In the early days of contract bridge, when Ely Culbertson and Charles Goren were playing and developing the game, bridge was popular enough to appear on the front pages of the newspapers on a regular basis.

That changed and soon it was just in the bridge columns, and now even that has disappeared from some newspapers.

Well, of late bridge has again hit the mainstream press with coverage in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, but for all the wrong reasons. The coverage is all about the plethora of cheating scandals and accusations at the top of the game with a mix of established names and surprising newcomers being accused or implicated.

When I was playing a lot of competitive bridge in the late Seventies and early Eighties, cheating was rife at all the top levels of the game — hardly a day went by without an incident at a tournament and the atmosphere was really uncomfortable.

It got to the stage where players avoided lighting up a cigarette during the game for fear of being accused of sending a message. Every word or action was suspect and it put a lot of top players off the game.

Then came a real clean-up — prosecutions and suspension of leading pairs, the introduction of bidding boxes and screens and a focus on active ethics all made a huge difference and for a while it looked like the cheats had been licked.

They now appear to be back in high places and the hope is that those found to be cheating will be swiftly and harshly dealt with and should be left no route back into the game.

Stay tuned, as there is a lot about to happen in the next few months as many of these instances come to light.

Before I get to the hand, the talk of smoking reminds me, totally unrelated to this topic, of a funny incident when I was partnering Colin Millington (surely one of the best players to play in Bermuda) at the World Championship in Seattle in, I think, 1984.

When Colin was declarer he would go into deep thought and just by reflex would reach out and light a cigarette while he was thinking — well, against the Australians Colin was clearly presented with a difficult declarer play problem as halfway through the hand one of our opponents pointed out that he had three cigarettes going at the same time!

Now to the hand, which is one of those that players will rarely ever get right at the table but may well get right when they see it in a newspaper because they might actually think about their play.

•N/S Vul East Dealer — Teams

NORTH

S AJ63

H 10

D AK5

C A8762

SOUTH

S KQ2

H 7

D J87643

C KJ4

East opened three hearts and after South passed West raised to four Hearts — North made a takeout double and South’s five Diamond bid bought the contract.

West lead a heart to East’s King and East returned the spade ten — over to you and remember, this is teams and all you want to do is find the best play to ensure your contract.

South won the spade and played a low diamond to the Ace — down one. East showed out and now the contract slid to defeat.

The full hand:

NORTH

S AJ63

H 10

D AK5

C A8762

EAST

S 109

H AKJ9832

D None

CQ953

WEST

S 8754

H Q654

DQ1092

C10

SOUTH

S KQ2

H 7

D J87643

C KJ4

Now do you see the right play? No? Try again. Lead the three of Diamonds and when West plays the two you insert the five.

This will usually lose to the nine, ten or Queen on your right but at least the suit is breaking no worse than 3-1 and your contract is assured as the diamonds are now coming in. On the actual hand the five holds the trick and the contract makes.

Notice that the correct play from West is the two of diamonds — if he plays the nine you can now always keep your diamond losers to one by coming back to hand and playing the jack and now West can never get two tricks. Would you have got it at the table? Liar! Next question — how would you play five diamonds if it was pairs and not teams and overtricks were important?

Well, I think you play Ace and go down one. The odds favour the diamonds breaking or a singleton queen in one hand, so that is the right play at pairs, but not at teams, where making the contract is all that counts.

Not easy at the table, but that is what separates the experts from the rest as they will always get these right.