The second session of the Open Teams took place last Friday and the event was convincingly won by the first session leaders, Marge Way, Jean Johnson, Roman Smolski and Misha Novakovic.

The winners had a 17 Victory Point lead at the halfway stage which they extended by compiling 78 vp out of a possible 100 which was 25 vp ahead of the second placed team of Joe Wakefield, Tony Saunders, David Sykes and Charles Hall.

These were undoubtedly the two teams to beat in the six-team field and the winners did it in style by winning all five of their matches — interestingly, all the other five teams had two wins each!

Well done to the winners all of whom hold multiple titles at the Bridge Club.

Next up is the Ernie Owen Individual on November 4 at 7.30pm, an event held to commemorate one of the best players to have played in Bermuda. Ernie was my partner for years and was a great bidding theorist and innovator and we had a long and successful partnership. The event is one of the more enjoyable championship events so sign up at the Club.

This week’s hand is a really easy one to play at Teams where making the contract is all that counts, but an absolute nightmare at Pairs where the all important overtrick is dangled in front of you!

You open the South hand One Spade and very quickly find yourself in 6 Spades and West leads a Heart. The play at Teams is easy and you can guarantee your contract, despite it looking like you might have to guess in Diamonds — you simply arrange for the opponents to help you! Win the Heart, draw trumps, cash the other heart and now play the Ace and King of Clubs. If the Queen drops you can guess in Diamonds for an overtrick, but assuming it doesn’t you simply exit with the third club to leave this position.

The opponents now have to lead Diamonds for you or give you a ruff and discard — slam made!

But what if you reach this slam in pairs? How do you play it then? What if the Club Queen is sitting under the Ace Jack, you can take the Club finesse and then guess Diamonds for an overtrick?!

My advice is to play the hand the same way to make it — no making slam is a bad board in a pairs game. Also, to make all 13 tricks you need the Club Queen to be right (50%) and then guess Diamonds right (another 50%) so the play for the overtrick is a 25% shot and you are risking going down whereas the other play gives you a guarantee.

The full hand:

If you take the Club finesse and it loses the defence plays a Club back to you and now you have to guess Diamonds …. not nice! So, the recommended play at Pairs is the same as at Teams!