If this introduction looks familiar, it is, as it is a repeat of last week as we attempt to get a good response to the Audrey Grant Beginners Lessons, a series of 20 with Audrey coming down to the island to present the first four lessons herself!

Audrey’s lessons have set the standard for many years and in 2015 she was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame. She has authored or co-authored some of the best bridge instruction books in the game.

As if that is not enough, she is a charming and interesting speaker and the lessons will be fun – I had the pleasure of having Audrey on one of my panel shows at the Halifax Regional many years ago and she was brilliant.

The cost of all 20 lessons, including books and videos, is $100.

Audrey herself will give the first four lessons at the Bridge Club on September 14 at 3pm, September 15 at 2pm or 7pm, September 16 at 9.30am or 7pm, and September 17 at 2pm or 7pm. Each lesson will last two hours.

On Wednesday, September 18 at 7pm, there will be a playing lesson with demonstration hands and videos.

Lessons will then continue every Monday night with local teachers at 7pm, starting on September 23 and lasting for 16 weeks.

This is a hot ticket and I would urge you to sign up as soon as possible, or you will be disappointed. The lessons are open to all in Bermuda. Sign up at this link.

If you have any questions you can e-mail lessons@bermudabridge.com.

I encourage you to sign up to learn this amazing game no matter what your age group – once you get into it there is no going back, and as you go into your later years the game will keep you young, as it not only keeps the brain cells going but also the emotions, as your results will lead to joy, frustration, exhilaration and all the other stuff that comes from competing. Add to that the social aspect of meeting new people and making new friends and you will reap great benefits from playing.

Now to this week’s hand which is a simple one – for experts!

If you are an experienced, intermediate or an advanced player the hand can become fairly straightforward for you too, if you concentrate and take a good look at the key points in the play.

The key points in the play are:

• Understanding the power of the ruff and discard

• Recognising that you may have an unavoidable loser

• Getting the defence to help you by giving them that loser at the right moment after you have prepared the hand

With that in mind take a look at the hand in Figure 1 and try and work out the best play. The contract is six hearts and the defence leads the diamond Queen.

OK, the first thing to accept is that you have a certain diamond loser – the key suit is clearly clubs where you have to find the Queen – or maybe you can get the defence to do that for you?

And the way to do that is to “strip” the hand so that when the defence gets in they only have losing choices available to them.

So, win the diamond with the King, draw trumps in three rounds and now the key play: play King, Ace and ruff a spade to get rid of any safe exit cards for the defence. Now play Ace and another diamond and this is the position, in Figure 2.

The defenders, whether it be East or West are now in an impossible position which not even a screwdriver can extricate them from – if they lead a club they find the Queen for you, and if they lead a spade or a diamond you can discard a club from one hand and ruff in the other and your club loser disappears.

Take a look at this hand time and time again, and then once again, and get used to this play, as similar hands will come up more often than you think and you can earn bushels of points by finding the answer.

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

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, August 30

1. Stephanie Kyme-Diana Diel

2. Charles Hall-Rachael Gosling

3. Jack Rhind-Molly Taussig

Monday, September 2

North/South

1. Sheena Rayner-Magda Farag

2. Wendy Gray-Aida Bostelmann

East/West

1. Tracy Nash-Desmond Nash

2. Richard Hall-Heather Woolf

Tuesday, September 3

1. Malcolm Moseley-Mark Stevens

2. Jamie Sapsford-Jane Dowling

3. Barbara Elkin-Desiree Woods

Wednesday, September 4

North/South

1. Jane Smith Sancia Garrison

2. Betsy Baillie-Charles Hall

East/West

1. Stephen Cosham-Rachael Gosling

2. Sheena Rayner-Molly Taussig

Thursday, September 5

1. John Glynn-Rachael Gosling

2. Erika Jones-Delton Outerbridge

3=Peter Adhemar-Susan Adhemar

3=Claude Guay-Lisa Ferrari