IT’S been another busy week at the Bridge Club with a series of STAC games where players can earn precious masterpoints aplenty.I love declarer play hands where a player makes a seemingly hopeless contract by sheer hard work — thinking out how he needs the opposing cards to lie and then playing the hand accordingly.

Put yourself in the place of Chinese declarer Zy Shih, who was playing six clubs and found one declarer with A10942 of the trump suit! Would you have kept your nerve and concentration?

The hand came up in a Swiss Teams Event.

Round 1. Board 6. Dealer East.

E/W Vulnerable.North<$>

[spade]A K 8 5

[heart]K 9 7 4

[diamond]A J

[club]K 6 3

West East

[spade]Q J 9 7 6 2 [spade]10 4

[heart]J 6 5 [heart]8 3 2

[diamond]Q 10 8 6 [diamond]5 4 2

[club]— [club]A 10 9 4 2

South

[spade]3

[heart]A Q 10

[diamond]K 9 7 3

[club]Q J 8 7 5

West North East South

— Chen<$> — Shih<$>

— — Pass 1[club] (1)

1[spade] Double (2) Pass 2[club] (3)

Pass 2[heart] (4) Pass 3[diamond]

Pass 6[club] Pass Pass

Pass1. Many hand types

2. Negative

3. 4/5 in the minors

4. Forcing

The bidding wasn’t elegant, but Steve Chen and Zy Shih’s six clubs was a respectable contract — one that was missed frequently. Shih had his work cut out for him with trumps five-zero, but he started well by winning the spade lead in dummy, discarding a diamond on the spade king, crossing to hand with the heart ace, and leading a low club to the king.

East took the ace to play a second heart to the ten, jack and king. The six of clubs was covered by the nine and jack and declarer cashed the heart queen before leading a diamond to dummy’s jack. He needed East to be precisely 2=3=3=5, and could not afford to ruff a diamond in dummy as he needed to preserve dummy’s last trump to lead through East.

When the diamond finesse worked, Shih led the club three to his even, crossed to the diamond ace, and led the 13th heart from dummy. East could ruff and be overruffed, or discard his diamond and succumb to a trump coup at trick 12, declarer discarding the diamond king on the long heart. There was no defence in the end game, and once declarer started clubs as he did, it would not have helped East to withhold the ace of clubs.

A beautiful piece of declarer play!

LATEST RESULTS

Bermuda Bridge Club

Monday, May 23, afternoon, N/S: 1. Sara Zug-Mary Arton, 2. Anne Edwards-Patricia Riding. E/W: 1. Aida Bostelmann-Gwen Christensen, 2. Brenda Gordon-George Gordon.

Monday evening: 1. Charles Gambrill-Anthony Saunders, 2. Dan McCleary-Don Airey, 3. Barry Rahman-David Pereira.

Wednesday afternoon, N/S: 1. Gwen Christensen-Alice Palmer, 2. Louise Rodger-Barbara Huntington, 3. Jane Smith-Magda Farag. E/W: 1. Mona Marie Gambrill-Julia Beach, 2. Michael Bickley-Dorry Lusher, 3. Tommie Ryan-Dolly Winwick.

Wednesday evening, N/S: 1. Laura Patriciu-Dee Griffiths, 2. Florin Patriciu-Annabella Fraser, 3. Mark Richardson-Elizabeth Raben. E/W: 1. Jeanette Shaw-Cliff Alison, 2. Sally Godet-Scott Godet, 3. Tommie Ryan-Sid Lowry.

Mixed Pairs:<$> 1. Rachael Gosling-Craig Hutton, 2. Janice Trott-Harry Kast, 3. Vera Petty-Roman Smolski, 4. Lynanne Bolton-Steve Ball, 5. Gertie Barker-David Pereira, 6. Elizabeth McKee-Stephan Juliusburger.

Monday, May 30, afternoon, N/S: 1. Peggy Sinclair-Charles Gambrill, 2. Dolly Winwick-Dorothy Moir, 3. Peggy Thompson-Gillian Gray. E/W: 1. Aida Bostelmann-Anne Edwards, 2. Bill McLaughlin-Janet McLaughlin, 3. Pat Siddle-Vivian Siddle.

Wednesday afternoon, N/S: 1= Gillian Gray-Mary Arton, Joan Sims-Gwen Christensen, 3. Louise Rodger-Barbara Huntington. E/W: Lynanne Bolton-Greta Marshall, 2. Elizabeth McKee-Sheena Rayner, 3. Julia Beach-Mona Marie Gambrill.

Wednesday evening, N/S<$>: 1. Dee Griffiths-Florin Patriciu, 2= Christine Ambrosini-Wendy Salvia, Trish Moody-Mark Richardson. E/W: 1. Don Airey-Russell Craft, 2. Jane McCleary-Dan McCleary, 3. Susan Holland-Marika Peterich.

Friday, World-wide Pairs<$>: 711 Joseph Wakefield-Stephan Juliusburger, 908 Marilyn Simmons-Richard Simmons, 1098 Lyn O’Neill-Audrey Smith, 1100 Vera Petty-Roman Smolski.

Saturday, World-wide Pairs<$>: 4 Vera Petty-Roman Smolski, 811 Mona Marie Gambrill-Charles Gambrill, 1445 Lynanne Bolton-Steve Ball, 1990 Marilyn Simmons-Richard Simmons.