This week’s column is all about the results of the local (and ex-local) players at the Bermuda Regional which concluded last week and as good a job as Kathy Keane and her team did away from the table, the local players tried to match it with their results. Set out below are the results of all the locals who had an overall win in one of the two session events, and there were a lot of them!

SUNDAY RR TEAMS, BKT 3

Mona Marie Gambrill, Washington, DC; Patricia Siddle, Hamilton, Bermuda; Gill Gray — Dorry Lusher, Pembroke, Bermuda

SUNDAY RR TEAMS, BKT

Rachael Gosling — John F.W. Glynn, Paget, Bermuda; Simon Giffen, Hamilton, Bermuda; Elizabeth McKee, Devonshire, Bermuda

SUNDAY RR TEAMS, BKT 2

Jane Smith, Flatts, Bermuda; Gertrude Barker, Warwick, Bermuda; Sheena Rayner, Smiths, Bermuda; Magda Farag, Hamilton, Bermuda

MON-TUE CHAMPIONSHIP

PAIRS STRATUM C

Stephan Juliusburger, Miami FL; Kevin Comeau, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

MON-TUE CHAMPIONSHIP

PAIRS STRATUM B

Stephan Juliusburger, Miami, FL; Kevin Comeau, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

WED-THU BERMUDA

GOLD PAIRS STRATUM 1

Peter Donnellan — Paul Thompson, Warwick, Bermuda

WED-THU CHAMPIONSHIP

PAIRS STRATUM C

Stephan Juliusburger, Miami, FL; Kevin Comeau, Rancho Santa Fe, CA

WED-THU CHAMPIONSHIP

PAIRS STRATUM B

David Sykes, Flatts, Bermuda; David Cordon, Warwick, Bermuda

WED-THU CHAMPIONSHIP

PAIRS STRATUM A

David Sykes, Flatts, Bermuda; David Cordon, Warwick, Bermuda

FRIDAY SWISS STRATUM A/X

G.S. Jade Barrett — Karen Lee Barrett, Elk Point, SD; Roman Smolski, Warwick, Bermuda, Donna Lombardini, Alcester, SD

CHAMPIONSHIP KO, BKT 1

Cookie Potter, Boca Grande, FL; Kevin Dwyer, Melbourne, FL; Shan Huang, Toronto, ON; McKenzie Myers, Seatac, WA; Alan Douglas, Smith’s, Bermuda

BERMUDA NEWCOMERS

(0-20) (Bermuda Trophy)

John Luebkemann 7.63

BERMUDIANS

(Norman Bach Trophy)

Roman Smolski 67.56 (67.56)

These are all excellent results, as are any that win overall, but a few really catch the eye — the excellent results in the Monday-Tuesday game and the Wednesday-Thursday game from ex residents Kevin Comeau and Stephan Juliusburger, the classy A and B wins from David Sykes and David Cordon in the Championship Pairs, and the Knockout Teams win for Alan Douglas with four visitors are all really noteworthy.

In the weekly rankings Roman Smolski took the Norman Bach for the umpteenth (11th?) time and the excellent performance by John Luebkemann in collecting 7.63 master points in the newcomer games are again worthy of further mention.

Away from the overalls a few newcomer performances deserve mention- Annabelle Mann and Willi Christensen had a fine section 2nd in the Charity, David Pickering and Betty Ann Sudbury followed up their 80 per cent-plus game at the Club with a 74.67 per cent game at the Regional, Joyce Pearson and Gloria Rego also had a good win in a side game and to top it off Mike Viotti, who has introduced the Saltus students to the game but is a newcomer himself had an excellent 3rd place finish in the Bermuda Gold pairs after being in the lead at the halfway point!

I also thought I saw the four Saltus youngsters collect .20 mp each in the Charity game!

And John Luebkemann was not alone in gathering in the master points during the week (he had 7.63) with newcomers Viotti on 6.90, Lisa Ferrari on 6.59, Keith Smith on 5.97 and Betty Ann Sudbury and David Pickering earning 5.54 — great going!

Hopefully this will encourage the newcomer group to try and bring this success to the Club games!

I try and avoid hands in this column that require knowledge of card combinations, but at the same time I have to encourage you to train yourself into trying to work out different distributions until one day they become almost automatic — I really do!

You pick up this hand in third seat at the Swiss Teams event, all vulnerable (S) KJ98763 (H) AK (D) AK (C) 76 and you make the practical bid of 4 Spades and all pass — partner, as usual, gives you very little!

(S) 104; (H) Q875; (D) Q753; (C) 542

(S) KJ98763; (H) AK; (D) AK; (C) 76

West leads the Ace King and a third Club which you ruff — over to you maestro! How do you play the Spade suit? What is your best chance?

Play for a singleton Ace by leading a low Spade from hand, play for a singleton Queen by leading the King, or something else?

Okay, let’s try and work it out — now stay with me on this! East or West can hold any of these Spade combinations of the four missing Spades:

AQ52; AQ5; AQ2; A52; AQ; A5; A2; Q5; Q2; 52; A; Q; 5; 2

The thing to realise here is that, with no entry to dummy, even if you are clever enough to play a low Spade and find one of the opponents with the singleton Ace — it doesn’t help!

You still have another Spade to lose as one opponent is still left with Qx and you have another trump to lose — down one!

Yes, the ONLY distribution that lets you hold your Spade losers to one is if either opponent holds the singleton Queen! Having worked this out like the clever bunny you are, you lay down the King at trick three and are justly rewarded! The full hand:

(S) 104; (H) Q875; (D) Q753; (C) 542

(S) Q; (S) A52; (H) J1032; (H) 964; (D) J842;

(D) 1096; (C) AK83; (C) QJ109

(S) KJ98763; (H) AK; (D) AK; (C) 76

Really not that difficult is it? Amazing what a little bit of extra effort and clear thinking can do for you!