The return to physical play at the Bridge Club went well last Wednesday, and the Club is now open for the game schedule that applied pre the lockdown/quarantine. It has been a long time since the regular games, so here is a reminder!

• Monday at 12.30pm

• Tuesday: 149er Newcomer/Junior Game at 7pm

• Wednesday at 9.30am

• Thursday at 7.30pm

• Friday at 12.30pm

The games are open to all fully immunised players, with some restrictions applying to those who have had recent travel or have been in contact with someone who has. Whilst I am sure that the online games will remain popular, members will hopefully get back in the swing of things and the games will revive the social aspect of playing bridge.

Some bridge hands can be hugely exciting and I just love today’s hand, as there will be few better examples of avoiding reflex plays and of the need to plan the play of the hand before playing a card at trick one (see Figure 1).

This deal was played in a team match with identical auctions – West opened 1 heart, double by North, 2 hearts by East and South’s 4 spade bid closed the auction – the lead at both tables was the King of hearts.

At the first table, declarer won with the Ace of hearts and ruffed a heart. Then, after drawing trumps with the Queen and King, he led the Queen of diamonds and ran it when West played low. This proved to be a disaster as East won the trick with the King of diamonds and shifted to the jack of clubs. The defenders took three club tricks to defeat the contract.

You could argue that this was bad luck but, at the second table, declarer did not believe in being unlucky when it could be avoided. After taking a good look at dummy before playing to the opening lead his opening move was to allow the King of hearts to win the first trick!

West, noting his partner’s nine of hearts, shifted to a diamond at trick two. Alas, it was a trick too late, for declarer rose with the Ace of diamonds, drew trumps with the king and queen. Next, he threw his Queen of diamonds on the Ace of hearts and led the Jack of diamonds.

East covered this with the King and declarer ruffed. After crossing back to dummy with a trump to the Jack, declarer threw two low clubs on the good jack and eight of diamonds. Then declarer led a club to his King and West’s Ace before claiming ten tricks: six spades, three diamonds and a heart.

Note that if West had held the King of diamonds and had won the sixth trick while declarer threw a club on the Jack of diamonds, the defenders would still have made only three tricks no matter how the play proceeded: one trick in each of hearts, diamonds and clubs.

This resulted in a huge gain on the hand and it was more than fully deserved.

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Monday, June 7

1. Lynanne Bolton - Peter Donnellan

2. Aida Bostelmann - Heather Woolf

3. Sue Hodge - John Hodge

Tuesday, June 8

1. Veronica Boyce - Carol Eastham

2. Malcolm Moseley - Mark Stevens

3. Jean Schilling - Tim Mardon

Wednesday, June 9

North/South

1. Wendy Gray - Richard Gray

2. Heather Woolf - Peter Donnellan

3. Molly Taussig - Tony Saunders

East/West

1. Marge Way - Charles Hall

2. Gertie Barker - Jane Smith

3. Pat Siddle - Julia Beach

Thursday 10 June

1. Elizabeth McKee - Linda Pollett

2. Lynanne Bolton - Peter Donnellan

3. Marge Way - Misha Novakovic

Friday 11 June

North/South

1. Heather Woolf - Jack Rhind

2. Julia Beach - Pat Colmet

3. Molly Taussig - John Glynn

East/West

1. Jane Smith - Alan Douglas

2. Judy Bussell - Dorry Lusher

3. Marge Way - Ed Betteto