Christmas and New Year on board mv Discovery

BRIDGE
Number Ninety-six
August 2009
Christmas and New Year on board mv Discovery
Cruising from India to the East
See overleaf for further details
EX
TR
A
5%
D
M IS
EM CO
BE VE
RS RY
SA C
VE LU
AN B
SAVE UP TO £900 PER PERSON*
ITINERARY
NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT ON
SELECTED CATEGORY I & G CABINS
19 December 2009 – 18 days
An exotic 18-day cruise
to India & the East
Celebrate Christmas and New Year on board mv Discovery and enjoy the charms
of this captivating region on an exceptional value cruise.
MV DISCOVERY
MR BRIDGE
Starting with two days in vibrant Mumbai,
this itinerary takes in two further calls in
India: Marmagao, where
Hindu and Catholic
heritage co-exist amid
legacies of the Portuguese
colonials, and Cochin, the
Queen of the Arabian Sea.
Aromatic herbs in the
bazaars of Colombo will
awaken your senses whilst
the idyllic beaches of
Chennai and Phuket are sure to appeal. We
will also visit Kuala Lumpur where the views
from the twin Petronas towers reveal a city of
parks and meandering avenues. In Singapore,
we’ll seek out brightly coloured temples,
explore museums that explain the island’s
multi-cultural heritage and stroll through the
Historic District.
Alison Nicolson and her team will look after you on this
18-day voyage. The evening sessions will be split into
two with the first finishing in
time for those wishing to see
the evening show. In addition
to bridge every evening, there
will be morning seminars and
afternoon bridge sessions,
which are held while the ship
is at sea, so everyone can
enjoy the ports of call.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• All meals, entertainment and gratuities on board
• All port and pre-paid airport taxes • Flights from/to
UK • Overseas transfers between airport and ship
• Comprehensive guest speaker programme
• Christmas dinner and New Year’s Party on board
• All bridge activities • All prices on board in
British pounds
INSIDE CABIN
Now from £1,795PP
OUTSIDE CABIN
Now from £1,995PP
Bridge Hosts: Alison and Norman Nicolson
Date
Port
Dec 19 2009 Depart UK by air
Dec 20
MUMBAI, India
Arrive and transfer to
mv Discovery
Dec 21
MUMBAI, India
Dec 22
MARMAGAO, India
Dec 23
Cruise the Arabian Sea
Dec 24
COCHIN, India
Dec 25
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka
Dec 26
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka
Dec 27
Cruise the Indian Ocean
Dec 28
CHENNAI, India
(formerly Madras)
Dec 29-30
Cruise the Indian Ocean
& Andaman Sea
Dec 31
PHUKET, Thailand
Jan 1 2010
PENANG, Malaysia
Jan 2
PORT KELANG
(Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia
Jan 3
SINGAPORE
Jan 4
SINGAPORE
Disembark and transfer
to airport for overnight
flight home
All Mr Bridge passengers, who have paid the
bridge deposit, will be eligible to participate in the
after first-sitting dinner bridge programme. There
will also be a quiz and exclusive bridge parties. The
bridge programme is fully optional and you may
participate as much or as little as you wish. Mr
Bridge actively encourages singles to join the party
and you will always be found a partner for a game.
DUPLICATE BRIDGE GUARANTEED
YOUR MONEY AND HOLIDAY ARE FULLY PROTECTED
NO FUEL SURCHARGES – GUARANTEED
Fare shown is per person based on two people sharing lowest twin-bedded cabin category and includes all applicable discounts
for new bookings. *£900 per person saving refers to Category K off the early booking fare as featured in the April 2009 to May
2010 Voyages of Discovery brochure. All offers are capacity controlled, subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any
time. No single supplement on selected category I and G cabins and is capacity controlled. Terms and conditions apply, see
brochure for details. Voyages of Discovery is a trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.
01483 489961
Call now for brochures and bookings
FEATURES
BRIDGE
Publisher and
Managing Editor
Mr Bridge
Ryden Grange
Knaphill, Surrey
GU21 2TH
( 01483 489961
e-mail:
[email protected]
website:
www.mrbridge.co.uk
Associate Editor
Julian Pottage
Technical Consultant
Tony Gordon
Bridge Consultant
Bernard Magee
Proof Readers
Danny Roth
Hugh Williams
Richard Wheen
Software Support
( 01483 485345
Events & Cruises
( 01483 489961
Jessica Galt
Rachel Everett
Club Directory
and Charity Support
[email protected]
Address Changes
( 01483 485342
All correspondence should
be addressed to Mr Bridge.
Please make sure that all
letters, e-mails and faxes
carry full postal addresses
and telephone numbers.
3 Bidding Quiz
by Bernard Magee
46 Jeremy Dhondy says
Push One Level
but not Two
5
47 Defence Quiz Answers
by Julian Pottage
11 Making the One
Extra Trick in Pairs
by Freddie North
ADVERTISEMENTS
11 Freddie North – A
Tribute to a Friend
by Elena Jeronimidis
2 Christmas &
New Year Cruise
on Board Discovery
13 Bidding Quiz Answers
by Bernard Magee
4 QPlus 9.1
15 A Walk at Holiday
Time by Countryman
7 Tutorial Software &
Mail Order Form
17 David Gold says
Make Life Easy
for Partner
8
(Answers on page 13)
1. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
♠ AQ543
♥ 86
© 52
® AK87
West North East South
Dbl
Redbl
2®
?
10 Bridge Events
with Bernard Magee
12 Eric Hill
West North East South
1®
Pass
1♥
Pass
14 2010 Diaries
1NT
Pass
2♥
Pass
24 Bernard Magee says
Lose Your Sure
Tricks Early
14 Tunisia 2009/2010
26 David Stevenson
Answers Your Questions
14 Better
Hand Evaluation
30 Readers’ Letters
16 Single-suited
Design Pens
?
35 Defence Quiz
by Julian Pottage
36 Double Dummy Answer
by Richard Wheen
38 Julian Pottage says
Make the
Defenders Lead
Y
ou are West in the auctions below, playing
'Standard Acol' with a weak
no-trump (12-14 points) and
four-card majors.
2. Dealer West. Love All.
♠ KQ3
♥ 42
© AQ7
® KQ642
9 Bridge Breaks
Order Form
18 Julian Pottage
Answers Your Questions
37 Declarer Play Answers
by David Huggett
by Bernard Magee
1♠
Bridge Breaks
23 Declarer Play Quiz
by Dave Huggett
BIDDING QUIZ
16 Charity
Bridge Events
33 Bernard Magee
Bridge Books
36 Rubber/Chicago
Bridge Events
36 Duplicate Bridge
Rules Simplified
3. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
♠ A73
♥ AK43
© A87
® QJ3
West North East South
1♥
Pass
1♠
Pass
2NT
Pass
3®
Pass
?
4. Dealer East. Love All.
♠ KQ432
♥ Q 10 6
© 42
® J96
West North East South
39 Mike Wenble says
Think Before
Playing to Trick One
40 Global Travel
Insurance
1♠
Pass
1♥
Pass
2NT
Pass
?
42 Christmas 2009
43 Dave Huggett says
Keep Length
with Dummy
44 Liz McGowan says
Cover the Last of
Touching Honours
45 European Explorer
Cruise on Board
Discovery
48 Black Sea Cruise
on Board Discovery
The views expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the publisher or its Managing Editor.
Page 3
5.
♠
♥
©
®
Dealer West. Love All.
AQ432
76
42
AQ54
West North East South
1♠
Pass
1NT
Pass
2®
Pass
2©
Pass
?
Q PLUS 9.1
Still the very best Acol-playing Software available
Happy QPlus reader,
Gill Smith of
Thames Ditton writes:
I love my QPlus Bridge. As
a learner, I always have a
faithful partner whenever
I want one. She is always
available (late at night too)
and she bids and plays
perfectly. She has never
kicked me under the table,
rolled her eyes or taken a
sharp intake of breath. If I
bid or play badly she is on
hand with sound advice yet
she doesn’t take offence
if I ignore it.
FEATURES
SYSTEM
l
The Usual Friendly Interface
(see above)
l
8mb RAM
l
CD-ROM
l
Hint and Help Buttons
– always at hand
l
Pentium
or equivalent
l
Easy Windows Installation
l
Windows XP or Vista
l
Comprehensive Manual
l
Rubber, Duplicate
and Teams Scoring
l
Instant results
playing in teams mode
l
2,500 pre-played
hands for teams
l
2,000 pre-played hands
for match-pointed pairs
including 1,000 new hands
W
NE
Check your pairs
percentage and ranking
W
NE
Systems include: several
versions of Acol, including
Bernard Magee’s system,
Standard American
or create your own.
l
HANS LEBER
TRADE-IN OFFERS
Trade-in any previous version of
Q Plus. Just post in the booklet
and disk and a cheque for £32.
Trade-in any other bridge software
before 31 August 2009 and send it
with a cheque for £49.
Order with absolute confidence.
£82 including p&p
Make your cheque payable to
( 01483 489961
There is also a use which I
didn’t realise when I
bought the CD. It is the
facility to feed in the real
hands that we deal, and see
how it would have bid and
played them. I have done
this on arriving home,
usually cross with myself,
after a duplicate session.
My faithful friend gives me
a sensible perspective on
the matter. When playing
Chicago or rubber at home,
at the end of the bidding
and playing a difficult
hand, I have opened up
my laptop and switched on
QPlus. With fellow learners, I have looked at hands
and seen how our electronic friend would have
bid and played. We still
have lots to learn.
I bracket my QPlus disc
together with the dishwasher – an essential luxury that I would find
difficult to live without.
and send to: Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop
Fax 01483 797302
INVITATION
DENHAM GROVE
£129
DISCOVERY
per person.
No single
supplement
I have extended this special
offer for the Denham Grove
conference centre to include
the November and early
December dates.
With your next issue of
BRIDGE will come an
invitation to join the
Mr Bridge Club. Do drop
me a line or a quick email,
providing your full address
and telephone number. If I
don’t hear from you I won’t
know you are there.
QPLUS
In the adjacent advert, Gill
Smith of Thames Ditton,
expands enthusiastically on
the merits of the QPlus
bridge-playing software and
wins first prize. The letter
on page 33, from Tony
Deyes of Torquay comes a
close second. Thank you,
everybody, for taking part.
You can come for
Gentle/Just Duplicate or for
the lectures and supervised
play and/or both.
Those booking must pay in
full by cheque or debit card.
This hugely successful
promotion has done a great
job to raise reader’s
awareness of this very
adaptable conference centre.
FELICITY
UPDATED
Leanora Adds will be back
part-time in October and I
include this snap to keep
baby talk to a minimum.
DIRECT BOOKINGS
When booking direct with
Voyages of Discovery do
make sure to tell them you
heard it from Mr Bridge.
DOUBLE DUMMY
by Richar d Wheen
♠ A654
AUTUMN CRUISE
In the last issue, I promised
a better photograph and
here it is.
This coming October, Mrs
Bridge and I are joining
Discovery and the bridge
party on board, hosted by
Ray and Liz Hutchinson.
After cruising round the
Black Sea, it sails through
the Greek Islands to Athens.
Prices from £995 per person
sharing, see the back cover
advertisement. I look
forward to discovering you
on Discovery.
Ï
Silver pendant
£29.95
Gold (9ct)
£69.95
Silver earrings
£34.50
Gold (9ct)
£85.00
Postage and packing:
Silver £2.50 (1st class post)
Gold £5 (Special delivery)
DANGLY
Here is a recent photo of
Felicity on her first bucket
and spade holiday.
Discovery sails September 3
on a seven night cruise from
Harwich to The Riviera.
There are still some cabins
available from £549 per
person, sharing. Bernard
Magee hosts this cruise
which now attracts a great
following every year as there
is always so much scope for
lots and lots of bridge.
Special prices for singles.
Holidaying as a single is,
more often than not, much
more costly. However, if you
are willing to consider
sharing a twin-berthed cabin,
do ring Rachel on 01483
489961. And if it really is a
cabin for single occupancy
you want, ring her for the
best deals.
SILVER & GOLD
TRADE-INS
Both trade-in promotions
(see facing page) are a real
opportunity. The deadline
for the second offer will be
strictly observed.
SHORT CRUISE
SHARING
I have added a lengthier
version of the earrings to the
range for those of you who,
like Mrs Bridge, prefer such
things. Shetland Silver has a
really good web-site and you
should take a look at it
www.shetlandjewellery.com
You can order online or by
telephone ( 01595 830275.
CHRISTMAS
CRUISE
Once again Alison Nicolson
and her team, host Christmas
and New Year on board
Discovery. The ship cruises
from Mumbai (Bombay in
old money) to Singapore.
See front cover and the
advertisement on page 2 for
further details.
SPRING 2010
In May next year, Bernard
Magee and his team are on
board Discovery from
Istanbul all the way back to
Harwich. Bernard is a real
attraction and readers are
advised to book early.
♥ Void
© A2
® Void
♠ K87
♥ Void
© QJ
♠ J 10 9
N
E
W
S
® J
© K
® AK
♠ Q32
♥ 432
© Void
® Void
South is to lead and
North/South need to make
all six tricks at no-trumps.
How is this possible against
best defence? (Answer on
page 36.)
CHEAPER POST
Once again Clive Goff offers
unused British stamps at
lower than face value,
thereby enabling readers to
reduce their postage costs.
( 0208 4224906. Order
with confidence and say you
heard it from Mr Bridge.
Please provide your email address for my extra service
Page 5
♥ Void
BACK IN PRINT
Bernard Magee’s Tips
for Better Bridge
Tips for Better Bridge by
Bernard Magee is now back
in print. A full list of the tips
is on this page. Gold dust.
65 invaluable tips in 160 pages
TRAVEL COVER
Bidding Tips
1 Always consider bidding
spades if you can
2 Bid more aggressively
when non-vulnerable
3 Always double when the
opponents steal your deal
4 A take-out double shows
shortage in the suit doubled
5 “Borrow” a king
to keep the auction open
6 After a penalty double, don’t
let the opponents escape
7 Halve the value of a singleton
honour when opening
8 Only add length-points for a
suit that might be useful
9 Isolated honours are bad
except in partner’s suit
10 Use the jump shift sparingly
11 Consider passing and letting
partner decide
12 You need two top honours
for a second-seat pre-empt
13 Put the brakes on if you have a
misfit
14 Strong and long minors work
well in no-trumps
15 One stop in the opponents’ suit
can be enough for no-trumps
16 Keep your two-level
responses up to strength
17 Use your normal methods in
response to a 1NT overcall
18 Don’t overcall just because
you have opening points
19 Overcalls can be quite weak, so
be prudent when responding
20 Weak overcalls must be based
on strong suits
21 6NT requires 33 points
not 4 aces and 4 kings
22 Raise immediately, if weak
with four-card support
23 In a competitive auction, show
support immediately
24 Bid to the level of your fit
quickly with weak hands
25 With strength and support,
use the opponents’ bid suit
Declar er-play Tips
26 When your contract depends
on a finesse, think “endplay”
27 Consider what a defender
might be thinking about
28 Always take your time
at trick one
29 Establish extra tricks before
cashing your winners
30 Use your opponents’
bidding to your advantage
31 Avoid the “baddie”
gaining the lead
32 Use the Rule of Seven when
holding up in no-trumps
33 A low lead usually promises
length and an honour
34 When declaring 1NT
try to be patient
35 Duck an early round when you
are short of entries
36 Lead up to your
two-honour holding
37 Do not always assume
a suit will break well
38 Drop a high card
to put off the defence
39 Play your highest card to
tempt a defender to cover
40 Draw trumps first unless you
have a good reason not to
41 Do not waste your trumps
42 Consider leaving a lone
defensive trump winner out
Defence Tips
43 Keep four-card suits intact
whenever possible
44 Give count on declarer’s leads
45 Keep the right cards
rather than signal
46 Take your time
when dummy is put down
47 High cards are for killing other
high cards
48 Do not waste
intermediate cards
49 Pick two key suits to
concentrate on during the play
50 If in doubt, cover an honour
with an honour
51 If a lead is from two honours,
it is best not to cover
52 Keep your honour to kill
dummy’s honour
53 Try to show partner
your solid honour sequences
54 Lead the normal card when
leading partner’s suit
55 Never underlead an ace at trick
one in a suit contract
56 Be wary of leading from
four cards to only one honour
57 Lead a higher card from
a suit without an honour
58 Lead through “beatable”
strength and up to weakness
59 Cash your winners before
trying for a trump promotion
60 Be patient when defending 1NT
61 Trump leads can be safe
throughout the play
Gener al Tips
62 Do not put important cards
at either end of your hand
63 Avoid being declarer when
you are dummy
64 Before you lead ask for a
review of the auction
65 Enjoy the Game!
£14 including postage and packing from Mr Bridge,
Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH. ( 01483 498961
SATURDAYS
My office is now open on
Saturday mornings for the
convenience of readers and
customers.
ERIC HILL
If you are looking for this
kind of insurance, you are
likely to find the advert on
pages 40 and 41 to your
liking. Do say you heard it
from Mr Bridge.
His advert is on page 12 this
time, his service offers free
delivery, free returns and a
freephone number. Please
mention Mr Bridge.
FREDDIE NORTH
The number of events being
organised in support of
charities seems to be
shrinking or at least the
number we hear about and
are asked to advertise is. See
the listing on page 16. Don’t
be backward in coming
forward. If it’s for a good
cause, we will both advertise
it and send the organisers
some spot prizes.
Readers will be saddened to
learn of the recent death of
regular columnist Freddie
North. A tribute by Elena
Jeronimidis is on page 11.
I will certainly miss him.
WEEKENDS
CLUB INSURANCE
For a competitive quote,
ring Moore Stephens on
( 020 7515 5270 and ask to
speak to Sylvia Donovan.
She will be only too pleased
to help you. Do say you
heard it from Mr Bridge.
DIARIES
All pre-ordered 2010 diaries
have now been dispatched
and I have added three new
cover colours to the standard
range. Green, tan and black.
For the full range of diaries,
do see the mail order form
on the facing page.
CHARITIES
I have confined my weekend
event adverts to pages 8, 9
& 10. This enables me to
further increase the number
of pages devoted to bridge in
this publication. If you live
anywhere near Denham you
should consider booking at
£129 full board and inclusive
of bridge fees. It really is
completely unbeatable value.
LITTLE VOICE
Do keep saving your used
stamps. Mºany a mickle
makes a muckle. See page 30
for the coordinator’s address.
Do ask your friends to start
saving their stamps too.
AND FINALLY
TUNISIA
Bernard Magee is going to
Tunisia in November. If you
missed his party this year,
this is a chance to soak up
some sunshine and learn
from this very popular and
entertaining young man.
Page 6
Christmas is coming. We
have a choice of venues over
the festive season, see page
42 for details. Book early to
avoid disappointment.
TUTORIAL
SOFTWARE
( 01483 489961
PLAY SOFTWARE
with Bernard Magee
ACOL BIDDING
DECLARER PLAY
l
Opening Bids and
Responses
l
Suit Establishment
in No-trumps
l
Slams and Strong
Openings
l
Suit Establishment in
Suits
l
Support for Partner
l
Hold-ups
l
Pre-empting
l
l
Overcalls
Ruffing for
Extra Tricks
l
No-trump
Openings
and Responses
Entries in No-trumps
l
l
Delaying
Drawing Trumps
l
£62
Opener’s and
Responder’s Rebids
l
Minors and Misfits
l
Doubles
l
Competitive Auctions
MORE ACOL
BIDDING
£72
l
Using the Lead
l
Trump Control
l
Endplays &
Avoidance
l
Using the Bidding
l
l
Advanced Basics
l
Weak Twos
l
Strong hands
l
Endplays
l
Defence to Weak
Twos
l
Avoidance
l
Wrong Contract
l
Defence to 1NT
l
Simple Squeezes
l
Counting the Hand
l
Trump Reductions &
Coups
l
Playing Doubled
Contracts
l
Doubles
l
Two-suited
Overcalls
l
l
£92
Defences to
Other Systems
Misfits and
Distributional Hands
Making Overtricks
in Suit Contracts
£77
ONLY £32.00 .......
Acol Bidding
More Acol Bidding
Declarer Play
Advanced Declarer Play
£62.00 .......
£92.00 .......
£72.00 .......
£77.00 .......
BOOKS
Duplicate Bridge Rules Simplified
£5.95 .......
Club Offer
10 for only £35.00 .......
Hand Evaluation
£14.00 .......
Bernard Magee’s Bridge Quiz Book
£14.00 .......
Bernard Magee’s Quiz and Puzzle Book
£14.00 .......
Bernard Magee’s Tips for Better Bridge
£14.00 .......
2010 DIARIES
Standard
Ivory ..... Maroon ..... Light Blue ..... Red .....
Navy ..... Green ..... Tan .... Black ......
£5.95 .......
Club Offer
10 for only £35.00 .......
Luxury
Bottle Green .... Ruby Red ....
£12.95 .......
SINGLE-SUITED BALL-POINT PENS
Boxed Set
of Four
(Spade,
Heart,
Diamond,
Club)
Making Overtricks
in No-trumps
Basics
£82.00 .......
TUTORIAL SOFTWARE
ADVANCED
DECLARER PLAY
l
l
QPlus 9.1
Trade-in any previous QPlus
Book & Disk and just send
£19.95 .......
TEA TOWELS
Tea Towels – Any four for only
We are Survivors
Ten Commandments for Bridge Players
Bridge Traffic Signs
Life’s a game, but bridge is serious
£17.00 .......
£5.95 .......
£5.95 .......
£5.95 .......
£5.95 .......
All prices are fully inclusive. I enclose a cheque for £.............
Mr/Mrs/Miss ................................................................................................
Address.........................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
l
Safety Plays
System Requirements: Windows XP or Vista, 8mb RAM, CD-ROM
Postcode...............................................( .............................................
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH.
www.mrbridge.co.uk/
mrbridge-shop
2009 Bridge
Breaks
SEPTEMBER 2009
OCTOBER cont
NOVEMBER cont
NOVEMBER cont
11 – 13 The Beach Hotel
£199 Rubber/Chicago
Diana Holland
16 – 18 Staverton Park
£199 Take-out Doubles
Improvers
Alex Davoud
13 – 15 Denham Grove
£199 Hand Evaluation
£129 Ned Paul
27 – 29 The Olde Barn
£199 Signals & Discards
Ray Hutchinson
27 – 29 Wychwood Park
£199 Doubles
Gary Conrad
16 – 18 The Beach Hotel
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
DECEMBER 2009
16 – 18 The Olde Barn
£199 Doubles
Alison Nicolson
Denham Grove, Uxbridge
23 – 25 Marsham Court
£150 Gentle / Just
Duplicate
Crombie McNeil
16 – 18 Wychwood Park
£199 Hand Evaluation
Alan Lamb
23 – 25 Wychwood Park
£199 Signals and
Discards
John Wotton
4 – 6 The Beach Hotel
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
13 – 15 Staverton Park
£199 Game Tries
Crombie McNeil
11 – 13 The Beach Hotel
£199 Rubber/Chicago
Diana Holland
20 – 22 Wychwood Park
£199 Stayman and
Transfers
Improvers
John Wotton
30 –2/10 Marsham Court
£199 Rubber/Chicago
Diana Holland
OCTOBER 2009
9 – 11 The Olde Barn
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
Wychwood Park, Crewe
13 – 15 The Olde Barn
£199 Hand Evaluation
Ray Hutchinson
25 – 27 Staverton Park
£199 Declarer Play
Ray Hutchinson
2 – 4 The Beach Hotel
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
4 – 6 Denham Grove
£199 Stayman etc
£129 Alex Davoud
The Olde Barn, Marston
30 –1/11 Marsham Court
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
30–1/11
£150
27 – 29 Denham Grove
£199 Endplay and
£129 Avoidance
Alex Davoud
27 – 29 Staverton Park
£199 Overcalls
Ned Paul
Staverton Park
Gentle / Just
Duplicate
NOVEMBER 2009
Marsham Court, Bournemouth
Denham Grove
Chris Barrable
24-27 December – £395
27-29 December – £199
29 Dec – 1 Jan – £355
The Olde Barn
24-27 December
Sandy Bell – £395
27-29 December
Sandy Bell – £199
29-31 December
Ray Hutchinson – £199
The Beach Hotel
30 –1/11 The Olde Barn
£199 Declarer Play
Ray Hutchinson
6 – 8 Blunsdon House
£235 Bernard Magee
(see page 10)
Christmas
& New Year
Staverton Park, Daventry
27-29 December
Rubber / Chicago
Diana Holland – £199
29 Dec – 1 Jan
Bernard Magee – £395
(see page 10)
PROGRAMME
This is the new format
for all except Bernard
Magee hosted events.
FRIDAY
1500
Welcome Desk open
Afternoon Tea
1745 to 1830
Welcome drinks
reception
1830 to 2000
DINNER
2015 BRIDGE 1
DUPLICATE PAIRS
SATURDAY
0800 to 0930
BREAKFAST
1000 to 1230
SEMINAR &
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS
(tea & coffee at 1100)
1230 to 1330
COLD BUFFET
LUNCH
1400 to 1645
BRIDGE 2
FURTHER
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS or
DUPLICATE PAIRS
1815 to 2000
DINNER
2015 BRIDGE 3
DUPLICATE PAIRS
SUNDAY
0800 to 0930
BREAKFAST
1000 to 1230
SEMINAR &
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS
(tea & coffee at 1100)
1230 to 1400
CARVERY LUNCH
1400 to 1645
BRIDGE 4
FURTHER
SUPERVISED PLAY
of SET HANDS or
DUPLICATE PAIRS
BRIDGE
BREAKS
HOTELS
Marsham Court Hotel has
a central yet secluded
location overlooking the bay
and is only a short stroll
from Bournemouth town
centre. There is an outdoor
heated swimming pool (in
use May to September).
Blunsdon House Hotel,
near Swindon, is a four-star
hotel. It boasts a heated
indoor swimming pool and
a nine hole, par three golf
course, as well as a one
mile woodland walk.
Staverton Park, near
Daventry, offers excellent
health and leisure facilities
including a challenging
18-hole golf course and a
heated indoor pool.
© Full-board
© No single supplement
© All rooms with
en-suite facilities
© Tuition with Supervised
Play and two seminars.
Please book me for ..... places at £.... per person,
Single ..... Double ..... Twin ..... Sea View* .....
Name of Hotel/Centre ........................................................
Dates ..................................................................................
Mr/Mrs/Miss .....................................................................
Address...............................................................................
............................................................................................
The Beach Hotel is a family
run hotel with the finest
seafront location in Worthing.
Behind the elegant façade
are all the modern facilities
you would expect, while
many of the original
features have been retained.
Postcode ............................................................................
( ......................................................................................
Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed,
but we will do our best to oblige)
...........................................................................................
Please give the name(s) of all those covered by this booking
Denham Grove is set in 42
acres of grounds just
northwest of London. It
combines a modern design
with a rural setting and is
the ideal place to unwind.
Walk through the verdant
grounds or simply relax in
the indoor pool or spa.
The Olde Barn Hotel,
Marston, Lincs, is an idyllic
retreat set in beautiful
countryside in the heart of
England. The emphasis is
on quality and the state-ofthe-art Health Club and Spa
has something for everyone.
Wychwood Park, near Crewe,
Cheshire offers light, airy
conference accommodation
with a vibrant atmosphere,
all smartly packaged in a
contemporary style.
Page 9
...........................................................................................
Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per place
by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice for the balance
will be sent with your booking confirmation. On receipt of your
final payment, 28 days before the event, a programme and full
details will be sent together with a map. Cancellations are not
refundable. Should you require insurance, you should contact
your own insurance broker. *£30 supplement per room (Beach
Hotel and Marsham Court Hotel only).
Expiry: ............................ CVV.................... Issue No. ...............
(CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
( 01483 489961 Fax 01483 797302
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.holidaybridge.com
Bridge Breaks
BRIDGE BREAKS
with Bernard Magee
© Full-board
© All rooms with
en-suite facilities
© No single supplement
with Bernard Magee
Full Board £235 per person
No single Supplement
© Sea View Option
(Beach Hotel only)
© Tuition with Supervised
Play, bidding quiz
and two seminars.
1 - 3 January 2010
The Beach Hotel
Doubles
Please book me for ..... places at £235 per person,
Single ..... Double ..... Twin ..... Sea View* .....
19 - 21 March
The Beach Hotel
Signals and Discards
Venue .................................................................................
Dates ..................................................................................
Mr/Mrs/Miss .....................................................................
The Beach Hotel, Worthing
Address...............................................................................
2- 4 October
The Beach Hotel
Improvers
Stayman and Transfers
............................................................................................
Postcode ............................................................................
9 - 11 October
The Olde Barn Hotel
Leads and Defence
( ......................................................................................
Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed,
but we will do our best to oblige)
16 - 18 October
The Beach Hotel
...........................................................................................
FULL
Please give the name(s) of all those covered by this booking
30 October - 1 November
Marsham Court Hotel
Thinking Defence
...........................................................................................
Please send a non-returnable deposit of £50 per person per place
by cheque, payable to Mr Bridge. An invoice for the balance
will be sent with your booking confirmation. On receipt of your
final payment, 28 days before the event, a programme and full
details will be sent together with a map. Cancellations are not
refundable. Should you require insurance, you should contact
your own insurance broker. *£30 supplement per room (Beach
Hotel and Marsham Court Hotel only).
26-28 March
The Beach Hotel
Thinking Defence
16 - 18 April
Blunsdon House Hotel
Leads and Defence
23-25 April
The Olde Barn Hotel
Signals and Discards
4 - 6 June
The Beach Hotel
Thinking Defence
18 - 20 June
Blunsdon House Hotel
Signals and Discards
6 - 8 November
Blunsdon House Hotel
Game Tries
4 - 6 December
The Beach Hotel
Signals and Discards
29 December - 1 January
The Beach Hotel
New Year’s Eve Party
Blunsdon House, Swindon
Expiry: ............................ CVV.................... Issue No. ...............
(CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)
, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
Bernard’s New Year’s Eve Party
( 01483 489961 Fax 01483 797302
29 December to 1 January 2010
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.holidaybridge.com
The Beach Hotel £395
Page 10
It Happened That Way by Freddie North
FREDDIE NORTH
1921 – 2009
Making the One Extra
Trick in Pairs
he fascinating feature
of pairs’ competitions
is the opportunity to
score the one extra trick that
can make such a vast
difference. When playing
rubber bridge or teams,
fulfilling your contract is the
main aim and any extra tricks,
though always welcome, are
not
usually
of
great
significance.
The good pairs player,
however, is constantly on the
alert to notch up the
maximum and sometimes
pinch a little more!
I watched South at work on
the following hand as he gave
it the master-class touch.
T
Dealer West. Game All.
♠ Q
♥ A96
© 974
® Q J 10 9 7 5
N
W
E
S
♠
♥
©
®
AJ2
KQ4
A K 10 8 3 2
4
West led the six of spades,
won by dummy’s queen as
East played the three. South
was pleased to see that his
side was at least in the right
contract.
Still,
a
few
problems needing solving if
declarer was to obtain the
maximum score – and the
most pressing one was how to
play the diamond suit.
There seemed to be some
mileage in trying to keep East
off lead, so declarer called for
dummy's nine of diamonds in
the hope that East might help.
East (incorrectly I feel) did
help by covering with the
jack. The ace of diamonds
won, West contributing the
five – what now?
Continuing
with
the
diamond
exploration,
declarer went to dummy with
the ace of hearts and
advanced the seven of
diamonds, East playing the
six. Time now stood still
while declarer tried to weigh
up the pros and cons of
letting the seven ride or of
winning with the king.
Let us look at the full deal.
West North East South
2©1
Pass 2♥2
2NT3
Pass 3NT
End
Multi Two Diamonds – usually a
weak two in one of the majors.
2
Relay, asking for clarification, to
play in 2♥ if West has long
hearts.
3
A difficult choice but no-trumps
scores well at pairs and at least
it avoided any ambiguity – also,
it might be important to have the
lead up to the South hand.
1
♠
♥
©
®
♠
♥
©
®
K976
873
5
A86
♠
♥
©
®
Q
A96
974
Q J 10 9 7 5
54
♠ 10 8 3
♥ J 10 5 2
N
W E
S
© QJ6
® K32
AJ2
KQ4
A K 10 8 3 2
4
With so much shape about
and still preferring the lead to
be with West, declarer
decided to run the seven of
diamonds. He got his reward
when West discarded a club.
So declarer could now see
eleven tricks – six diamonds,
two spades and three hearts –
but he was not finished yet.
He cashed all his red suit
winners, except one, to arrive
at the following position; it is
South to play.
♠
♥
©
®
♠
♥
©
®
K9
—
—
A8
♠
♥
©
®
—
—
—
Q J 10 9
♠
♥
N
W E
©
S
®
AJ
Q
—
4
10
J
—
K2
When declarer played the
queen of hearts, West threw
the eight of clubs and East, of
course, had to follow with the
jack of hearts. Had East held
the ace of clubs, he would
surely have retained another
heart, thus an endplay on
West looked a good prospect.
Furthermore, even if West did
not hold the ace of clubs, it
looked as if eleven tricks
would still be safe.
Therefore, declarer exited
with the four of clubs and
West, ruing his decision
to retain the ace of clubs,
had to concede the last two
spade tricks. +490 looked
very special on the score
sheet!
n
Page 11
A tribute to a friend
t has been my
privilege to work with
Freddie North for the
last thirteen years, ever
since he agreed to write
for Bridge Plus in 1996.
Editing Freddie’s
articles was a delight, as
they were always
expertly written,
impeccably checked –
and a pleasure to read.
He brought the same
high degree of
professionalism to the
booklets he wrote for the
“Practise” series, the
articles he contributed to
BRIDGE and later
English Bridge, and the
books he wrote for
Batsfords. Freddie had a
knack for making
difficult concepts seem
simple, and entertain the
reader into the bargain.
His style of writing was
an extension of his
personality: he was a
dashing gentleman with
many interests – rugby
and horse-racing in his
youth, reading, bridge
and bridge teaching
throughout his life.
A great and very
successful rubber bridge
player, Freddie North
had also been a leading
duplicate player. He was
proud of having become
a Grand Master “in the
days,” as he put it,
“when it meant
something”.
The world of bridge
has lost one of his giants
and I have lost a friend.
My thoughts are with his
wife, Margaret, and
Freddie’s family.
I
Elena Jeronimidis
Eric Hill
£50 OFF
You are cordially invited to wear and see how
much you like this Gillian Suit... on approval
There are no catches. Simply order your size & send the
special coupon below but PLEASE DO NOT SEND
MONEY. We’ll send your suit together with our invoice.
Inspect & wear at home for a week. If you are happy with
it, simply pay the invoice. If you are not satisfied, return in
any condition, post free and you owe us nothing! Why are
we making such an offer? We want you to see and feel the
quality for yourself, at home and at your leisure.
There is nothing quite like the exquisite feel and
expensive looks of the finest couture designer clothes.
From the famous Italian design house of GRAZIA, we present this flattering
2-piece suit. Superbly tailored matching jacket and skirt, masterly knitted using
only the best soft yarns...light but warm enough if the temperature drops. It
hangs so nicely and will give you that feeling of being elegantly relaxed!
There is one thing that is missing...and that is the high designer price tag.
Fully-lined, pull-on straight skirt with kick slit Gorgeous jacket
with removeable shoulder pads Signature ‘revers’ collar with
delicate woven edges Two-tone easy handle chunky buttons
MADE IN ITALY Sizes 10-28 Jacket Length 24”,
skirt 28.5” 100% Acrylic Hand wash at 30° Was £195,
NOW ONLY £145... for just 14 days more!!!
£50 OFF
FREE DELIVERY FREE RETURNS
To order, clip coupon OR quote A149MB when you ring
FREEPHONE 0800 652 0034
ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT
FREEPOST Eric Hill, 7 The Elms Centre, Glaziers Lane, Normandy, Guildford, GU3 2DF
www.erichill.co.uk
Please send me the Gillian suit in size
I understand that I do not need to
pay for it now. I can inspect and wear it at home for 7 days. Once I am completely
happy with the suit, I will pay your invoice. Should I be dissatisfied, in any way, I can
send it back POST FREE (in any condition) and I will not owe you a penny.
Title________ Full name________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________ Postcode ___________________________
Email________________________________________________________
Tick here if you would just like our FREE 64 page catalogue
A149MB
Telephone_____________________________________________________
Cut out coupon and send (no stamp needed) to:
FREEPOST ERIC HILL, 7 The Elms Centre,
Glaziers Lane, Normandy, Guildford, GU3 2DF
Eric Hill
Page 12
ANSWERS TO THE BIDDING QUIZ ON
PAGE 3 by BERNARD MAGEE
♠
♥
©
®
1. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
AQ543
♠ 76
N
86
♥ AK73
E
W
S
52
© Q J 10 9 4
AK87
® J 10
West
North
East
South
1♠
Dbl
Redbl
2®
?
Double. What does your partner’s redouble
mean? It shows a good hand of 9+ points –
meaning that you have the majority of the
points – it does not suggest support for
spades. One of the messages it is trying to get
across is that your opponents might be out of
their depth and, if they cannot find a good fit,
you could double them. All doubles after a
redouble are for penalties – so you should
make one now. Doubling 2® tells your
partner that you have good clubs and that,
with the majority of points, you can be almost
sure of defeating the opponents. They might
try to run, but then East will take over and start
doubling himself.
Whatever your opponents play in, they should
go at least two off: +500 is a fantastic score
when game is worth only 400! Learning to
double your opponents at the right time in
low-level contracts can be very lucrative.
♠
♥
©
®
2. Dealer West. Love All.
KQ3
♠ J2
42
♥ AJ8765
N
W
E
AQ7
© 642
S
KQ642
® 87
West
North
East
South
1®
Pass
1♥
Pass
1NT
Pass
2♥
Pass
?
Pass. Although you do not much like partner’s
suit, you have to trust him. You have
described your hand beautifully – you have a
club suit in a balanced hand with (in the
modern style) 15-17 points: this means that
your partner is in the best position to choose
the contract and that is what you should let
him do. With six hearts and a weak hand, he
bids 2♥ knowing that you have at least two –
as you can see, 2♥ is by far the best contract.
With no entries to East’s hand, his long suit will
be wasted unless it is the trump suit.
♠
♥
©
®
3. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
A73
♠ KQ985
N
AK43
♥ 52
W
E
A87
© 43
S
QJ3
® K876
West
North
East
South
1♥
Pass
1♠
Pass
2NT
Pass
3®
Pass
?
3♠. You have shown your strength and shape
by rebidding 2NT, so what does your partner
want now? Your partner is suggesting that he
is unbalanced; his 3® suggests that you might
play in a suit contract. Unless he has hopes of
a club slam, he is most probably interested in
finding a spade fit – if you have three spades
facing his five – he might also want to know
whether you have five hearts if he has three.
Even though you have no obvious ruffing value,
you should show your support for his first suit,
as you expect him to have five spades. On this
hand, he does indeed have five spades and
can raise to 4♠ rather than play in 3NT. 4♠
should make in comfort while 3NT is likely to go
down on a diamond lead. It is important to
have an accurate conversation in your bidding:
your partner did not bid 3® just for the sake of
it; he wanted to show an interest in playing in
a suit, as well as warning you of the partnership’s probable weakness in diamonds.
♠
♥
©
®
4. Dealer East. Love All.
KQ432
♠ J5
N
Q 10 6
♥
AKJ54
W
E
S
42
© A83
J96
® KQ4
West
1♠
North
Pass
East
South
1♥
Pass
2NT
Pass
?
Page 13
3♥. Your partner’s rebid shows 18-19 points in
Modern Acol, (though I know some of you will
expect 17-18), but on this occasion, the exact
range makes little difference. With eight highcard-points and a five-card suit, you want to
be in game.
The important question to ask yourself is
which game do you want to be in: 4♥, 4♠ or
3NT? You cannot be sure yet, but any
continuation after a 2NT rebid is forcing to
game, which means you can discuss this
question with your partner. Bid 3♥ to show
three-card support in hearts: if he has five, he
can bid 4♥; if not, he might be able to show
3-card spade support, failing that he can
settle for 3NT.
On this hand, he has five hearts so he bids 4♥
over your 3♥. You should make 4♥ in comfort,
whereas, in 3NT, a diamond lead is likely to
lead to defeat.
♠
♥
©
®
5. Dealer West. Love All.
AQ432
♠ 5
N
76
♥ K942
E
W
42
© Q J 10 7 6 5
S
AQ54
® 32
West
North
East
South
1♠
Pass
1NT
Pass
2®
Pass
2©
Pass
?
Pass. The answer to this question is
deceptively simple – you can work it out by
asking yourself: ‘Why did my partner not
respond 2© on the first round?’
The answer is because he was too weak –
with just 6-8 points, he cannot afford to bid to
the 2-level because he will push the bidding
too high. Then, on the second round, partner
would generally choose one of your suits to
play in, so why is he bidding 2©?
The answer is that his suit must be long and
strong and he has no desire to play in either
of your suits.
Bearing all this in mind you must pass. Trust
your partner – he has heard what you have
to say and he has now picked his final
n
contract.
2010
Bridge
Players’
Diaries
AT THE ROYAL KENZ
Better Hand
Evaluation
Bernard Magee
TUNISIA 2009-10
Introduction
Better Hand Evaluation is
aimed at helping reader s to add
greater accur acy to their
bidding. It deals with auctions
in which you and your partner,
against silent opponents, can
descr ibe your hands fully to
each other and, by evaluating
them accur ately, find the best
final contr act. The emphasis of
all good, accur ate bidding is on
hand evaluation.
Ther e are two gener al types of
auction: a) A fit is found and b)
No fit is found.
© Acol Summary
by Bernard Magee
© Laws and Ethics by
Mike Swanson.
© Scoring Tables for
Duplicate and Rubber.
© Red, navy, green, tan,
ivory, pale blue, black
or maroon covers.
© All covers printed in
gold-coloured ink.
© Individual diaries
£5.95 each inc p&p.
© Special concession to
bridge clubs. 10 or
more copies £3.50
each including p&p,
subject to availability.
Two-week half-board
duplicate holidays
1 Nov – 15 Nov £699*
Tony & Jan Richards
daily golf an option – ring for details
15 Nov – 29 Nov £749*
Bernard Magee
21 Feb – 7 March £749*
Bernard Magee
7 March – 21 March £699*
Crombie & Helen McNeil
21 March – 4 April £699*
Chris Barrable
Luxury version with super-soft
kidrell cover, gilded page
edges and a ball-point
pen attached.
Ruby red or bottle green.
£12.95 each
including postage
and packing.
Exclusively available
from
( 01483 489961.
www.mrbridge.co.uk
*per person half-board sharing a twin-bedded room and is inclusive
of bridge fees. Single supplement £5 per night. These prices are
based on air travel from Gatwick to Monastir. Flights from other
UK airports are available at a supplement. All prices are firm until
30 June 2009. Prices for seven-night stays are available on
application.
Pay £70 per fortnight per person extra and have a pool-facing
room, tea & coffee making facilities, bath robe and a bowl of
seasonal fruit.
These holidays have been organised for
by Tunisia First Limited, ATOL 5933,
working in association with Thomas Cook Tour Operations Limited, ATOL 1179.
DETAILS & BOOKINGS
( 01483 489961
Page 14
When you do not have a fit, you
are aiming to descr ibe the
str ength of your hand as soon
as possible, most often using
no-tr ump bids. This book
begins by discussing balanced
hand bidding in Acol, as it is
ver y impor tant that both
member s of a par tner ship have
an accur ate knowledge of how
to show hands of different
str engths.
When a fit is found, ther e is
much r e-evaluation of the hand
to be done; point count, though
still impor tant, needs to be
evaluated
together
with
distr ibution. The best way of
reaching
an
accur ate
assessment is to use the Losing
Tr ick Count; this is an
impor tant method of hand
evaluation and takes up a
number of chapter s.
Finally, we move on to different
for ms of evaluation including
game tr ies and splinter bids.
You can never know enough
methods of hand evaluation;
the mor e you learn, the better
you get at judging your hand.
Although the Losing Tr ick
Count is used more easily in
tandem with your par tner, a
lar ge propor tion of the ideas in
this book can be used by an
individual.
For
example,
evaluating your hand to be
wor th an extr a point is going to
help anyone you partner – as
long as you get it r ight!
£14
including postage
from
Ryden Grange,
Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH
( 01483 489961
Seasonal Walks with Countryman
A Walk
at Holiday Time
T
his little piece of England where
the birds are singing, the sun
shining and the air seriously
intoxicating – it is all too easy to fall
under its magic spell and dream on,
contentedly…
Although Cindy, my gorgeous Golden
Retriever, needs little encouragement, I
tell her that we should set off for our walk
now while the showers have stopped and
there is a little blue sky around. Cindy is,
of course, pretty well indifferent to the
weather – if it decides to be showery in
the holiday month of August, so be it.
Walkies are walkies, no matter what!
Just as we get to the front door, the
telephone rings, so I go back to discover
it is Angela, an enthusiastic member of
our bridge club. Like several others she
failed in a contract of 4♥ in last night’s
multiple teams (board 22) but she tells
me that she has a nasty feeling that she
should have made it. ‘Would you be an
angel and tell me how I should have
played it?’ implores Angela. I am not so
sure about the first part but I can certainly
cope with the second. This was the hand:
Dealer East. E/W Game.
♠ AQ2
♥ KJ2
© 82
® 98743
N
W
E
This was a popular bidding sequence:
West
North
3©
4♥
East
1©
End
South
2♥
West led the three of diamonds and East
won the first two tricks in that suit before
switching to the five of clubs. I shall
leave you to make a plan and we will
return to the problem later.
Cindy is waiting impatiently by the
front door with the sort of look on her
face that seems to say something like, ‘I
don’t know why you bother with that
stupid instrument just as we are going
out. Come on, let us get going or it may
ring again.’ Believe me, Cindy is very
expressive in her own inimitable way.
85
A Q 10 9 8 6 3
75
AQ
Back to the bridge hand
Walking through the Woods
There has been quite a lot of rain and the
meadows are somewhat soggy, so we
head for the woods. The wood paths are
in fair condition for walking but Cindy
still manages to get herself quite mucky
as she scampers in and out of the
undergrowth.
Just as I think we may have the woods
to ourselves, except of course for the
wildlife – and that mostly relates to the
birds – I hear children’s voices, and then
four ponies and their riders come into
view. Well, it is holiday time for the kids,
so what could be better than a pony ride?
S
♠
♥
©
®
unusual noise. Just then, one of the
ponies – a bay with a prominent white
blaze on its face – shies violently and I
thought the little girl would be sure to
fall off. Thankfully, she defied the laws
of gravity and got herself back into the
saddle without looking too perturbed at
the near catastrophe. ‘Bravo!’, I
exclaimed. ‘That was well ridden.’ She
said nothing but smiled shyly. I think she
was proud of being congratulated in
front of her companions. Cindy was
quite unabashed and probably thinking
in her own doggy way, ‘What silly
creatures; fancy being frightened of me!’
Let us get back to our hand.
Meeting the Ponies
Suddenly Cindy breaks cover from her
incursion into the undergrowth, perhaps
curious to know the source of the
Page 15
♠
♥
©
®
♠
♥
©
®
10 9 6 4
4
10 6 4 3
K J 10 6
AQ2
KJ2
82
98743
N
W
E
S
♠
♥
©
®
♠
♥
©
®
KJ73
75
AKQJ9
52
85
A Q 10 9 8 6 3
75
AQ
Angela followed the familiar path of
trying the queen of clubs, which lost to
West and she then had to contend with a
spade switch. Some declarers took the
unsuccessful spade finesse and were
quickly one down. Angela did a little
better, given the bidding, by going up
with the ace of spades and trying to
Holiday Time continued
set up the club suit. She played
the ace of clubs, ace of hearts,
and jack of hearts before
taking a club ruff; when clubs
failed to break three-three, she
was also one down.
The Solution
The solution is, of course,
quite simple once you think of
it. Go up with the ace of clubs
at trick three – rejecting the
finesse – cash the ace of hearts
and play the queen of clubs.
West wins and switches to a
spade but declarer again
rejects the finesse and wins
with dummy’s ace. After a
club ruff comes a heart to the
jack and a second club ruff to
establish dummy’s nine. The
king of hearts provides the
entry to enjoy the winning
club for a spade discard.
Finesses have a
Magnetic Effect
Funny thing about finesses;
they have a sort of magnetic
effect, suggesting that as they
are there that you should take
them. The fallacy in this
pursuit becomes apparent if
you substitute a small club for
South’s queen. Then surely
most – if not all – declarers
would go up with the ace and
establish the suit without
breaking sweat. The ace of
clubs wins trick three; West
wins the club continuation
and switches to a spade. The
ace wins and declarer
proceeds as already indicated
by ruffing the club suit good
for the vital spade discard.
Seven hearts, one spade and
two clubs make up declarer’s
ten tricks.
CHARITY BRIDGE EVENTS
OCTOBER continued
2 GYDA. Corn Exchange, Faringdon,
Oxon. 10.30am for 11am-4pm.
£15 includes lunch.
Steve Braithwaite
( 01367 240929
17 ST ANNES’S CHURCH, KEW GREEN
1.30pm for 2–5pm. £12.50.
Ian Lewty
( 0208 8763681
6 MYELOMA UK
Limpsfield Tennis Club,
Oxted. 12–5pm. Rubber &
Duplicate Pairs. £15 per person
including two course lunch.
Tony Gifford
( 01883 712105
Caught in the Rain
On the way home, we get
caught by a shower but that
does not seem to bother Cindy
one iota. As I dry her off –
something she always seems
to enjoy – I explain to her that
although finesses are there for
the taking, it is not always
right to take them – and this
was a typical example; not
once, but twice! She looks at
me with those big brown
soulful eyes that always seem
to
express
complete
understanding. So I continue,
‘You know Cindy, a thought
occurs to me. If East had
returned the nine of diamonds
at trick two and West had
overtaken with the ten and
switched to a spade, the
contract would never make.’
My hand gets a wet lick so I
know she has followed my
concluding observation. What
a dog!
n
SEPTEMBER 2009
11 HORRINGER & ICKWORTH W.I.
BRIDGE AFTERNOON IN AID OF
ST NICHOLAS HOSPICE
Horringer Community Centre
2pm £7.00 pp includes tea.
Elizabeth Johnson
( 01284 735680
Rosemary Pemberton
( 01284 735400
18 ST MARY’S CHURCH, EATON
SOCON, ST NEOTS
10am for 10.30am. £13.00.
Malcolm Howarth
( 01480 212910
30 PRINCESS ALICE HOSPICE
Dryburgh Hall, Putney.
10.30am for 11am.
£62 per table, including lunch
Pam Turner ( 020 8995 2270
OCTOBER 2009
3 RNLI. Cheltenham Bridge Club
11am-4pm. £14pp includes lunch.
Margaret Beverley
( 01242 510193
Single-Suited Design Pens
21 HELP FOR HEROES
The Old Barn Hall, Church Road,
Bookham, Surrey.
10.30 for 11am. £15 includes
lunch and a glass of wine.
Patricia Granger
( 01372 453965
23 CHESHIRE HOMES
Village Hall, Hartford, Hunts.
10am for 10.30am. £13.50.
Malcolm Howarth
( 01480 212910
30 CAMBRIDGE INNER WHEEL
BRIDGE AFTERNOON IN AID OF
THE PAPWORTH DAY CARE WARD
Great Shelford Memorial Hall.
2pm. £15 for a double ticket.
Pat Turner
( 01954 780068
NOVEMBER 2009
27 EAST ANGLIA
CHILDRENS HOSPICE (EACH)
Village Hall, Hemingford Abbots.
10am for 10.30am. £14.50.
Sheila Paval ( 01480 395394
APRIL 2010
9 RIDING FOR THE DISABLED
WOODHURST GROUP
Hemingford Abbots Village Hall.
2-5pm includes afternoon tea.
Sally Pinnock
( 01223 874508
Boxed Set of Four £19.95
Available from
21 CHARITY BRIDGE DRIVE
IN AID OF THE NORFOLK HOSPICE
Norfolk Lavender Centre,
Heacham. 6.45pm £7.50 to
include buffet and the Lynn Cup.
Fundraising office
( 01485 542891
Ryden Grange, Knaphill GU21 2TH
13 RICHMOND SUPPORT GROUP
‘BRIDGE THE GAP’ AFTERNOON
IN AID OF ST TERESA’S HOSPICE
1.30pm Richmond Town Hall
Mary Lovell
( 01748 850208
( 01483 489961 www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop
Page 16
7 CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ
and LITTLE VOICE Joint Appeal
Jubilee Hall, Little Shore Lane,
Bishop Waltham 10.30am–5pm
£30 per person includes lunch,
coffee, tea, cakes & biscuits and
two seminars (take-out doubles
and penalty doubles) delivered
by Bernard Magee.
Margaret Cochrane
( 023 8069 4959