison, a mixtureof blackcurrant, rum,vodka, crème de mentheand lemonade was a favourite!)The very first time Iplayed in a national competition– a Swiss teams heat– 7♦ was makeable on threeof the first six boards. Webid all three, winning thematch by the maximum.However, this run did notlast and our final total forthe day was less than afterthe first match.WeekendA peaceful weekend is inprospect. We leave Londonand head homewards lateSaturday morning, doingnothing much for the rest ofthe day. Briony and I go toWaitrose to get some food.In the evening, we watchTV (especially Match of theDay) and generally relax.On Sunday, we lie in andhave brunch. Briony andBarry watch the GrandPrix, then we go kite flying.A month or so ago, wehad a fabulous day out atStreatham Kite Day, where– in perfect weather – therewere all manner of exotickite demonstrations.We had great fun, flyingquite a modest contraptionthat we bought there (havingmanaged to leave thekite we already possessed athome). Today, we get bothkites flying well – until onelands in someone’s garden.Then it’s home for a roastchicken dinner and the endof another week. ■♠ Void♥ Void♦ 4 3 2♣ A K 2♠ Void♠ VoidN♥ 9 ♥ Q J 10W E♦ K QS ♦ Void♣ 9 8 7 ♣ Q J 10♠ Void♥ A K 3 2♦ A♣ 3So there we were, in thelast match of the autumnSouth-East Surrey SeniorNovice teams-of-four competition.Beforehand, our teamcaptain had given us all apep talk (very pompous, butdon’t tell him I said so). Hestressed that, to win the competition,we needed not onlyto bid to the best of our (as hesaid, somewhat limited) ability,but also to play out of ourskins. In particular, we shouldlook for opportunities tomake contracts on which ouropposite numbers might giveup. He also highlighted theneed to count our tricks and,when we had one too few, tothink squeeze – somethingthus far beyond my capability.I was sitting South and thishand came up early on. Iwas declarer in a no-trumpcontract and, with six tricksremaining, I counted my winners.Try as I might, I couldbe sure of only five – thoughAnswer to Richard Wheen’sDouble Dummy Quizon page 5six if the hearts or diamondsbroke evenly, whichshould be a good chance. Icame to hand with the diamondace (East discardinga club – there went one ofmy chances) and played outtwo rounds of hearts, on thesecond of which West threw aclub – there went my secondchance. Still, West’s discardset me thinking. East alonewas guarding the heartsnow and West the diamonds.Perhaps neither of themcould also guard clubs. SoI threw dummy’s last diamondon my second hearttrick, crossed to dummy witha club and cashed the otherclub honour; lo and beholdthe lowly club two won thelast trick. My opponents thenconfirmed that I had in factexecuted a squeeze – not aplain vanilla squeeze, a doublesqueeze – and they coulddo nothing about it. Theyclearly assumed that I regularlybrought off two doublesqueezes before breakfastand I did not disabuse them.Actually, I was quite proudof myself, as I had indeedachieved a squeeze by thinkingit through – for the firsttime ever. Of course, pridecomes before a fall. I totallymisdefended the followinghand and our team lost thematch by 1 victory point, butat least I have now achieveda squeeze intentionally. ■DUPLICATE BRIDGERULES SIMPLIFIED(otherwise known as the Yellow Book)only£5 95by John Rumbelow and revised by David StevensonIncludes 2007 Law Revisions.Available from Mr Bridge ( 01483 489961Page 47

ABTA No.Y2206VOYAGES TO ANTIQUITY* Prices are per person, double occupancy, and include MR BRIDGE SPECIAL SAVINGS.Singles only pay £295 extra for sole occupancy in hotels. The bridge programme iscompletely optional and Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as littleas they wish. This offer is subject to availability, is capacity controlled and may bewithdrawn at any time.10093THE RED SEA,PETRA & SUEZ CANALJoin this exciting voyage to the ancient wondersof Jordan, Egypt and Eastern MediterraneanBOOK NOW FOR SPECIAL FARESA 2-night stay in Amman, the bustling capital of Jordan,contrasts with visits to the ancient city of Jerash and thehidden treasure of Petra. Join Aegean Odyssey in the Red Seaport of Aqaba and sail to Safaga, gateway to ancient Egyptand the city of Thebes. From here visit the magnificent sitesof Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. Then sail through theSuez Canal on your way to the ancient city of Baalbek inLebanon before reaching the final port of call in Cyprusand the end of this remarkable 2-week journey.Cruise in comfort, relax in styleAegean Odyssey is a premium carrying just 350 passengers.The atmosphere on board is relaxed with plenty of passengerspace, a choice of restaurants (withopen-seating dining) and generouslysizedaccommodations, plus thecomfort and attentive service ofboutique-style cruising.There is a supplement of £30 for those wishing to participate in theduplicate bridge programme or learn to play bridge. Singles are madeespecially welcome and a playing partner will always be found.LimassolCYPRUSMediterraneanSeaEGYPTBaalbekBeirutLuxorRedSeaNO SINGLESUPPLEMENTON CRUISE*LEBANONJerashAmmanJORDANPetraCairo Suez CanalSuez AqabaSafagaSharm el-Sheikh13-DAY CRUISE-TOUR FROM JORDAN TO CYPRUSDEPARTS NOVEMBER 19, 2011HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Guided tour of Jerash andmorning tour of Petra in Jordan; overnight excursion to visitthe temples of Luxor and Karnak and the Valley of the Kingsincluding evening sound and light show; full day excursionto the Pyramids; transit the Suez Canal; ancient Heliopolis(Baalbek) in Lebanon.MR BRIDGE FARES*Standard Inside £2,195pp Superior Outside from £2,550ppSuperior Inside from £2,350pp Deluxe Outside from £2,950ppStandard Outside from £2,450pp Deluxe Balcony from £3,595ppNO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT ON CRUISEFARES INCLUDE:SIGHTSEEING EXCURSIONS AT ALL PORTSEXPERT ANTIQUITY LECTURE PROGRAMMEWINE WITH DINNER & GRATUITIES ON BOARDEXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTIESSCHEDULED AIR & TRANSFERSBOOK EARLY – THIS SPECIAL OFFER ISSUBJECT TO LIMITED AVAILABILITYCALL ON 01483 489 961Past Passengers of Aegean Odyssey receive an extra 10% discountSAVE UP TO£1,200PER CABIN WITH SPECIALMR BRIDGE FARESBRIDGEIf undelivered or unwanted kindly return toRyden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey, GU21 2THQPLUS 10Really user-friendly bridge-playing softwareNEW FEATURES• Updated comprehensive manual• Displays on HD screen & supports large screens• Minibridge option• Extra 500 preplayed hands for teamsmaking 5,000 in all£86including post and packing• Extra 500 preplayed hands formatch-point pairs making 4,000 in all• Improvement over two years from version 9SYSTEM• New save match function• 8mb RAM• Save deals with automatic file labelling• CD-ROM• Closed room – new button to view other table• Windows XP, Vista or 7See Mail Order Form on page 7