A tough week of travel so here is one of the hands I keep in reserve as they contain lessons that just can’t be repeated often enough.

I don’t like calling declarer play hands “simple” as it appears a bit dismissive and may make a few players, who don’t see the simplicity, feel a bit inadequate.

This week’s hand, however, should be a sleepwalk for an expert, simple for an advanced player, tough for an intermediate and impossible for a beginner as beginners simply don’t like giving up tricks to the defence!

N/S Vul, Dealer South (see hand one).

North South reached the obvious six spades and West led the heart queen — what are the chances of making the contract?

With the hands being a mirror distribution there is a definite club loser and a guess in diamonds for the queen, so the beginner/intermediate may say it was 50 per cent. The better players will say 100 per cent, which it is !!

The play is straightforward: win the heart, draw trumps, cash the other heart and now play ace, king and another club to put the defence on lead in this position (see hand two).

No matter which opponent wins the third club they have to either lead a diamond, which provides no losers in that suit, or lead a heart or club, which provides a ruff and discard for declarer and the same result — slam made!

So, how difficult did you find the hand? The answer may tell you how much work you still have to do!

RESULTS

For week of September 9

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. William Pollett/Molly Taussig

2. Alan Douglas/Ruby Douglas

3. Richard Gray/Sheena Rayner

East/West

1. Diana Diel/Linda Pollett

2. Wendy Gray/Diana Downs

3. Sue Hodge/John Hodge

Tuesday evening junior game

North/South

1. Malcolm Moseley/Mark Stevens

2. Judy Canale/Vivian Pereira

East/West

1. Sandra Ogden/George Ogden

2. Stuart Clare/Sarah Bowers

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Alan Douglas/Rosemary Smith

2. D. Diel/S. Kyme/W. Pollett/L. Pollett

East/West

1. Martha Ferguson/Judy King

2. Patricia Siddle/Julia Beach

3. Sancia Garrison/Molly Taussig

Thursday evening

1. Margaret Way/Diana Diel

2. Peter Donnellan/Lynanne Bolton

3. Betsy Baillie/Lisa Ferrari

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. William Pollett/Peter Donnellan

2. George Correia/Molly Taussig

3. Margaret Way/Stephanie Kyme

East/West

1. Sue Hodge/John Hodge

2. Gertrude Barker/ Diana Diel

3. Lorna Anderson/Joyce Pearson