One of the challenges faced by the powers that be in the bridge world is in getting bridge to be a spectator sport – it is a great spectator sport on vu-graph when playing Teams, as there is an instant comparison between the two rooms, but it fails when it comes to Pairs bridge.

The reason, of course, is that players play 24 or 26 hands and no one has any clue on how they are doing, players or spectators, until the three-hour session is over, and that does not appeal to viewers.

There have been experiments with “barometer scoring”, where all the pairs play the same hand at the same time and the scores are updated and displayed after every round, but that takes a ton of work and preparation and as such is a rare occurrence.

On BridgeBase Online, however, if you play their Instant Pairs Tournament you see where you stand in position and percentage after each hand – that inserts a new excitement to the game and, as you will see below, can make a difference to how one bids or plays a hand.

I rarely cover hands I play in this column, but I got a real kick out of this hand (see Figure 1) from a BBO Instant Tournament last week – as I wrote above, in these tournaments you get to see where you stand after each hand and I was in second place going into the last board and this little number came up. The declarer play is the main focus but at the end of the column I discuss some bidding nuances from the hand.

I opened one spade, partner raised to two spades and I bid the spade game.

The contract looked normal and I figured the whole room would be in it and a couple might even be in the spade slam – I couldn’t do anything about the slammers, but I just needed to beat all the others who got to four spades and hope that the player lying first was among them!

West led a trump to the King and my Ace and now the hand was cold for an overtrick and it looked like the only hope to make 12 tricks was if West had the club Ace in front of your King – which you don’t really want as that means that those that get to shaky slam (needing both the club Ace and spade King lying kindly) will make 12 tricks.

The club play is, of course, a 50-50 chance and I could not see myself gaining on the first-placed player if that was the only play available.

With this lead, however, I realised there was another 50-50 chance which probably would not be spotted by many and was only really available after the spade lead – once I saw it I had to go for it, as one of my dad’s favourite sayings was: “Second place is great, but only if you gave everything to try and come first – never settle for second.” My Dad was never wrong … … or so he assured us!

Do you see the play?

I drew one more trump and at trick three played a low diamond to the ten! When this held the rest was easy – cash the diamond Ace, come to the heart, cash two diamonds throwing two clubs, and this is the situation (see Figure 2).

Now just give up a club and claim 12 tricks – a complete top and, thankfully, first place was the reward.

A couple of things to note in the play and the bidding – note that this play does not jeopardise the overtrick as East can’t attack the club King – even if the diamond loses to the Jack all the defence can now do is cash a club, leaving you with 11 tricks.

Now to the bidding – distribution and ruffing values play a huge part in the power of a hand and a nine or ten card trump fit is very powerful.

So, with all my partners I ask that an immediate raise of one heart – two hearts or one spade – two spades always promises at least four-card support. With three-card support bid a forcing 1NT first, and then show three-card support on your next turn to bid.

So if partner opens one spade and you have the North hand above your bid is two spades.

If however your hand was that shown in Figure 3:

You bid 1NT (forcing) first and then show your spade support later, and that promises three-card support.

This does not apply when opponents interfere – so with this hand if RHO bids two diamonds over your partner’s one spade opening, you have no choice but to bid two spades.

Read it, absorb it and I guarantee it will help a ton in your bidding – and defence!

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

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, November 29

North/South

1. Stephanie Kyme/Diana Diel

2. Bud Feron/Tim O’Regan

3. Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

East/West

1. Charles Hall/Molly Taussig

2. Sancia Garrison/Elysa Burland

3. Rachael Gosling/Erika Jones

Monday, December 2

North/South

1= William Pollet/Wendy Gray

1= Patrick Cerra/Barbara Cerra

3. Sheena Rayner/Magda Farag

East/West

1. Peter Donnellan/Lynanne Bolton

2. Elysa Burland/Molly Taussig

3. Judith Kitson/Gill Butterfield

Tuesday, December 3

North/South

1. John Thorne/Vivian Pereira

2. Julia Tadman/Joshimor Hussey

East/West

1= Jean Schilling/Catherine Kennedy

1= Ben Stone/James Fielding

Wednesday, December 4

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

2. Rachael Gosling/ Stephanie Kyme

East/West

1. Margaret Way/Charles Hall

2. Louise Rodger/Molly Taussig

Thursday, December 5

1. John FW Glynn/Rachael Gosling

2. Charles Hall/Stephanie Kyme

3. Judy King/Martha Ferguson