Not a ton happening at the Club, with STAC from May 7-11 and then the two-session Non-Life Master Pairs will be held on Saturday May 19, with a 9.30am start and the second session after a short lunch break.

The event is open to all players with fewer than 300 Master Points. Now to the hand which is one of those that players will rarely ever get right at the table but may well get right when they see it in a newspaper because….they might actually think about their play. Warning, this is not an easy one.

N/S Vul East Dealer - Teams

SAJ63

H10

DAK5

CA8762

SKQ2

H7

DJ87643

CKJ4

East opened three hearts and after South passed West raised to 4 hearts — North made a takeout double and South’s 5 diamond bid bought the contract.

West leads a heart to East’s king and East returned the spade 10 — over to you and remember, this is teams and all you want to do is find the best play to ensure your contract.

South won the spade and played a low diamond to the ace — down one. East showed out and the contract slid to defeat.

The full hand:

SAJ63

H10

DAK5

CA8762

S8754 S109

HQ654 HAKJ9832

DQ1092 DNone

C10 CQ953

SKQ2

H7

DJ87643

CKJ4

Now do you see the right play? No? Try again.

Lead the three of diamonds and when West plays the 2 you insert the 5.

This will usually lose to the 9, 10 or queen on your right but at least the suit is breaking no worse than 3-1 and your contract is assured as the diamonds are now coming in.

On the actual hand, the 5 holds the trick and the contract makes.

Notice that the correct play from West is the two of diamonds — if he plays the nine you can now always keep your diamond

losers to one by coming back to hand and playing the jack and now West can never get two tricks.

Would you have got it at the table? Liar!

Next question, how would you play 5 diamonds if it was Pairs and not Teams and over-tricks were important?

Well, I think you play Ace and go down one. The odds favour the diamonds breaking or a singleton queen in one hand, so I think that is the right play at Pairs, but not at Teams, where making the contract is all that counts.

Not easy at the table, but that is what separates the experts from the rest as they will always get these right.

They will see that the only problem is the trump suit and then once they concentrate on that they find the right play.

Bridge results (week of April 23, 2018)

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Edward Betteto/Charles Hall

2. Louise Rodger/Lyn O’Neill

3. Julia Patton/Jeanette Shaw

East/West

1. Patricia Siddle/Margaret Way

2. Diana Diel/Molly Taussig

3. Martha Ferguson/Judy King

Monday evening

1. Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

2. David Sykes/Edward Betteto

3/4. Alan Douglas/Jane Smith

3/4. Peter Donnellan/Lynanne Bolton

Tuesday evening

1. Katyna Rabain/Louise Payne

2. Gina Graham/Felicity Lunn

3. Sarah Lorimer Turner/Diana Downs

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Judith Bussell/Diana Diel

2. Louise Rodger/Dorry Lusher

3. Alan Douglas/Jane Smith

East/West

1. Molly Taussig/Charles Hall

2. Edward Betteto/David Pickering

3. Jean Johnson/Linda Pollett

Thursday evening

North/South

1. Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

2. Judith Bussell/Diana Diel

3. Alan Douglas/Richmond Simmons

East/West

1. John Glynn/Rachael Gosling

2. Richard Hall/James Fraser

3. Claude Guay/Sharon Shanahan

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Joseph Wakefield/Jean Johnson

2. Marilynn Simmons/Magda Farag

3. Peter Donnellan/Edward Betteto

East/West

1. Stephanie Kyme/Diana Diel

2. Alan Douglas/Jane Smith

3. Patricia Siddle/Julia Beach