As summer starts making its way out, the Bridge Club will start to see a lot more activity, starting with the Junior Pairs on Tuesday, October 22 at 7pm, and then not long after that the welcome return of the Bermuda Sectional from October 25 to 28.

The Sectional will be chaired by our chief tournament director Peter Donnellan and the director-in-charge will be our own Jack Rhind who is an experienced American Contract Bridge League certified director – Jack has been involved in a number of big events here and abroad and makes an annual trip to Barbados where he directs their major annual tournament.

A provisional schedule has been released for the Sectional:

• Friday, October 25, 12.30pm, Open Pairs Single Session

• Saturday, October 26, 9.30am, Open Pairs Single Session

• Saturday, October 26, 2pm, Open Pairs Single Session

• Sunday, October 27, 1pm and 7.30pm, Open Teams Double Session

• Monday, October 28, 12.30pm, Open Pairs Single Session

If there is sufficient demand, a 99er game will be held on Saturday afternoon at 2pm, and a 0-5 MPs game for beginners will also be arranged at the same time. The entry fee per player is $15 per session. It is an ACBL requirement that players must be members of the ACBL. More on this later.

Today’s hand is an object lesson on planning the play as declarer, and avoiding what looks like the “obvious” play as that often leads to failure. See Figure 1.

In the auction, East did well not to raise hearts since his side could be doubled and held to five tricks in that denomination.

West led the Queen of hearts which declarer took in his hand with the king. Declarer counted six winners in the three Ace-King combinations. Most declarers would now immediately attack the club suit to set up four tricks in that suit – they will achieve that but will then go down in the contract!

One declarer realised that since he had only one heart stopper remaining, there was no point in attacking clubs immediately by playing Ace, King and another (because the defenders would clear the hearts and West would cash three heart winners after gaining the lead with the Ace of spades, for down one). Instead of attacking clubs, declarer found the subtle play of leading the nine of spades from hand at trick two!

West, who on the bidding certainly had the spade Ace, had no answer to this. If he rose with the Ace, declarer would have three spade tricks, two clubs, two hearts and two diamonds which is enough to make the game in notrumps.

At the table, West played low on the first round of spades, giving declarer a spade trick. Now declarer only needed two extra tricks from the club suit to make the contract. After playing King, Ace, and another club, declarer claimed nine tricks.

The play in spades is once again a “Morton’s Fork”. The first round of spades – provided declarer led the nine – offered West a choice of two losing options. In effect, declarer stole his ninth trick (the Queen of spades) and then went about establishing his seventh and eighth winners.

• David Ezekiel can be reached at davidezekiel999@gmail.com

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, October 4

1. Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

2. Margaret Way/Sancia Garrison

3. Rachael Gosling/Lisa Rhind

Monday, October 7

1. Stephanie Kyme/Margaret Way

2= Diana Diel/Patricia Siddle

2= Lorna Anderson/Heather Woolf

Tuesday, October 8

1. Caitlin Conyers/Kim Simmons

2. Joanne Edwards/Marion Ezedinma

East/West

1. Nikki Boyce/Carol Eastham

2. Vivian Pereira/John Thorne

Wednesday, October 9

1. Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

2. Betsy Baillie/Sharon Shanahan

3. Sheena Rayner/Molly Taussig

Thursday, October 10

1. John Glynn/Rachael Gosling

2. Claude Guay/Sharon Shanahan

3. Duncan Silver/Marion Silver