There is a slight lull in the action at the Bridge Club but we are still in the middle of the Spring tournament season and the Mixed Pairs and Non-Life Master Pairs are both on the April schedule.

The mixed pairs will be held on Monday, April 11 and Friday, April 15 at 7.30pm with a deadline of April 8 for signing up at the club.

The Non-Life Master Pairs will be held on Thursdays, April 21 and 28 with a deadline of April 20. This event is open to all players with less than 300 Master Points recorded at the start of the event.

If you have any doubts about your eligibility, one of the directors will check for you.

This week’s hand features one of my favourite bridge coups, the Morton’s Fork, where a defender is faced with two options — both of them losing ones.

With that as a hint see how you would have played this hand.

N/S Vulnerable — Dealer South

NORTH

S A8

H K764

D A5

C AJ1053

SOUTH

S K74

H Q5

D KQ743

C KQ6

South as dealer opened a 15-17 NT and West jumped to three Hearts, presumably showing a good seven-card suit.

North looked at the vulnerability and took the decision not to double (3 Hearts would probably go 4 down for 800) but to go for the vulnerable slam.

West led the Spade Jack and declarer had to do some thinking — as do you so get going.

Ready? Declarer had 11 tricks and was looking for a 12th. If Diamonds break 3-3 it is all easy but after the pre-empt, that looks unlikely. I, declarer gives up a Diamond that still only leaves 11 tricks — 2 Spades, 4 Diamonds and 5 Clubs — and nowhere to go for a 12th.

This Declarer, however, found a neat solution based on the likelihood that East had either no Hearts or possibly one. Let me show you the full hand:

The full hand

NORTH

S A8

H K764

D A5

C AJ1053

EAST

S Q9652

H None

D J982

C 9842

WEST

S J103

H AJ109832

D 106

C 7

SOUTH

S K74

H Q5

D KQ743

C KQ6

Declarer won the Spade in his hand and led. The Heart 5 — West was stuck in the Morton’s Fork. If he won, the Ace declarer had 12 tricks with 2 Spades, 2 Hearts, 3 Diamonds and 5 Clubs, so he ducked.

Declarer won the King and now played on Diamonds giving East the 4th Diamond — with no Hearts to return declarer made the hand with 2 Spades, one Heart, 4 Diamonds and 5 Clubs.

I’ll say it again — what a beautiful and unfathomable game this is.