126

BRIDGE Number One Hundred and Twenty-Six

Cruise to AnCient GreeCe & the MAGiC of itAly on board Aegean Odyssey this June with exclusive fares and No Single Supplements See over for further detailS

June 2013

ON Livorno

Florence

Corsica Civitavecchia Bonifacio Rome Italy Sorrento

CRUISE TOANCIENT & THE MAGIC OF

Tyrrhenian Sea

GREECE ITALY

SA HU SU V GE M I M N ER G V S Greece Athens Nauplia

Sicily Palermo Trapani Syracuse

OY AG E

S

Mediterranean Sea

13-day fly-cruise departing June 24, 2013 DATE

PORT

ARRIVE

DEPART

JUN 24

Fly to ATHENS Greece Transfer to Aegean Odyssey in Piraeus

overnight

JUN 25

PIRAEUS (Athens) Greece

7.00pm

JUN 26

NAUPLIA (Mycenae) Greece

JUN 27

At Sea

JUN 28

SYRACUSE Sicily

1.00pm

JUN 29

TRAPANI (Segesta) Sicily

1.00pm

midnight

JUN 30

PALERMO Sicily

7.00am

overnight

JUL 1

PALERMO (Monreale) Sicily Cruising past Stromboli

JUL 2

SORRENTO Italy (Pompeii & Herculaneum)

JUL 3

SORRENTO Italy

JUL 4

Cruising the Maddalena Archipelago BONIFACIO Corsica 1.00pm

7.00pm

JUL 5

LIVORNO (Florence) Italy

7.00am

7.00pm

JUL 6

CIVITAVECCHIA/ROME Italy 7.00am Transfer to Rome Airport for flight home

7.00am 10.00pm midnight

1.00pm

8.00am

overnight 6.00pm

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10093

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Why not extend your trip with a 2-night stay in Rome? Prices from £328pp (twin) or £460pp (single)

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fares from just £1,995pp include: •FULL BRIDGE PROGRAMME •SCHEDULED FLIGHTS •EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES •SHORE EXCURSIONS IN ALL PORTS OF CALL •EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS •WINE WITH DINNER ON BOARD •OPEN-SEATING DINING • GRATUITIES ON BOARD •EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY

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Mr Bridge Passengers The bridge programme is exclusive to Mr Bridge bookings and is completely optional. Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as little as they wish. There will be a duplicate session every evening and bridge every afternoon the ship is at sea. Singles are made especially welcome – a playing partner will always be found. All prices, savings and offers shown are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and available only on certain cabin grades and the sailings shown, and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Single accommodation is available only in certain categories, and subject to availability.

V OYAGES TO A NTIQUITY www.mrbridge.co.uk

ABTA No.Y2206

QUIZ solution: 1NT

Book now to benefit from these unbeatable fares and secure the best cabin available.

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BRIDGE

Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.mrbridge.co.uk

Publisher and Managing Editor Mr Bridge Bridge Consultant Bernard Magee

8 Italy, Sicily and Classical Aegean with Voyages to Antiquity

FEATURES 3 Bidding Quiz by Bernard Magee 4 Mr Bridge 7 Bidding Quiz Answers by Bernard Magee 9 David Huggett Says Support Partner

12 Bridge and Travel Tip 13 David Stevenson Answers Your Questions 17 Defence Quiz by Julian Pottage 18 Defence Quiz Answers by Julian Pottage 19 The A to Z of Bridge: U to Z by Julian Pottage

Typesetting & Design Ruth Edmondson

23 Used Stamps Received

Proof Readers Tony & Jan Richards Catrina Shackleton Richard Wheen Hugh Williams

31 The Green Thing

27 Readers’ Letters 33 Back to Nature with the Baron by Dick Atkinson 35 Catching Up by Sally Brock 36 Seven Days by Sally Brock

ADVERTISEMENTS

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

23 Mr Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge 24 Global Travel Insurance



26 Eric Hill – Joanna



28 Bridge Events at: Cheltenham Regency Hotel Elstead Hotel Queensferry Hotel Blunsdon House Hotel 29 Charity Events 29 Stamps

32 Bridge Events at Denham Grove

Clubs & Charities Maggie Axtell

( 01483 485342

14 Mr Bridge Christmas & New Year 2013/2014

32 Rubber / Chicago Bridge Events

39 Julian Pottage Answers Your Questions

Address Changes Elizabeth Bryan

You are West in the auctions below, playing ‘Standard Acol’ with a weak no-trump (12-14 points) and 4-card majors. (Answers on page 7.)

12 Tunisia 2013/2014

30 Voyages of Discovery Mediterranean Medley on board Voyager

Events & Cruises ( 01483 489961 Rosie Baker Jessica Galt Megan Riccio Sophie Pierrepont

[email protected]

10 Bernard Magee Haslemere DVDs

15 Duplicate Bridge Rules Simplified

11 The Diaries of Wendy Wensum

Technical Consultant Tony Gordon

Office Manager Rachel Everett

Bernard Magee’s Bidding Quiz

43 Declarer Play Quiz by David Huggett 44 Declarer Play Answers by David Huggett

2 Ancient Greece and the Magic of Italy with Voyages to Antiquity

37 Bridge Events at The Olde Barn Hotel 38 Bridge Events at: Ardington Hotel Chatsworth House 38 QPlus 10 38 S R Designs Bridge Tables 42 Eric Hill – Kalinda 44 Begin Bridge with Bernard Magee

5 Mail Order Form

45 Tutorial Software and QPlus

6 Bridge Event Booking Form

46 Voyages to Antiquity Terms & Conditions

6 Bridge Events with Bernard Magee

47 Voyages to Antiquity Booking Form

7 Bridge Events at The Inn on the Prom

48 Venice to Rome with Voyages to Antiquity

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Page 3

1. Dealer West. Love All. ♠ 9 4 N ♥ A 7 4 3 W E ♦ K Q 7 6 2 S ♣ A 3

West North East South ? 2. Dealer East. Love All. ♠ Q 7 N ♥ K 5 3 2 W E ♦ 7 4 3 S ♣ A 8 3 2

West North East South 1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass ?

3. Dealer East. Love All. ♠ 5 ♥ 9 8 7 2 N ♦ Q 8 4 3 2 W E S ♣ 8 7 6

West North East South 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass ?

4. Dealer North. Love All. ♠ J 9 8 ♥ A 8 7 6 N ♦ J 6 5 4 3 W E S ♣ 8

West North East South 1♣ 1♥ 1♠ ?

SAME MESSAGE

QPLUS 11

COVER STORY

2796-11, 5929-05, 5060-07 9680-05, 9680-06, 3515-04

I have endeavoured to send BRIDGE to thousands of households within the UK peaking several years ago at around 143,000 copies. This service was sustained with the help of advertisers and sponsors. Indeed, demand for my promotional magazine has now grown to such an extent that I have to rely on some of you reading these pages online using the marvellous developments of modern technology. However, my personal preference is to receive a copy by post and to be able to feel it and pick it up and put it down, as and when.... The recent rise in postal charges is the last straw – a further 8% on top of last year’s draconian rise. So you may find yourself receiving one real copy every three or four months in future. Do look at a virtual copy online and print off the pages that you want to read. Alternatively, you may take up a subscription as those wanting to be sure of receiving continuous hard copies already have. £20 for 12 issues or £35 for 24. I am not trying to sell subscriptions and indeed know that many of you will be quite satisfied with your occasional copy. BRIDGE can also be read on tablets and mobile phones – now there’s a thought and a half for some of you.

A few more interesting hands for you to try. Johannes Leber is currently fine-tuning his QPlus software ahead of this summer’s World Bridge Computer Championships. At the end of July, when all is done and dusted he will be able to incorporate any extra features that may arise from this annual experience and by the end of the summer deliver QPlus 11 as promised. Those readers who would like to buy QPlus should send £92 NOW and receive the current version (QPlus 10). I promise to send you QPlus 11 as soon as it is ready. As both versions are self-contained, you will be able to give QPlus 10 to a friend once you receive your QPlus 11. If you are looking to upgrade from an earlier version of QPlus, just return the disc and the instruction booklet, with a cheque for £43.

Two cruises on lovely Aegean Odyssey at short notice with special prices. For those sharing a double or twin-bedded cabin, allocation at the special prices will be on a first come, first served basis. For singles, there is no supplement, subject only to availability. Greece & Italy June 24 – July 6 See page 2. Rome to Istanbul July 6 – July 18 See page 8. If you haven’t heard about Aegean Odyssey before, she is pleasantly spacious and usually sails with around 320 passengers.

BARON FOR MAC As QPlus is for Windows only, to use the software on your Mac, you will need to install Windows for Mac converter software. I know that many of you are reluctant to do this, so I now stock the latest version of Bridge Baron (23) as the best Mac compatible Acol playing program. See order form on facing page.

BARON UPGRADE As a special treat for those with earlier versions of Bridge Baron, I will accept an old version and a cheque for £25. You will receive Baron 23 by return.

Have a look at the layout of the ship on page 46 and then get on and use the booking form on the inside of the back cover. Just for the record, included in your price are scheduled flights in and out of Heathrow, all shore excursions, wine with dinner when on board, open-seating dining, on board gratuities and most importantly, your bridge. However, you don’t need to be a bridge player to join our party and take advantage of a good deal.

WEB PAGE FORUM www.mrbridge.co.uk

Ned Paul answers questions on my behalf. Do make use of this useful service.

Page 4

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

GOFFIES STAMPS

If you want to save on postage you should try Clive Goff’s discounted stamp service. Value supplied in two stamps, combined to make up the 50p 2nd class rate, 2nd class to you 41p. 1st class 60p, only 50p to you. Available in lots of 100. ( 0208 422 4906 [email protected]

PLAYING CARDS

My wonderful premium quality playing cards are back in stock. I confirm that they are available from the London Bridge Centre at £60 for 60 packs unboxed, with or without barcodes. ( 0207 288 1305 All good wishes

Mr Bridge

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(For those born Before 1940 . . .) We were born before television, before penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, videos and the pill. We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens, before dishwashers, tumble driers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes . . . and before man walked on the moon.

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We got married first and then lived together (how quaint can you be?). We thought ‘fast food’ was what you ate in Lent, a ‘Big Mac’ was an oversized raincoat and ‘crumpet’ we had for tea. We existed before house husbands, computer dating and sheltered accommodation was where you waited for a bus.

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£63.00 .........

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Before 1940 ‘Made in Japan’ meant junk, the term ‘making out’ referred to how you did in your exams, ‘stud’ was something that fastened a collar to a shirt and ‘going all the way’ meant staying on a double-decker bus to the terminus. In our day, cigarette smoking was ‘fashionable’, ‘grass’ was mown, ‘coke’ was kept in the coalhouse, a ‘joint’ was a piece of meat you ate on Sundays and ‘pot’ was something you cooked in. ‘Rock Music’ was a fond mother’s lullaby, ‘Eldorado’ was an icecream, a ‘gay person’ was the life and soul of the party, while ‘aids’ just meant beauty treatment or help for someone in trouble.

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Page 5

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

25-27 Queensferry Hotel £245 Finding Slams

Queensferry Hotel North Queensferry KY11 1HP

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4-6 Chatsworth Hotel £245 Finding Slams

Page 6

Answers to Bernard Magee’s  Bidding Quiz on page 3 1. Dealer West. Love All.

♠ 9 4 ♥ A 7 4 3 ♦ K Q 7 6 2 ♣ A 3

West ?

N

W E S

North

East

South

1♦. Surely it cannot be that easy? I am afraid it is. You have 13 high card points and an unbalanced hand, so open in your longest suit: 1♦. Two important things not to do: Do not open 1NT on an unbalanced hand unless you have strong holdings in your doubletons. Swap the ♦K for the ♠K, but with the same shape, then you might contemplate a 1NT opening – your diamond suit would be very weak for rebidding and you would have all-round strength. Do not open a four-card major instead of a five-card minor. A long time ago, there was a school of thought to do this, but nowadays you will dig a big hole. The idea of opening 1♥ is that then you can easily rebid 2♦ without showing extra strength, but unfortunately you lie about your lengths. Your partner will place you with at least five hearts and you will end up in the wrong contract.



2. Dealer East. Love All. ♠ Q 7 ♠ 6 5 N ♥ K 5 3 2 ♥ A J 10 8 7 6 W E ♦ 7 4 3 S ♦ A Q 8 ♣ A 8 3 2 ♣ 7 5

West North East South 1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass ?

to 3♥ would have been invitational, but that is not the case now. Once hearts are agreed, you have all sorts of bids you can make to invite game: 2♠, 2NT, 3♣ and 3♦. In duplicate bridge it is important to compete for every hand, so it is important to be able to bid 3♥ as a competitive raise. It is an effort to keep your opponents quiet – it is not an invitation to game. Your partner has long hearts and harbours no thoughts for game. However, he can envisage the opponents making their own contract. He bids 3♥ and hopes to buy the contract. Had East passed 2♥, South might well have reopened the auction and North-South might have found their spade contract.



3. Dealer East. Love All. ♠ 5 ♠ A K Q J 10 2 ♥ 9 8 7 2 N ♥ A K Q W E ♦ Q 8 4 3 2 S ♦ A 5 ♣ 8 7 6 ♣ 9 5

West North East South 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass ?

2NT. After an Acol 2♣ opening and a rebid in a suit, you are forced to bid until game is reached: you must not pass. Having given one negative response, with a hand of 0-2 points with no support, you should give a second negative, which is a bid of 2NT. This tells your partner that you expect to be of little or no help in his quest for a slam. East would rebid 4♠ to end the auction.



4. Dealer North. Love All. ♠ J 9 8 ♠ 10 6 3 N ♥ A 8 7 6 ♥ K Q J 4 3 W E ♦ J 6 5 4 3 S ♦ A 8 ♣ 8 ♣ 9 7 6

Pass. In old, traditional Acol, the raise

Page 7

West ?

North East South 1♣ 1♥ 1♠

3♥. Your partner has made a nonvulnerable one-level overcall: he is not promising much. Generally, when responding to an overcall, you should support aggressively, trying to disrupt your opponents’ bidding and compete the hand to the full. Only when you have an opening hand or better might you take your time a little, bidding the opponents’ suit to show your strength. The best way to compete aggressively is to bid to the level of your fit: add the number of cards you have to the number you expect partner to hold (five for an overcall); nine. Bid to make nine tricks: 3♥. 3♥ is likely to go one off and cost 50 points, but that is much better than allowing your opponents to play in their contract. If you had bid just 2♥, North might have been able to rebid 3♣ and now South might push on to 4♣ over 3♥, which would make for 130 points. Over 3♥, North has a difficult choice – bidding high and fast puts a lot of pressure on ■ your opponents.

The Inn on the Prom St Annes-on-Sea FY8 1LU

12-14 July 2013 Kay Adamson Just Duplicate Bridge £169 16-18 August Gwen Beattie Just Duplicate Bridge £169 21-23 March 2014 Bernard Magee Doubles £245 Full Board No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6.

Is

ON

CRUISE TO

ITALY, SICILY & CLASSICAL AEGEAN

Civitavecchia Rome Italy Sorrento

Tyrrhenian Sea Palermo

Sicily

Taormina

HU S SU AV GE M I M N ER G V S Istanbul

Lemnos

OY AG E

TURKEY

Aegean Greece Sea

Izmir Athens Nauplia Delos Mykonos

13-day fly-cruise departing July 6, 2013 DATE

PORT

ARRIVE

DEPART

JUL 6 Fly to ROME Italy Transfer to Civitavecchia to board Aegean Odyssey

6.00pm

JUL 7 SORRENTO (Pompeii) Italy

8.00am overnight 2.00pm

JUL 8 SORRENTO Italy JUL 9 PALERMO (Monreale) Sicily

8.00am overnight 8.00pm

JUL 10 PALERMO (Segesta) Sicily

8.00am 7.00pm

JUL 11 TAORMINA Sicily JUL 12 At Sea JUL 13 NAUPLIA (Mycenae) Greece

8.00am 6.00pm

JUL 14 PIRAEUS (Athens) Greece

8.00am 9.00pm

JUL 15 DELOS/MYKONOS Greek Islands 7.00am 6.00pm JUL 16 IZMIR (Ephesus) Turkey

7.00am 7.00pm

JUL 17 LEMNOS Greek Islands Cruising the Dardanelles

8.00am 1.00pm

JUL 18 ISTANBUL Turkey 7.00am Disembark and transfer to airport for flight home

MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES BEST AVAILABLE CABIN

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SAVE

INSIDE CABINS (CAT: M/L/K)

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£2,695

£4,540

Why not extend your trip with a 2-night hotel stay in Rome at the start, and/or 2 nights in Istanbul at the end?

NO SINGLE

SUPPLEMENTS

A unique Mediterranean and Aegean bridge cruise with extraordinary savings. Join our bridge team on this fascinating voyage that will take you to some of the most impressive and memorable Roman and Greek monuments in the world.

Call Mr Bridge now to reserve the best available cabin, and benefit from these huge savings.

CALL 10093

ON 01483 489961

Rome: Prices from £328pp (twin) or £460pp (single) Istanbul: Prices from £338pp (twin) or £608pp (single)

CALL FOR MORE DETAILS

fares from just £1,995pp include: •FULL BRIDGE PROGRAMME •SCHEDULED FLIGHTS •EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES •SHORE EXCURSIONS IN MOST PORTS OF CALL •EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS •WINE WITH DINNER ON BOARD •OPEN-SEATING DINING • GRATUITIES ON BOARD •EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY Mr Bridge Passengers The bridge programme is exclusive to Mr Bridge bookings and is completely optional. Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as little as they wish. There will be a duplicate session every evening and bridge every afternoon the ship is at sea. Singles are made especially welcome – a playing partner will always be found. All prices, savings and offers shown are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and available only on certain cabin grades and the sailings shown, and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Single accommodation is available only in certain categories, and subject to availability.

V OYAGES TO A NTIQUITY www.mrbridge.co.uk

ABTA No.Y2206

S

Dave Huggett Says

Support Partner

O

ne key to good bidding is to understand when you have found a fit and to tell partner the good news as soon as possible. The more trumps you have the better – eight or more is ideal – they generate tricks in their own right and stop the opponents from cashing winners. Look at the following two hands and think how you would respond to an opening bid of 1♥ from partner:

Hand A Hand B ♠ A 7 6 3 ♠ A 7 6 3 ♥ K 5 ♥ K 5 3 2 ♦ J 9 7 6 ♦ J 9 7 ♣ 8 7 5 ♣ 8 7

With no immediate fit, you respond 1♠ with hand A even though it is quite weak. Many would do the same with hand B as well and that is wrong. Why is that? Whatever partner’s hand might be, he will not have more spades than hearts – else he would have opened 1♠. You therefore know you cannot have a better fit in any other suit and so should raise to 2♥ with this minimum hand. 2♥ shows a hand of about 6-9 points or a nine-loser hand for those familiar with that concept. Make your hand slightly stronger (with the club king instead of the eight) and you would bid 3♥ – showing about 10-11 points or an eightloser hand. Because in Acol an opening bid of one only promises a four-card suit, it is not usual to support partner immediately with less than four cards in the suit (although there are exceptions). Sometimes you know that partner must have at least a five-card suit and then you can raise with three-card support. Look at the following two hands and see what conclusions you come to and what you should bid next:

would be after an opening bid. If you bid 2♦, partner could easily pass and then you would lose the spade fit. On a more advanced level, if you have support for partner in the suit in which he has overcalled but in a relatively weak hand, somewhere in the 6-10 bracket say, you should raise. In broad terms, you should raise to the two level with three You Partner You Partner card support, to the three level with four 1♥ 1♥ card support and to the four level with 1♠ 2♥ 1♠ 2♦ five-card support. In other words, you ? ? bid to make the same number of tricks as your side has trumps, assuming the over caller has five. Let us see this in action: With hand C, you should bid 4♥: by repeating his suit, partner must have at least five hearts, often six. Even facing a ♠ 6 mini­mum opener, you know you have ♥ A Q 8 7 6 game values. Now you know that your ♦ K Q 7 6 side has at least eight hearts, you bid 4♥. ♣ A 5 2 It might be harder to see with hand ♠ K 10 8 7 5 N ♠ A Q 9 3 2 D, but again you bid 4♥ as partner must ♥ 4 W E ♥ 10 9 2 have at least five hearts. With a flat hand, S ♦ 9 8 2 ♦ J 3 say 2-4-4-3, he would have opened 1NT ♣ K J 10 3 ♣ Q 8 4 or rebid no-trumps; with 1-4-4-4 and a ♠ J 4 singleton spade, he would surely have ♥ K J 5 3 rebid 2♣, not 2♦. So, with an eight-card ♦ A 10 5 4 fit and game values you bid 4♥. ♣ 9 7 6 Another source of confusion is how to continue after partner has overcalled. So what would you do if partner had West North East South overcalled an opening 1♥ bid with 1♠ 1♥ 1♠ 3♥ and with third hand passing you hold:

Hand C Hand D ♠ A K 8 7 ♠ A K 8 7 ♥ K 8 7 ♥ K 8 7 ♦ K 6 4 2 ♦ 7 3 ♣ 7 3 ♣ K 6 4 2

4♠ ? Hand E ♠ A 7 6 ♥ 6 5 ♦ K 10 7 6 5 ♣ Q 5 4

I hope you do not bid 2♦; it is wrong because partner must have at least a five-card suit for his overcall. Knowing you have an eight-card fit or better, it is right to bid 2♠. Moreover, a change of suit after an overcall is not forcing, as it Page 9

By the time the bidding is back to North, it is at the four-level. His side can make 4♥, but not 5♥ and 4♠ is only one down. The best North can do is double but that is far from obvious. I always believe in bidding what you think partner wants to hear if possible, and what partner wants to hear most of all is that you can support his suit. There are a million cases that we could have considered and we have looked at just a few. These are enough to give food for thought, I hope. ■

BERNARD MAGEE Filmed Live at Haslemere Festival 2011

2012

1 Ruffing for Extra Tricks

7 Leads

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

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

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

3 Making the Most of High Cards This seminar helps declarer to use his high cards more carefully and then looks at how defenders should care for their precious high cards.

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

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

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

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

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

11 Signals & Discards This seminar deals with Count, Attitude and Suit-preference signals: aiming to get you working as a partnership in defence.

12 Endplays

6 Doubling & Defence against Doubled Contracts The first half of this seminar explores penalty doubles and the second half discusses the defence against doubled contracts.

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

DVDs

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Each £25. Boxed Set of 6 £100

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The Diaries of Wendy Wensum Episode 14: Director Rules, OK?

I

t was a pairs evening at the Riverside Bridge Club when, with a large brandy poised at lip level, Millie proposed that, as we now play five-card majors, we should introduce a forcing 1NT response. I was rather doubtful, as I always am when Millie suggests a change to our well-honed system. However, a couple of gin and tonics later, I was less concerned and possibly even a little enthusiastic as we swayed from bar to bridge room. As we passed the director, he eyed us suspiciously. Millie stopped and, with a guilty look on her face, greeted him with, ‘I’m sorry I was cross about that ruling you made against me last week.’ ‘I don’t recall any antipathy,’ replied the director politely, but with a puzzled edge to his voice. ‘Ah, yes,’ continued Millie, ‘I remember now. Do not open that email I sent you; just delete it.’ With that, she hurried me to our table. ‘What was that all about?’ I inquired of Millie. ‘I think I may have acted a bit hastily last week,’ was her response. ‘Well, confide in me,’ I responded, jokingly adding, ‘Although I will not be listening, I am sure it will make you feel better anyway.’ Millie laughed but said nothing more. After a few rounds, the following deal appeared. Millie opened 1♠ and East passed. While I blame the effect of one too many G and Ts, I soon regretted using our new gadget by responding 1NT. Of course, in reality I had several other options, the obvious one being to support spades. West passed and, to my great surprise, so did Millie. North South Millie Wendy 1♠ (5-card suit) 1NT (forcing) Pass (!)

♠ A Q 7 3 2 ♥ K 5 2 ♦ J 8 3 ♣ A 10 ♠ 10 ♥ Q 9 7 6 3 N W E ♦ A Q 7 4 S ♣ K 7 6 ♠ K 6 4 ♥ A 8 4 ♦ K 6 5 2 ♣ Q 4 3

♠ J 9 8 5 ♥ J 10 ♦ 10 9 ♣ J 9 8 5 2

As Millie left the table to buy herself another large brandy, I explained to our opponents that my 1NT bid was forcing according to our agreement. West seemed content and led her fourth highest heart; I allowed East to win the trick with the ten. East returned the jack of hearts to my ace. I played two rounds of spades, finding the bad news, before continuing with two more rounds anyway. I discarded a heart while West threw away a club and two diamonds. East won with the jack and led the ten of diamonds. I ducked in hand and West took the trick with the queen. She then led another heart, which I won on table with the king, East discarding a club and I a diamond. I played out the last spade; East ditched another club, I threw another diamond and West a heart. I now led the small diamond from dummy, which West had to take with the ace. West cashed her master heart, but dummy won the last two tricks with the ♣A and ♦J. The ensuing result was 1NT plus one for +120. I reminded Millie on her return from the bar that the 1NT bid was forcing. ‘Really, dear,’ she replied Page 11

curtly, ‘if you will insist on playing these newfangled conventions, you must expect problems. I suppose we missed 3NT.’ ‘Yes, luckily we did,’ I admitted, ‘but I think we could have been in spades.’ The lady on my left called, ‘Director, please.’ On his arrival, she explained the auction and complained, ‘Millie and Wendy don’t know what they’re doing.’ ‘Nothing new there then.’ quipped the director rather unkindly and certainly ungallantly. ‘Mind you,’ he continued, ‘I should probably impose a fine or award an adjusted score.’ Millie looked rather indignant: ‘Why?’ she protested innocently. ‘Well, for a start, incapacitated in charge of a bidding box. Secondly, failure to display an alert card after a conventional 1NT bid and finally, sending a rude email to a director in the lawful pursuit of his duties,’ stated the director forcibly. To be fair, he had to admit that the third offence was currently unproven as he had not checked his emails recently. As he returned to his table, Millie remarked quietly, ‘Was he serious?’ adding inappropriately, ‘I still think he’s a hunk, though.’ ‘Millie, behave.’ I rejoined her. As we entered our usual hostelry after bridge, Millie announced that the same piano player as the previous week was tinkling the ivories in the next bar. I inquired as to how she could tell. ‘He’s mangling the same melodies as last time,’ was the abrupt reply of someone who clearly had other matters on her mind. ‘I wonder if the director has read his emails yet,’ she mused nervously. ‘Get me a large brandy, Wendy dear. I really think I need one.’ ■

Bridge and Travel Tips

Mr Bridge AT THE ROYAL KENZ TUNISIA 2013/2014

BITE THE BULLET Bridge tip from Sally Brock: Don’t ask partner to make the decisions that are yours to make

T

his is following on in similar vein to last month’s tip, but there I was talking about balanced hands. If you have a distributional hand which you cannot describe and don’t know whether or not it will fit with partner’s, don’t ask his opinion – just bid game. Suppose you hold:



Two-week half-board duplicate bridge holiday

♠ K 9 7 5 4 ♥ A J 6 5 4 ♦ 8 7 ♣ 10

Suppose partner shows a weak no-trump with four cards in spades. Perhaps he opens one no-trump and you start with Stayman; or maybe he opens a prepared club and raises your one spade to two spades, usually showing four-card support and a minimum hand. You could bid three hearts, asking him for help

3-17 November 2013 Golf available Tony and Jan Richards £769* 23 Feb – 9 March 2014 Golf available Bernard Magee and his team £799*

in hearts, but (a) it’s not just his heart holding that is important, and (b) if you are going to bid a thin game you don’t want to tell your opponents how to defend. Just bid four spades. When this deal cropped up, he actually held:



♠ Q J 6 2 ♥ 7 ♦ Q J 6 4 ♣ A K 7 4

OK, you are lucky that he has a singleton heart, but West’s natural lead was a club from Q-J-9-8-2, so you would have had good chances even if there were four top losers. My tip, like last month, is to bid the game yourself when you have nine or more trumps between you and any prospects whatsoever. That way you give away as little information as possible.

Travel tip from Emma Thomson:

A

wise man once said, ‘Needing travel insurance is like needing a parachute. If it isn’t there the first time, chances are you won’t be needing it again.’ A standard policy should include: medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad, 24-hour emergency assistance, personal liability cover, lost and stolen possessions cover, and cancellation or curtailment of your trip. Pay careful attention to which activities are covered: you’re safe playing bridge, but surprisingly sports such as cricket, canoeing or camel trekking may require an ‘adventure activities’ supplement.

*per person half-board sharing a twin-bedded room and is inclusive of bridge fees. Single supplement £6 per night. These prices are based on air travel from Heathrow to Tunis. Flights from other UK airports are available at a supplement. Prices for seven-night stays are available on application. Pay £70 per fortnight per person extra and have a pool-facing room, tea & coffee making facilities, bath robe and a bowl of seasonal fruit. These holidays have been organised for Mr Bridge by Tunisia First Limited, ATOL 5933.

DETAILS & BOOKINGS ( 01483 489961 Page 12

David Stevenson answers your questions on Laws and Ethics

What Happens When a Player has Twelve Cards?

Q

I wonder if you could help with this problem? I was called to a table to learn that, at trick 12, East discovered he had left one card (a club) in the wallet. South, declarer, went one down in a contract of 5♦. I know that players are supposed to count their cards before looking at them, but I cannot discover from the law book what happens if they don’t, as in this case. Being uncertain, I advised them to score the board as one down whilst I tried to resolve the issue. I was due to play the board later, so didn’t check as many details as I should, but I understand that the last suit lead was not a club. It is possible that East had followed suit throughout and simply had to discard the club on the last trick. Equally, it is likely that East may have revoked somewhere earlier, but this could not be established. The players couldn’t agree whether there had been a revoke or not. After

due deliberation, I decided to penalise E/W one trick on the basis that a revoke was more likely than not. Thus, South made the contract. Most other pairs were in 3NT making 10 tricks. Was my action correct and reasonable? David Hickman by email.

A

You seem to have started off on the wrong foot. The Law book does contain Laws (13 and 14) telling you what to do when not everyone has 13 cards, so you should have read this out and followed it. Law 14 applies in this case and you need to find out whether there was a revoke, since, as you have surmised correctly, this is relevant. I am afraid playing the board later is no excuse: if you have to investigate, then being a director requires it and if that means you are unable to play the board later, you will have to give your opponents Average Plus and yourself either Average or Average Plus, whichever is usual in your club. As you discovered, trying to find out later what happened is nearly impossible and I would have then ruled under director error, giving

both sides the benefit of the doubt as to whether there was a revoke or not, leading to an unbalanced score. ♣♦♥♠

Q

I direct at a local club and was asked recently whether a player should alert when his partner made an opening 3-level suit bid that was not a pre-empt. The bid in question was a long suit with more than 10 HCP. Roy Lambert, Orpington, Kent.

A

If it is normally a pre-empt, but if a player decided to make it on a stronger hand on one occasion, that is not alertable, nor is any other deviation. If their basic agreement is that it shows a stronger hand, then yes, they should be alerting it and describing it adequately on their system card. ♣♦♥♠

Q

In your article on Bridge Etiquette, you say that when you are making the initial lead,

Page 13

play your card before you enter details in the Bridgemate. Does this mean you enter details in the Bridgemate when the initial lead card is face down? If not when exactly should you enter details in the Bridgemate? Bob Brown by email.

A

Once you have turned the lead face up there is plenty of time, while dummy is being put down and declarer is thinking, to put details on a score card and into the Bridgemate. To do otherwise delays other people unnecessarily. If you are dummy, it is best to wait until you have put dummy down. After that, you are not involved directly, so have plenty of time. Of course, if you are neither the opening leader nor dummy, you can start putting details in immediately without delaying anyone.

David Stevenson answers all queries based on the facts supplied by the letter writer. Neither Mr Bridge nor David Stevenson has any way of knowing whether those facts are correct or complete.

Mr Bridge Christmas & New Year 2013/14 Denham Grove Near Uxbridge, UB9 5DU

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Ask David continued

Q

At which stage can a director give an average on a board due to slow play?  Is it before they start bidding or before they start playing the hand? Ron Turner by email.

A

Once someone has made a call the board may not be stopped. It must be completed once started.

A

Certainly, clubs can make regulations about bidding boxes. However, I find it difficult to believe that any club would make such a childish regulation. Are you sure the person who told you was official, and not just some interfering person with his own view of the rules? There is no end of those people and they really do set the game back. If someone invades your personal space, that is certainly illegal as well. But I would tell them politely and involve the director only if they continue being a pain.

♣♦♥♠

Q

I play duplicate bridge at several venues using a left-handed bidding box and line my bids from right to left. I find it most comfortable to place the box on my left hand side, just as a right-handed player seems to prefer his/hers on the right. I was told recently that I must place my box on my right. This means that I have to reach across my body to take my bids out with my left hand. Is there a standard on this or are clubs free to impose their own local rules on where bidding boxes must be placed? If I am to be constrained to placing my box on the right, can I object to another player’s placement of his/her cup of coffee / glass of water / pint of beer / bunch of keys etc. on the table if it infringes on my ‘personal space’ and, especially, if it is in the spot where I would like to have placed my bidding box? Pat Tooze by email.

Page 14

♣♦♥♠

Q

If you have played a fourdeal Chicago, how do you work out the overall score? Helen Birks by email.

A

At the end of a four-deal rubber in Chicago, just as in an ordinary rubber, the scores for each side are totalled, one score is deducted from the other and the difference is the result, used for paying any stakes, or being added up for the session or month, or whatever, for prizes. So, a typical Chicago rubber might be: N/S, 2♠+2, N/S +120 N/S, 1NT=, N/S +40+300 (game bonus) = +340 N/S, 5♦*-4, E/W +1,100 E/W, 2♠-1 with 100 honours, N/S +100, E/W +100 (honours) N/S total = +120+340+100 = +560 E/W total = +1,100+100 = +1,200 So E/W win the Chicago rubber by 640 (1,200-560).

Ask David continued

Q

The bidding has gone:

North South 1♥ 1♠ 4♦ 4♥ 4NT1 5♥ 5♠2 6♠ 1 RKCB 2 Brief pause for thought

Before the lead was made, East asked for the meaning of the 4♦ bid. South replied that it was either a splinter or a strong diamond suit. East commented that surely a suit would warrant a bid of 3♦ and South agreed. East then asked the meaning of the 5♥ response. North replied that this was given with respect to the last suit bid, i.e. hearts and showed two key-cards. The lead was ♥2 and dummy went down:



♠ K J 4 3 ♥ A Q 9 4 3 ♦ 8 ♣ K Q 7

South finessed the ♥Q successfully, at which point East called the

director and complained that South had no right to bid the slam as he had obtained extra information from North’s pause for thought. North disputed that it had been a long pause, adding that he had been deciding whether to bid 5♠ or 6♠. South said that he held the ♠Q which had not been shown in the bidding and this warranted the slam bid. South’s hand was:



♠ A Q 8 6 5 2 ♥ 10 6 ♦ Q J ♣ A 9 6

The director went away to think and later came back with a ruling that the contract should be amended to 5♠+1. Was the director right? N/S were not amused. Do you think East was guilty of gamesmanship by calling the director as soon as it was obvious the slam was makeable (at trick 2)? Alan Brown, Camberley, Surrey.

A

Certainly, the ruling was correct. South’s 6♠ bid was highly unethical and in a competition South would

♣♦♥♠

Q

I read an article of yours, some months ago, from which I understood that Stayman could be bid and used, as the bidder wanted to use it, that is, as this example:

West North East South 1NT Pass 2♣* Pass 2♥ Pass 3♦ All Pass *announced as Stayman

DUPLICATE BRIDGE  RULES SIMPLIFIED

(otherwise known as the Yellow Book) by John Rumbelow and revised by David Stevenson

probably have been given a penalty in addition to an adjusted score. How does he know they are not missing two aces? Because of the hesitation: if they had been missing two aces North would have signed off immediately, with no pause for thought and this is obvious to South. N/S not accepting an automatic ruling gracefully, then complaining about the timing of their opponents’ director call and the obvious use of unauthorised information are all examples of gamesmanship by N/S. They should be warned strongly about their ethical approach to the game. Certainly, E/W might have called the director at a different time and perhaps it might have been better, but so what? They have done nothing wrong, while N/S have flouted the laws of the game.

only 95

£5

Available from Mr Bridge ( 01483 489961

Is this an acceptable way of using Stayman? I (West) also had four spades. Had my partner said 2NT over my 2♥ bid, I would have bid 3♠, to give her a choice of either a suit or no-trump contract. At the end of the auction, an opponent asked what the 3♦

Page 15

bid meant and I said I took it as natural. At the end of play, the opponent asked why I had not bid 3♥. I said that I took my partner’s 3♦ to show a weak hand and that was the only way she could make a take-out in diamonds. The director was called and the opponent said I should have announced that we were playing non-promissory Stayman and the director agreed, however, no penalty was given. Was this correct? Mrs Dean, Poole, Dorset.

A

You announce, ‘Stayman,’ whether it is promissory (horrible word) or nonpromissory. If the opponents want to know whether it is promissory or not, they have to ask and it is very difficult to imagine why they want to know. It is perfectly legal to bid 2♣ then 3♦ to play in 3♦ and the opponents and director were wrong to chastise you. ♣♦♥♠

Q

Please could you clarify the revoke law for the following: on round four, declarer (South) played a heart from dummy which was trumped in her hand and then led the ♥Q. LHO (West) has not yet played to the ♥Q. Is this an established revoke?  Ron Turner by email.

A

Yes, the revoking side has played to the next trick. When declarer revokes, it is established as soon as he plays to the next trick, or calls for a card from dummy.

Ask David continued

Q

Please could I get advice as to whether the gambling 3NT opener (showing a solid minor) should be alerted? The EBU website is not entirely clear on this point. David Salmon, Shiplake.

A

The bid is artificial, not showing a balanced hand, so it is alertable. ♣♦♥♠

Q

At our club in Montrose, the director was called for a ruling when declarer was about three quarters through calling for a card from dummy with, ‘The 10 of h...,’ and instantly corrected the call to, ‘No. The queen of clubs.’ The ruling was that the ♥10 was a played card. Was this correct? John Williams, Montrose.

A

No, I am afraid not. Similar to spoken bidding, a designation of a card has not been made and thus may be changed if it has not been finished. So the club queen is played. ♣♦♥♠

Q

Two pairs in our club describe their system as Acol. If you enquire further, you find they are playing five-card majors. Should they not tell you this when you ask their system? Is this Acol? I was taught Acol opened

four-card majors. Two more questions. One pair say their system is, ‘Benjaminised Acol with five-card majors.’ Is this allowed? Finally, one of our pairs says he has read that it is an acronym and the correct name is ACOL. Is this true? Jackie Smith, Blue Jackets Bridge Club.

A

Acol is a system of four-card majors with light two-over-one responses. If a pair is playing five-card majors, they should just call their system, ‘fivecard majors.’ It is not Acol. You can play Benjamin two-bids with various other systems. The pair concerned should call their system, ‘Benjaminised five-card majors,’ or, ‘five-card majors with Benjamin.’ Acol is a proper name, named after a club in London which was named after the road in which it was at the time. It is not an acronym, and people who spell it ACOL are incorrect. ♣♦♥♠

Q

Please can you comment?

card majors, with a strong no-trump and weak twos in the majors. North was the director. East opened 2♣, which was alerted by West. South passed. West bid 2♦ (a relay), which was alerted by East. North doubled (not alerted by South). Sitting East, with a big hand, I asked South what the double meant. South replied he didn’t know, he couldn’t remember. I then asked North (who was director for the day) if South could leave the table so that the double could be explained. North in the capacity of director said that this was not allowed. The bidding continued with East bidding 2NT (indicating 20 HCP) and West raised to 3NT. South led the ♦7, seemingly having remembered that the double was lead directing. My question is, ‘Under what circumstances can a player be asked to leave the table so that an explanation of a bid can be given?’ Jean Threlfall by email.

A

It is perfectly normal for the director to allow a player to leave the table so his partner can tell the opponents their agreements. It is very worrying that your director did not permit this. You did the correct thing to ask the director, but he did the wrong thing in not permitting it.

♠ 8 4 ♥ Q 5 2 ♦ A K 10 6 ♣ K 7 5 3 ♠ J 10 7 6 ♠ A Q 9 ♥ 10 8 7 6 4 N ♥ A K J ♦ Q J 9 W E ♦ 5 4 3 S ♣ J ♣ A Q 4 2 ♠ K 5 3 2 ♥ 9 3 ♦ 8 7 2 ♣ 10 9 8 6

♣♦♥♠

At the table, East advised that E/W played five-

Q

Page 16

I have two queries: 1. Is a player

allowed to say, ‘alert,’ as well as showing the alert card? If not, what should be done to satisfy a director that both opponents are aware, or should have been aware, of the alert card?  2. Is a card deemed to have been played if its edge is rested on the table but its face is not visible to anyone? Some players do this in the middle of the play when declarer and then pause before facing the card. K M Jackson, Cheam, Surrey.

A

1. If a player says alert as well as showing the card, some players will find it mildly annoying, but of course, there are lots of things players do that annoy. No doubt a player can do this if he wishes, but it seems unnecessary. If the alert card is held in the middle of the table, it is fairly obvious that opponents have seen it. 2. No, a card by declarer is not played when held like this. It is played when it is put on the table, or held face up near or touching the table. ♣♦♥♠

Q

You have said that pointing out established revokes by your own side is a matter of personal choice. How does this fit in with Law 79, which states, ‘A player must not knowingly accept the score for a trick that his side did not win?’ John MacLeod, Wimbledon.

A

Revoke penalties are tricks awarded by the director, they are not tricks won at the table. Law 79 does not apply to such penalty tricks.

Ask David continued

Q

I have been playing duplicate bridge in local clubs for about a year and still lack self-confidence in challenging more experienced players, even when I think they are wrong. One player has an irritating habit of passing opening hands, ‘I had a poor 12 or 13 and didn’t want to open.’ The traveller shows that every other table played the hand. An average score is awarded. Should I seek director guidance if I feel that the hand could/should have been opened instead of merely accepting an average score or is it his right to pass if he wants to? I play for fun, but like to win. Derek Connell, Wigginton, Tring, Herts.

A

The rules for bidding are merely good players’ opinions of what is best. No-one needs to follow them if they do not want to and if this player gets good scores when he passes, perhaps you should consider copying him. Certainly, the director will not do anything: he has not broken any laws by bidding differently from other people. Bridge is very much a game of judgement, as well as skill and technique and he is allowed to exercise his judgement. If the hand is passed out,

that is not an average score: that is a zero score, which beats all the minus scores but loses to the plus scores.

DEFENCE QUIZ

♣♦♥♠

Q

I was declarer and, half way through the contract, I led ♦A from my hand only to be told, correctly, by my LHO that the lead should have come from dummy. I duly apologised, left the card face up on the table and called for the lowest card in that suit from dummy. This was accepted by the opponents. However, at the end of the play my LHO informed me that I could have replaced the ♦A had I wished. I attempted to confirm this in your book by reading Law 47 (p28), ‘Retracting a card played,’ but could find no relevant rule. However, on page 29, ‘Card accidentally exposed by declarer,’ rule 48 says, ‘The accidental exposure of a card by declarer incurs no penalty.’ Is this relevant? Philip Holloway by email.

A

When declarer leads from the wrong hand either opponent may accept it. If neither opponent does, then you replace the card wrongly led and lead any card you like from the correct hand and play any card you like from the other hand. One thing that does puzzle me, did the director not tell you this? Surely you did not carry on without calling the ■ director?

by Julian Pottage



(Answers overleaf)

Y

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

1. ♠ J 5 ♥ K J 9 5 ♦ A Q 10 3 ♣ Q 10 4 ♠ A 10 7 4 3 ♥ 6 4 N ♦ 7 6 W E S ♣ J 8 6 2

3. ♠ 7 ♥ A K J 6 5 ♦ K 8 ♣ K J 10 8 4 ♠ A J 6 4 3 ♥ 9 7 4 N ♦ 10 6 W E ♣ 6 5 2 S

West North East South 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦1 Pass 3NT End 1 No four-card major

West North East South 1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT End

You lead the ♠4. Partner takes the ♠K and returns the ♠8, on which South plays the ♠9. What do you do?

You lead the ♠4: ♠7, ♠10 and ♠K. Declarer leads the ♣7, which loses to the ♣Q. Partner returns the ♠5, declarer covers with the ♠9. How do you defend?

2. ♠ 9 5 ♥ K Q J 9 5 ♦ K 8 ♣ A K 6 4 ♠ A 10 8 4 3 ♥ A 6 4 N ♦ 10 6 W E S ♣ 9 8 2

4. ♠ A J 9 7 ♥ Q J 6 ♦ 8 5 ♣ K Q 9 4 ♠ 6 4 ♥ A 9 7 5 4 N ♦ Q J 10 6 W E S ♣ 6 5

West North East South 1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT End

West North East South 1NT Pass 2♣1 Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠ End 1 Stayman

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

Page 17

You lead the ♠4. Partner wins with the ♠K and returns the ♠2, on which declarer plays the ♠Q. What do you do?

You lead the ♦Q. Partner overtakes with the ♦A and switches to the ♥8, covered by the ♥10. What is your plan?

Answers to Julian Pottage’s  Defence Quiz on page 17 1. ♠ J 5 ♥ K J 9 5 ♦ A Q 10 3 ♣ Q 10 4 ♠ A 10 7 4 3 N ♥ 6 4 W E ♦ 7 6 S ♣ J 8 6 2 ♠ Q 9 6 ♥ Q 10 2 ♦ K 9 5 4 ♣ A K 9

West Pass End ♠ K 8 2 ♥ A 8 7 3 ♦ J 8 2 ♣ 7 5 3

West North East South 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦1 Pass 3NT End 1 No four-card major

You lead the ♠4. Partner takes the ♠K and returns the ♠8, on which South plays the ♠9. What do you do? You led your long suit in the hope of making some long cards in the suit. To continue that plan, as you have no entry outside the spade suit, you need to duck this trick (play the ♠3), keeping a link to partner. You know from the bidding (South denied four spades with 2♦) that partner has a third spade. You would still duck even if you were unsure (for example, if the bidding had gone 1NT-3NT).

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

♠ K 2 ♥ 10 8 7 3 ♦ J 7 3 2 ♣ J 7 5

North East South 1♥ Pass 2♦ 3♣ Pass 3NT

You lead the ♠4. Partner wins with the ♠K and returns the ♠2, on which declarer plays the ♠Q. What do you do? Your spade holding is very similar to the one you held last time. Nonetheless, there are two important differences. This time, you have a sure entry with your ♥A. This means that you do not need to maintain communications. Moreover, as partner has returned the ♠2, this may be from a doubleton (you expect partner to return a higher card from three, while South would hardly bid 3NT with little spade cover). You should capture the ♠Q with the ♠A and return the ♠10 to drive out the ♠J. So long as declarer does not have eight top winners in the minors, you will beat the contract this way.

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

♠ 10 5 2 ♥ Q 10 8 3 ♦ J 7 3 2 ♣ A Q

West North East South 1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT End

You lead the ♠4. Partner plays the ♠10, which loses to the ♠K. Declarer then leads the ♣7, which loses to the ♣Q. Partner returns the ♠5, which declarer covers with the ♠9. How do you defend?

Page 18

You need to have been watching the spade spots. If you think declarer started with three spades (K-Q-9), you want to win the trick. You can then cash the ♠J, on which you hope partner unblocks the ♠8 and run the suit. You should be able to deduce that, in fact, partner started with three spades. With an initial holding of 10-8-5-2, partner would return the ♠2, not the ♠5. Thus, you duck the spade, playing the ♠3 to confirm an original five-card holding. You are hopeful, given the play in the club suit, that partner will have the ♣A as an entry to continue spades.

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

♠ K 5 2 ♥ 8 3 ♦ A 7 3 2 ♣ 10 7 3 2

West North East South 1NT Pass 2♣1 Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠ End 1 Stayman

You lead the ♦Q. Partner overtakes with the ♦A and switches to the ♥8, covered by the ♥10. What is your plan? It is unlikely that you can beat this game with high cards. Giving East the ♣A-J would leave South with at most 11 points and thus too weak for a 12-14 1NT. You need to give partner a heart ruff. Even so, it would be wrong to grab the ♥A. For many, South’s 2♠ denies four hearts. In any case, as the ♥3 and ♥2 are missing, the ♥8 looks like top from a doubleton. You should play the ♥9. ■

A to Z of Bridge compiled by Julian Pottage

U UNASSUMING CUE BID

The use of a cue bid in the opponent’s suit, in response to an overcall by partner, to show at least a sound minimum raise of partner’s suit, thus releasing direct raises to be used competitively or pre-emptively. West 2♣

North East South 1♣ 1♠ Pass

West’s 2♣ shows three or more spades and fair values (typically 10+ points). The bid neither shows nor denies a particular holding in opener’s suit, hence the name unassuming. West might hold:

West North East South 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ 3♥ 3♠ Pass* Pass

?

♠ K 8 5 ♥ A 8 6 3 ♦ A 10 4 2 ♣ 7 2

N W E S

UNAUTHORISED INFORMATION

Information available to a player that he is ethically bound to ignore. For example, an inference drawn from a hesitation by partner is ‘unauthorised information’, although, of course, it is legal to act upon an inference drawn from a hesitation by an opponent. West North East South 1NT 2♣* Pass 2♠ Pass ? *explained as both majors

To make a bid suggesting a weaker hand than that actually held. UNDERBIDDER

*slowly

In the first sequence, whatever the partnership agreement, if West does not actually hold both majors, he has a duty to ignore East’s explanation. In the second sequence, the slow pass suggests that East was thinking of bidding 4♥. West should bid 4♥ only if it is a clear-cut action (unlikely in this particular example). UNBALANCED DISTRIBUTION

Distribution that is not one of the balanced or semi-balanced hand patterns. An unbalanced distribution will normally contain at least one singleton or void, in addition to one or more long suits. The most common unbalanced distribution is 5431. UNBID SUIT

A suit not bid during the auction.

UNDERBID

UNBLOCKING

The play of an unnecessarily high card in a suit to preserve a small card. For example: 10 8 7 N

W E A K J 3 2 Q54 S

9 6

If West leads out the ace and king, East needs to unblock the queen in order that West can run the suit. UNDER

To be under another player is to be on his right: West is under North etc. Page 19

Someone who frequently underbids. UNDERLEAD

To lead a small card from a holding including a high card. UNDERRUFF

To discard a small trump under the ruffing card of an opponent. This unusual play may be to avoid being endplayed or simply because you cannot afford a discard in a side suit. UNDERTRICK

Each trick by which declarer fails in his contract. UNLIMITED BID

A bid (such as the Acol 2♣ opener) with no upper limit. UNPENALTY DOUBLE

A conventional double of a slam contract showing no defensive tricks, thus allowing partner to judge whether to sacrifice. With one or more defensive tricks, one should pass. Very few pairs play unpenalty doubles. UNUSUAL NO TRUMP

A convention whereby an overall in no-trumps which, given the previous bidding, could not logically be natural, is used instead to show length in the two lowest-ranking unbid suits. The most popular application is as an immediate overcall of a suit opening, although this is an extension of the convention, for such a bid could logically be natural. Look at the two sequences below:

A to Z of Bridge continued

West Pass 2NT

North East South 1♥ Pass 2♥

UPPERCUT

West North East 2NT

South 1♥

In the first sequence, West cannot possibly hold a very strong balanced hand. In the second, it is also sensible to play the 2NT as the minors because, while West could hold a very strong balanced hand, a two-suited hand is much more likely. West might hold:

If you lead towards the queen-jack twice, you are likely to make a trick. If, instead, you lead from the South hand, you are unlikely to make a trick.

♠ 5 ♥ 3 2 ♦ K Q 9 6 5 ♣ K Q 8 4 2

To ruff high in order to try to promote a trump trick for partner. For example:

This is another name for the Phoney Club. UP THE LINE

In ascending consecutive rank order, as in ‘To bid four-card suits up the line’. UP TO STRENGTH

1. In the auction, this means having full values for a bid. 2. In the play, leading up to strength is the opposite of leading up to weakness. It is usually a good idea to lead up to your side’s strength but not so good to lead up to opposing strength.

♠ 4 3 2 N W E S



♠ Q J 5

♠ K 9 7 5 ♥ Q J 5 ♦ A J 6 2 ♣ 7 2

N W E S

Developed contract auction bridge.

♠ 5 4 3 N

♠ J 6 W E

from

VARIABLE NO TRUMP

♠ A K 10 9 8 7

With spades as trumps, West leads a suit in which both East and South are void and East ruffs with the queen of spades. Assuming South overruffs, this promotes West’s jack.

V VALUE RAISE

This is an artificial bid to enable you to differentiate a hand with support for partner and fair values from a weak or pre-emptive raise. There are three common situations for playing a value raise: after partner has overcalled (unassuming cue bid), after partner has opened and the next player has overcalled and after partner has opened and the next hand has doubled. In the first two cases, the bid to show a value raise is a minimum bid in the opposing suit. In the third case, the bid is 2NT. West 2♦

bridge

♠ Q 2

S

UPSIDE DOWN SIGNALS/DISCARDS

UTILITY CLUB



VANDERBILT, Harold Stirling

N W E S

These are alternative names for Reverse Signals/Discards.

For any of the above sequences West might hold:

North East South 1♦ 1♥ Pass

West North 3♦

East South 1♠ 2♦

West North 2NT

East South 1♠ Dbl

Page 20

An opening 1NT bid being weak when not vulnerable and strong when vulnerable. VENICE CUP

The World Championship held biannually for representative women’s teams. VICTORY POINTS

In some events, usually teams competitions with International Matchpoint Scoring, one makes a further conversion from International Matchpoints (IMPs) to Victory Points. The conversion occurs on a matchby-match basis. The purpose is to reward large victories more generously than small ones, but to limit the extent of very large wins to prevent the result in one match effectively determining the outcome of an entire tournament. In a Swiss teams competition, it is common for the VP scale to go from 0 to 20, with 20 being a maximum win and a score of 10 for a tied match. VIENNA COUP

Unblocking play required when a menace is blocked and entries are lacking. You temporarily establish a winner for an opponent, only to force him to discard it. James Clay of London, a leading whist authority in the last century, first described the play. He ascribed its discovery to the best whist player in Vienna, hence its name. In this end position on the following hand, North’s ace of hearts blocks the heart menace. To squeeze East you must cash the ♥A before playing the last diamond.

A to Z of Bridge continued

♠ A J ♥ A ♦ 2 ♣ Void Immaterial N W E S ♠ 2 ♥ Q 3 ♦ A ♣ Void

W ♠ Q 3 ♥ K 2 ♦ Void ♦ Void

VIEW, TO TAKE A

To make a decision concerning the play or a bid, usually one not strictly in accordance with the odds. VOID

A holding of no cards in a suit. VOID SHOWING BIDS

The use of an unusual jump to show a void in a side suit has found a place in many of the modern systems. Some methods make no initial distinction between voids and singletons. It is possible to show a void in responding to a Blackwood enquiry of 4NT by making the normal response one level higher than usual, for example a 6♦ response showing one ace and a working void. Another method involves specifying which void you hold, by jumping to the suit below the trump suit with a low-ranking void and six of the trump suit with a highranking void. VUGRAPH

Live, theatre-style presentation of a hand of bridge using overhead projectors, closed circuit cameras etc, thus enabling an audience to follow the play in detail. In addition to the presentation itself, a panel of experts usually provides commentary. VULNERABLE

but so are the penalties if you fail to make your contract.

Term used to describe a side with a game. Bonuses for games and slams are higher when you are vulnerable

WAITING BID

A non-committal bid, often a cheap forcing bid offering partner more time to describe his hand. Players sometimes call it a ‘Temporising bid’. West North East South 1♥ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♥

West will bid 3♥ on most hands with five or more hearts to give East maximum room. WALLET

Device used to hold cards in a duplicate event. WBF

Abbreviation for the World Bridge Federation. WBU

Abbreviation for the Welsh Bridge Union.

WEAK JUMP SHIFT RESPONSES

The use of a jump shift in response to an opening bid of one of a suit to show a weak hand. This convention is popular with twoover-one players but highly unusual in Acol. WEAK NO TRUMP

An opening bid of 1NT showing 12-14 points and a balanced hand. Playing a weak no-trump, you open 1NT on hands like these: Hand 1 Hand 2 ♠ K Q 7 4 ♠ K 9 6 ♥ 9 4 ♥ Q 8 4 ♦ A J 8 3 ♦ A 4 ♣ K 10 3 ♣ Q J 9 3 2

WEAK THREE BIDS

An opening bid at the three-level made with pre-emptive intent. It is usual to have a seven-card suit, few values outside and about six playing tricks if non-vulnerable (seven if vulnerable). You would open 3♣ on hands like these: Hand 1 Hand 2 ♠ 7 ♠ 7 ♥ 8 5 2 ♥ 2 ♦ 7 4 ♦ Q 10 8 5 ♣ A Q J 8 5 3 2 ♣ A J 9 7 5 4 2

WEAK JUMP OVERCALL

A jump overcall based on a good six-card suit and about 6-10 points at the two level or a seven-card suit and similar values at the three level. Due to their much higher frequency of occurrence and their ability to disrupt the opposing bidding, most tournament players now use weak jump overcalls.

♠ A Q J 9 4 2 ♥ 5 4 ♦ 6 4 3 ♣ 10 2

This hand is suitable for a weak jump overcall of 2♠ over one of any other suit. Page 21

WEAK TWO BIDS

An opening bid at the two-level, usually in the majors, with mainly pre-emptive intent. Typically, such a bid shows a sixcard suit and 5-9 or 6-10 points. A 2NT response is an artificial response to enquire about strength, suit quality, outside features or some combination of these. Playing weak twos, you open 2♠ on hands like these: Hand 1 Hand 2 ♠ A Q J 9 4 2 ♠ K J 8 5 3 2 ♥ 5 4 ♥ 2 ♦ 6 4 3 ♦ Q 10 7 4 ♣ 10 2 ♣ 7 2

A to Z of Bridge continued

WEAKNESS TAKE-OUT (WEAK TAKE-OUT)

A natural response, especially to an opening 1NT, that does not promise any strength, but merely expresses the wish to play in an alternative denomination. If you have a weak unbalanced hand, it is likely that a suit contract will play better than 1NT. WELSH BRIDGE UNION (WBU)

Regulatory body for Duplicate Bridge in Wales. WEST

One of the positions at the bridge table.

useful, such as a king or queen in a suit bid by partner.

The winners of the Open teams receive the Rosenblum Trophy.

WORKING VOID

WRIGGLE

A void is ‘working’ if it is particularly useful. This is especially the case in slam bidding (in a suit contract) when a ‘working void’ is one in which partner does not hold the ace. WORLD BRIDGE FEDERATION (WBF)

The successor to the International Bridge League and founded in 1958, the World Bridge Federation provides a global organisation mainly to set uniform international standards for the Laws of the game and to conduct World Bridge Championships. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

WHACK

There are Championships:

WHITE

Mind Sports Games (formerly the Olympiad) This takes place every four years. Entry is open to every country (affiliated to the WBF), who may enter one team in each category, the Open, Ladies, Senior etc. The winners of the Open category receive the Vanderbilt Trophy.

Colloquial word for ‘Double’. Shorthand for describing the vulnerability of both partnerships on a board and meaning that neither partnership is vulnerable. WIDE OPEN

A player has a suit ‘wide open’ if he has no guard in that suit in a notrump contract, or no control in that suit in a slam contract. For example, if declarer and dummy both have a small doubleton in spades, one would say the suit is ‘wide open’. WITHDRAWING A CARD

Permitted in correcting a revoke before it becomes established, or by an opponent following the correction of a revoke, or following a revoke on the twelfth trick and in certain other defined situations permitted by the Laws. WOLFF SIGN OFF

A conventional way of stopping in a suit partscore after opener’s jump rebid of 2NT: responder bids an artificial 3♣, which forces opener to bid 3♦; responder then passes (if wishing to play in 3♦) or bids another suit, non-forcing. WORKING CARD

A card is ‘working’ if it is particularly

several

World

Bermuda Bowl This takes place every two years. Entry is open to the open champions of every WBF zone (approximately every continent). In recent years, the bigger zones have been able to enter more than one team. Venice Cup This takes place every two years. Entry is open to the ladies’ champions of every WBF zone (approximately every continent). In recent years, the bigger zones have been able to enter more than one team. World Bridge Series (formerly the Pairs Olympiad) This takes place every four years. Entry is open to participants in every country affiliated to the WBF. The Series consists of transnational pairs and teams events for Open, Ladies, Seniors and Mixed. Page 22

A convention whereby, after an opponent doubles an opening 1NT, the responder with a weak hand attempts to locate a fit that will hopefully prove less costly than 1NT doubled. A redouble shows clubs and another suit. A bid of 2♣ shows either clubs or a two-suited hand without clubs (opener initially assumes the former; if someone doubles 2♣, a redouble is SOS, showing the non-club hand). Other responses are natural weakness take-out bids. WRITTEN BIDDING

The use of a paper pad to record bids. Instead of making their bids vocally, players write them on a pad that they pass to each other. At one time, written bidding was popular in Australia but the widespread use of bidding boxes has now made written bidding a rarity.

X X

1. Symbol used in recording hands when the x denotes a small card. 2. Symbol used when writing down a contract to denote that it is doubled (for example 4♥x). Similarly, two symbols denote that it is redoubled (for example 4♥xx).

Y YARBOROUGH

A hand containing no card higher than a nine, named after the English Lord who offered odds of a shilling to 100 guineas (10 pence to £110) against holding such a hand (the true odds are 1,827 to 1).

A to Z of Bridge continued

Z ZERO

1. Lowest score possible on a board at duplicate 2. The score on a board when there is a pass out. ZERO OR TWO HIGHER

A lead method by which the lead of a nine or higher shows a suit headed either by that card or by two higher cards. For instance, the ten would be consistent with a suit headed by the K-J-10 or the ten. ■

JUST DUPLICATE BRIDGE 21-23 June The Olde Barn £169

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14-16 February Chatsworth Hotel £199 Cheltenham Regency Hotel Cheltenham GL51 0ST

9-11 August Cheltenham Regency £199 16-18 August Inn on the Prom £169

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21-23 February Blundson House Hotel £199

6-8 September

15-17 November Elstead Hotel £199

28 February – 2 March

22-24 November Ardington Hotel £199 22-24 November Elstead Hotel £199 22-24 November The Olde Barn £169

Used stamps have been sent in from: Mrs G Marks, East Finchley. Mrs A M Reid, Banchory. Colin Moore & Anne Eagle, Blackwell. Mr M Pickup, Bury. Mrs J Morrison, Helensburgh. Mrs S Cartledge, Upminster. Mrs Marguerite Nicholson, Peterborough. Mrs G Iley, Epsom. Mrs K Donoghue, St Albans. Mrs L Maman, London EC2. Mrs J Papworth, March, Cambs. Mrs M Griggs, Chipping Ongar. Mr G Staples, Storrington. Mr J Hudson, Durham. Mrs M Cartwright, Croydon. Mr & Mrs J Richardson, Sheringham. Mrs Parker, Letchworth. Mrs R Brooks, Coulsdon. Mrs S Griffiths, East Barnet. Mrs J Hurry, Orpington. Mr & Mrs C McNeil, Faversham. Mrs E Mitchell, Shipston-on-Stour. Mrs M Harrison, High Wycombe. Mrs M Maxwell, Newton Stewart. Mrs P Robinson, Welham Green. Mrs J Thurlow, Newport Pagnell. Mrs I Duncan, Monifieth. Mrs M Prior, London N20. Mrs M Bleakley, Belfast. Mrs B Warnett, Ashford, Kent. Mrs C Gates, Bexhill on Sea. Mrs J Killip, Milverton. Mrs A Gray, Banstead. Mrs A Mons, Tewkesbury. Mr C Phillips, Cheltenham. Mrs M Dyer, Shoreham-by-Sea. Mrs R Sellors, Norwich. Mr & Mrs H Sharples, Chorley. Mrs K Adamson, Oxton. Mr A Carter, Bournemouth. (to be continued next month)

Please keep saving your used stamps to support Little Voice in Addis Ababa.

14-16 February Elstead Hotel £199

29 November – 1 December Ardington Hotel £199

Ardington Hotel Worthing BN11 3DZ

Chatsworth Hotel Worthing BN11 3DU

Cheltenham Regency £199

6-8 December Cheltenham Regency £199

Chatsworth Hotel £199

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27-29 September Ardington Hotel £199

14-16 March The Olde Barn £169

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28-30 March Elstead Hotel £199 The Olde Barn Hotel Marston, Lincs NG32 2HT

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Full Board – No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6. Please note there are no seminars, set hands or prizes at these events.

Page 23

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Pre Existing Medical Conditions You 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 of your 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 provide cover for your trip.

The number to call is: 0844 892 1698 If you are accepted, the level of excess stated below will apply. You will receive written confirmation that you are covered for the trip. In the event that you are not accepted for cover having 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 Existing Medical Conditions Acceptance of pre existing medical conditions is made by the application of increased excesses 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 will apply (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 Area 3, £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.

travel insurance is arranged by Global Travel Insurance Services Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and our status can be checked on the FSA Register by visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/register or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

✄

Single Trip

Single Trip Travel Insurance Suitable for for a single round trip starting and finishing in the UK and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration, for persons whose age is 90 years or less.

This policy is underwritten by ETI – International Travel Protection the UK branch of Europäische Reiseversicherung A.G., an ERGO group Company, incorporated and regulated under the laws of Germany, Companies House Registration FC 25660 and Branch Registration BR 007939. ETI is authorised by the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BAFIN – www.bafin.de) and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Services Authority. Our regulation by the FSA are available from Us on request. Our registration number is 220041.

Global Travel Insurance A1 Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, BN13 3QZ ( 01903 267432 Fax 01903 268946 SINGLE TRIP APPLICATION FORM Please FULLY complete the following in BLOCK CAPITALS. Once complete, return the application panel direct to Global Travel Insurance at the address above, with a cheque or with card details entered. Insurance is not effective until a Policy has been issued.

SINGLE TRIP INSURANCE PRODUCT SUITABILITY As this description contains the Key Features of the cover provided it constitutes provision of a statement of demands and needs.

Title (Mr/Mrs/Miss)

This insurance is suitable for a single round trip starting and finishing in the UK and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration, for persons whose age is 90 years or less.

Initials

Surname Telephone No.

This insurance is only available to persons who are permanently resident and domiciled in the UK and Channel Islands.

House Number/Name

Single Trip PREMIUM RATING SCHEDULE

Street Name

GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS 1. United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, including all islands comprising the British Isles (except the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland). Any British Isles or UK Cruises are rated as Area 2. 2. Europe – Continental Europe west of the Ural mountain range, all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (except, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya & Syria), the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Madeira, The Canaries and The Azores. (Persons residing in the Channel Islands need to pay Area 2 rates for UK trips). 3. Worldwide – All countries outside of the above (except those within Area 4). 4. North America, Central America & The Caribbean – Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, The Caribbean Islands, United States of America.

Town Name Postcode Date of leaving Home Date of arrival Home Screening Ref Introducer

Mr Bridge

Geographical Area – See Premium Panel (1,2,3 or 4)

SCHEDULE OF PREMIUMS



Names of all persons to be insured

The following Premiums are valid for policies issued up to 31/3/2014 and for travel completed by 31/12/2014. Maximum age is 90 years. For periods in excess of 31 days please call for a quotation. Maximum period of insurance is 94 days. All premiums include the Government Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).

1



£

2



£

3



£

4



£

5



£

6



£



Area 1

Geographical Areas

Area 2

Area 3

Area 4

Persons Aged up to 80 Years 1 – 3 days £16.10 £24.70 £51.80 4 & 5 days £19.40 £31.10 £65.10 6 -10 days £22.60 £41.90 £88.20 11-17 days £25.80 £45.90 £98.10 18-24 days £29.00 £52.70 £110.40 25-31 days £32.30 £60.00 £125.70

£74.50 £93.80 £126.30 £141.30 £159.10 £181.00

Persons Aged 81 to 90 Years 1 – 3 days £24.20 £37.10 £103.60 4 & 5 days £29.10 £46.70 £130.20 6 -10 days £33.90 £62.90 £176.40 11-17 days £38.70 £68.90 £196.20 18-24 days £43.50 £79.10 £220.80 25-31 days £48.40 £90.00 £251.40

£149.00 £187.60 £252.60 £282.60 £318.20 £362.00

Credit/Debit Card Details

TOTAL PREMIUM

Premium

£

Card No Start Date

End Date

Issue No

Security Code DECLARATION On behalf of all persons listed in this application, I agree that this application shall be the basis of the Contract of Insurance. I agree that Insurers may exchange information with other Insurers or their agents. I have read and understood the terms and conditions of the insurance, with which all persons above are in agreement and for whom I am authorised to sign.

PREMIUM ADJUSTMENTS

All age adjustments apply to the age on the date of return to the UK

Signed........................................................... Date...................................

Infants up to 2 years inclusive are FREE subject to being included with an adult paying a full premium.

The form MUST be signed by one of the persons to be insured on behalf of all persons to be insured.

✄

Children 3 to 16 years inclusive are HALF PRICE subject to being included with an adult paying a full premium. Unaccompanied children pay the adult rate.

Age

Mr Bridge is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Global Travel Insurance Services Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 429STI13

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READERS’ LETTERS CONFIDENCE BOOST I have never been able to understand why you don’t just publish BRIDGE as a monthly magazine and sell it. I am sure there are good commercial reasons but BRIDGE is the best Not-ABridge-Magazine advertising leaflet I have ever read. It beats English Bridge, Bridge Plus and all other bridge publications that are and have ever been. James Cowing by email.

PRIZE QUIZ I suggest that the bidding quiz on page 3 would make a much more challenging prize quiz. Far fewer correct solutions and maybe more worthwhile prizes. John Styles, Fairland, Bristol.

BRIDGE BOOKS Thank you for publishing the letter about my catalogue of books about bridge and other card games. The response has been far greater than I imagined. I still have copies available so if any of your readers would like one, they should contact me. Gordon Bickley, Card Game Books. [email protected] ( 07530 553594

TEA & COFFEE I now understand why people might be reluctant to adopt these changes at your weekends, however, in an increasingly technology driven world, it might be this

very reluctance to accept change that has caused the downfall of bridge and bridge clubs, and perhaps why the number of regular players has slumped from 1.8 million in 1987 to below 300,000 today. Had these figures taken into consideration the number of people playing online bridge? From what I see there is a healthy participation in online bridge which perhaps explains one reason why bridge clubs have haemorrhaged player numbers, especially in recent years. A few years ago (2006?), you published an article of mine ‘Tempus Fugit’, which gave the reasoning that increasingly busy lifestyles have made people of working age less and less keen to devote a whole evening to visiting a bridge club. Online bridge has kept bridge alive, because it allows people to play as much or as little bridge as they like at a time that suits them. It has made the game more time efficient, because the need to travel to a venue is eliminated and, whilst they are dummy, they can get up and do something productive if they wish. My suggestion for perpetual tea & coffee was again with time efficiency in mind, and I think that the excuse that keeping the tea and coffee separate from the playing area to avoid the risk of spills is not really valid because many clubs adopt the practice of allowing

drinks to be consumed at the table without any issues. It is up to you and your fellow organisers as to whether you decide to trial the idea, but as I said at the beginning of this letter, if the world of social bridge is not prepared to take the risk of going outside its comfort zone and trying something new now and again, I fear that its future is in the virtual world. David Thompson by email.

UNWANTED Redundant unmarked perforated A4 sheets of ‘curtain cards’ – we have no further use for approximately 1,000 sheets. If any club would like them, in exchange for a donation to Alzheimer’s Research, contact : [email protected] Ron Webb by email.

HOW DO I? How do I submit a question about a particular hand? Should I explain the layout of the hands? Do I just write down what cards

Page 27

were held and by whom? Anne Lee by email.

Just set out the layout of the hand, vulnerability if known, who was the dealer and what card was led, if indeed a lead had been made.

KISS RECALLED It was kind of James McGrath to remember our bridgeplaying days, BRIDGE 124. I have moved on since those care-free times and my status now is more international as I play at Brecon in Wales and Ledgemore in England. It was good to see that James is still taking an interest in the game as I thought he might have given up years ago. Simon Burrage, Hay-on-Wye.

NEW CARD Stamford Bridge Club has introduced a Yellow card (see below) which fits into all standard bidding boxes, to be placed between the double and redouble cards. Robert Leyland by email.

please MANNERS AT THE TABLE Stamford Bridge Club does not tolerate the actions or behaviour of any player who: l badgers you or anyone else at the bridge table. l comments negatively or sarcastically

about your bidding, play or result. l makes rude or threatening comments

or insinuations. l gives gratuitous lessons or analysis at the table. l discusses a previous bridge hand during the round.

If offensive behaviour occurs, place this card on the table. If the behaviour doesn’t stop, call the director.

Cheltenham Regency Hotel

Elstead Hotel Bournemouth, BH1 3QP

Cheltenham GL51 0ST

BRIDGE EVENTS 12-14 July – £245 Bernard Magee Thinking Defence 26-28 July – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 9-11 August – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge

Blunsdon House Hotel Swindon SN26 7AS

14-16 June 8-10 Nov 15-17 Nov 22-24 Nov 10-12 Jan 2014 31 Jan – 2 Feb 14-16 Feb 28-30 March 11-13 April

Just Duplicate Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge Doubles – Bernard Magee Just Duplicate Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge Just Duplicate Bridge Signals & Discards Stan Powell

£ 199 £ 199 £ 199 £ 199 £ 245 £ 199 £ 199 £ 199 £ 215

Full Board. No Single Supplement. Booking Form on page 6.

Queensferry Hotel North Queensferry, KY11 1HP

BRIDGE EVENTS 5-7 July 2013 £245 Bernard Magee Signals & Discards 11-13 October £245 Bernard Magee Splinters & Cue Bids 8-10 November £215 Stan Powell Doubles

6-8 September – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge

22-24 November £245 Bernard Magee Better Defence

13-15 September – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge

10-12 January 2014 £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 21-23 February £199 Just Duplicate Bridge

11-13 October – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 25-27 October – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 6-8 December – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge Full Board No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6.

28 Feb – 2 March £199 Just Duplicate Bridge

BRIDGE EVENT 2013 25-27 October Bernard Magee Finding Slams

Full Board. No Single Supplement. Booking Form on page 6.

Page 28

£245

14-16 March £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 25-27 April £199 Just Duplicate Bridge Full Board No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6.

READERS’ LETTERS

CHARITY BRIDGE EVENTS JUNE 2013 12 BREAKTHROUGH BREAST CANCER. Bridge afternoon. Bartholomew Barn, Kirdford, West Sussex. RH14 0LN. 1.30pm. £20pp (tables of 4). Jo Rees ( 01903 740512 www.bartholomewbarn.co.uk 14 ST MARY’S CHURCH Eaton Socon, St Neots. 10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50. Malcolm Howarth ( 01480 212910 19 Downham Market Heritage Society. Duplicate Bridge at the Town Hall, Downham Market, Norfolk at 1.00pm. £6pp, inc. tea. Pat Roberts ( 01366 382947 26 ST MATTHEWS CHURCH Bridge Drive in Ripley, Derbyshire. 10 for 10.30am. £13.50 inc. coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Veronica Wragg ( 01773 745462 28 BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION 29 Swansea Bridge Club, 30 22 St James Gardens, Friday 7pm, Open & Novice Pairs £4. Saturday, Session 1 at 1.45pm, £5. Session 2 at 7pm, £9. Sunday, Session 1 at 1pm, Session 2 at 4.45pm. £36 per team. Diana Panniers ( 01792 297081

JULY 2013 4 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE ROTARY CLUB Outlane Golf Club. 12 for 12.30. £44 per table. Sam Smith ( 01924 492540 7 RUNSWICK BAY RESCUE BOAT. Bridge Day. Hinderwell Village Hall. 10am. £16 includes lunch. Karen ( 01947 841013 8 ROWANS HOSPICE, PURBROOK Duplicate at Denmead Bridge Club, Community Hall, School Lane, Denmead. 7pm. £2pp. Georgina Erskine ( 01489 878016 12 GREAT BARFORD CHURCH Village Hall, Great Barford. 10.00 for 10.30am. £13.50. Derek Fordham ( 01234 870324

continued

AUGUST 2013 16 ST IVES DAY CARE CENTRE Hemingford Abbots Village Hall. Tickets £13.50. Don Moorman ( 01480 463444

SEPTEMBER 2013 4 GYDA. Corn Exchange, Faringdon. £15. Steve Braithwaite ( 01367 240929 5 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE ROTARY CLUB Outlane Golf Club. 12 for 12.30. £44 per table. Sam Smith ( 01924 492540

OCTOBER 2013 4 ST ANDREWS CHURCH Mandeville Hall. Kimbolton. £14.00. Mavis Campion ( 01480 860477 11 ST MARGARET’S SOMERSET HOSPICE Wedmore Village Hall. 10.30 for 11.00am. £16 each to include lunch. Brian Moreton ( 01934 713854 brianjillmoreton @btinternet.com 13 BREAST CANCER CAMPAIGN 1.00 for 1.30pm. Blue Pointed Duplicate Pairs, sponsored by Billericay Mayflower Bridge Club. Two-course buffet supper. First Class Bridge Academy, Barleylands Centre, Billericay. £20 each. Marcia ( 07789003284 marcia @newdirectionstudio.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2013 4 RNLI. Crowborough Beacon Golf Club bridge tea. 1.30pm for 2pm start. £26 per table. Penny ( 01825 830006 14 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE ROTARY CLUB Outlane Golf Club. 12 for 12.30. £44 per table. Sam Smith ( 01924 492540

ONE OF MANY How unbelievably ignorant and selfish of Mrs M Thrower, see Readers’ Letters in BRIDGE 124. She gets a free magazine full of articles on bridge and has the nerve to complain because you, in running your business, claw back some of the costs of production by means of advertising. In the past, when other people have commented on the advertising in a similar way, you have explained why, so I can only assume that – unless she has only just recently received her first copy – just as she says that she ‘skips through’ the adverts, she has not bothered to read your explanations. They have been skipped through too. Mr L Jackson, Hull.

BETTER PHOTO

publications. (I quite agree with her and have frequently commented about this myself). I am delighted to be able to enclose a photo which we consider shows the ‘real Bernard’. His image is taken from a photo of us at the prize giving. Mrs J Blanchard, Newton Abbot, Devon.

could it be election time? It is good to see civic interest in the game. Peter Metcalfe, chairman of Adur District Council, near Worthing, recently visited Old Barn Way Bridge Club at Southwick to present championship trophies to my partner, Sue Cottrell and myself. Mr Harry Treadwell by email.

REQUEST Could you publish an article on five card versus four card majors? Mr Tony Simpson, Nunnington, York.

Should and will in due course.

REFEREE How can I learn to become a director – do you run courses or know of some organisation that does? In Readers’ Letters, see page 33 in BRIDGE 124, Mrs Jan Scoones has commented about the photo of Bernard Magee in most of your

Mrs J Mekie, Sutton, Surrey.

Join the EBU and choose a course from the extensive list published in their house magazine, English Bridge.

REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR POSTAGE

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

Postage stamps for sale at 90% of face-value, all mint with full gum. Quotations for commercial quantities available on request. Values supplied in 100s, higher values available as well as 1st and 2nd class (eg 2nd class: 100x37p+100x13p)

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

E-mail your charity events: [email protected]

Page 29

Join Bernard Magee and discover

Mediterranean Medley

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

• Dubrovnik Old City on UNESCO’s P R I C World Heritage List

SIBENIK

ANCONA

CASTELLAMMARE DI STABIA

HVAR

• Venice – a city of magnificent art and architecture O

PR

CIVITAVECCHIA

DUBROVNIK

MIS

E

LIVORNO

E

NICE

• Rome with its remarkable legacies of the Roman Empire • Magnificent archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum

VENICE

MARSEILLE

Why choose this cruise?

BRINDISI

STANDARD FARES ARE COVERED BY THE VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY PRICE PROMISE

MESSINA

E

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

YOUR VOYAGE INCLUDES: • Evening bridge† • Afternoon bridge when at sea • Bridge seminars when at sea • Exclusive Mr Bridge drinks parties • All meals, entertainment and onboard gratuities • Comprehensive lecture and guest speaker programme • Captain’s cocktail parties and gala dinners

your itinerary Date

Port

V O Y 130912 arrive

12 Sep MarSeiLLe, France

DePart

10.00pm

13 Sep nice, France

12.00pm

7.00pm

14 Sep Livorno, italy

8.00am

7.00pm

Standard fareS (per person) 2 Bed inside

from £2,089

2 Bed outside

from £2,399

Balcony Suite

from £3,799

Prices for all categories on request complimentary Chauffeur service to the port on higher grade cabins – see brochure for full details

included in your fare • 14-night cruise aboard Voyager including all meals, entertainment and port charges • Your choice of cabin type, location and number • Flights or eurostar London/Marseille and flights Dubrovnik/London including all pre-paid airport taxes (connecting flights from Manchester are available at a supplement*)

15 Sep civitaveccHia, italy

8.00am

6.00pm

16 Sep caSteLLaMMare Di StaBia

7.00am

5.00pm

17 Sep MeSSina, Sicily

8.30am

6.00pm

7.00am

6.00pm

• Gratuities – other lines add up to £270 per couple to your bill • Service Charges – other lines add up to 18% to your bill

18 Sep at Sea 19 Sep BrinDiSi, italy 20 Sep at Sea 21 Sep ancona, italy

7.00am

5.00pm

22 Sep venice, italy

7.00am

6.30pm

23 Sep SiBeniK, croatia

9.00am

11.00pm

24 Sep Hvar, croatia

8.00am

6.00pm

25 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia

7.00am Overnight

26 Sep DUBrovniK, croatia

• Comprehensive Guest Speaker programme *Flights from Manchester may not be direct

01483 489961 for brochures and bookings www.bridgecruises.co.uk Discovery 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 any other discount, excluding Discovery Club Discount for past passengers. Cabin number may not be given at time of booking. All fares are correct at time of going to print, are subject to availability and may be changed or withdrawn at any time. †To be part of the Mr Bridge group a supplement of £30pp will be charged at the time of booking. Terms and conditions apply. Only bookings made through the Mr Bridge office are eligible to be part of the Mr Bridge Group. See brochure for full terms and conditions. Voyages of Discovery is the trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.

READERS’ LETTERS continued

BACK IN OUR DAY FULL MARKS

At the supermarket, a young cashier said to an elderly customer, ‘You should bring your own bags in future because plastic ones aren’t good for the environment.’ The old lady apologised and said, ‘We didn’t have this green thing back in our day.’ ‘That’s the problem,’ the cashier replied, ‘your generation didn’t do enough to save the environment ...’ Just to tell you that after 30 cruises with Discovery and one with Voyager, I decided to try Aegean Odyssey and was very impressed with their office efficiency – my flight details were posted to me six weeks before due date and final details have arrived four weeks before sail date. Mrs P Davies, Sandbach, Cheshire.

She was right. We returned milk bottles to the milkman, pop bottles to the sweet shop and beer bottles to the off licence. We refilled pens with ink instead of buying new ones and we replaced razor blades instead of throwing away the whole razor. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day. We washed babies’ nappies because we didn’t have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line using wind and solar power, but that young lady was right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

MY RECIPE I was very sorry to hear of the difficulties Mr Clare has in attracting new members to his club – see Readers’ Letters, BRIDGE 125. I help run a thriving and expanding bridge group within a golf club not far from Mr Clare. I believe some of the reasons for why we are doing well are as follows: 1. I took the EBU teachers’ course about 3 years ago. This I found really helpful. I then started a beginner’s class. This encouraged new people to become involved. I made sure the classes were welcoming, encouraging and really supportive. 2. I organise annual day long seminars – for example, on card play or defence. I base these on the lesson plans to be found on the EBU website. 3. I provide improvers with weekly practice sessions. These usually have a theme based on suggestions made by participants (stayman/ transfers) or taken from

Back then, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we posted a fragile item, we used screwed-up newspaper as packaging, not polystyrene or bubble wrap. We didn’t start a petrol engine just to cut the grass. We just ran on human power, but she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day. We drank water from the tap instead of buying bottled water and accepted that a lot of food was seasonal. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day. Back then, people caught a train or bus to work and children walked or rode their bikes to school. We had one electric socket in the room, not a bank of sockets to power half a dozen appliances, nor did we need a computer to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza place ... How wasteful we oldies were. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day. Perhaps you should show this to another selfish old person? Published by Mr Bridge and printed on 100% cotton as a tea towel by Art Screen Prints Limited. www.artscreen.co.uk ( 01287 637527

Page 31

Denham Grove Denham, Bucks, UB9 5DG

4-6 October 2013 – £215 Doubles – Gary Conrad 25-27 October 2013 – £215 Finding Slams – Sandy Bell 7-9 February 2014 – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 28-30 March 2014 – £199 Just Duplicate Bridge 4-6 April 2014 – £199 Rubber / Chicago Diana Holland

Full Board No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6.

RUBBER / CHICAGO

Chatsworth Hotel Worthing BN11 3DU

7-9 February 2014 with Shelia Rogers

Denham Grove Bucks UB9 5DG

4-6 April 2014 with Diana Holland

£169 Full Board

No Single Supplement Booking Form on page 6.

READERS’ LETTERS continued

the EBU teachers’ material (playing for ruffs or whatever). 4. We have a core group of very experienced players who play in a weekly Chicago and who were very frightening to my beginners and improvers. I spoke to the core group and arranged for each one to play with one of the less experienced for one session. This broke the ice and the weekly Chicago is now even more successful with increasing numbers of tables. 5. We have a small group of enthusiasts who organise most of the events but a large group of reliable volunteers who do everything from arranging prizes to clearing up after bridge days. 6. We have a range of other activities such as a popular Swiss Pairs which is played in people’s homes over a 5 month period in the autumn. I handicap this so that everyone has a chance of winning. We also play it as Chicago which introduces a slightly random element. People play with those they would not normally play against in a relaxed and friendly environment. Several good friendships have arisen as a result. 7. I have a bridge notice board which I try to keep up to date with information about what is going on and lots of photos of happy players and I make sure that I have beginners and improvers on the board. 8. We play matches against other clubs and try to involve as many of our members as possible in these events. 9. One of our members suggested a bridge and golf weekend away which

she agreed to organise and this was over-subscribed before I could advertise it. Above all, we go out of our way to welcome everyone; to be friendly and encouraging; to talk to all who attend making sure that everyone has a good time and doesn’t feel too downhearted whatever their result. Lyn Fry, London, N6.

One hundred like you could change the whole future of the game in this country.

NEW PLAYERS At Oakfield Bridge Club near Oldham, we have a flourishing learner’s session. Any success I have at teaching bridge is due in no small part to the weekends and cruises which my partner and I have spent sitting at the feet of Bernard Magee. He has the rare ability to combine bridge expertise with a teaching style which enables him to engage his audience while transmitting his enthusiasm and knowledge to beginners and experienced players alike. Mr Rod Smith, Dobcross, Oldham.

OFF MARMITE To date I have managed to desist from commenting on the furore caused by Sally’s column in your otherwise excellent magazine. However, in the latest edition, even by her rather abysmal standards, this attention seeking woman

has sunk to a new low. For the second successive month, we were told that Mrs Brock has been diagnosed with diabetes. Even worse is the fact that this insensitive mother has chosen to expose to your entire readership the health problems of her teenage daughter. I feel for Briony. I know that, without permission, she has written in her column about the personal life of someone who isn’t one of your readers. The first he knew about it was when I told him. She obviously doesn’t understand either good manners or the basic laws of privacy in this country. One day someone will sue her. Is she worth it? I regret finding it necessary to write in these terms and do hope that you will have a meaningful discussion with her about the contents of her column if it must continue. Gaynor Lewis by email.

MARMITE FAN Thank you for another lovely magazine. Personally, I enjoy Sally Brock’s columns and am sorry Sally felt ill recently. My message to Sally would be – you have a wonderful life surrounded by nice people. Why not relax a little and enjoy it. There’s nothing wrong with staying at home sometimes and watching the television. Avril Summers, Southport, Lancs.

Write to Mr Bridge at: Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH or e-mail [email protected] E-mail correspondents are asked to include their name, full postal address, telephone number and to send no attachments. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Page 32

■

From the Baron’s Archives by Dick Atkinson

Back to Nature with the Baron

I

must have mentioned before the Baron’s absolute loathing for all things conventional. In the early 1990s, Demetri Marchessini – a stalwart of the Portland Club, where absolutely no artificial conventions are allowed – organised a challenge match between a team of ‘Naturals’ and a team of ‘Scientists’. My uncle was particularly unbearable after the results were published – there seemed to be little advantage gained by advanced bidding methods. A year later (January 1992), the experiment was repeated, with two of the most successful pairs in the world – Wolff and Hamman, and Meckstroth and Rodwell – as the Scientists team. I was confident that they would annihilate their opponents and, when they duly won, it was with malicious pleasure that I bought the match record for Uncle Leo, Naturals v Scientists – The Great Match by Terence Reese and David Bird. He had summoned me to his room for a late evening thrashing at Backgammon – his words – so I took the book with me and handed it to him as he sat sipping brandy from a large balloon glass in the flickering vermillion light of his fireside. The Baron was not, however, in a mellow mood. He opened the book at random, and found a game swing to the Scientists:

♠ Q 10 3 N ♥ K Q 10 9 3 W E ♦ Q S ♣ Q J 7 2

♠ 8 4 ♥ 2 ♦ A K J 5 4 2 ♣ A K 10 6

Naturals: West North East South Pass 1♦ 1♠ 2♠ Dbl 3♣ Pass 3♥ Pass 4♦ Pass 5♣1 End 1

This failed by one trick

Scientists: West North East South Pass 1♦ 1♠ 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 2NT Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT1 End 1

This made with two overtricks.

‘Natural! 2♥ stands out a mile.’ ‘They were playing it non-forcing.’ ‘That is an unnatural agreement invented by players of those awful Negative Doubles. Not that the hand needs to force. The quality is appalling. In any case, over 3♣ West must bid 3NT. And when he doesn’t, East must surely call 3♠ over 3♥ to prompt West to call 3NT if possible. Pshaw!’

Seven Rounds of Natural Bidding He opened the book again at page 98.

♠ A ♥ A K J 10 9 6 4 ♦ A J 4 3 ♣ A

N

W E S

♠ K Q 9 6 4 3 ♥ 7 3 ♦ 10 9 5 ♣ 10 8

The Scientists reached 6♥, which was two down. This was the bidding by the Naturals: Page 33

West North East South 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♣ Dbl Pass Pass Redbl Pass 4♠ Pass 4NT Pass 5♦ Pass 5♥ Pass 6♠ Pass 7♠ End

‘Seven rounds of bidding to go four down! Why on earth did East bid over 5♥ . . . Let me see . . . Merciful heavens! They were playing Roman Key-Card Blackwood. Natural my eye!’ It looked a bit unlucky to me. East could easily have had ♠K-Q-J-x-x-x and a singleton heart. ‘How would you have bid it?’ ‘2♥ – 2♠ – 4♥ – Pass. West shows his exact values. East has absolutely nothing further to say. No, I am afraid your ‘Naturals’ threw it away because they could not bid naturally at all.’ He paused to spread a little more caviar on his toast. ‘But if there had been a slam on,’ I insisted, ‘then RKCB or some other control check would be vital.’ ‘Interestingly enough, the Almanac da Gotha League once organised its own Naturals vs Scientists match. I volunteered to play for the Natural Bidders of course, with some confidence – for all the usual reasons: the eavesdropping opponents, the strain on the memory, the bid you can no longer use in its natural sense.’

The Baron Plays for the Naturals As ever, I was amazed at the speed with which the shrivelled fingers scribbled the bridge diagram on a convenient

Back to Nature continued

scrap of paper. On this occasion, it was convenient because it was ripped unceremoniously from the morocco desk-diary my sister sent me for Christmas. It served me right – I should have known better than to leave it open and in range of the confirmed old vandal. And anyway, what the heck . . . nothing much happens in mid-November. He passed me the diagram below, commanding imperiously, ‘You are South at unfavourable vulnerability. East deals and opens 3NT. Call.’

♠ A K Q ♥ A K J ♦ J 10 9 8 7 6 ♣ J

‘The opening bid is not natural, then?’ ‘The opening bid is about as natural as that low-fat mayonnaise you keep trying to poison me with. According to the convention card, it showed a solid minor suit with nothing much outside the suit and no four-card major. It was a very popular convention forty years ago.’ ‘And still today, Uncle Leo. Funnily enough, it’s exactly the way I play it myself,’ I added severely, well aware that he knew this already. ‘You have to take some action since partner may well not be strong enough. I play 4♣ as a take-out request. You’d have to double I suppose.’ ‘Of course double. West runs to 4♦, an artificial call, which—’ ‘I know. Shows club support. If the opener has a solid diamond suit, he passes. If he has clubs, he bids 5♣.’ ‘Your partner calls 4♥, which East passes.’ I looked at him carefully, but the dark profile against the firelight revealed nothing. ‘Then I pass. What else? I have an ideal dummy for him.’ ‘Her, actually. A Castillian Infanta. Let me repeat: she calls 4♥, which East passes!’ ‘Oh my God. You mean the opener had solid diamonds?’ ‘Yes. How many?’

With J-10-9-8-7-6 missing, he’d have to have A-K-Q-5-4-3-2 as his solid suit. And that meant . . . ‘So my partner must have a void? In that case, well yes, I suppose I have to be tempted to look for a slam. But partner could be very weak.’ ‘4♥ was a free bid.’ Damn the man. ‘OK. I ask for aces.’ ‘That was not within our repertoire. In any case, it would be asking the wrong question. I raised to 5♥, which as all natural bidders understand asks for a little more in trumps. Unless there is only one danger suit, of course – an unbid suit, or the opponents’ bid suit – in which case it asks for control of that suit.’ ‘That wouldn’t be any better than the Scientific approach. If I really want to look for the Grand, I can check for the queen with a 5♠ bid after she responds 5♦ – just like that 5♥ call on the 7♠ hand in the book.’ ‘Your partner denies the queen.’ ‘That’s a 6♥ bid. Fine – did you do better?’ ‘Actually, we had a bidding misunderstanding. Partner should have passed 5♥, but she wrongly – in my opinion – assumed that I was asking for a diamond control. It’s a moot point. Has the suit been bid? So, having first-round control, she made a grand slam try by bidding her excellent clubs at the six level.’ ‘Hah! Hah! So you admit you only got to 6♥ as the result of a misunderstanding.’ I couldn’t resist one more. ‘Hah!’ ‘I haven’t finished. East doubled.’ ‘6♥ doubled? But –’ ‘6♣ doubled. Clearly, East has a club void, and hopes to ensure a club return if his partner obligingly ruffs the first or second diamond. Don’t interrupt! Just as clearly, my partner has misunderstood my call and does not guarantee to hold the trump queen. I went with my instinct – that von Münchausen instinct which almost never lets me down – and converted to 6NT.’ ‘With a solid suit against you?’ ‘And a void in the opening leader’s hand. He led a club and as soon as I saw the dummy I claimed twelve tricks if the queen of hearts is right, which is highly probable, or two down if she’s Page 34

wrong.’



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

W E S



♠ A K Q ♥ A K J ♦ J 10 9 8 7 6 ♣ J

‘How can a successful heart finesse help? And why finesse anyway? Whatever happened to ‘Eight ever, nine never’?’ ‘You moron. I need an unsuccessful heart finesse! That still leaves me five heart tricks.’ ‘But you can never get at them! That club lead was disastrous, completely isolating the dummy.’ ‘Dolt! East has ♦A-K-Q-x-x-x-x and six other cards. None are clubs. How many are spades?’ ‘I don’t kn . . . not more than three!’ ‘Correct. No four-card major. So how many are hearts?’ ‘Well, obviously, he must be 3-3 in the majors then.’ ‘Quite right. And the hearts are very unlikely even to be Q-x-x, which would also make this an excellent dummy in a heart contract.’ Now that I had done the work, he sketched in the full deal: ♠ J 10 ♥ 10 9 7 5 3 2 ♦ Void ♣ A K Q 10 9 ♠ 9 7 5 3 2 ♠ 8 6 4 N ♥ Q ♥ 8 6 4 W E ♦ Void S ♦ A K Q 5 4 3 2 ♣ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ♣ Void ♠ A K Q ♥ A K J ♦ J 10 9 8 7 6 ♣ J

‘But the hand is hopelessly blocked, Uncle Leo. That’s why you should be playing in hearts.’

Back to Nature continued

The Baron Unblocks ‘I discarded all the blocking cards on dummy’s winners at tricks two, three—’ ‘But you need five or six discards to shift all those major suit winners. You’ve only got four clubs to discard on – and if you take them all you set up West’s—’ ‘Don’t ramble. I discard the top spades at tricks two, three and four, the heart finesse loses and West puts me back in dummy to discard the top hearts.’ It was preposterous, but I was bereft of words. The declarer’s 19-point hand must decline to take even a single trick. Uncle Leo continued happily, ‘In the other room my second cousin Siegfried of Westphalia opened a natural 1♦. His opponents had an opportunity to employ every artifice known to man and duly ended up in 6♥ doubled and, somewhat optimistically, redoubled. The diamond queen was ruffed by Uncle Wilhelm – I believe there was a complaint to the Tournament Director when he said, ‘Snap!’ – and of course North could not overruff with those dreadful trumps, just as I had feared. A club return was ruffed to put the contract one down for a swing of 1,840. Now perhaps some supper? A nice steak sandwich would be acceptable, with a little radicchio salad. And some real mayonnaise, if you please.’ ■ Previously published in BRIDGE 66.

Catching Up

I

t took a while more or less to fully recover from the labyrinthitis – at least a couple of weeks before I felt OK enough to drive and a few weeks of holding on to someone (usually Barry) whenever possible when out and about. I never fell, or ever really got close to falling, but felt unsteady, especially when moving suddenly. I was pretty much back to normal when we went to Istanbul for the weekend. It was my Christmas present from the children. They conspired with Barry who helped them choose an appropriate weekend. He had to pay for himself but they paid for me and chose us a lovely boutique hotel in the old town, pretty close to all the sights. We flew out from Heathrow, arriving late afternoon on Thursday and managed to negotiate underground and tram to arrive at our hotel in time for dinner. The first night, we had dinner in a restaurant that was in an old, converted cistern – wonderful high ceilings, with arches and original stonework. The only bad thing was the weather which was cold and wet, otherwise we had a fantastic time. We saw all the sights and I spent a few hours in the Grand Bazaar while Barry had a Turkish bath. Maybe the high spot was our meal at Giritli, a fish restaurant recommended in the guidebook. The meal cost €50 including wine and there was no choice. First they brought us a small bowl of seafood

by Sally Brock

risotto. Then came the cold starters, little bowls of goodies – fish, seafood, vegetables, etc – twentytwo of them. The rest was excellent too, and they were generous with the wine. We were glad of the walk back to help digest it all. Briony met us at Heathrow on the Sunday evening, with a surprise – Toby. His last week of term had been designated a ‘reading week’ and he decided he could work as well at home as in Bradford. So we had him home for three weeks. I don’t think Briony and I had realised quite how much we’d missed him. Not that we saw much of him on a daily basis as he spent most of the time in his room on his computer, although his friends came round fairly regularly to play games on our big dining table. There is little news on the house front. I’m hoping that after Easter we may get some good weather which might encourage more people to get out there and concentrate on buying or selling houses. The estate agent sends a regular activity report. The first week I registered, only five people had clicked to get the full entry on Right Move (and I’m sure at least one of those was me), the following week seven, but the latest figure was 26. So that would seem to be a significant upward trend. Not that there’s anything out there I am interested in buying either. There has been very

Page 35

little bridge since I last wrote, the most significant event being the Portland Pairs (national mixed pairs tournament), which is held on one day over several centres. I think I am perhaps overdue a win in this event; I won it in 1978 (with Tony Sowter), 1988 (with Tony Forrester) and 1999 (with Raymond), but we didn’t play well, the luck was against us and we were only a little above average. This was an example of my ineptitude. With both sides vulnerable, in first seat, you hold:

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

You open four hearts, the next hand passes and partner raises to five hearts, asking for good trumps. What do you bid? Clearly, you have great trumps, so you raise to six hearts? That’s what I did and, what a surprise, we missed the grand slam when partner held:

♠ A 6 ♥ 6 ♦ A 7 4 3 ♣ A K J 8 5 3

Probably I should have bid the grand slam myself, but at the very least I should have bid five no-trumps to show that my trump suit was solid. I hate missing grand slams! ■

Seven Days by Sally Brock

Friday Good Friday. The children and I go to my parents for the day. My mother was worryingly poorly a few weeks ago, but seems to have made a full recovery and is now as well as she was at Christmas, i.e. getting a bit frail but otherwise OK. Still, these days it is easier for them if we plan the catering. So we take bread and cheese for lunch. We have a good, long lunch and talk and then let them fall asleep on the sofa while we make a chicken casserole to leave with them and prepare a hot gammon dinner for that evening. We are joined by my sister Kate and her husband John, and my sister-in-law Sally (my brother, also John, has the flu) and her two grown-up children Kasia and Joel. It is nice to be a fairly small number by our family’s standards. Ten people fit comfortably around the dining table and we can all talk to each other. Joel is just back from an extended gap year in Australia and it is particularly good to see him. We leave after supper and are home by ten.

Saturday On Easter Saturday, after an early gym visit (I have been slacking lately), Briony and I do some work during the day (she has worked out a punishing revision timetable for herself) and then collapse in front of the TV.

Sunday I go into London on the train to play in the Easter Festival with Susanna. First the Swiss Teams, in which we play with Barry and Rodney Lighton, who has come down from Manchester.

We start well and are lying second at the break. But then things dip a little before turning up at the end. We finish a respectable seventh, just in the prizes. In the evening, we go out for a Chinese meal with David and Diane Greenwood who are over from Belfast. David had a stroke a few months ago, so it is good to see him up and about and playing again.

Monday Today it is the Swiss Pairs. As luck would have it, Susanna and I start against Barry and Rodney. We have the better of things and win 15-5. The rest of the event goes OK for us, with a few ups and downs and we finish 13th. There must be some people out there who prefer pairs to teams, but everyone I know finds matchpoint scoring much more difficult. That is partly because the target is not so clear. This deal is played in fairly normal fashion against us: Dealer North. N/S Vul. ♠ Q 10 6 5 3 ♥ Q ♦ A J ♣ A 8 7 5 4 ♠ J 9 7 ♠ K 4 2 N ♥ 10 9 7 6 5 3 W E ♥ K J 4 ♦ 6 2 S ♦ Q 8 7 3 ♣ 9 2 ♣ Q 6 3 ♠ A 8 ♥ A 8 2 ♦ K 10 9 5 4 ♣ K J 10

Three no-trumps is reached without opposition bidding and West leads Page 36

the ten of hearts. Our declarer ducks until the third round and then plays a diamond to dummy’s jack. Susanna ducks this and declarer follows up with a club to her king and then runs the jack of clubs. Susanna wins this but there is no way she can escape in the ending and declarer makes ten tricks. In the bar afterwards, my two drinking companions were telling me how ducking the first heart was for sissies. Andrew Murphy won the heart lead, played a diamond to the ace and ran the jack of diamonds which held, he then played a club to his jack and ran the clubs on which East discarded a heart and a spade. West was keen to keep all his heart winners so bared the jack of spades. Now Murph played the queen of spades, covered by the king and ace, cashed the king of diamonds, and ran the spades. Thirteen tricks made. And my other drinking companion? He ran the jack of clubs at trick two and went two down!

Tuesday I am staying with Barry for a couple of days because I have matches tonight and tomorrow. We see Rodney off and then the plan was to settle down to work, me on my laptop and Barry preparing for a trial on his computer. But the work I was promised (Zimbabwe) hasn’t arrived, so I potter about, writing up a few hands, reading my book etc and then have the bright idea of having lunch with Margaret. I give her a ring and I agree to go around to her place for 1.30 or so. She has just had a session with her personal trainer and is looking alarmingly fit

Seven Days continued

and slim. We go to Café Rouge for lunch, bravely sitting outside in the wintry sunshine until we can bear it no longer and retire inside for a final hot drink. Tonight’s match is a NICKO match against Janet de Botton’s team. We are going to have our work cut out. At the halfway stage we are 24 IMPs down and things are not looking good. We are sitting against the cards in the second half and there are a lot of difficult hands. Our opponents do not do too well so we have some hope but our teammates have it all to do. On the penultimate deal, our opponents bid a slam with two cashing aces missing – that turns out to be a flat board. This is the last board:

♠ A K 9 8 7 3 ♥ A K J 10 2 N ♦ 8 4 W E ♣ Void S

♠ Q J 5 2 ♥ 5 ♦ A K J 5 ♣ K Q 10 9

West East 1♣ 1♠ 3♥ 4♣ 4NT 5♦ 6♠ Pass

It’s easier to see how they went wrong than it is to see who went wrong. Although it is not usual to cue-bid shortage in partner’s suit, West had a difficult choice of ways forward over the three heart splinter. And when he accepted the slam try with four clubs, four notrumps looked reasonable from East’s point of view. Presumably, East-West’s response structure to the

ace-asking four no-trumps could not show both the number of aces and the specific void. Our team-mates, Dick Davey and Ed Scerri, did rather better: West East 1♣ 1♠ 3♥ 4♣ 4♦ 4♥ 4NT 7♠

With the aid of this board we gain 31 IMPs on the second set and win by 7 IMPs.

Wednesday Barry is working in Maidstone this morning and has to get up and leave by 7.30. I stay in bed out of his way. I then potter around again, writing a few articles, reading my book, until he gets home at about 1.30. We have a bit of bread and cheese for lunch and then have an online teaching session with Richard and Gerry. Still on the subject of grand slams, they do well on this deal:

♠ A K Q J ♥ A N W E ♦ A 9 8 3 S ♣ A K 7 5

♠ 10 8 7 6 4 ♥ K 5 ♦ K 5 ♣ Q 10 6 4

West East 2♣ 2♦ 2♥ 2♠ 2NT 3♥ 4♣ 4NT 5♦ 5♥ 7♠

The first five bids are artificial, with West showing a game-forcing, balanced hand and East showing nothing in particular. East’s three hearts is a transfer

to spades. It is unusual to use Roman Key Card Blackwood with none of the five ‘aces’ and I guess West might have bid the grand slam a round earlier, but there was no real danger of their missing the grand slam and this is worth nearly 12 IMPs to them. Later on, I go to meet Nicola and Kitty at Zizzi’s for supper, prior to our London Super League match. This has been a bit of a disaster for our team this season. Luckily for our team, having scored only 3 VPs from our first three matches, Nicola and I were unavailable in the next round and they won heavily without us. Unfortunately, this evening saw no reverse to the trend and we were uninspired all evening and lost heavily yet again. Afterwards, I get a lift home, where it’s good to be with the kids after a few days away.

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My good intentions of going to the gym first thing disappear when I see how cold it is. But I manage to get the kids up and we get going by 10 o’clock to drive to Waltham Abbey to see Ben and family. We had intended to go for a walk (probably a geocache which we thought might excite Hayden), but it is snowing and really cold so we just hang around in the house, catching up on all the gossip and playing with Hayden. We leave after lunch, and get home, via Waitrose, by about 4.30. I have a short nap on the sofa and then Briony and I do a bit of work and some cooking. Then I settle down with my laptop in front of the TV to write this article … ■

18-20 October £169 Just Duplicate Bridge

Page 37

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Page 38

Julian Pottage answers your bridge questions

How Should I Bid a One-Loser Hand?

Q

How would you have bid this hand please? I am West with:



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

had to have at least five cards for this. Likewise, on a previous occasion, the opposition opened 1♠ and I overcalled 2♥, again with only four hearts and 11 points. Who is correct? John D Lees by email.

incorrectly. I made 12 tricks easily. What should I have opened?



♠ 5 ♥ A 10 9 8 7 4 2 ♦ 8 ♣ A K J 10

Mrs C A Murday, Wye, Kent. East only had 4 points. Sally Carter, Romsey, Hampshire.

A

If yours is the opening bid, 2♣ seems the only possible start. You will then rebid spades, which will be game forcing, trying to elicit some support. All you need in partner’s hand is a doubleton club or the queen to give you a shot at a grand slam. Having bid spades a couple of times, if you do not get any spade support, you can jump to 6♣.

A

Given how strong your hand is, I wonder why West doubled. Perhaps he had a void (presumably in clubs): maybe he was hoping East would lead a club and produce a trick on the side. In any case, the opponents should not criticise your bidding. A 1♥ opening looks normal to me. With three defensive tricks, your hand is too good for a pre-emptive opening. You were lucky that your 4♥ opening bid did not result in a missed slam.

♣♦♥♠

Q

Sitting North I held this hand. I opened 4♥ and my partner raised to 6♥. West doubled and later criticised me for having bid

♣♦♥♠

Q

After the opposition opened 1♥, I bid 1♠ with only four spade cards and 10 points. The players told me I

A

It is usual to have a 5-card suit for an overcall even at the one level. With only four cards in the unbid major, a take-out double is the usual way to show it. If you are too weak for a take-out double (or have an unsuitable shape but no other suit to show), you have to pass. I would never overcall at the two level with a 4-card suit. Indeed, most hands that warrant a 2-level overcall have a 6-card or strong 5-card suit. ♣♦♥♠

Q

As West, I held this 16-point hand:



♠ K 7 ♥ Q J 8 4 ♦ K 6 ♣ A K 8 6 2

Page 39

West North East South 1♦ 1♠ Pass 2♦ Dbl Pass Pass 3♣ Pass 3♠ End

My 2♦ asked my partner, ‘how good is your overcall?’ While I would have liked 3-card support, 16 points looked good. Should I have bid 2♣ instead? What does partner’s pass of the double mean? We went one down in 3♠. W Bernard Coffey by email.

A

Partner’s pass over 2♦ doubled says, ‘I have nothing particular to say.’ If his spades were good, he would bid them again. If he had four hearts, he would bid 2♥. If he had a good hand (and something in diamonds too), he might redouble or bid 2NT. Therefore, he is denying those features when he passes. Personally, I prefer to play a change of suit as forcing for one round. In this case, you can start with 2♣, which should lead to an easier auction.

Ask Julian continued

♣♦♥♠

Q

How would one bid a slam on the following hand? North was dealer.

Q

The hand on my right opened 1♣ and I held:





♠ A K 8 6 5 ♥ A Q 8 ♦ K 5 ♣ A 10 2

♠ Q 4 2 ♥ 3 ♦ J 3 ♣ K Q 10 9 7 5 3 N W E S



♠ A K 10 8 7 5 ♥ A Q 10 4 ♦ 2 ♣ A 6

I opened 3♣ – partner knows I have ♣K-Q as I must have 2 of 3 top honours to open 3 in 1st seat. She bid 5♣, but slam is on in either clubs or spades. Christine Forbes, Brecon.

A

spade, hoping that partner has the queen and will play another spade. Was I wrong? Trudie Daly by email.

to have the ♦A and the ♠Q as well as all those clubs.

If you have the agreement that a pre-empt in first seat promises two of the top three honours, it does help on hands like this. It is quite common to have this agreement when vulnerable, less so to play it at all vulnerabilities. Knowing the clubs are solid, partner should take the bidding more slowly. Responding with a natural, forcing 3♠ seems best. With strong spade support (in the context of having opened 3♣) and a singleton heart, opener should then bid 4♥. This must be a cue bid agreeing spades because you would not open 3♣ on a two-suited hand. Responder can then place the final contract, perhaps checking on key cards along the way if your methods allow opener

A

I miscounted my points as 19 and overcalled 1♠. I later competed to 2♠. We made 10 tricks. Only one pair was in 4♠ and nobody was in 2NT. Doreen Parrington by email.

A

With 20 HCP (or 19 as you originally thought you had), you should double 1♣, planning to bid spades later. If you are too strong for a 1NT overcall, you are too strong for a suit overcall. As hands with 20 HCP are rare, many play a 2NT overcall to show a completely different hand type, length in both minors. This may explain why nobody was in 2NT. ♣♦♥♠

Q

I know that an opening lead in a suit contract should not be from a suit headed by an ace. What happens, when the game is in full swing and this is what I can see?



♠ J 6 N

W E S

♠ A K 8 4

My partner leads a spade. I play the king and then lead a small

During the play, different rules apply to what you should lead. If what you see in your hand and dummy tell you to lead a particular suit, go ahead and lead it. If you are sitting over dummy and hold the ace, it is likely to be safe to lead the suit if dummy has rubbish or is only a jack high in the suit. If you are sitting over declarer, you need to consider the possibility that declarer holds the king or some other honour that you would wish to capture, in which case you do not want to lead the suit. In the layout you cite, with the doubleton in dummy, it would be normal to play the ace on the second round. This ensures you make it if declarer has the queen. If partner has the queen, leading the third round of the suit from your side of the table will be equally effective unless declarer has four. ♣♦♥♠

Q

If you are using step responses to a 5NT followup to a 4NT enquiry, would it be better to show which kings you have rather just the number? Often, one king is of particular interest. Raymond Jenkinson, St Albans.

A

You are preaching to the converted. I usually play that you bid the king you have or, if you have two, you bid the king you do not have. With no kings, you bid six of the trump suit. Unless partner

Page 40

has no kings at all, it will be possible to work out which kings you are showing. Despite the attractions of showing specific kings, many people prefer the simpler method of showing the number. Apart from simplicity, the other attraction of showing the number is that the reply is less likely to take you to an uncomfortably high level. For example, if you have agreed hearts and are looking for both the ♠K and the ♦K for a grand slam, you would not want to get a 6♠ reply showing the ♠K only; you would prefer a 6♦ reply showing one king. ♣♦♥♠

Q

In the ‘Golden Rules of Constructive Bidding’ (2002 edition), you give this hand:



♠ A 10 7 3 2 ♥ 5 ♦ A K J 3 ♣ K J 2

The auction starts 1♥-1♠-2♣-2♦. Why are you using fourth-suit forcing when your diamonds are so good? John Martin, Dingwall.

A

Yes, a bid of the fourth suit in these auctions is still fourth-suit forcing even if one happens to have length or strength in the fourth suit. Here, you are looking for a possible 5-3 spade fit or a possible 5-3 club fit (when you might have a club slam). With 16 HCP, you are also a bit strong to bid 3NT, which should show no more than 15.

Ask Julian continued

Q

How would you bid these hands playing Benjamin and RKCB? East overcalls 2♠ and West raises to 3♠. Why is 4NT better than 4♣ to check on key cards?



♠ Void ♥ 8 4 3 ♦ A 5 3 ♣ A K Q J 8 5 2 N W E S



♠ K J 5 ♥ A Q J 10 9 2 ♦ Q 10 9 8 ♣ Void

Angela Horsfall, Edinburgh.

A

To be honest these are difficult hands, with or without intervention. A possible auction is: West North East South 2♣1 2♠ 3♥ 3♠ 4♣2 Pass 4♥ Pass 4♠3 Pass 6♥4 End 1 With 8 clear-cut tricks, the 2♣ opening is reasonable. 2 Despite the heart support, it is sensible to show what sort of 2♣ opener you have. 3 Now that South has rebid hearts, a slam is in the air, so North cue bids. 4 South is a bit worried about diamonds, but North must have values aside from strong clubs.

Playing 4♣ to check on key cards is not sensible because the bid has so many other possible uses: a natural bid, a cue bid or a splinter for example. Indeed, on this very auction, North wants to bid 4♣ naturally.

Q

At our club, only one table reached a small slam on the following deal.



odds. To be honest, this is not such an easy hand to bid with complete confidence, though it seems a reasonable gamble if you can establish that South has six hearts headed by the K-Q.

♠ A K Q J 4 3 ♥ A 2 ♦ A 2 ♣ A 5 3

♣♦♥♠

Q

Playing SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card), what does a 1NT response (to 1♠) show? What does a 2-level bid by responder show in HCP? How should you bid the following hands?

N W E S



♠ 10 5 ♥ K Q J 8 6 4 ♦ 8 6 5 4 ♣ 6

How do you feel the bidding should go to arrive at a small slam or even a grand slam (North deals and opens 2♣)? Richard Collis, Cambridge.

A



Once upon a time, it was standard to play that if you gave a negative response to 2♣ and then jumped on the next round, you would be showing a semi-solid suit missing the ace. These days, it might be more common to play that auction as a splinter (if you have any agreement at all) and to give an immediate positive with a hand like South has here. Nowadays, the emphasis for giving a positive response has shifted from overall values to suit quality. Indeed, it is becoming common to play that you need two of the top three honours in your long suit. If the auction starts 2♣-2♥-2♠-3♥, North then has a good idea that South has six hearts to the K-Q. Even if South lacks the ♥J, 7NT basically needs a 3-2 heart split. Give South the ♥J or a seventh heart and it is almost laydown; even the ♥10 would improve the

♠ A Q J 7 2 ♥ A 8 3 ♦ A J 9 ♣ K 6 N W E S



♠ K 10 6 ♥ 6 5 ♦ K 5 4 3 ♣ A Q 5 2

Huw Jones, Swansea.

A

A 2-level response shows about 11 points or more in SAYC – what you might call limit raise values or the values for an old-fashioned non-forcing 2NT response. With 13 HCP, South is too good for a non-forcing 1NT response (which would show a maximum of 10 points) and should respond 2♣. In SAYC, opener’s jump to 3NT after the two-overone response shows 18-19 balanced, which describes the North hand nicely. South does not really have a good bid over that because I do not think 4♠ would be forcing. You might jump to 5♠ to invite a slam, which

Page 41

with good trumps and good controls North would accept. I am afraid there is not really a good answer. Many people have concluded that two-overone is better than SAYC, though playing two-overone as a game force does create other problems. ♣♦♥♠

Q

Partner dealt and, with the following hand, decided to reverse to show the extreme shape.



♠ K 4 ♥ Void ♦ K Q 9 6 3 ♣ A Q 8 7 4 2

I went slamming. Even though I had an opening hand too, we were missing too many important cards. What is the best opening for partner? Ken Davies, Birmingham.

A

The playing strength of your partner’s hand justifies reversing. If you use the losing trick count – which you do need to be cautious about before you have found a fit – the hand has only 3 losers – very strong for a one-level opening. Once opener shows 5-6 by opening in clubs and then bidding diamonds twice, responder needs to act accordingly. High cards in opener’s long suits will be useful. In the other suits, anything other than the ace is unlikely to be worth much. Indeed, on this occasion, even the ace of hearts might be of little use. It is that old adage – stay low on a misfit.

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Ask Julian continued

Q

After I opened 1♦, partner, with the following hand replied 2♣ leading to the auction below.



♠ Q 7 ♥ 9 7 6 3 ♦ 5 ♣ A K Q 9 4 3

Partner Me 1♦ 2♣ 2♥ 3♥ End

We missed game in hearts as I assumed partner had only three-card support. Should partner have bid 1♥ instead of 2♣? John Dunbar by email.

A

There are two points here before we get on to your question: 1. A reverse after a twolevel response should create a game force, so, even if you thought partner might have only three hearts, you should be finding a further bid. 2. Normally, since a second suit is often a four-card suit, raising the second suit shows four-card support. On this particular auction, when partner has so many other bids available, I would say it guarantees it. Without four-card support, responder would find some other bid, 2♠ (fourth suit), 2NT, 3♣ or 3♦, for example. No, partner should not respond 1♥: with longer and stronger clubs in a hand worth two bids, 2♣

seems clear-cut. With such disparity in the suits, many people would respond 2♣ even if the hand had nine points rather than eleven.

DECLARER PLAY QUIZ

♣♦♥♠

Q

Playing 4-card majors and Key-Card Blackwood, the following sequence arose:

by David Huggett (Answers overleaf)

Y

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

West East 1♥ 1♠ 2♦ 4NT ?

1.

As I had just one king, I was unsure which suit was trumps and hence what to do. John Martin, Glendale, Evanton, Scotland.

A

♠ K 7 3 2 ♥ Q 10 5 ♦ 8 7 4 ♣ A J 8

3.

N

N

W E

W E

S

For a start, it is best to bid 4NT only after the partnership has agreed a suit. Partner might have tried using fourth suit and then agreeing one of your suits. However, depending upon your next bid, I can see that there might not be space to do so below game. Partner could certainly have jumped to 4♦ to agree diamonds. Then, if you cue bid 4♥ or 4♠, it would be possible for him to bid 4NT next time. If your hand was such that you could not make a cue bid in either major, that alone might tell partner whether a slam is playable. Reverting to your main question, you have a choice. Either you say that Key-Card is off if you have no suit agreed or you say that the last suit bid is the trump suit, the latter being the way that most people ■ play it.



♠ A 9 4 ♥ A K J 8 ♦ 3 2 ♣ K Q 9 4

You are declarer in 4♥ and West leads the ♦K and follows up with the ♦Q and then the ♦J. How do you plan the play?

2.

♠ 8 6 4 ♥ K 2 ♦ A Q 3 ♣ A 10 9 6 4

S



4.

N

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

Page 43

You are declarer in 3NT and West leads the ♠5. East plays the ♠J. How do you plan the play?

♠ A 7 5 ♥ 8 4 ♦ K J 9 6 5 3 ♣ K 2 N

W E

S

♠ K Q 9 ♥ A Q J ♦ 9 7 4 2 ♣ Q J 7

♠ A Q 10 7 6 5 ♥ A K 3 ♦ 4 ♣ 7 6 5

You are declarer in 6♠ and West leads the ♦Q. How do you plan the play? (Trumps are 2-1).

W E



♠ K J 9 8 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A 8 5 3 ♣ A Q 9

S



♠ 8 2 ♥ A J 5 ♦ A 10 4 ♣ A 8 7 4 3

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

Answers to David Huggett’s  Play Quiz on page 43 1. ♠ K 7 3 2 ♥ Q 10 5 ♦ 8 7 4 ♣ A J 8 ♠ Q 10 8 N ♥ 3 2 W E ♦ K Q J 6 S ♣ 10 7 6 2 ♠ A 9 4 ♥ A K J 8 ♦ 3 2 ♣ K Q 9 4

♠ J 6 5 ♥ 9 7 6 4 ♦ A 10 9 5 ♣ 5 3

You are declarer in 4♥ and West leads the ♦K and follows up with the ♦Q and then the ♦J. How do you plan the play? You have done well to find the heart game and mustn’t spoil it by casual play. The diamond lead and continuation has threatened your trump holding and, indeed, if you ruff the third round of diamonds, you will be defeated whenever trumps break 4-2 because you will lose trump control. However, as you have a definite spade loser, just discard a low spade on the third round of diamonds. Now if the defence tries a fourth round of that suit you can ruff in dummy but maintain the trump length in hand. And then you can draw trumps.

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

You are declarer in 3NT and West leads

the ♠5. East plays the ♠J. How do you plan the play? If the club finesse works there will be no problem, so you have to assume that it doesn’t. If you win the opening lead and take a losing club finesse, you will be defeated every time West has led from a five-card suit headed by the ace. So why not duck. If East started with just two spades, he will have to switch suits when in with the king of clubs and, if he does have another spade, you can only lose three spades at most. You have to be careful though if West switches to a low diamond after winning the ace of spades, when you must be careful not to play the queen – either play the ace or duck completely.

A club back gives you the two tricks in the suit you were looking for while anything else gives you a ruff and discard when you make your last two trumps separately.

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

You are declarer in 3NT and West leads the ♥K. How do you plan the play? You might think it right to duck the opening lead, but that would be a big mistake if a spade switch was found, when you would have to find the queen of diamonds to make the contract. In fact, the contract is a certainty as long as you keep the hand on your right off lead. So win the ace of hearts and play a club to the king and run the nine of diamonds. If it wins, you will make an overtrick or two, while if it fails, you still have nine tricks via one spade, one heart, five diamonds and two clubs. Notice how important it was to keep the danger hand, East, off lead when a heart through from him would spell ■ defeat.

You are declarer in 6♠ and West leads the ♦Q. How do you plan the play? (Trumps are 2-1). This is an exercise in timing together with an endplay. It looks superficially as though you need the club finesse to work but, of course, that would be too easy. Win the ace of diamonds and ruff a diamond. Draw trumps ending in dummy and ruff another diamond, then play the top two hearts and ruff the third. Finally, you ruff the last diamond back to hand and lead a club to the nine. That will undoubtedly lose to the hand on your right but he will be totally endplayed.

Page 44

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

♠ K Q J 9 ♥ 9 7 ♦ Q 8 2 ♣ Q 10 9 5

BEGIN BRIDGE ACOL VERSION

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QPLUS 10 Really user-friendly bridge-playing software

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Date

VOYAGES TO ANTIQUITY ABTA No.Y2206

MAKING YOUR RESERVATION • Select your Voyages to Antiquity cruise and preferred cabin category. • Contact Mr Bridge office on 01483 489961 who can take care of your booking. • Once you have been given a booking reference number, please complete the booking form, as soon as possible to avoid delays, and send it with a 10% deposit to Voyages of Antiquity (UK) Ltd., 8 South Parade, Oxford, OX2 7JL. • An invoice will be issued within one week of confirmation and the balance of your holiday must be received 75 days before departure. • Your documents will be sent approximately two weeks before departure once full payment has been received.

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NB. If there is a change in the general health of any of the above named, medical advice should be sought before taking the proposed holiday. A medical certificate may be requested.

CALL

BRIDGE

OCT 4

OCT 5/6 OCT 7 OCT 8 OCT 9 OCT 10 OCT 11 OCT 12/13 OCT 14/15 OCT 15 OCT 16

Venice

Syracuse

Sea

Croatia Split Italy Dubrovnik Civitavecchia Korcula Rome Adriatic

Sorrento

Tyrrhenian Sea

Palermo

Sicily

Premium Outside from £2,895pp

Deluxe Balcony from £4,295pp

from £3,495pp

Deluxe Outside

£2,150pp

Standard Inside

£2,750pp

Extend your holiday with a hotel stay in Rome, please call for details

PAST PASSENGERS CAN SAVE EVEN MORE

NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Standard Outside

Premium Inside from £2,295pp

MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES

Fly to VENICE Italy Transfer to Aegean Odyssey overnight VENICE Italy overnight SPLIT Croatia KORCULA Croatia DUBROVNIK Croatia At Sea SYRACUSE Sicily PALERMO (Monreale) Sicily overnight SORRENTO (Pompeii) Italy overnight SORRENTO Italy CIVITAVECCHIA Italy Transfer to airport for flight home

13 days departing October 4, 2013

Mediterranean Sea

If undelivered or unwanted kindly return to Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey, GU21 2TH

fares from just £2,150 include:

ON 01483 489961

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

•FULL BRIDGE PROGRAMME •SCHEDULED FLIGHTS •EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES •SHORE EXCURSIONS IN ALL PORTS OF CALL •EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS •WINE WITH DINNER ON BOARD •OPEN-SEATING DINING • GRATUITIES ON BOARD •EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY

CRUISE FROMVENICE TO ANCIENT SICILYAND POMPEII

Enjoy a daily duplicate while exploring dramatic Croatia, monumental Sicily and the Amalfi Coast Spend two days exploring Venice then sail south via the Adriatic's beautiful cities and around the heel of Italy to Sicily. Visit the ancient Greek Theatre at Syracuse, the extraordinary Palatine Chapel in Palermo and explore the ruins of Pompeii from Sorrento while enjoying daily bridge.

Call Mr Bridge to reserve your cabin and take advantage of these special fares, or for a brochure to find out more about our ship, Aegean Odyssey.

www.mrbridge.co.uk

V OYAGES TO A NTIQUITY

All prices, savings and offers shown are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and available only on certain cabin grades and the sailings shown, and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Single accommodation is available only in certain categories, and subject to availability.

10093

ABTA No.Y2206