V TO A - Mr Bridge OnlineADD INDIA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE Enhance your voyage with the classical sights of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur at the begining of your voyage. Known as India’s “Golden

BRIDGENumber One Hundred and Twenty Christmas 2012

exciting bridge voyages – spring 2013

see centre pages

cruises to

classical civilisations

VOYAGES TOANTIQUITY

BOOK NOW FOR MR BRIDGE

SPECIALFARES

1422 MR BRIDGE December cover final_Layout 1 16/11/2012 15:34 Page 1

INDIAMumbai

ArabianSea

PorbandarEGYPTLuxor

MuscatOmanSalalah

Safaga

RedSea

MARCH 20, 2013 – 16 days from £1,695

DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

MAR 20 Depart UK

MAR 21 Arrive MUMBAI India overnight hotel

MAR 22 MUMBAI IndiaEmbark Aegean Odyssey 5.00pm

MAR 23 PORBANDAR India 7.00pm

MAR 24 At Sea

MAR 25-26 MUSCAT Oman 2.00pm 2.00pm

MAR 27 At Sea

MAR 28 SALALAH Oman 2.00pm 8.00pm

MAR 29 - APR 2 Cruising the Gulf of Arabia & Red Sea

APR 3 SAFAGA/LUXOR Egypt overnight hotelDisembark and drive to Luxor

APR 4 LUXOR EgyptTransfer to Luxor Airport for flight home

MR BRIDGE FARES*

Standard Inside £1,695ppSuperior Inside from £1,795ppStandard Outside £1,995pp

Superior Outside from £2,150ppDeluxe Outside from £2,450ppDeluxe Balcony from £2,795pp

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT ONLY £100

CRUISE ACROSS CONTINENTS

INDIA, OMAN & THE TREASURES OF EGYPT

Mumbai was made the headquarters of the British East India Company in1687 but it was the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 that transformedthe city – then known as Bombay – into one of the world’s great tradingcentres. Your journey begins here with an overnight hotel stay and a tour of all the main sights including Mani Bhavan, a museum that was once theresidence of Mahatma Gandhi, the Victorian architectural monuments ofthe British Empire, the Prince of Wales Museum and the Gateway of India.

Cruise in comfort, relax in styleBoard the elegant Aegean Odyssey and sail forPorbandar, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and theport of Muscat in Oman to visit the Sultan's Palaceand the famous twin forts. Continue to Salalah,famous for the production of frankincense beforerelaxing at sea as the ship makes its way to Egypt.

After arriving at Safaga you travel to Luxor and visit two truly breathtakingsites: the vast temple complex of Karnak and the subterranean marvels of the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings, a spectacular finale to thismemorable journey.

SPECIAL MR BRIDGE

FARESCombine the mysteries of India and theancient lands of the Pharaohs in one spectacular voyage!

* Prices shown are per person, double occupancy and include MR BRIDGE SPECIAL SAVINGS. This offer is subject to availability, is capacity controlled and may be withdrawn at any time.

BRIDGE PLAYERS: The bridge programme is completely optional and Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as little as they wish. There is a supplement of £100 for those wishing to participate in the duplicate bridge programme.

Singles are made especially welcome and a playing partner will always be found.

FARES INCLUDE:SIGHTSEEING EXCURSIONS AT ALL PORTS

EXPERT LECTURE PROGRAMME

WINE WITH DINNER & GRATUITIES ON BOARD

EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY

SCHEDULED AIR & TRANSFERS

PLUS MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES

CALL ON 01483 489 961

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAYADD INDIA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLEEnhance your voyage with the classical sights ofDelhi, Agra and Jaipur at the begining of yourvoyage. Known as India’s “Golden Triangle”, this 4-night land tour is an opportunity not to be missed! Please ask for details.

ACCOMPANIED BY MR BRIDGE HOST

VOYAGES TOANTIQUITY10093

ABTA No.Y2206www.voyagestoantiquity.com

1394 MR BRIDGE November cover_Layout 1 08/10/2012 19:26 Page 3

Page 3

Ryden GrangeKnaphill, Surrey

GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961e-mail:

[email protected]:

www.mrbridge.co.uk

Publisher and Managing Editor

Mr Bridge

Associate Editors Bernard Magee Julian Pottage

Technical Consultant Tony Gordon

Proof Readers Tony & Jan Richards

Danny Roth Richard Wheen Hugh Williams

Office Manager Jane Cavell

Events & Cruises ( 01483 489961

Rosie Baker Jessica Galt

Rachel Everett Megan Riccio

Sophie Pierrepont

Clubs & Charities Maggie Axtell

[email protected]

Address Changes Elizabeth Bryan

( 01483 485342 [email protected]

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.

BRIDGEFEATURES

4 Mr Bridge 9 Bernard Magee Says

Ruff in the Short Hand 11 Stephen Cashmore Says

Two Opening Hands Should Bid to Game

13 Julian Pottage Says Lead Partner’s Suit

17 Harold Schogger Says Eight Ever Nine Never

19 Heather Dhondy Says Use the Rule of Eleven

21 Andrew Kambites Says Do Not Bid a New Suit at the Two Level with Only Eight Points

22 Derek Rimington Says Overcall with a Good Suit

26 Dave Huggett Says Don’t Give a Ruff and Discard

27 Justin Corfield Says Combine Your Chances

ADVERTISEMENTS

2 Cruise from India to Luxor with Voyages to Antiquity

3 Bridge Events at: The Inn on the Prom The Cheltenham Regency

4 Tunisia 2012/3 5 Christmas 2012

and New Year 2013 5 Mr Bridge

Just Bridge Events

6 Haslemere 2013 6 Bridge Tie 6 2013 Diaries

Standard and Luxury 7 Mail Order Form 7 Bridge Event

Booking Form 8 Christmas in Vietnam

and South East Asia 10 South America

with Mr Bridge onboard Voyager

12 Bridge Events at: Chatsworth House Queensferry Hotel Blunsdon House Hotel The Olde Barn Hotel

14 Voyages to Antiquity Spring Cruises

16 Bernard Magee at Haslemere 2011/2012

18 Bridge Events with Bernard Magee

18 Rubber Bridge Events 20 Bernard Magee’s

Tips for Better Bridge 20 Charity Bridge Events 20 S R Bridge Tables 23 Bridge Events at:

Ardington Hotel Elstead Hotel Staverton Park Denham Grove

24 Global Travel Insurance

48 Tutorial Software 48 QPlus Offer

Cheltenham Regency

HotelCheltenham GL51 0ST

BRIDGE EVENTS 2013

15-17 February Chris Williams

Hand Evaluation – £215

5-7 April Just Bridge – £199

17-19 May Just Bridge – £199

12-14 July Bernard Magee

Thinking Defence – £245

26-28 July Just Bridge – £199

9-11 August Just Bridge – £199

6-8 September Just Bridge – £199

13-15 September Just Bridge – £199

11-13 October Just Bridge – £199

25-27 October Just Bridge – £199

1-3 November Further into

the Auction – £215

29 Nov – 1 Dec Declarer Play – £215

6-8 December Just Bridge – £199

Full Board No Single Supplement

Booking Form on page 7.

The Inn on the Prom Bridge Events 2013

19-21 April Thinking Defence £245

Bernard Magee

12-14 July Just Bridge £169

16-18 August Just Bridge £169

Full Board – No Single Supplement. Booking Form on page 7.

St Annes-on-Sea FY8 1LU

Page 4

Mr Bridge

AT THE ROYAL KENZ

TUNISIA

Two-week half-board duplicate

bridge holiday

24 Feb – 10 March 2013 Golf available

Bernard Magee and his team

£799*

3-17 November 2013 Golf available

Tony and Jan Richards

£769* *per person half-board sharing a twin-bedded room and is inclusive of bridge fees. Single supplement £6 per night. These prices are based on air travel from Heathrow to Tunis. Flights from other UK airports are available at a supplement. 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 Mr Bridge by Tunisia First Limited, ATOL 5933.

DETAILS & BOOKINGS

( 01483 489961

UNCLEAR

£50off

In the last issue of BRIDGE, I announced your Christmas present as being £50 off all or any of the 2013 Just Duplicate Events. To ensure there are no misunderstandings, I have printed the £50 instead of my photograph. This sum should be taken off the 2013 prices which are already very keen. There is a cap on the number of places available at each venue and the offer has been extended until the 7 January 2013. You may make more than one booking if you wish. You may also book to bring non-readers (are there any?) and even your non-bridge playing friends.

I do hope this is now clear to everybody. To answer other FAQs: no event will have a group of more than 52; there will be partners for all those who need one; the director will be non playing except in an emergency; there will be no half tables. The price is for full board including Sunday roast. Please ring if you need to know more.

LONG AWAITED

Better Bridge with Bernard Magee, the CD based on the six lectures he gave at Haslemere in 2011, is now ready. With twenty hands for each of the six subjects it is a must have, give it to yourself, Christmas present. This is Bernard Magee at his very best.

LITTLE VOICE

Good clean second-hand copies of QPlus could make useful Christmas presents for grandchildren or even a bridge partner, while supporting Little Voice, the charity with a school house in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia. Just make your selection. Q Plus 7, 8 or 9. Suggested donation £10, £16 or £25. Please send your cheque for the CD of your choice, made payable to L.U.C.I.A. Little Voice with two 2nd class stamps to cover the cost of posting it to you. More than £3,000 has been raised by this initiative to add to the money raised by Colin Bamberger selling your used postage stamps. Thank you.

PRIZE QUIZ

Try the new quiz. Holding the hand below and playing Acol 12-14 no-trump, neither side vulnerable. What would you bid? Send answers in before 20 December 2012, please.

♠ A K Q 5

♥ Q J 6 5 4

♦ Q 10 9

♣ 3

18% DISCOUNT

Just a quick plug for my most faithful sponsor. His support helps pay for this free magazine. ( 0208 422 4906 [email protected] Value supplied in two stamps combined.

NEARLY FULL

Bernard Magee and his team once again take out a party to the Royal Kenz. If you haven’t been with Bernard before, you will be really pleased and if you have, you will know what to expect and get it.

ANTIQUITY

Congratulations to Voyages to Antiquity on being voted Best Specialist Cruise Line at the 2012 Cruise Awards.

I can tell you from my own experience that the award is

well deserved and I am proud to be involved.

COVER STORY

Voyages to Antiquity Spring programme is to be found in the centre fold of this issue. Do enquire and book with Mr Bridge to secure a place in one of our exclusive parties at these special prices.

MUCH NEEDED

£60 per year provides insurance cover for a club with up to a hundred members for all sorts of eventualities. A small price to pay for peace of mind. Ring John Pilsbury at brokers Moore Stephens on ( 0207 515 5270.

Page 5

JUST DUPLICATE 201311-13 January

Elstead Hotel £199

25-27 January Ardington Hotel £199

1-3 February Elstead Hotel £199

8-10 February Ardington Hotel £199

22-24 February Elstead Hotel £199

22-24 February The Olde Barn £169

1-3 March Blunsdon House £199

8-10 March Staverton Park £169

15-17 March The Olde Barn £169

22-24 March Ardington Hotel £199

5-7 April Cheltenham Regency £199

5-7 April Staverton Park £169

12-14 April Ardington Hotel £199

17-19 May Cheltenham Regency £199

17-19 May The Olde Barn £169

31 May – 2 June The Olde Barn £169

Full Board – No Single Supplement Please note there are no seminars or set hands at these events. Booking Form on page 7.

7-9 June Staverton Park £169

14-16 June Chatsworth Hotel £199

14-16 June Elstead Hotel £199

14-16 June Staverton Park £169

21-23 June The Olde Barn £169

12-14 July Inn on the Prom £169

12-14 July Staverton Park £169

19-21 July The Olde Barn £169

19-21 July Staverton Park £169

26-28 July Cheltenham Regency £199

2-4 August Staverton Park £169

9-11 August Cheltenham Regency £199

9-11 August Staverton Park £169

16-18 August Inn on the Prom £169

6-8 September Cheltenham Regency £199

6-8 September The Olde Barn £169

13-15 September Cheltenham Regency £199

4-6 October Staverton Park £169

11-13 October Cheltenham Regency £199

18-20 October The Olde Barn £169

25-27 October Cheltenham Regency £199

1-3 November The Olde Barn £169

8-10 November Elstead Hotel £199

15-17 November Staverton Park £169

22-24 November Elstead Hotel £199

22-24 November The Olde Barn £169

6-8 December Cheltenham Regency £199

The Olde Barn HotelMarston, Lincs NG32 2HT

Chatsworth HotelWorthing BN11 3DU

Cheltenham Regency Hotel Cheltenham GL51 0ST

Ardington HotelWorthing BN11 3DZ

Christmas & New Year

2012/13Duplicate Bridge

Denham GroveNear Uxbridge, UB9 5DU

24-27 Dec £455

Just Bridge Jo Walch

(with a small separate section for rubber / Chicago

hosted by Diana Holland)

27-29 Dec £215 Game Tries

Gary Conrad29 Dec – 1 Jan £445

Finding Slams Gary Conrad

The Olde BarnMarston, Lincs NG32 2HT

24-27 Dec £455

Just Bridge Val Passmore

27-29 Dec £215 Doubles

Patrick Dunham29 Dec – 1 Jan £445 Losing Trick Count Patrick Dunham

( 01483 [email protected] www.holidaybridge.com

Page 6

BERNARDS PARTY

Bernard Magee will host a festive party at The Chatsworth Hotel over the weekend 28-30 December, ideal for those of you who have withdrawal symptoms, common around this time of year. The focus of his seminars is on better Defence. He is supported by a full team to assist with supervised play and duplicate sessions.

ALL CHANGE

Some of you have been using the same tutorial software for more than ten years. Send in your old tutorial CD and a cheque for £39 and choose from the list on the order form.

IN FEBRUARY

On the 4th Bernard flies to Bangkok in Thailand, to host another party on Aegean Odyssey, visiting Cambodia, Vietnam, Borneo, Malaysia, Brunei and finally ending up in Singapore.

HASLEMERE

Date, times and subject matter of the forthcoming Haslemere Festival are all listed in the adjacent advert.

IN FEBRUARY

Join Mrs Bridge and I, in February, sailing from Buenos Aires up the South American coast via Rio to Recife. See page 10.

CHRISTMAS WISH

My Christmas wish for you is everything I wish for myself; love, peace and blessings.

Mr Bridge

Mr BridgeBernard Magee

at Haslemere

HallHaslemere, Surrey

14-16 May 2013

£12 per ticketFor advanced

booking, please callHaslemere Hall

Box Office

( 01428 642161Please note that all sessions

will be filmed.

Tuesday 14 May

Morning Session: 11.00 – 12.30

Thinking Defence

Afternoon Session: 14.30 – 16.00

Pre-emptive Bidding

Wednesday 15 May


Splinters & Cue Bids


Play & Defence at Duplicate Pairs

Thursday 16 May


Hand Evaluation (without a fit)


Avoidance Play

Mr Bridge2013

BridgePlayers’Diaries

Contents include♦ Acol Summary

by Bernard Magee.

♦ Guide to the Laws.

♦ Scoring Tables for duplicate and rubber bridge.

♦ Distributional odds.

♦ Hand patterns and fascinating figures.

♦ Cover colours: Sorry only red and navy blue remain in stock.

♦ All covers printed in gold-coloured ink.

♦ Individual diaries £6.95 each including p&p.

♦ Special concession to clubs and teachers. 10 for £35 and pro rata. £3.50 each inc p&p.

♦ Luxury version with super-soft kidrell cover, gilded page edges and a ball-point pen attached, in ruby red, navy blue or green. £14.95 each including p&p.

See Mail Order Form on page 7.

Bridge Tie£15

including postage

& packing

From Mr Bridge

( 01483 489961

www.mrbridge.co.uk

Order Form on page 7

Page 7

Mr Bridge MAIL ORDER

Prices are inclusive of VAT and postage to UK mainland.

I enclose a cheque for £..........

Mr/Mrs/Miss .................................................................................................

Address ..........................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................

Postcode ........................................( ...........................................................

Expiry: ............. CVV ........ Issue No. ........... (CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)

✄

✄

PLAY SOFTWAREQPlus 10 £86.00 ........

QPlus 10 Trade-in £35.00 ........

Bridge Baron 23 Mac compatible £63.00 ........

Bridge Baron 23 Trade-in £36.00 ........

TUTORIAL SOFTWAREBegin Bridge Acol Version £66.00 ........

Acol Bidding £66.00 ........

Advanced Acol Bidding £96.00 ........

Declarer Play £76.00

Advanced Declarer Play £81.00

Defence £76.00 ........

Five-Card Majors with Strong No-Trump £89.00 ........

Better Bridge with Bernard Magee Haslemere 2011 £69.00 ........

Better Bridge with Bernard Magee Haslemere 2012 In course of preparation

SOFTWARE BUNDLE OFFER – £120.00Any two software pieces ........

BOOKSDuplicate Bridge Rules Simplified £5.95 ........

Books – £14.00 each

Better Hand Evaluation ........

Bernard Magee’s Bridge Quiz Book ........

Bernard Magee’s Quiz and Puzzle Book ........

Tips for Better Bridge ........

Make your cheque payable to Mr Bridge and send to: Mr Bridge, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH

( 01483 489961 www.mrbridge.co.uk/mrbridge-shop

✄✄

TUTORIAL DVDsHaslemere 2011 – £25 eachRuffing for Extra Tricks ........

Competitive Auctions ........

Making the Most of High Cards ........

Identifying & Bidding Slams ........

Play & Defence of 1NT Contracts ........

Doubling & Defence to Doubled Contracts ........

All 6 DVDs as a boxed set £100.00 ........

Haslemere 2012 – £25 eachLeads ........

Losing Trick Count ........

Making a Plan as Declarer ........

Responding to 1NT ........

Signals & Discards ........

Endplays ........

All 6 DVDs as a boxed set £100.00 ........

MR BRIDGE TIE £15.00 ........

BONE CHINA MUGS £15 eachBidding Sequence ........

It’s Only a Game ........

BRIDGE PLAYERS’ DIARIES

Standard – £6.95

Red ..... Navy .....

Luxury Kidrell Covers & ball-point pen – £14.95

Green ..... Navy Blue .....

BRIDGE BREAKS

Please book ..... places for me at £....... per person,

Single .... Double .... Twin ....

Name of Hotel/Centre ............................................................

Date(s) ...................................................................................

Mr/Mrs/Miss ........................................................................

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Special requirements (these cannot be guaranteed, but we will do our best to oblige).

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Please give the name(s) of all those covered by this booking.

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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.

Expiry: ................................ CVV ........................ Issue No. .................. (CVV is the last 3 numbers on the signature strip)

♦ Full-board

♦ All rooms with en-suite facilities

♦ No single supplement

♦ Two seminars*

♦ Two supervised play sessions*

♦ Four bridge sessions**

Mr Bridge, Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey GU21 2TH.

( 01483 489961e-mail: [email protected]

website: www.holidaybridge.com*on tutorial weekends only. **6 sessions on rubber/Chicago events.

Please note: Just Bridge events contain no seminars and do not award prizes.

NEW

NEW

Bangkok Vietnam

Singapore BoRNEO/malaysia

Bandar Seri Begawan

Thailand

Kota Kinabalu

Ho Chi Minh City

Nha Trang

SihanoukvilleCambodia

Brunei

Gulf ofThailand

DECEMBER 18, 2012 – 15 days from £2,850

DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPARTDEC 18 Depart UK

DEC 19 Arrive SINGAPORE overnight hotelDEC 20 SINGAPORE

Embark Aegean Odyssey 6.00pmDEC 21/22 At Sea

DEC 23 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 7.00amBrunei, Borneo 8.00pm

DEC 24 KOTA KINABALU Borneo 7.00am 5.00pmDEC 25 Christmas Day at Sea

DEC 26 NHA TRANG Vietnam 1.00pm 6.00pmDEC 27 HO CHI MINH CITY Vietnam 6.00pm overnightDEC 28 HO CHI MINH CITY Vietnam 6.00pmDEC 29 At Sea

DEC 30 SIHANOUKVILLE Cambodia 6.00am 8.00pmDEC 31 New Year’s Eve at Sea

JAN 1 ’13 BANGKOK Thailand 7.00amDisembark Aegean Odyssey andtransfer to airport for flight home

MR BRIDGE FARES*

Standard Inside £2,850ppSuperior Inside from £3,095ppStandard Outside £3,450pp

Superior Outside from £3,595ppDeluxe Outside from £4,150ppDeluxe Balcony from £4,895pp

VOYAGES TOANTIQUITY10093

ABTA No.Y2206www.voyagestoantiquity.com

CHRISTMAS CRUISE

VIETNAM & THE JEWELS OFSOUTHEAST ASIA

Fly to Singapore and enjoy time to explore and an included excursion of this dynamic City. Cruise to the beautiful island of Borneo and the Sultanateof Brunei, with its magnificent Royal Palace, and Kota Kinabalu in the stateof Sabah. Relax on board as we celebrate Christmas Day sailing the SouthChina Sea to Vietnam. Visit Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City where a warm welcome, fascinating history and spectacular scenery await. Your final destination is exotic Bangkok where you arrive in style as Aegean Odysseysails up the Chao Phraya River to berth in the heart of the city.

Aegean Odyssey – cruise in comfort, relax in styleCarrying around 350 passengers, the atmosphere on board is relaxed with plenty of passenger space, achoice of restaurants (with open-seating dining) andgenerously-sized accommodations, plus the comfortand attentive service of boutique-style cruising.

NO SINGLE

SUPPLEMENT†

Join us on this celebration voyage from Singapore to Bangkok, and enjoy a Christmas you’ll never forget!

Add more time in Bangkok and visit Angkor Wat in CambodiaAn optional 4-night package is available offering 3 nights in a 5-star hotel in Bangkok and 1 night in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the magnificent temple complex at Angkor Wat. Details on request.

* Prices shown are per person, single or double occupancy, include MR BRIDGE SPECIAL SAVINGS. †Limited availability on cabins with no single supplement. This offer is subject

to availability, is capacity controlled and may be withdrawn at any time.

BRIDGE PLAYERS: The bridge programme is completely optional and Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as little as they wish. There is a supplement of £100 for those wishing to participate in the duplicate bridge programme.

Singles are made especially welcome and a playing partner will always be found.

FARES INCLUDE:SIGHTSEEING EXCURSIONS AT ALL PORTS

EXPERT LECTURE PROGRAMMEWINE WITH DINNER & GRATUITIES ON BOARD

EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTYSCHEDULED AIR & TRANSFERS

PLUS MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES

ADD THAILAND, MALAYSIA & BURMA!Begin your voyage on our preceding sailing on December 6 and cruise to Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Yangon (Rangoon), Penang and Malacca. This makes a magnificent 32-day Grand Voyage offering remarkable value and even greater savings. Please ask for details

ACCOMPANIED BY MR BRIDGE HOST

CALL ON 01483 489 961

1394 MR BRIDGE November cover_Layout 1 08/10/2012 19:25 Page 2

Page 9

Firstly, let me define ‘short hand’. When you are playing in a trump contract, we call the hand (declarer

or dummy) with longer trumps the long hand and the hand with the shorter trumps the short hand.

Some ruffs you aim for and some you have forced upon you. The ones you aim for either create extra tricks, or are worth extra tricks in their own right. Ruffs in the short hand are very often worth extra tricks in their own right:

NW E

S

♠ 9 8 7 ♥ 3 ♦ 9 5 4 3 2 ♣ A 10 5 2

♠ A K Q J 10 ♥ A J 5 ♦ A ♣ K Q J 9

Contract: 7♠ by South. Lead: ♦K.

Spades are trumps and your target is thirteen tricks. You have a singleton in each hand, but you do not try to ruff in both hands – generally you go for ruffs in the short hand. You start with five trump tricks but need more. Ruffing hearts in the short hand is the way to do this. Each time you ruff a heart you make an extra trick as you still have five trump tricks in your hand.

How different the case is if you try to ruff diamonds in the South hand. Now instead of gaining a trick you are just making the same five trumps: only as four top trump tricks and a ruff. Indeed, not only do you not gain a trick, but you also shorten your trumps. This could prove disastrous as you can see from the full diagram.

NW E

S

♠ 9 8 7 ♥ 3 ♦ 9 5 4 3 2 ♣ A 10 5 2 ♠ Void ♠ 6 5 4 3 2 ♥ K 9 7 6 ♥ Q 10 8 4 2 ♦ K Q J 8 6 ♦ 10 7 ♣ 8 6 4 3 ♣ 7 ♠ A K Q J 10 ♥ A J 5 ♦ A ♣ K Q J 9

The play is simple if you focus on ruffing in the short hand. You have eleven top tricks and so need just two ruffs. Take the red aces, ruff a heart and come to hand with a trump, on which West shows out. Then ruff another heart, come to hand with a club and finish drawing trumps. Your good clubs win the last three tricks. Eleven tricks have become thirteen by ruffing twice in the short hand. Just one diamond ruff in the long hand and you would have lost control as East would have more trumps than you. Sel dom will trumps break so badly, but you should avoid needless ruffs in the long hand.

Here is a typical example of ruffing in the short hand from a duplicate pairs:

NW E

S

♠ K Q 7 ♥ 3 2 ♦ A 8 5 3 ♣ Q 7 6 5

♠ A J 10 5 4 ♥ J 9 5 ♦ K 2 ♣ A K 2

Contract: 4♠ by South. Lead: ♦Q.

You count ten tricks on top and have a chance of an eleventh from your club suit. However, a 3-3 break is against the odds, so you would like a surer way of making an overtrick. Whenever you are looking for extra tricks, always consider ruffing in the short hand.

NW E

S

♠ K Q 7 ♥ 3 2 ♦ A 8 5 3 ♣ Q 7 6 5 ♠ 9 8 6 ♠ 3 2 ♥ A 10 8 7 ♥ K Q 6 4 ♦ Q J 10 6 ♦ 9 7 4 ♣ 10 4 ♣ J 9 8 3 ♠ A J 10 5 4 ♥ J 9 5 ♦ K 2 ♣ A K 2

If you can ruff a heart in dummy, you make your eleventh trick. Win the first diamond in hand and give up a heart. Win the trump return in dummy and play another heart. Win the next trump in hand, ruff a heart in dummy and cross to hand with a club to draw trumps.

The defenders could have stopped you from making eleven tricks by leading a trump at trick one. Of course, as the clubs broke 4-2, there was no extra trick there. Once again, note that ruffing diamonds in the long hand would not gain tricks.

Conclusion

Ruffing in the short hand nearly always gains a trick, so you should always look for ways to do so in your plan. It is an especially useful tactic in Pairs, where making overtricks can be very important. There are so many deals on which making that extra ruff will move you up the scoreboard. ■

Ruff in theShort Hand

Bernard Magee Says

The fare shown is per person, based on two people sharing the lowest twin bedded cabin category currently available, is for new bookings only, includes all applicable discounts and cannot be combined with any other discount, excluding Discovery Club Discount for past passengers. No single supplement offer is only available on outside cabins. Cabin number may not be given at time of booking. All fares are correct at time of going to print, are subject to availability and may be changed or withdrawn at any time. To be part of the Mr Bridge group a supplement of £30pp will be charged at the time of booking. Terms and conditions apply. Only bookings made through the Mr Bridge office are eligible to be part of the Mr Bridge Group. See brochure for full terms and conditions. Voyages of Discovery is the trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.

01483 489961 for brochures and bookings

Join Mr & Mrs Bridge as they discover South America’s Coast

HigHligHtS of tHe CruiSe

• overnight stay in exciting rio de Janeiro

• Delightful Paraty, a showcase of colonial architecture

• Stunning landscapes of ilhabela

• South American capitals of Buenos Aires and Montevideo

• fascinating culture of Salavador de Bahia

• Baroque architecture of olinda

South America’s Discovery Coast 24th february – 13th March 2013 – 18 days from £1,949pp

BUENOS AIRES

MONTEVIDEO

RECIFE

SANTOS

ILHABELAPARATY

RIO DE JANEIRO

SALVADOR DE BAHIA

Discovery club members save an aDDitional 5%

Your VoYAge iNCluDeS

• All meals, entertainment and gratuities on board

• Comprehensive lecture and guest speaker programme

• Captain’s cocktail parties and gala dinners

• flights and transfers to and from the ship

All Voyager cruises will have an exclusive group on board. All clients will be invited to the drinks parties. For passengers that opt to pay the £30 bridge supplement; there is duplicate bridge every evening, seminars every morning and afternoon bridge each day the ship is at sea and one of Bernard Magee’s bidding quizzes.

The bridge is a fully optional programme and you may participate as much or as little as you wish. Singles are most welcome and will always be accommodated. If space allows any bridge playing passengers will be able to participate in the afternoon bridge session however, priority will always be given to passengers.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to travel with Mr and Mrs Bridge on this exciting voyage of discovery.

Vibrant rio de Janeiro is the centrepiece on this voyage that opens in Buenos Aires to sultry sounds of the tango. uruguay’s rolling savannahs and cattle strewn grasslands are in absolute contrast to Sao Paulo’s sea of skyscrapers. then ilhabela – Brazil’s island idyll. the colonial charm of Paraty soon gives way to the sounds of the samba and Salvador – capital of Bahia ‘land of the Drum’. finally recife – a crucible of cultures epitomising the spirit of this land of passionate rhythms.

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Page 11

Conventional wisdom is that you need about 25 points in your combined hands to take the nine

tricks required for 3NT, 26-27 to make four of a major suit (because you need an extra trick), and 28-29 to make five of a minor suit (which entails taking two extra tricks).

It follows that, if partner opens the bidding with a value-showing bid, and you also have an opening hand, simple arithmetic puts you in the region of 25 points or more. You should therefore ensure the partnership bids to game.

Of course, this is not true if partner opens the bidding with something that shows less than opening values – easy examples being a weak-two bid or a three-level pre-empt. You need a strong hand to think about going to game if partner has advertised a weak hand. However, if partner makes a normal opening of, say, 1♥ or 1NT, and you too have an opening bid, game should be ‘on the cards’.

Let’s say you pick up this ordinary looking selection:

♠ 10 8 ♥ K J 10 2 ♦ K J 8 6 ♣ A J 5

First in hand, you would no doubt open 1NT.

In fact, partner is first to speak and opens 1 (something). Your first thought should be that, as you have 13 points yourself, you must make sure that the bidding gets to game.

Here are some examples (you are East):

West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass 1NT Pass 3NT End

Opposite 1♣ (or 1♦ if that is your style) from partner, you have an easy response of 1♥. When he rebids 1NT, showing 15-16 points, you simply jump to 3NT to end proceedings.

West North East South 1♥ Pass ?

Curiously, it is harder if partner kicks off with 1♥, your best suit. 2♥ and 3♥ are out – they are non-forcing limit bids. 4♥ is also out – this is a pre-emptive bid, showing something like:

♠ J ♥ K 10 9 6 5 4 ♦ Q 7 5 2 ♣ 9 2

To bid your actual hand, you will, if you do not have a gadget like a Jacoby 2NT to show a game-forcing raise, have to temp orise with 2♦. You intend to bid 4♥ on the next round. The key thing is to make a bid that ensures that there is a next round, not one that poor partner might pass.

West North East South 1♠ Pass ?

You also have a decision to make if partner starts with 1♠. You cannot bid 2♥, as that promises five hearts. You could bid an immediate 3NT, but that risks missing a 4-4 heart fit, not to mention a possible slam if partner has the right hand. So, you try 2♦ again –a bid to keep the auction open so that you can see what partner bids next.

In all three cases, the key point is that you can see immediately that you should be bidding to game. You must therefore make either a forcing bid, such as a change of suit, or bid game.

Of course, we have all failed in 3NT on a combined 28 points, or a doomed 4♥ with 30 points. Just because we know we should bid a game doesn’t mean we are going to make it. You just can’t afford to wait for a 100% contract.

NW E

S

♠ 9 5 2 ♠ 10 8 ♥ A Q 8 ♥ K J 10 2 ♦ A Q 2 ♦ K J 8 6 ♣ K 10 6 3 ♣ A J 5

Here we see the combined cards for the first example. West opens 1♣, East responds 1♥, West rebids 1NT and East jumps to 3NT. This is all very sensible, but neither player has a spade stopper – the defenders might very well take the first five tricks. What went wrong? Well, nothing really: East-West are unlucky that their red-suit honours are duplicating each other – but that is hard to diagnose in the auction. This is more typical:

NW E

S

♠ Q J 9 7 5 ♠ 10 8 ♥ A Q 8 5 ♥ K J 10 2 ♦ A 2 ♦ K J 8 6 ♣ 10 6 ♣ A J 5

Both members of the partnership have 13 points – enough for an opening bid – and game is excellent. You would expect to reach 4♥ and make it losing two spades and probably a club. Even the inferior games of 4♠ and 3NT stand a good chance of making. In 4♠, you might lose the same tricks as in 4♥. In 3NT, you might well get away with losing two spades and two clubs.

So, if you and partner have 25 (or more) points, you should bid up to a game somewhere. Remember: opening points + opening points = bid game. ■

Two Opening Hands Should Bid to Game

Stephen Cashmore Says

Page 12

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BRIDGE EVENTS 201322-24 February Just Bridge £169

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NEW TOPIC

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Page 13

When you need to make the opening lead, you very often want to start with

the question, ‘Did partner bid?’ If the answer is yes, you follow up with ‘Can I see a very good reason not to lead the suit?’ Normally there is none.

These are some of the advantages of leading partner’s suit:

1 You are likely to be leading towards strength and away from weakness.

2 To have bid, partner is likely to have strength, which means that there will be an entry to any winners you set up.

3 On some deals, partner will have bid mainly to direct the lead – this applies to overcalls in particular.

4 The state of mind implied in such a selfless lead keeps partner happy.

5 On the rare occasions when you lead something else, partner can draw a strong inference about your holding.

NW E

S

♠ 10 6 4 ♥ Q 10 8 5 2 ♦ K 10 5 ♣ 9 5

West North East South 1♠ 2♣ 2NT Pass 3NT End

Lead the nine of clubs. Partner has a bet-ter suit than you do and more entries. Even Mollo’s Hideous Hog would lead a club here. Do not allow the opposing no-trump bids deter you from leading a club.

What card do you lead in partner’s suit? Someone once said ‘the top card’. This is not the right answer. Normal for most partnerships is to lead the same as you would in an unbid suit. Lead top of a sequence, second from a long bad suit, fourth best from other long suits and the higher card from a doubleton.

NW E

S

♠ Q 6 4 ♥ Q 10 8 5 2 ♦ 10 6 5 ♣ 9 5

West North East South 1♠ 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ End

Lead the four of spades. In an unbid suit, the lead from three to an honour is quite rare – it is far from safe and risks causing confusion. In partner’s suit, it is quite a common occurrence – lead the lowest card, not the top one. If, for example, declarer has K-J-x or A-J-x of spades, this allows you to save the queen to capture the jack later.

NW E

S

♠ 6 4 ♥ Q 10 ♦ K J 9 6 5 ♣ A Q 9 5

West North East South 1♦ Pass 1♠ 2♥ Pass 3♥ End

Lead the six of spades. While you, no doubt, have a better hand than partner does and you may well have a better suit as well, this is no reason to lead a diamond. By leading a spade to start with and waiting for a diamond to come back, both of you are leading up to strength – normally a good idea.

What would cause you to reject a lead of partner’s suit? If the opponents are in a suit contract and you hold the ace of partner’s suit, you might try your luck elsewhere rather than risk setting up the king in declarer’s hand. There is no hard and fast rule on this.

If you lead some other suit, it tends to be because you have a very attractive lead of your own. An ace-king holding or a strong three-card sequence (e.g. K-Q-J) may well be enough. If you lead a suit bid by an opponent rather than partner, you are almost certain (against a suit contract) to be leading a singleton. Being void in partner’s suit also excuses you from leading it.

The time when you treat partner’s bid as merely a suggestion occurs if you forced the situation – for instance if you made a take-out double or a two-suited overcall. Then partner’s bid implies length but not necessarily strength.

I said earlier that an opposing bid in no-trumps should not deter you from leading partner’s suit. In one situation, it provides half an excuse – if partner bid the suit only once and it was not an overcall and you have a singleton in the suit, you may look at your hand and see if you have a decent lead of your own.

NW E

S

♠ A 6 4 ♥ J 8 5 3 ♦ J 10 9 5 2 ♣ 5

West North East South 1♣ 1NT End

Lead the jack of diamonds. For all you know, the opponents have a 4-4 fit in clubs. South might even have a five-card club suit. What is more, you have a fair five-card suit of your own and a sure entry.

Remember, however, that I have included this last example by way of exception. If you want to defeat as many opposing contracts as you can and – just as importantly – maintain partnership harmony – lead partner’s suit. ■

Lead Partner’s Suit

Julian Pottage Says

cruises to classical civilisations – spring 2013

DATE PORT

APR 15 Fly to ISTANBUL TurkeyTransfer to Aegean Odyssey

APR 16 Cruising the DardanellesLEMNOS Greek Islands

APR 17 Cruise past Mount AthosSKIATHOS Greek Islands

APR 18 IZMIR (Ephesus) Turkey

APR 19 IZMIR (Pergamon) Turkey

APR 20 DELOS Greek IslandsMYKONOS Greek Islands

APR 21 SANTORINI Greek Islands

APR 22 RETHIMNON (Knossos) Crete

APR 23 NAUPLIA (Mycenae) Greece

APR 24 PIRAEUS (Athens) Greece

APR 25 PIRAEUS GreeceDisembark and transfer to Athens Airport for flight home

11 days from £1,550 ppIncluding visits to Ephesus and Pergamon; theislands of Lemnos, Skiathos, Delos, Mykonosand Santorini; Minoan Crete; classicalMycenae and Athens.

This journey reveals the history and legacy of the Greeks, from the emergence of the great Minoanand Mycenaean civilisations to the magnificent artistic and architecturalachievements of the Byzantines.

AthensGreece

Nauplia

creteRethimnon

Turkey

MykonosDelos

Izmir

Istanbul

Skiathos

Mount AthosLemnos

Santorini

APRIL 25, 2013

ATHENS TO VENICE

DATE PORT

APR 25 Fly to ATHENS GreeceTransfer to Aegean Odyssey



APR 28 MONEMVASIA Greece

APR 29 KATAKOLON (Olympia) GreeceITHACA Greek Islands

APR 30 CORFU Greek Islands SARANDE (Butrint) Albania

MAY 1 KOTOR BAY MontenegroDUBROVNIK Croatia

MAY 2 DUBROVNIK Croatia

MAY 3 SPLIT Croatia

MAY 4 ZADAR Croatia

MAY 5/6 VENICE Italy

MAY 7 VENICE ItalyDisembark and transfer to Venice Airport for flight home

13 days from £1,995 ppIncluding tours of Athens, Mycenae andOlympia; Corfu and Butrint; Roman Forumin Zadar and Palace of Diocletian in Split;Venice including a private evening visit to St Mark’s Cathedral.

Explore the classical sites of Greece and enjoy the dramatic beauty of theinspiring Adriatic coast, one of thenatural wonders of the world, and discover Croatia’s historic cities.

AthensGreece

NaupliaMonemvasíaKatakolon

IthacaCorfu

SarandeAlbania

Kotor BayMontenegro

CroatiaDubrovnik

SplitZadar

VeniceItaly

Adriatic Sea

APRIL 15, 2013

ISTANBUL TO ATHENS

DATE PORT

MAY 7 Fly to VENICE ItalyTransfer to Aegean Odyssey


MAY 10 SPLIT Croatia

MAY 11 KORCULA Croatia


MAY 13 At Sea

MAY 14 SYRACUSE Sicily

MAY 15 PALERMO (Monreale) Sicily

MAY 16 PALERMO SicilyCruising past Stromboli

MAY 17 Cruising the Amalfi CoastSORRENTO (Pompeii) Italy

MAY 18 SORRENTO Italy

MAY 19 CIVITAVECCHIA ItalyDisembark and transfer to Rome Airport for flight home

13 days from £2,150 ppIncluding 2 days in Venice with a privatevisit to St Mark’s Cathedral; excursions inSplit, Korcula and Dubrovnik; MonrealeCathedral in Sicily and the mysteries ofPompeii from Sorrento.

Cruise to the gems of Italy: from thedazzling splendour of Venice and theremarkable architectural treasures ofSicily to the evocative ruins of Pompeiiand the well-preserved monuments of Herculaneum.

Italy

Sorrento

PalermoSyracuseSicily

Croatia

DubrovnikSplit

Venice

Korcula

CivitavecchiaRome

MAY 19, 2013

ROME TO CANNES

DATE PORT

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MAY 20 ELBA Italy

MAY 21 LIVORNO (Florence) Italy

MAY 22 Cruise the Maddalena ArchipelagoBONIFACIO Corsica

MAY 23 At Sea

MAY 24 PALMA Mallorca, Spain

MAY 25 BARCELONA Spain

MAY 26 SETE (Carcassonne) France

MAY 27 MARSEILLES (Avignon) France

MAY 28 CANNES France

MAY 29 CANNES FranceDisembark and transfer to Nice Airport for flight home

11 days from £1,895 ppIncluding a tour of renaissance Florence; visitsto the islands of Elba and Corsica; highlightsof Palma and Barcelona in Spain and France’smedieval walled city of Carcassonne, thePalais du Papes in Avignon, and the beautiful Riviera.

Explore the magnificent scenery and fascinating history of the Mediterranean:from the picturesque island of Corsica to the beauty of the French Riviera andthe magnificent treasures of RenaissanceFlorence.

Italy

Elba

Bonifacio

Livorno

CorsicaSpain

Marseilles

Barcelona

CannesSete

Civitavecchia

Rome

Florence

FRANCE

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cruises to classical civilisations – spring 2013

DATE PORT

APR 15 Fly to ISTANBUL TurkeyTransfer to Aegean Odyssey

APR 16 Cruising the DardanellesLEMNOS Greek Islands

APR 17 Cruise past Mount AthosSKIATHOS Greek Islands

APR 18 IZMIR (Ephesus) Turkey

APR 19 IZMIR (Pergamon) Turkey

APR 20 DELOS Greek IslandsMYKONOS Greek Islands

APR 21 SANTORINI Greek Islands

APR 22 RETHIMNON (Knossos) Crete



APR 25 PIRAEUS GreeceDisembark and transfer to Athens Airport for flight home

11 days from £1,550 ppIncluding visits to Ephesus and Pergamon; theislands of Lemnos, Skiathos, Delos, Mykonosand Santorini; Minoan Crete; classicalMycenae and Athens.

This journey reveals the history and legacy of the Greeks, from the emergence of the great Minoanand Mycenaean civilisations to the magnificent artistic and architecturalachievements of the Byzantines.

AthensGreece

Nauplia

creteRethimnon

Turkey

MykonosDelos

Izmir

Istanbul

Skiathos

Mount AthosLemnos

Santorini

APRIL 25, 2013

ATHENS TO VENICE

DATE PORT

APR 25 Fly to ATHENS GreeceTransfer to Aegean Odyssey



APR 28 MONEMVASIA Greece

APR 29 KATAKOLON (Olympia) GreeceITHACA Greek Islands

APR 30 CORFU Greek Islands SARANDE (Butrint) Albania

MAY 1 KOTOR BAY MontenegroDUBROVNIK Croatia


MAY 3 SPLIT Croatia

MAY 4 ZADAR Croatia


MAY 7 VENICE ItalyDisembark and transfer to Venice Airport for flight home

13 days from £1,995 ppIncluding tours of Athens, Mycenae andOlympia; Corfu and Butrint; Roman Forumin Zadar and Palace of Diocletian in Split;Venice including a private evening visit to St Mark’s Cathedral.

Explore the classical sites of Greece and enjoy the dramatic beauty of theinspiring Adriatic coast, one of thenatural wonders of the world, and discover Croatia’s historic cities.

AthensGreece

NaupliaMonemvasíaKatakolon

IthacaCorfu

SarandeAlbania

Kotor BayMontenegro

CroatiaDubrovnik

SplitZadar

VeniceItaly

Adriatic Sea

APRIL 15, 2013

ISTANBUL TO ATHENS

DATE PORT

MAY 7 Fly to VENICE ItalyTransfer to Aegean Odyssey


MAY 10 SPLIT Croatia

MAY 11 KORCULA Croatia


MAY 13 At Sea

MAY 14 SYRACUSE Sicily

MAY 15 PALERMO (Monreale) Sicily

MAY 16 PALERMO SicilyCruising past Stromboli

MAY 17 Cruising the Amalfi CoastSORRENTO (Pompeii) Italy

MAY 18 SORRENTO Italy

MAY 19 CIVITAVECCHIA ItalyDisembark and transfer to Rome Airport for flight home

13 days from £2,150 ppIncluding 2 days in Venice with a privatevisit to St Mark’s Cathedral; excursions inSplit, Korcula and Dubrovnik; MonrealeCathedral in Sicily and the mysteries ofPompeii from Sorrento.

Cruise to the gems of Italy: from thedazzling splendour of Venice and theremarkable architectural treasures ofSicily to the evocative ruins of Pompeiiand the well-preserved monuments of Herculaneum.

Italy

Sorrento

PalermoSyracuseSicily

Croatia

DubrovnikSplit

Venice

Korcula

CivitavecchiaRome

MAY 19, 2013

ROME TO CANNES

DATE PORT

MAY 19 Fly to ROME ItalyTransfer to Aegean Odysseyin Civitavecchia

MAY 20 ELBA Italy

MAY 21 LIVORNO (Florence) Italy

MAY 22 Cruise the Maddalena ArchipelagoBONIFACIO Corsica

MAY 23 At Sea

MAY 24 PALMA Mallorca, Spain

MAY 25 BARCELONA Spain

MAY 26 SETE (Carcassonne) France

MAY 27 MARSEILLES (Avignon) France

MAY 28 CANNES France

MAY 29 CANNES FranceDisembark and transfer to Nice Airport for flight home

11 days from £1,895 ppIncluding a tour of renaissance Florence; visitsto the islands of Elba and Corsica; highlightsof Palma and Barcelona in Spain and France’smedieval walled city of Carcassonne, thePalais du Papes in Avignon, and the beautiful Riviera.

Explore the magnificent scenery and fascinating history of the Mediterranean:from the picturesque island of Corsica to the beauty of the French Riviera andthe magnificent treasures of RenaissanceFlorence.

Italy

Elba

Bonifacio

Livorno

CorsicaSpain

Marseilles

Barcelona

CannesSete

Civitavecchia

Rome

Florence

FRANCE

PalmaMallorca

MAY 7, 2013

VENICE TO ROMEHosted by

BernardMagee

Join a Voyage to Antiquity andexplore the history of the ancientworld while enjoying the benefits of small-ship cruising, personal service and intimate surroundings of Aegean Odyssey.

Plus with Mr Bridge special faresand shore excursions, wine with dinner, on-board bridge programme,an antiquity lecture programme and gratuities ALL INCLUDED –you’ll also discover remarkable value for money.

Save on four inspirationalvoyages aboard

the award-winningAegean Odyssey

SPECIAL FARES & NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

BOOK NOW & ENJOY THE VOYAGE OF A LIFETIME WITH THESE REMARKABLE

VALUE, SPRING CRUISES.

BRIDGE CRUISES FOR SPRING 2013

Voyages to Antiquity feature:

• SCHEDULED FLIGHTS & TRANSFERS

• EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES

• INCLUDED SHORE EXCURSIONS

•EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS

• OPEN-SEATING DINING

• WINE INCLUDED WITH DINNER ON BOARD

• GRATUITIES INCLUDED ON BOARD

• COCKTAIL PARTY ON BOARD

CALL ON 01483 489 961

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EACH VOYAGE IS ACCOMPANIED

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DVDs

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DVDs

Each £25. Boxed Set of 6 £100

20127 Leads

Bernard takes you through all the basic leads and the importance of your choice of lead. If you start to think not just about your hand, but about your partner’s too, then you will get much better results.

8 Losing Trick Count

A method of hand evaluation for when you find a fit. Bernard deals with the basics of the losing trick count then looks at advanced methods to hone your bidding.

9 Making a Plan as Declarer

Bernard explains how to make a plan then expands on how to make the most of your long suits. The first half deals with no-trumps, the second with suit contracts.

10 Responding to 1NT

This seminar deals with Transfers and Stayman in detail. The 1NT opening comes up frequently, so having a good, accurate system of responses is paramount.

11 Signals & Discards

This seminar deals with Count, Attitude and Suit-preference signals: aiming to get

you working as a partnership in defence.

12 Endplays

Bernard takes you through the basics of the technique before showing some magical hands where you take extra tricks from defenders. In the second half, Bernard looks at how to avoid being endplayed as a defender.

20111 Ruffing for Extra Tricks

This seminar deals with declarer’s use of ruffing to generate extra tricks and then looks at how the defenders might counteract this.

2 Competitive Tricks

This seminar focuses on competitive auctions from the perspective of the overcalling side to start with and then from the perspective of the opening side in the second part.

3 Making the Most of High Cards

This seminar helps declarer to use his high cards more carefully and then looks at how defenders should care for their precious high cards.

4 Identifying & Bidding Slams

The first half of this seminar is about identifying when a slam might be on – one of the hardest topics to teach. The second half covers some of the techniques used to bid slams.

5 Play & Defence of 1NT Contracts

This seminar looks at the most common and yet most feared of contracts: 1NT. The first half looks at declaring the contract and the second part puts us in the defenders’ seats.

6 Doubling & Defence against Doubled Contracts

The first half of this seminar explores penalty doubles and the second half discusses the defence against doubled contracts.

Page 17

This rule is mainly about what to do if you are missing the queen and want to know whether to

finesse.

NW E

S

♠ K J 6 5

♠ A 7 4 3

Do you play off the ace-king, hoping the queen falls in two rounds, or do you cash the ace in case of a bare queen and finesse on the second round? The key situations are when West holds Q-x-x or when East has Q-x. ‘Eight Ever Nine Never’ helps you decide. With eight cards between the two hands, you should finesse the jack. When there are five cards missing and the suit breaks 3-2, obviously the queen will be in the three-card holding three times for every twice that it is in the doubleton. You would need a very good reason to go against the rule. What could that be? If there are sixteen points missing, East opened the bidding and West has turned up with an ace, you would put East with the queen and try to drop it.

NW E

S

♠ 9 8 ♥ K J 6 5 ♦ J 10 8 3 ♣ K 6 2

♠ J 10 ♥ A 8 7 4 3 ♦ A K Q 5 ♣ A 3

How do you play the trumps in 4♥?

‘Nine Never’ says not to finesse with nine cards but the odds are closer.

In general, Q-x offside is slightly more likely than Q-x-x onside, which is why the rule says to go for the drop. So do you play off the ace-king?

I must tell you the bidding before you answer. Suppose first that you opened 1♥ in fourth seat and that, with no opposing bidding, you reached 4♥. In this case, you follow the rule and play for the drop. In fact the bidding was:

West North East South Pass Pass Pass 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ 3♠ 4♥ End

The opponents have bid a lot with 14 points between them, especially if they are vulnerable. They must have some distributional values. In this case, you would cash only the heart ace, planning to finesse on the second round. This works when the full deal is:

NW E

S

♠ 9 8 ♥ K J 6 5 ♦ J 10 8 3 ♣ K 6 2 ♠ A K 7 6 4 ♠ Q 5 3 2 ♥ Q 10 9 ♥ 2 ♦ 7 2 ♦ 9 6 4 ♣ 9 8 5 ♣ Q J 10 7 4 ♠ J 10 ♥ A 8 7 4 3 ♦ A K Q 5 ♣ A 3

If the finesse or drop decision is in a side suit, you might try some detective work in the other suits first. You might be able to establish that one opponent is long in the key suit or that he needs the vital queen to justify his bidding. In such cases, you can finesse him for it.

When you have to tackle the key suit head on, the bidding often provides the best clue. If one of the opponents made a two-suited overcall, he will be short in the other suits and the queens there are likely to be in the other hand. Has there been an informative double? Informative is exactly what it can be.

NW E

S

♠ A 7 4 2 ♥ A K 6 ♦ K J 7 3 2 ♣ 6 ♠ 5 ♠ Q 10 8 ♥ 8 5 4 3 ♥ Q J 10 9 ♦ Q 8 4 ♦ 10 5 ♣ J 9 5 4 2 ♣ A K Q 10 ♠ K J 9 6 3 ♥ 7 2 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ 8 7 3

West North East South 1♦ Dble 1♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ End

West leads a club. East wins with the queen and switches to the heart queen. Having won this, you need to play the trump suit. If you follow the maxim, ‘Nine Never’, you will play the spades from the top. Of course, you should not expect spades to break 2-2 because of East’s take-out double. With this in mind, you cash the ace (in case of a bare queen) and are happy to see West follow. You finesse the jack next time as East’s double said he had tolerance for all the unbid suits. The double also implies that East is short in diamonds. So, after drawing the last trump, you finesse West for the diamond queen.

You have used the auction to find both queens, one to reject the maxim and one to follow it. ■

Eight EverNine Never

Harold Schogger Says

Page 18

RUBBER / CHICAGO

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Page 19

Partner leads the seven of spades and dummy plays low. Which card do you play as East?

NW E

S

1 ♠ K 5 2 ♥ Q 8 ♦ J 9 7 4 ♣ A K 4 2 ♠ Q J 8 7 ♠ A 10 9 3 ♥ 10 6 2 ♥ J 7 5 3 ♦ 10 8 6 ♦ A 2 ♣ Q 6 5 ♣ 10 9 8 ♠ 6 4 ♥ A K 9 4 ♦ K Q 5 3 ♣ J 7 3

West North East South 1NT (12-14) Pass 3NT End

The rule of eleven will help you to calculate the exact layout of the suit. Note: the rule only applies when you are playing fourth-highest leads. How does it work? Subtract the spot value of partner’s lead from eleven and this will tell you how many higher cards in the suit lie in the remaining three hands. Since you can see your own hand and dummy’s, you can work out how many higher cards declarer holds.

Let’s work through the example above. The spot value of partner’s lead is seven. Subtract this from eleven, as per the rule, and you are left with four. Count the number of cards higher than the seven that exist between dummy and your hand – the king in dummy, and your A-10-9 come to four. What this means is that declarer holds no card higher than the seven. You can play low and let partner win the trick.

By leaving your partner on lead, he can continue playing the suit through dummy to give you four spade tricks.

This is crucial to the defence since partner has no entry except in spades.

Note that, if partner’s lead was second highest from small cards, the rule of eleven does not work. Here it does not matter. Whatever partner’s lead, it is safe to play the three since, in either case, he will hold the eight.

NW E

S

2 ♠ 8 7 2 ♥ K Q ♦ A 9 4 2 ♣ A Q 8 7 ♠ 6 5 4 ♠ K Q J 10 ♥ 8 6 4 ♥ J 10 5 3 ♦ Q 6 5 ♦ K 10 8 ♣ J 9 6 5 ♣ 10 4 ♠ A 9 3 ♥ A 9 7 2 ♦ J 7 3 ♣ K 3 2


Put yourself in South’s seat as declarer. West leads the five of clubs; dummy plays the seven, East the ten and you the king. Let’s use the rule of eleven to discover the layout of this suit.

Five from eleven leaves six higher cards remaining between dummy, East and your own hand. We have seen three of them contributed to the first trick – and the remaining three are all in dummy. Therefore East has no further high cards in the suit. It is safe, indeed necessary, to take a double finesse against the jack-nine to bring this suit in for four tricks.

On this occasion, you can be sure that the lead is fourth highest. Why is this? Looking at the three and two in your own hand, you know that it cannot be second highest from four small.

You will see from those examples that the leader’s partner and declarer can equally use the rule. Back now to East:

NW E

S

3 ♠ 8 7 2 ♥ K J ♦ A J 9 3 2 ♣ A 8 7 ♠ A 6 5 ♠ Q J 10 9 4 ♥ 8 6 2 ♥ Q 10 5 3 ♦ 8 6 4 ♦ K 7 ♣ 9 6 5 4 ♣ J 10 ♠ K 3 ♥ A 9 7 4 ♦ Q 10 5 ♣ K Q 3 2


Partner leads the six of clubs, which goes to the ten and king. Declarer then runs the queen of diamonds to your king. You are faced with a similar problem to the one declarer had last time. This time the lead is the six of clubs instead of the five.

If you work through the rule of eleven, six from eleven leaves five. We have seen three of the five on the first trick, and you can see three more – the ace, eight, jack. Whoops. Has something gone wrong? The rule doesn’t work. What can we deduce from this?

The only answer can be that the lead was not fourth highest. What it could be is second highest from a suit headed by the nine-six.

This tells you to give up on clubs. Even if partner has an entry, you can never set up the suit in time. You must switch to the queen of spades.

What a difference one small spot card makes – be glad that the rule of eleven helped resolve the suit both times. ■

Use the Rule of Eleven

Heather Dhondy Says

Page 20

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Bernard Magee’s Tips for Better Bridge

65 invaluable tips in 160 pages

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 takeout 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

Declarer-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 defen-

sive 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 try-

ing for a trump promotion 60 Be patient when defending

1NT 61 Trump leads can be safe

throughout the play

General 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!

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Page 21

Your partner opens the bidding with 1♥. How many points do you need to respond?

There has always been a consensus that with six points you shouldn’t pass. The logic is obvious. Opener can hold up to nineteen points and you need twenty-five points for game, which means that passing with six points risks missing game. People also recognise that, if you have shape and a good fit then you might make game on far fewer points.

Hand A Hand B ♠ K J 9 8 5 4 ♠ 6 3 ♥ 7 ♥ 10 9 2 ♦ 10 8 7 5 ♦ 9 8 ♣ 3 2 ♣ A K J 10 3 2

Most experienced players would respond 1♠ to 1♥ with hand A. Not only might 4♠ be possible, it might make even with 1♥ due to go off. Responding 1♠ could gain in some other way, such as improving the part-score. For example, the auction might proceed: 1♥-1♠-1NT-2♠-End.

There has never been quite the same consensus about what you need to change suit at the two level, e.g. 1♥-2♣. This is partly because factors other than the desire to avoid missing game come into the equation. You need to respond with six points, yes, but what to respond is open to discussion, and there are several possible criteria.

One possible yardstick is the traditional Acol requirement of nine points (counting one length point for a five-card suit). The idea behind this is that you need an extra trick for a two level contract, so it might be a good idea to have an extra king (marginally under one thirteenth of the high card points in the pack).

I have never found this logic totally

convincing because it is very rare for the bidding to die at the one level anyway. A better explanation is that, with a weak hand you should strive hard to keep the bidding low.

Nowadays, tactical factors have pushed standards up, to the extent that, in many countries (though not the UK) it is quite common to play a two-over-one response as game forcing.

When the English Bridge Union started the Bridge for All teaching scheme, it decided that, for anyone learning the game in England, it might be sensible if they learnt the same system so they would feel at ease walking into a new club and playing with a stranger. I would thus like to refer to Standard English, the version of the Acol bidding system associated with Bridge for All. This gives the criteria as follows: You can bid at the two level with ten (high card) points or even nine if you have a very long suit. In practice, nobody would object to responding 2♣ to 1♥ if you held hand B. Your club suit has trick-taking potential far in excess of its eight high-card points. Moreover, your three-card heart support makes your next action easy. If partner rebids 2♥, you can happily pass; if partner rebids 2♦, you can happily give preference to 2♥.

I can conveniently express these criteria in the Rule of Fourteen: add together your high-card points and the number of cards in your longest suit and if the total comes to at least fourteen you can change suit at the two level.

It is not necessarily sensible to apply the Rule of Fourteen indiscriminately. Partner opens 1♥ and you hold:

♠ Q 8 4 ♥ 2 ♦ J 7 6 5 3 2 ♣ A J 7

This hand meets the Rule of Fourteen, but it would be blinkered to respond to 1♥ with 2♦. You are forcing partner to find a rebid and he is quite likely to have to rebid 2♥. You could only pass this, but your side would be in a very silly contract if he has had to rebid 2♥ with five poor hearts. It is far more sensible to respond to 1♥ with 1NT – keeping the bidding low with a poor hand and a misfit and giving opener the opportunity to pass. Certainly, he should pass rather than sign off in 2♥ if he has five hearts. Remember, unlike other no-trump bids that occur early in the auction, your 1NT response does not promise a balanced hand. I call it a ‘dustbin bid’ because you throw into the dustbin all the rubbish that doesn’t fit anywhere else.

It is worth considering just how unbalanced a 1NT response might be. If partner opens 1♠, what should you respond with hands C or D?

Hand C Hand D ♠ Void ♠ 7 4 ♥ 9 6 ♥ 6 ♦ Q J 7 6 5 4 ♦ A J 7 6 5 ♣ K 8 4 3 2 ♣ Q 10 6 4 3

Look at it this way. If partner opens 1♠, there are only two bids available to you if you have six, seven or a poor, misfitting eight points: 2♠ or 1NT. You can rule out 2♠, so it has to be 1NT.

Of course, you could turn your nose up at these hands and pass, but it is quite possible that 3NT or five-of-a-minor is easy for you, while 1♠ is going off. Bidding is so much easier if you are prepared not to be too squeamish about responding 1NT on hands like these. Treat it as a dustbin bid, and you will end up in far more playable low-level contracts. ■

Do Not Bid a New Suit at the Two Level with Only Eight Points

Andrew Kambites Says

Page 22

The primary objectives for suit overcalls are:

1 to direct the opening lead;2 to suggest a sacrifice;3 to crowd the opponents’ bidding,

ideally to push them too high;4 to reach a contract your way.The range for a suit overcall at the one level is extensive and you should count points for high cards and distribution. Any six-card suit is suitable; with five cards, suit quality is more important than strength elsewhere in the hand.

Hand 1 Hand 2 ♠ K J 9 8 4 ♠ K 7 5 4 2 ♥ 6 2 ♥ J 6 ♦ 5 3 ♦ Q J 6 ♣ A J 5 3 ♣ K J 6

At love all, your right-hand opponent opens 1♣. Hand 1 is worth an overcall of 1♠ but hand 2, with more points, is not. The reason is that (1) has the jack of spades to support the king and good secondary cards in the nine and eight of spades. Also, 5332 hands are not as power ful as 5422, especially if an oppon-ent has bid the four-card suit. With hand 1, your length and the 1♣ opening make it likely partner is short in clubs, increasing the chance of a spade fit.

Vulnerability is an important factor – neither hand would be worth 1♠ if vulnerable. Suit length is also most important. Substitute the jack of hearts in hand 2 for the jack of spades and you can justify a 1♠ overcall, even if vulnerable, because of the six-card suit.

Conscious competence is a valuable attribute when overcalling. The more favourable the vulnerability and the more opposing bidding space you can consume, the greater the case for making an overcall.

Hand 3 Hand 4 ♠ K J 9 8 6 ♠ Q J 9 8 6 ♥ 6 4 ♥ 4 ♦ A 7 6 2 ♦ 7 3 ♣ 9 3 ♣ A Q 9 8 6

Hand 3 is a minimum overcall of 1♠ not vulnerable if RHO has opened 1♣ because it stops LHO from responding 1♥. Exchange the eight of spades for the queen and it becomes a sound overcall at any vulnerability.

Hand 4, with the two decent five-card suits, justifies an overcall of 1♠ over 1♦. If you run into a penalty double, you might escape into your second suit.

Two-level overcalls normally require a good six-card suit such as Q-J-9-8-6-4 or better and the values for an opening bid. A very strong five-card suit also qualifies if it obstructs the opponents.

Hand 5 Hand 6 ♠ K 5 ♠ 7 5 2 ♥ 6 2 ♥ 6 2 ♦ K 4 2 ♦ A 7 2 ♣ A J 7 6 5 4 ♣ A K J 10 6

If RHO opens 1♠, pass with either of these hands if you are vulnerable. If not vulnerable, you can overcall 2♣.

You would need a hand like hand 7 to overcall at unfavourable vulnerability:

Hand 7 ♠ K 5 ♥ 6 2 ♦ 7 4 2 ♣ A K Q 8 6 2

Here you have a very good suit and six likely tricks in your hand.

In the sandwich seat – when both the opponents are bidding but your partner has passed – the need for a good suit is extra strong. For one thing, there is a reduced chance that your side will buy the contract. This adds to the need to bid a suit you want led. For another, knowing about each other’s hands, they are in a good position to penalise you.

NW E

S

Dealer: South. Love All. ♠ K 9 4 ♥ A 8 5 2 ♦ 8 6 ♣ Q J 4 3 ♠ J 5 ♠ Q 8 7 6 2 ♥ J 10 7 3 ♥ Q 9 6 ♦ K 10 7 2 ♦ A Q 3 ♣ 7 6 5 ♣ 9 8 ♠ A 10 3 ♥ K 4 ♦ J 9 5 4 ♣ A K 10 2

West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♥ 1♠ 1NT Pass 3NT End

This was how the bidding went at one table in a Crockford’s match. Goaded by the overcall, West led the jack of spades. Declarer won in dummy with the king and later finessed the ten of spades. Eight tricks had become nine.

The overcall was particularly poor, as East has a good holding in the other unbid suit, diamonds.

At the other table, the bidding was the same except East passed over 1♥. After West led the two of diamonds, declarer made only eight tricks.

Now for my hobbyhorse – bidding is more important than play. Even a near beginner would make 3NT on a spade lead but not on any other. ■

Overcall with a Good Suit

Derek Rimington Says

Page 23

Staverton ParkStaverton, Daventry NN11 6JT

BRIDGE EVENTS 20138-10 March Just Bridge £1695-7 April Just Bridge £1697-9 June Just Bridge £16914-16 June Just Bridge £16912-14 July Just Bridge £16919-21 July Just Bridge £1692-4 August Just Bridge £1699-11 August Just Bridge £16913-15 September Rubber/Chicago £1994-6 October Just Bridge £16915-17 November Just Bridge £169



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As this description contains the Key Features of the cover provided it constitutes provision of a statement of demands and needs.This insurance is suitable for a single round trip starting and finishing in the UK and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration, for persons whose age is 90 years or less.This insurance is only available to persons who are permanently resident and domiciled in the UK and Channel Islands.

SINGLE TRIP PREMIUM RATING SCHEDULE

GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS1. United KingdomEngland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, including all islands comprising the British Isles (except the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland). (Any British Isles or UK Cruises are rated as Area 2).2. EuropeContinental Europe west of the Ural mountain range, all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (except, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya & Syria), the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Madeira, The Canaries and The Azores. (Persons residing in the Channel Islands need to pay Area 2 rates for UK trips).3. WorldwideAll countries outside of the above (except those within Area 4).4. North America, Central America & The CaribbeanBahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, The Caribbean Islands, United States of America.

SCHEDULE OF PREMIUMS

The following Premiums are valid for policies issued up to 31/3/2013 and for travel completed by 31/12/2013.

Maximum age is 90 years. Maximum period of insurance is 94 days.

Geographical Areas

Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 1 – 3 days £15.60 £23.80 £49.90 £71.90 4 & 5 days £18.70 £30.00 £62.70 £90.40 6 -10 days £21.80 £40.40 £85.10 £121.80 11-17 days £24.90 £44.20 £94.60 £136.30 18-24 days £28.00 £50.80 £106.50 £153.40 25-31 days £31.10 £57.80 £121.20 £174.50 Each + 7 days call for a quotation

All premiums include the Government Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)

PREMIUM ADJUSTMENTSAll age adjustments apply to the age on the date of return to the UK

Persons aged 81 to 90 inclusive are subject to a premium increase of 50% in Areas 1&2 and of 100% in Areas 3&4.Infants up to 2 years inclusive are FREE subject to being included with an adult paying a full premium. Children 3 to 16 years inclusive are HALF PRICE subject to being included with an adult paying a full premium. Unaccompanied children pay the adult rate.

Single Trip Travel InsuranceSuitable for for a single round trip starting and finishing in the UK

and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration, for persons whose age is 90 years or less.

Global Travel InsuranceA1 Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, BN13 3QZ

( 01903 267432 Fax 01903 268946

SINGLE TRIP APPLICATION FORM

Please FULLY complete the following in BLOCK CAPITALS. Once complete, return the application panel direct to Global Travel Insurance at the address above, with a cheque or with card details entered. Insurance is not effective until a Policy has been issued.

Title (Mr/Mrs/Miss) Initials

Surname

Telephone No.

House Number/Name

Street Name

Town Name

Postcode

Date of leaving Home

Date of arrival Home

Screening Ref

Introducer

Geographical Area – See Premium Panel (1,2,3 or 4)

Names of all persons to be insured Age Premium

1

2

3

4

5

6

Credit/Debit Card Details TOTAL PREMIUM

Card No

Start Date End Date Issue No

Security Code

Mr Bridge

£

£

£

£

£

£

£

DECLARATIONOn behalf of all persons listed in this application, I agree that this application shall be the basis of the Contract of Insurance. I agree that Insurers may exchange information with other Insurers or their agents. I have read and understood the terms and conditions of the insurance, with which all persons above are in agreement and for whom I am authorised to sign.

Signed .......................................................... Date ..................................The form MUST be signed by one of the persons to be insured on behalf of all persons to be insured.

Mr Bridge is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Global Travel Insurance Services Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

✄✄ 328STI12

Page 26

A joy as declarer is ruffing losers in one hand or the other – but you just can’t on some deals …

NW E

S

♠ K 9 7 2 ♥ Q 5 ♦ K 8 6 ♣ K 6 4 3 ♠ 5 ♠ 10 8 3 ♥ A K J 4 2 ♥ 10 9 6 3 ♦ 10 7 3 ♦ Q J 5 2 ♣ J 9 8 2 ♣ Q 10 ♠ A Q J 6 4 ♥ 8 7 ♦ A 9 4 ♣ A 7 5

West North East South 1♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ End

With twenty-six points, you arrive in 4♠ but are sorry to see no way to obtain useful ruffs anywhere. Success appears to hinge on a 3-3 club break, in which case you make five spades, two diamonds and three clubs. A glance at the diagram shows that this wish would not come true – but just imagine that West mistakenly starts with three rounds of hearts. (Maybe West thought that East’s three of hearts on the first round showed an odd number, while East just meant it as discouraging. These things happen.) This would be a serious error because declarer could ruff the third heart in dummy while discarding a losing club (or diamond) from hand. Allowing declarer a ruff and discard is a cardinal defensive sin. You should avoid this at all costs – or nearly all costs, as we shall see later.

On the next deal, move to the West seat and see how your refusal to give a ruff and discard will break the contract:

NW E

S

♠ K 8 7 2 ♥ 6 5 ♦ K 9 6 ♣ 7 6 4 3 ♠ 5 3 ♠ 6 4 ♥ K Q J 2 ♥ 9 8 7 4 3 ♦ Q 7 3 ♦ J 8 4 ♣ J 9 8 2 ♣ Q 10 5 ♠ A Q J 10 9 ♥ A 10 ♦ A 10 5 2 ♣ A K

South arrives in 6♠ and you lead the king of hearts. Declarer wins, cashes two top clubs from hand, goes over to dummy with the king of spades and ruffs a club. He then draws the last trumps and exits with the ten of hearts to your jack. These cards remain:

NW E

S

♠ 8 7 ♥ Void ♦ K 9 6 ♣ 7 ♠ Void ♠ Void ♥ Q 2 ♥ 9 8 7 ♦ Q 7 3 ♦ J 8 4 ♣ J ♣ Void ♠ Q J ♥ Void ♦ A 10 5 2 ♣ Void

Can you see that, if you led another heart declarer would be able to throw a diamond from dummy whilst ruffing in hand? Then he would have no diamond losers. It would be just as fatal for you to lead a diamond as then declarer could pick up that suit without loss.

The only safe thing is for you to lead your last club. Declarer can ruff in hand but will have a diamond to lose.

Let’s change the deal ever so slightly:

NW E

S

♠ K 8 7 2 ♥ 6 5 ♦ K 9 6 4 ♣ A 6 4 ♠ 5 3 ♠ 6 4 ♥ K Q J 2 ♥ 9 8 7 4 3 ♦ Q 10 3 ♦ 8 7 ♣ J 9 8 2 ♣ Q 10 5 3 ♠ A Q J 10 9 ♥ A 10 ♦ A J 5 2 ♣ K 7

The contract and lead are the same. If again declarer wins the opening lead, ruffs a club after drawing trumps and exits with a heart, there is a serious difference. These cards now remain:

NW E

S

♠ 8 7 ♥ Void ♦ K 9 6 4 ♣ Void ♠ Void ♠ Void ♥ Q 2 ♥ 9 8 7 ♦ Q 10 3 ♦ 8 7 ♣ J ♣ Q ♠ Q J ♥ Void ♦ A J 5 2 ♣ Void

You as West are on lead. Here, while a diamond lead would let declarer pick up the suit, a ruff and discard does him no good – with at least three diamonds left in each hand, he will still have a diamond loser. So, it would be equally safe to lead a heart or a club. This is rather an exceptional case, however. The basic principle of never giving a ruff and discard is a sound one. ■

Don’t Give a Ruff and Discard

Dave Huggett Says

Page 27

When two or more lines of play are possible, it is not always necessary to choose between

them. On a good day, you are able to try one suit and, if you find it unfavourably disposed, try another one instead.

Here is an example of what I mean:

NW E

S

♠ 6 4 ♥ A J 10 5 ♦ 7 3 ♣ A K J 10 3

♠ A K J 10 9 ♥ Q 9 4 ♦ A 5 ♣ 9 8 2

West North East South 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♥ Pass 3NT End

West leads a low diamond against your 3NT contract, unkindly removing your only stopper there. Since the defenders threaten to run the diamonds as soon as they get in, you will need to make nine tricks without losing the lead. You have six tricks on top and potential for three more in each of the other suits – so which suit should you try?

The answer is to try them all.Cash the ♣A-K first. If the club queen

drops, you are home. If she doesn’t appear, cash the ♠A-K. If the queen of spades drops, again you have your nine tricks. If neither queen appears, your last chance is to try the heart finesse.

This line of play is much more likely to succeed than any that puts all of your eggs into one basket. Three chances are much better than one.

In situations where you are able to combine your chances in more than one suit, you often need to do things in the right order. On this deal, if you were to tackle spades before clubs, for example, you would end up in the wrong hand to take a heart finesse if neither black suit cooperated.

If you come to take the heart finesse, which card should you lead from the South hand to take it? The nine of hearts is correct – you can continue with the queen if it holds. (Give West ♥K-8-7-6 to see why you play this way). It would be a shame to get this far only to fall at the last hurdle.

Sometimes it is harder to spot where your extra chances are. Take this hand:

NW E

S

♠ K 2 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ A 9 4 2 ♣ Q 5 3 2

♠ A Q J 8 4 3 ♥ K 2 ♦ K 3 ♣ A K 7

You reach 6♠ after an uncontested auction. West leads a club. There are 11 top winners. How many chances for a twelfth trick do you see?

If the ace of hearts is with East, you will be able to lead up to your king of hearts to set up a twelfth trick. You have an extra chance, also, that the clubs divide 3-3. If they do, you will be able to discard your possible second heart loser on dummy’s long club, making the contract irrespective of where the ace of hearts is. If they do not break kindly, you can fall back on the hearts – so you intend to play clubs before hearts.

However, there is yet another chance to make the contract. Playing off the two top diamonds and ruffing a diamond will set up the nine of diamonds any time one defender began with ♦Q-J-10 exactly. Granted, this is very unlikely, but it costs you nothing to try. If you are able to add just two or three percent to the odds of succeeding each time you declare a hand, over a year that adds up – to a lot of matchpoints, masterpoints, money or whatever it is you play for.

Combining All Your Chances

The line of play that caters for all of your chances is to draw trumps and then play three rounds of diamonds, ruffing the third. If you are so lucky that the ♦Q-J-10 have dropped, you can try the clubs for an overtrick (and should buy a lottery ticket). If the nine of diamonds is not established, try the ♣A-K-Q to see if the clubs divide 3-3. If they do, you have 12 tricks. In practice West shows out on the third round. When neither of the minor suits cooperates, your last resort is to try leading a heart up to the king, hoping the ace of hearts is onside.

Make Your Own Luck

I once saw a hand where declarer, an expert, had a diamond suit consisting of the singleton two opposite the ace, jack and three. He crossed to the ace of diamonds and ruffed the three, bringing down the ♦K-Q doubleton from one of the defenders. (He was my teammate at the time, thankfully). This play made his 4♠ contract and won us the match. Yes, this is very, very lucky, but how many of us would even visualize this possibility?

Look carefully for where your chances are, and then try to find a line of play that combines them all. The effort could be well worthwhile. ■

Combine Your Chances

Justin Corfield Says

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V TO A - Mr Bridge OnlineADD INDIA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE Enhance your voyage with the classical sights of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur at the begining of your voyage. Known as India’s “Golden