BRIDGE

Number One Hundred and Twenty-Two

2013 BRIDGE EVENTS with Bernard Magee

APRIL continued
February 2013

October 2013
12-14 Chatsworth 25-27 Queensferry
Hotel Hotel
£245 Declarer Play £245 Finding
19-21 Inn Slams
on the Prom NOVEMber 2013
£245 Thinking
18-20 Olde Barn
Chatsworth Hotel Defence Cheltenham Regency Hotel
Worthing BN11 3DU Cheltenham GL51 0ST Hotel
£245 Better Leads
MARCH 2013 October 2013 & Switches
22-24 Queensferry 11-13 Blunsdon
Hotel House Hotel
£245 Leads and £245 Splinters and
Defence Cue Bids
APRIL 2013 18-20 Chatsworth
5-7 Blunsdon Hotel
The Olde Barn Hotel
House Hotel Marston, Lincs NG32 2HT £245 Playing &
£245 Losing Trick Defending
Blunsdon House Hotel
Count 1NT Swindon SN26 7AS
JULY 2013
5-7 Blunsdon
House Hotel Full Board.
£245 Signals No Single
and
Supplement.
Discards
12-14 Cheltenham
Regency
See booking
Inn on the Prom £245 Thinking Queensferry Hotel
form on
St Annes-on-Sea FY8 1LU Defence North Queensferry KY11 1HP page 9.
 QPLUS 10 BERNARD MAGEE’S
Really INTERACTIVE TUTORIALS
user-friendly
bridge-playing ACOL MORE DECLARER
software BIDDING (ADVANCED) PLAY
ACOL BIDDING
l QPLUS 11 sent l Opening Bids and l Suit Establishment
when ready Responses l Basics in No-trumps
l QPLUS can be l Slams and Strong l Advanced Basics l Suit Establishment
passed on to a friend Openings in Suits
l Weak Twos
l Updated l Support for Partner l Hold-ups
comprehensive l Strong Hands
l Pre-empting l Ruffing for
manual l Defence
Extra Tricks
l Displays on £92 l Overcalls to Weak Twos
HD screen £66 l Entries in
l No-trump l Defence to 1NT No-trumps £76
l Supports large Openings
screens l Doubles
and Responses l Delaying
l Minibridge option
l Opener’s and l Two-suited £96 Drawing Trumps
l Extra 500 preplayed Responder’s Rebids Overcalls l Using the Lead
hands for teams
l Defences to
making 5,000 in all l Minors and Misfits l Trump Control
Other Systems
l Extra 500 preplayed l Doubles l Endplays &
hands for match- l Misfits and Avoidance
l Competitive Distributional
point pairs making
4,000 in all Auctions Hands l Using the Bidding
l Improvement
over two years
from version 9 ADVANCED DEFENCE FIVE-CARD
l New save match DECLARER PLAY MAJORS &
function l Lead vs Strong No-Trump
l Making Overtricks No-trump Contracts
l Save deals with
automatic file in No-trumps l Opening Bids
l Lead vs
labelling & Responses
l Making Overtricks Suit Contracts
l Closed room – new in Suit Contracts l No-Trump
l Partner of Leader
button to view Openings
l Endplays vs No-trump
other table
l Avoidance
Contracts l Support £89
for Partner
QPLUS l Partner of Leader
TRADE-IN
l Wrong £81 vs Suit Contracts l Slams
Contract
& Strong Openings
OFFER l Simple
l Count
Signals l Rebids
Return any QPLUS Squeezes
CD and booklet with
l Counting
l Attitude £76 l Minors
a cheque for £43 and Signals & Misfits
the Hand
receive QPLUS 10
l Discarding l Pre-empting
with the promise l Trump Reductions
of QPLUS 11 when & Coups l Defensive Plan l Doubles
ready later this year
l Playing Doubled l Stopping Declarer l Overcalls
for no extra charge.
Contracts
Order with absolute l Counting l Competitive
confidence. l Safety Plays the Hand Auctions

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 Fax 01483 797302
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BRIDGE
Ryden Grange, Knaphill,
Surrey GU21 2TH
( 01483 489961
e-mail:
bridge@mrbridge.co.uk
website:
www.mrbridge.co.uk
Publisher and
Managing Editor
Mr Bridge
Bridge Consultant
Bernard Magee
Technical Consultant
Tony Gordon
Typesetting & Design
Ruth Edmondson
Proof Readers
Tony & Jan Richards
Catrina Shackleton
Richard Wheen
Hugh Williams
Office Manager
Rachel Everett
Events & Cruises
( 01483 489961
Rosie Baker
Jessica Galt
Megan Riccio
Sophie Pierrepont
Clubs & Charities
Maggie Axtell
maggie@mrbridge.co.uk
Address Changes
Elizabeth Bryan
( 01483 485342
elizabeth@mrbridge.co.uk
All correspondence should
be addressed to Mr Bridge.
Please make sure that all
letters, e-mails and faxes
carry full postal addresses from £769
and telephone numbers.
FEATURES
5 Mr Bridge
11 Dave Huggett Says
If the Contract Looks
Safe, Look for a Snag
13 Andrew Kambites Says
Raise to Two
with Three Trumps
15 Bernard Magee Says
Throw a Loser on a Loser
18 Freddie North Says KISS
19 Mike Wenble Says
Lead Towards Strength
22 David Gold Says
Seven-Card Suits
Should be Trumps
23 Readers’ Letters
25 Prize Quiz Winners
25 Our Party Night
by Colin Payne
26 Riviera Regicide
by Dick Atkinson
30 Julian Pottage Says
If in Doubt, Get Them
Out – Draw Trumps
31 Heather Dhondy Says
Third Hand Plays High
ADVERTISEMENTS
1 Bridge Events with
Bernard Magee
2 Tutorial Software
and QPlus
3 Tunisia 2013
3 Bernard Magee’s
Hand Evaluation
Mr Bridge AT THE ROYAL KENZ TUNISIA
Two-week half-board duplicate bridge holidays
3-17 November 2013
Golf available
Tony and Jan Richards
For Information Pack ( 01483 489961
Page 3
4 Denham Grove
May Event 2013
5 Bridge Events at:
Better Hand
The Inn on the Prom Evaluation
6 Cruise from India Bernard Magee
to Luxor with
Voyages to Antiquity Introduction
7 Charity Events
Better Hand Evaluation is
aimed at helping readers to
add greater accuracy to their
8 Bernard Magee at bidding. It deals with auctions
Haslemere 2011/2012 in which you and your partner,
against silent opponents, can
9 Mail Order Form describe your hands fully to
each other and, by evaluating
9 Bridge Event them accurately, find the best
final contract. The emphasis of
Booking Form all good, accurate bidding is on
hand evaluation.
10 Bridge Events at:
Blunsdon House Hotel There are two general types of
auction: a) a fit is found and b)
The Olde Barn Hotel no fit is found.
Queensferry Hotel
When you do not have a fit,
Chatsworth House
you are aiming to describe the
strength of your hand as soon
12 Bridge Events at:
as possible, most often using
Ardington Hotel no-trump bids. This book be-
Elstead Hotel gins by discussing balanced
Staverton Park hand bidding in Acol, as it
Denham Grove is very important that both
members of a partnership
have an accurate knowledge of
14 Mr Bridge
how to show hands of different
Just Duplicate Events
strengths.
14 Rubber / Chicago When a fit is found, there is
Bridge Events much re-evaluation of the
hand to be done; point count,
16 Voyages of Discovery
though still important, needs
to be evaluated together with
Voyager 2013 Cruises distribution. The best way of
reaching an accurate assess­
20 Voyages to Antiquity ment is to use the Losing Trick
Spring 2013 Cruises Count; this is an important
method of hand evaluation and
24 Stamps takes up a number of chapters.
Finally, we move on to different
27 Bridge Events at:
Cheltenham
forms of evaluation including
game tries and splinter bids.
Regency Hotel You can never know enough
methods of hand evaluation;
28 Global Travel Insurance the more you learn, the better
you get at judging your hand.
32 Asia to Egypt with Although the Losing Trick
Voyages to Antiquity Count is used more easily in
tandem with your partner, a
large proportion of the ideas
in this book can be used by an
individual. For example, eval-
uating your hand to be worth
an extra point is going to help
anyone you partner – as long
as you get it right.
£14 including postage
See Mail Order Form
on page 9.
 BERNARD 
MAGEE
at Denham Grove
near Uxbridge, Bucks, UB9 5DG.

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

14 May 15 May 16 May
From 9.30 am From 9.30 am From 9.30 am
Check in Check in Check in
Tea, Coffee & Biscuits Tea, Coffee & Biscuits Tea, Coffee & Biscuits
10.30 am – 12 noon 10.30 am – 12 noon 10.30 am – 12 noon
Thinking Defence Splinters & Cue Bids Hand Evaluation
(without a fit)
12 noon – 2.30 pm 12 noon – 2.30 pm
Supervised Play1 Supervised Play1 12 noon – 2.30 pm
3-Course Buffet Lunch 3-Course Buffet Lunch Supervised Play1
3-Course Buffet Lunch
3 pm – 4.30 pm 3 pm – 4.30 pm
Pre-emptive Play & Defence 3 pm – 4.30 pm
Bidding at Duplicate Pairs Avoidance Play
4.30 pm – 7 pm 4.30 pm – 7 pm 4.30 pm – 7 pm
Supervised Play1 Supervised Play1 Supervised Play1
Tea, Coffee & Biscuits Tea, Coffee & Biscuits Tea, Coffee & Biscuits
Day guests may stay until 7pm. Day guests may stay until 7pm. Day guests may stay until 7pm.

£100 per day2. £270 for all three days3.

A limited number of bedrooms are available:
Dinner, bed and breakfast: £90 per person, per night.
Contact Mr Bridge to book your place or for further details: ( 01483 489961
These seminars are to be filmed. When ready, a full boxed set of DVDs will be sent.
1
Not with Bernard Magee. 2Includes
Page 4buffet lunch. Day guests only.
3
 DREAMS
Three years ago I decided
that the way forward was to
commission a series
tutorial films covering
every aspect of the game.
These were to be scripted by
Bernard Magee and
delivered by a suitable
presenter. I found the only
way I could make this
happen was to re-invent
myself, this time as an
executive producer. This is
film industry jargon for the
man who finds the money.
Several personalities were
considered but this would
cost and as readers must
know, Bernard Magee lives
and breathes his scripts, so
when by chance the
organisers of Haslemere
Festival suggested to me
that they would like to have
some bridge content as part
of their happenings, we
thought we would try some
scripts out in 2011.
I contacted TV director,
Hugh Dehn, who had
recently completed a bridge
series for Sky Arts Two,
Celebrity Bridge, so I knew
his work would be up to my
required standard. It was
just a matter of Bernard’s
The Inn on the Prom Bridge Events 2013
19-21 April Bernard Magee Thinking Defence £245
12-14 July Gwen Beattie Just Duplicate Bridge £169
16-18 August Gwen Beattie Just Duplicate Bridge £169
Full Board – No Single Supplement. Booking Form on page 9.
suitability as a presenter.
The rest is history.
For this year, I have
relocated to Denham
Grove, an altogether more
audience convenient
location but kept to the
dates that were advertised
for Haslemere. I profusely
apologise for any
inconvenience that these
changes may have caused. I
have also taken on board
several of the suggestions as
you will see from the
adjacent advertisement.
Come along and meet
Bernard and be filmed.
Everyone booking will be
sent a boxed set of this
year’s six DVDs when
ready later in the year.
FADED DREAMS
In addition to my DVD
project, I also hoped to
develop North America as
an extra market. After all,
they soughta speak the
same language. However,
after three years, I have
closed it down, cancelled
the adverts and given up.
Part of the problem is that
they kept things to
themselves and are not at
all outward looking.
Over there, if repeat buyers
are quizzed about Bernard
Magee software, they wax
poetic about it, but don’t
want to tell their friends. It
is their secret weapon and
fountain of knowledge.
At least my back cover
Page 5
advertising and promotion
these last three years has
stimulated changes in the
quality of adverts over there
but bridge is dying out
faster than in the UK. And
yes, it is dying and the
market shrinking. Down
from 1,850,000 players in
1987 when I started to
below 300,000 last year.
MORE DREAMS
Hopefully, Voyager with
some modifications will be
a ship with a bridge party
on board on every cruise,
but this can only happen if
bridge players tell the ship
that is what they would
like. I think this dream,
which more or less worked
on mv Discovery for eight
years, is fading as the
number of players in the
‘pool’ dwindles.
ANOTHER DREAM
A national chain of bridge
centres is an obvious
constituent of any
promoters’ wish list. It’s a
matter of getting the
prototype right and then
rolling it out. This is more
difficult in a shrinking
market place.
AND ANOTHER
It is obvious that my
enthusiasm for promoting
Just Duplicate Bridge
Events is yet another of my
dreams. I am giving it one
more try at making these
work but like the cost of
St Annes-on-Sea FY8 1LU
filming or developing the
North American market or
the bridge on board service,
there is a limit to the
amount that I can
reasonably afford as a skier,
(someone who spends the
kids inheritance). I am past
that, so if this doesn’t work,
I shall have to assume that
it is just not wanted.
QPLUS NEWS
QPlus 11 is in the course of
preparation and will
incorporate all the
improvements of the past
three years. It should be
ready in the early Autumn.
Buy version 10 now for £92
and I will send you version
11 when it is ready (you
may keep version 10 to give
to a friend). For regular
followers of this column,
here are a few hands, for
you to look at:
2941/02 – 1978/13
4616/06 – 6529/11
6656/01 – 302/09
BETTER BRIDGE
The first CD with six
chapters, each with twenty
hands and matching the six
subjects covered by the
DVDs at the 2011
Haslemere Festival is now
on sale. Bernard Magee at
his very best. An ideal gift
at any time.
RECORDED
Please note that all calls to
my office are recorded.
 CRUISE ACROSS CONTINENTS
INDIA, OMAN &
THE TREASURES OF EGYPT

SPECIAL
MR BRIDGE
FARES
Combine the mysteries of India and the
ancient lands of the Pharaohs in one
spectacular voyage!
Luxor Safaga
Mumbai was made the headquarters of the British East India Company in EGYPT Muscat
Red Porbandar
1687 but it was the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 that transformed Oman
the city – then known as Bombay – into one of the world’s great trading Sea Salalah Mumbai
INDIA

centres. Your journey begins here with an overnight hotel stay and a tour Arabian
of all the main sights including Mani Bhavan, a museum that was once the Sea
residence of Mahatma Gandhi, the Victorian architectural monuments of
the British Empire, the Prince of Wales Museum and the Gateway of India.
MARCH 20, 2013 – 16 days from £1,695
Cruise in comfort, relax in style
DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART
Board the elegant Aegean Odyssey and sail for
MAR 20 Depart UK
Porbandar, birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and the
MAR 21 Arrive MUMBAI India overnight hotel
port of Muscat in Oman to visit the Sultan's Palace
MAR 22 MUMBAI India
and the famous twin forts. Continue to Salalah, Embark Aegean Odyssey 5.00pm
famous for the production of frankincense before MAR 23 PORBANDAR India 7.00pm
relaxing at sea as the ship makes its way to Egypt. MAR 24 At Sea
After arriving at Safaga you travel to Luxor and visit two truly breathtaking MAR 25-26 MUSCAT Oman 2.00pm 2.00pm
sites: the vast temple complex of Karnak and the subterranean marvels MAR 27 At Sea
of the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings, a spectacular finale to this MAR 28 SALALAH Oman 2.00pm 8.00pm
memorable journey. MAR 29 - APR 2 Cruising the Gulf of Arabia & Red Sea
FARES INCLUDE: APR 3 SAFAGA/LUXOR Egypt overnight hotel
Disembark and drive to Luxor
SIGHTSEEING EXCURSIONS AT ALL PORTS
APR 4 LUXOR Egypt
EXPERT LECTURE PROGRAMME Transfer to Luxor Airport for flight home
WINE WITH DINNER & GRATUITIES ON BOARD
ACCOMPANIED BY MR BRIDGE HOST
EXCLUSIVE MR BRIDGE COCKTAIL PARTY
SCHEDULED AIR & TRANSFERS MR BRIDGE FARES*
PLUS MR BRIDGE SPECIAL FARES Standard Inside £1,695pp Superior Outside from £2,150pp
Superior Inside from £1,795pp Deluxe Outside from £2,450pp
CALL ON 01483 489 961 Standard Outside £1,995pp Deluxe Balcony from £2,795pp
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT ONLY £100

EXTEND YOUR HOLIDAY
ADD 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 Triangle”,
this 4-night land tour is an opportunity not
to be missed! Please ask for details.
* 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.

10093
V OYAGES TO A NTIQUITY
www.voyagestoantiquity.com ABTA No.Y2206
 METAMORPHOSIS
As you can gather this
publication is in a state of
flux. Lurching and
searching, looking for
advertisers and sponsors.
Anything that will keep it
free of charge.
Support at the moment is
thin on the ground. It is all
the more disheartening
that, on my travels
celebrating my 25 years as
Mr Bridge, so few had
booked or registered to be
part of the bridge party, just
taking the on board Mr
Bridge service for granted.
If my advertisers or
sponsors aren’t told, they
won’t know and if they
don’t know, they won’t
want to know. Minerva has
no organised bridge on
board now, but thirty-five
passengers presented
themselves to play on this
week’s cruise only to be
given cards, bidding boxes
and score pads and told to
organise it for themselves.
MAEVE BINCHY
I was saddened to learn of
the death of Maeve Binchy
last year and did promise to
tell readers about how she
has helped to quietly
promote the game.
I wrote to her in 1989, when
I launched my first
magazine, Bridge Plus. She
offered to contribute, ‘a
diary of a bad bridge
player,’ but bad bridge is
even more technically
difficult to write about than
more usual headings and
nothing came of it. She also
promised to write kindly
about bridge in all her
forthcoming novels and
this she faithfully did. She
also boosted my spirits,
sending me hand-written
postcards with helpful
suggestions whenever I sent
her a copy of BRIDGE.
Indeed, she included a
photo of herself, playing
bridge at her home in
Dalkey, near Dublin and
she scribbled on the back
that the bottle of red wine
had contributed to the bad
bridge, but it was great fun.
CLUB INSURANCE
Moore Stephens offer a club
insurance package to cover
clubs and more particularly
their committee members
for all the obvious risks.
£60 for a club of 100
members... and most
importantly, it covers the
unforeseen.
I receive at least one letter
a month telling me that I
am scare-mongering,
trying to drum up business,
but it is the risks that aren’t
obvious that are the
problem and need to be
covered by insurance. Ring
Moore Stephens on
( 0207 515 5270.
GOFFIES STAMPS
These days, I occasionally
get to see the post before it
is sorted and opened.
When I do, I have noticed
an increasing number of
letters that have multiple
stamps on their covers. This
I put down to my
promotion of Clive Goff
and his discounted stamps.
His support for this
publication has been long,
lasting and constant.
Value supplied in two
stamps combined to make
up the 50p 2nd class rate,
2nd class to you, 41p. 1st
class 60p, only 50p to you.
Available in lots of 100.
( 0208 422 4906
clive.goff@londonrugby.com
Page 7
LITTLE VOICE
The offer of second hand
copies of QPlus has raised
£4,517 for Little Voice since
it was announced. This is in
addition to the £2,000 or so
regularly coming in from
the sale of used stamps.
Thank you.
Charity organisers who
would like some of the
remaining stock of second-
hand software to sell at
their event in support of
their charity should write
in. This is an excellent way
of increasing the sum total
raised, without too much
extra work. Another job for
a committee member.
Amazing what can be
raised from unwanted
paper and software.
CHARITY
It always surprises me that
charity promoters of bridge
sessions, to raise funds for
their good causes, do not
use these pages more to
advertise their events, along
the lines of the adjacent
column. After all, the space
is given for no charge. All I
ask is that the relevant
dates and information is
provided well in advance. It
is also surprising that so
few ask for prizes. When
bothering to raise funds,
perhaps the organisers
should have one of the
committee put in charge of
collecting prizes. We never
refuse to provide support
for any good cause. So
charity organisers and
promoters, let’s be hearing
from you.
CHALLENGE CUP
This year’s heat is to be held
on Thursday March 7 in
support of The Prostate
Cancer Charity. To hold a
heat, ring Anna Gudge on
( 01787 881920 or email
her on anna@ecats.co.uk
CHARITY
BRIDGE
EVENTS
MARCH 2013
8 Garden House Hospice
Letchworth Howard Rotary
Club. The Settlement,
Letchworth G. C.
1.30 for 2.00. £7.50pp inc
afternoon tea and prizes.
Alan Fraser
( 01462 685448
alanf
@letchworthrotary.org.uk
12 ST NEOTS BOWLING CLUB
(ARC). St Neots, Cambs.
10.00 for 10.30am. £14.00.
John Shaw
( 01480 475454
13 ROTARY CLUB OF
WIMBORNE, Allendale
Community Centre,
Wimborne. £28 per table,
inc. high tea & prizes.
Don Phillips
( 01202 891801
14 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE
ROTARY CLUB
Outlane Golf Club.
12 for 12.30. £44 per table.
Brian Noble
( 01484 427356
APRIL 2013
10 RNLI
Charity bridge match.
The Institute, Leatherhead.
Tickets £30 a table.
Ann Chapman
( 01372 720020
peter.chapman
@btinternet.com
19 MS THERAPY CENTRE
Village Hall, Hemingford
Abbots. 10.00 for 10.30am.
Tickets £14.00.
Jenny Lea
( 01480 455810
MAY 2013
9 HUDDERSFIELD PENNINE
ROTARY CLUB
Outlane Golf Club.
12 for 12.30. £44 per table.
Brian Noble
( 01484 427356
15 CHILDRENS CHARITIES
Doddington Village Hall,
March. £14. 10 for 10.30am.
Val Topliss
( 01354 653696
E-mail your charity events:
maggie@mrbridge.co.uk
 SPRING CLEAN great help. Far better than
any book, believe me.
Bernard Magee Once more I am re-
stocking my bridge venues
MAC CONVERTER
Filmed Live at with new equipment. I will
be selling the old boards I am looking into putting
Haslemere Festival and bidding boxes at together an offer for the
knock-down prices. This is Bernard Magee tutorial
ideal for those wanting to software to include a
1. Ruffing for extra tricks (2011) start a new club. However, I Windows converter as part
This seminar deals with declarer’s use of ruffing to generate extra
am not packing it up. It will of the deal. Those interested
tricks and then looks at how the defenders might counteract this.
be sold to visitors who please call.
2. COMPETITIVE AUCTIONS (2011) come by appointment.
This seminar focuses on competitive auctions from the perspective
( 01483 489961.
of the overcalling side to start with and then from the perspective of NEW WRITERS
the opening side in the second part.
HELP WANTED Just as I need new hosts,
3. MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH CARDS (2011) lecturers and helpers, I also
This seminar helps declarer use his high cards more carefully and I am seeking to enlarge my need new ideas and
then looks at how defenders should care for their precious high cards.
team of hosts, helpers and columnists for BRIDGE.
4. Identifying & BIDDING SLAMS (2011) lecturers. In the first Let me have a sample in
The first half of this seminar is about identifying when a slam might instance please write in complete confidence and
be on – one of the hardest topics to teach, because as soon as you with your bridge CV plus a don’t be shy or backward in
announce the topic everybody is looking for slams. The second half
little detail of any earlier coming forward.
covers some of the techniques used to bid slams.
career. I warn applicants
5. PLAY & DEFENCE OF 1NT CONTRACTS (2011) that they will initially be
This seminar looks at the most common and yet most feared of
interviewed over the
BERNARD’S
contracts: 1NT. The first half looks at declaring the contract and the
telephone and having a CRUISES
second part puts us in the defenders’ seats..
working knowledge of what Bernard Magee is hosting
6. DOUBLING & DEFENCE I am trying to achieve will
AGAINST DOUBLED CONTRACTS (2011)
three cruises on board mv
The first half of this seminar explores penalty doubles and the
put you in a good light. I Voyager in the coming year.
second half discusses the defence against doubled contracts. might suggest you look at Details on page 16.
recent issues of BRIDGE
7. Leads (2012)
and read my pages at the
Bernard takes you through all the basic leads and the importance DISAPPOINTMENT
of your choice of lead. If you start to think not just about your hand, front of every issue. Just
but about your partner’s too, then you will get much better results. being helpful. My widely advertised cruise
of the year has to go
8. Losing Trick Count (2012)
A method of hand evaluation for when you find a fit. Bernard deals VALENTINE without us as my wife’s
with the basics of the losing trick count then looks at advanced knee has suddenly become
methods to hone your bidding. more of a problem. Indeed,
a hospital slot has been
9. Making a Plan as Declarer (2012)
Bernard explains how to make a plan then expands on how to make found for an operation in
the most of your long suits. The first half deals with no-trumps, the early March and we must
second with suit contracts. put first things first.
10. Responding to 1NT (2012) Now, shock horror, she has
This seminar deals with Transfers and Stayman in detail. The 1NT been admitted to hospital
opening comes up frequently, so having a good, accurate system of Just a quick tip I have been with severe pneumonia and
responses is paramount.
meaning to pass onto pleurisy, where she has
11. Signals AND Discards (2012) readers. If you are in need been for just over a week.
This seminar deals with Count, Attitude and Suit-preference signals: of a St Valentine’s Day card,
aiming to get you working as a partnership in defence.. take the Ace of Hearts from
FINALLY
12. Endplays (2012) an old pack and adapt it.
Bernard takes you through the basics of the technique before Useful for birthdays too. If you hear from your
showing some magical hands where you take extra tricks from friends that they aren’t
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See Mail Order Form on page 9. properly. It’s the over and
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Page 8
✄

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Page 9
Queensferry Hotel Blunsdon House Hotel
North Queensferry KY11 1HP Swindon SN26 7AS

BRIDGE EVENTS 2013

1-3 Mar Just Bridge £199
5-7 Apr Bernard Magee Losing £245
BRIDGE EVENTS 2013 Trick Count
with Bernard Magee 12-14 Apr Diana Holland Rubber/Chicago £199
5-7 July Bernard Magee Signals & Discards £245
22-24 March Leads & Defence £245 11-13 Oct Bernard Magee Splinters £245
& Cue Bids
25-27 October Finding Slams £245 8-10 Nov Stan Powell Doubles £215
22-24 Nov Bernard Magee Better Defence £245
Full Board – No Single Supplement
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Chatsworth Hotel The Olde Barn Hotel

Worthing BN11 3DU Marston, Lincs NG32 2HT

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NEW
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Booking Form on page 9. Booking Form on page 9.

Page 10
 Dave Huggett Says
If the Contract Looks
Safe, Look for a Snag
B
ridge is a hard game but, now and Again, you reach 3NT. This time you
then, a hand comes along that receive the lead of the queen of spades.
looks simple. In these cases, it is A quick tally of your tricks shows
easy to take your eye off the ball. Don’t! that, with four tricks in the other
Danger is often just round the corner. Be suits, you need only five in diamonds
vigilant at all times. Take this deal: for the contract – your target at teams
or rubber. It looks so simple to play a
low diamond to the ten, a safety play
♠ 7 6 3 in case the suit breaks 4-1. I am afraid
♥ 8 5 that’s wrong. If West plays the five, you a slam. The excitement of the moment
♦ A Q 6 5 3 should cover with the six in case the suit takes over and the adrenalin rush can
♣ 9 7 4 splits 5-0, while if West follows with any get in the way….
♠ Q 4 ♠ J 10 8 5 2 other card you should duck altogether.
♥ J 10 7 3 2 N ♥ K Q 9 How clever it would be for West to play
W E
♦ J 9 4 S ♦ 8 the jack of diamonds and how much
♣ K 8 3 ♣ J 10 6 2 cleverer it would be for you to duck!
♠ A K 9 Sometimes built-in instinct takes over
♥ A 6 4 when a nice dummy appears, though
♦ K 10 7 2 this can at times lead you astray….
♣ A Q 5
♠ 9 7 3 2
You arrive in 3NT and win the heart ♥ A K 8 6
lead. The contract looks easy with two ♦ 6 4
spades, one heart, five diamonds and a ♣ A 9 6
club. You also see that you can pick up ♠ J 4 ♠ 8
N
four diamonds with East by playing to ♥ Q 10 7 5 2 W E ♥ J 9 3
the ace and finessing the ten if need be. ♦ A 9 8 3 2 S ♦ K J 10
Quite right, but did you see the need ♣ 2 ♣ K J 8 5 4 3
to play the seven of diamonds towards ♠ A K Q 10 6 5
dummy? If you mistakenly played the ♥ 4
two, the suit becomes blocked and you ♦ Q 7 5
will make only four tricks in the suit! ♣ Q 10 7
♠ 7 6 You arrive in 4♠ and receive the lead
♥ 8 4 3 of the two of clubs. If you are playing
♦ A K Q 10 6 4 on autopilot, you might be tempted to
♣ 7 4 play low from dummy. That would be
♠ Q J 5 ♠ 10 9 8 4 2 a fatal mistake. East takes the king and
N
♥ K 7 W E ♥ Q J 10 6 returns a club. West ruffs, plays the ace
♦ J 9 8 7 5 S ♦ Void of diamonds and then a low diamond
♣ K 8 2 ♣ Q J 10 3 to his partner’s king. Another club ruff
♠ A K 3 puts the contract two down! If declarer
♥ A 9 5 2 stops to count his tricks, however, he
♦ 3 2 will work out that he doesn’t need two
♣ A 9 6 5 club tricks. Six spades, two hearts, a
diamond ruff and a club come to ten.
Page 11
Just take the ace of clubs, draw trumps
and throw a club on a good heart. You
lose just one club and two diamonds –
your last diamond you ruff in dummy.
A 6-1 club break was unfortunate but
should not have mattered.
Sometimes it is hard to think as
clearly as one should when an opponent
has doubled the contract or you are in
♠ Q 8 4 3
♥ K 7
♦ A Q 8 6 5
♣ K 3
♠ Void ♠ J 10 6 2
♥ J 9 6 5 2 N ♥ 8 4 3
W E
♦ J 10 9 3 S ♦ 4 2
♣ 9 7 5 2 ♣ J 10 8 4
♠ A K 9 7 5
♥ A Q 10
♦ K 7
♣ A Q 6
After a well-judged auction, you arrive
in a contract of 7♠ and receive the lead
of the jack of diamonds. It is easy to be
complacent in this sort of situation and
rather take things for granted. Here,
for example, it would be all too easy to
assume that you had more than enough
tricks. Don’t! You have to be aware that
trumps might break badly. If West has
all four missing trumps, the contract
is doomed. Luckily, you can cater for
them all with East. What you must not
do is play a top spade from your hand
first! Instead, play low to the queen,
whereupon you find out about the bad
break. You now have nothing to worry
about because, with plenty of entries to
dummy, you can take repeated finesses
against the jack and the ten to ensure a
happy outcome. ■
 Ardington Hotel
Worthing BN11 3DZ
BRIDGE EVENTS 2013
22-24 February Signals & Discards £ 215
15-17 March Doubles £ 215
22-24 March Just Bridge £ 199
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Elstead Hotel
Bournemouth BH1 3QP
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17-19 May Rubber/Chicago £ 199
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22-24 November Just Bridge £ 199
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Page 12
Staverton Park
Staverton, Daventry NN11 6JT
BRIDGE EVENTS 2013
8-10 March Just Bridge £169
5-7 April Just Bridge £169
7-9 June Just Bridge £169
14-16 June Just Bridge £169
12-14 July Just Bridge £169
19-21 July Just Bridge £169
2-4 August Just Bridge £169
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15-17 November Just Bridge £169
Full Board – No Single Supplement
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Denham Grove
Denham, Buckinghamshire, UB9 5DG
BRIDGE EVENTS 2013
15-17 March Game Tries £215
22-24 March Leads & Defence £215
4-6 October Doubles £215
25-27 October Finding Slams £215
8-10 November Hand Evaluation £215
Full Board – No Single Supplement
Booking Form on page 9.

Y
ou are playing Acol with four-
card majors. Your partner opens
1♠. What should you respond
with hand A?
Hand A Hand B if you raise 1♠ to 2♠?
♠ K 7 6 ♠ Void
♥ 3 2 ♥ 9 6
♦ A 5 3 2 ♦ Q J 7 6 5 4
♣ 9 6 4 3 ♣ K 8 4 3 2
With seven points and a four-card suit,
hand A falls well short on the Rule of
Fourteen. Seven plus four is eleven,
and you want a score of fourteen for a
two-over-one response. This leaves two
choices: 1NT and 2♠. If you go for 1NT,
because you like four spades to raise 1♠
to 2♠, think again. Several factors make
2♠ the most practical bid.
1 As you may know, I like to describe
the 1NT response as a ‘dustbin bid’. It
has to include hand B because B isn’t
good enough for a two-level change
of suit. If opener has five spades (and
he very often will), he cannot rebid
2♠ in case you have hand B. A 1NT
response on A means that you will
regularly miss a 5-3 spade fit.
2 What can partner have for 1♠ if he
has only four spades? You never open
a 4-4-4-1 with 1♠, so that leaves 4-4-
3-2 and 4-3-3-3 shapes. With these
shapes, assuming you play a weak
no-trump, he opens 1NT if he has 12-
14 points. Thus, he can only open 1♠
without five spades if he is balanced
but too strong for 1NT. Even then, he
will open 1♥ with 4-4 in the majors
or he may well open a strong 4-card
minor rather than a weak 4-card
major. In practice, depending on
your style, between 75% and 90% of
Acol 1♠ openings will contain five
Andrew Kambites Says
Raise to Two with
Three Trumps
or more spades. If you respond 1NT
to 1♠ with hand A, you are going to
miss an awful lot of 5-3 spade fits!
3 Suppose opener has a balanced hand
with four spades. What can he rebid
i With 15-16 points, opener passes.
Game is unlikely opposite your 6-9.
Note that he doesn’t say 16 points
facing a possible 9 make game and
bid on. You don’t look for perfect
cards. You cannot allow yourself to
keep getting too high just to avoid
missing the odd game. How well
will 2♠ play? It will be a 4-3 fit.
While this is sub-optimal, you will
have extra points to help and part-
ner might well ruff a heart in your
short trump hand. You can usually
come to eight tricks playing in a 4-3
fit with fair values at the two level.
ii With 17-18 points, he bids 2NT
over your 2♠. There is sometimes
confusion about what 2NT shows.
In rubber-style Acol, 1♠-2♣-2NT
shows 15-16 points. That is logical
because 1♠-2♣ shows at least nine
points. 1♠-2♠ shows at most nine
points, so 2NT here shows 17-18.
iii With 19 points, he rebids 3NT.
My advice is this: If partner opens
1♠, you should prefer a raise to 2♠ to
a response of 1NT if you have three-
card spade support and some side suit
shortage. A few players even raise on a
flat 3-3-3-4 shape; that is not my advice.
It is equally valid to raise 1♥ to 2♥ with
three-card support, though if you have
three hearts and four spades a response
of 1♠ is best. Don’t raise 1♠ to 3♠ on
three-card support even if you have the
values for jumping.
I finish with some examples.
Page 13
♠ K 7 6 ♠ A Q 8 2
♥ 3 2 N ♥ A 8 4
W E
♦ A 6 3 2 S ♦ K 7 5 4
♣ 9 5 4 3 ♣ A 7
West North East South
1♠ Pass
2♠ Pass 2NT End
2NT shows 17-18 and four spades. West
must decide between spades or no-
trumps and between game and part-
score. With three spades, North prefers
no-trumps. Being minimum, he passes
2NT rather than raise to 3NT.
♠ K J 6 4 ♠ A Q 8 2
N
♥ 3 2 W E
♥ A 8 4
♦ A 6 3 2 S ♦ K 7 5 4
♣ 9 5 4 ♣ A 7
West North East South
1♠ Pass
2♠ Pass 2NT Pass
4♠ End
This time West has four spades and a
maximum, so jumps to the spade game.
You raise to two with three trumps at
other times. If partner overcalls – surely
showing a five-card suit – it is clear to
raise. Opener may also raise:
♠ K J 6
♥ K J 7 2
♦ A 9 6 3 2
♣ 9
If you open 1♦ and partner responds 1♠,
a rebid of 2♠ is much better than 2♦. You
can ruff in the short hand and be sure of
at least a seven-card fit. ■
 JUST DUPLICATE 2013 RUBBER /
22-24 February 14-16 June 9-11 August
CHICAGO
Elstead Hotel £199 Elstead Hotel £199 Staverton Park £169 2013
22-24 February 14-16 June 16-18 August
The Olde Barn £169 Staverton Park £169 Inn on the Prom £169

1-3 March 6-8 September

Blunsdon House £199 Cheltenham Regency £199

8-10 March 6-8 September

Staverton Park £169 The Olde Barn £169

15-17 March 13-15 September Blunsdon

The Olde Barn £169 Cheltenham Regency £199
House Hotel
22-24 March Cheltenham Regency Hotel 4-6 October Swindon SN26 7AS
Ardington Hotel £199 Cheltenham GL51 0ST Staverton Park £169
12-14 April
21-23 June 11-13 October
The Olde Barn £169 Cheltenham Regency £199

12-14 July 18-20 October

Inn on the Prom £169 The Olde Barn £169

12-14 July
Staverton Park £169

Chatsworth Hotel 19-21 July

Worthing BN11 3DU The Olde Barn £169 Elstead Hotel
Bournemouth BH1 3QP
5-7 April 19-21 July
Cheltenham Regency £199 Staverton Park £169 17-19 May
5-7 April 26-28 July Ardington Hotel
Staverton Park £169 Cheltenham Regency £199 Worthing BN11 3DZ

12-14 April 2-4 August 25-27 October

Ardington Hotel £199 Staverton Park £169 Cheltenham Regency £199

17-19 May 9-11 August 1-3 November

Cheltenham Regency £199 Cheltenham Regency £199 The Olde Barn £169

17-19 May 15-17 November

The Olde Barn £169 Staverton Park £169
Staverton Park
Daventry NN11 6JT
31 May – 2 June 22-24 November 13-15 September
The Olde Barn £169 Elstead Hotel £199

7-9 June 22-24 November All hosted by

Staverton Park £169 The Olde Barn £169
Diana Holland
14-16 June The Olde Barn Hotel 6-8 December £199 Full Board
Chatsworth Hotel £199 Marston, Lincs NG32 2HT Cheltenham Regency £199
No Single
Supplement
Full Board – No Single Supplement
Please note there are no seminars or set hands at these events. Booking Form on page 9. Booking Form on page 9.

Page 14

W
hen you have a sure loser,
a neat way to keep trump
control can be to throw that
loser on another loser. Rather than
ruffing and using up a valuable trump,
you throw the certain loser and keep
your trumps for later.
♠ K 4
♥ 3 2
♦ A 8 6 5 4 3
♣ Q 7 6
♠ 9 8 7 6 ♠ 3 2
♥ A K 10 8 N ♥ Q J 9 7 6 5
♦ Q 9 W E ♦ K J 10
♣ A 4 3 S ♣ 8 5
♠ A Q J 10 5
♥ 4
♦ 7 2
♣ K J 10 9 2
Contract: 4♠. Lead: ♥A.
West leads out two top hearts. If you
ruff the second, you will be down to
four trumps. Then, with the club ace to
knock out, you are in danger of losing
trump control. With a sure diamond
loser – there is no way to avoid it – you
should throw a diamond on the second
trick. Instead of ruffing the heart, you
throw a loser away: a loser-on-loser play.
West has no answer: you can ruff a
third heart in dummy or win any switch
and draw trumps. With a trump left,
you can safely knock out the club ace.
Ruffing at trick two puts you at the
mercy of the trump break. You stop
drawing after three rounds but, when
you lose to the ace of clubs, they carry
on leading hearts. You have to use up
your last trump and, as West still has a
trump but you do not, you go down.
You can use a loser-on-loser play rather
than ruffing even in the short trump
hand if someone threatens to overruff.
Bernard Magee Says
Throw a Loser
on a Loser
You have eleven top tricks and the club
♠ 8 7 5 3 finesse appears to be your only chance
♥ Q 5 for a twelfth. Rather than taking it, you
♦ A 7 6 4 should consider giving up the lead. The
♣ A 4 2 opponents might make the wrong lead,
♠ 2 ♠ 10 9 4 or you might be able to endplay them.
♥ A K J 8 6 3 N ♥ 9 4 To set up an endplay you first empty
W E
♦ Q 9 3 2 S ♦ J 10 5 all the suits. You might take the heart
♣ J 7 ♣ Q 10 8 6 3 ace, draw trumps, cash the heart king,
♠ A K Q J 6 ruff a heart and take three diamonds
♥ 10 7 2 ending in dummy. Then you play a club,
♦ K 8 hoping that West wins. Alas, East plays
♣ K 9 5 the jack on the first round. If you let him
win the trick, he plays another club; you
Contract: 4♠. Lead: ♥A. have to finesse – and it loses.
Instead of ruffing the third heart, go
for a loser-on-loser play. Having taken
West, who has bid hearts, leads the ace, out the trumps and the top diamonds,
king and jack of hearts. East plays high- cash the king of hearts and lead the nine:
low with the nine and the four.
If you ruff the third round of hearts in
dummy, East will surely overruff. With ♠ K 8
a club still to lose, you will be one down. ♥ 9
A better idea is to throw a club from ♦ Void
dummy. After you gain the lead on the ♣ 5 4 2
next trick, you draw trumps and ruff a ♠ Void ♠ Void
N
club in peace. By losing a heart instead ♥ J 8 W E ♥ 7 3
of a club, you take a safe ruff instead of a ♦ 9 S ♦ Void
risky one – a great swap. ♣ K 7 6 ♣ J 10 9 8
Another type of loser-on-loser play ♠ J 10 5
you can use is to endplay a defender. ♥ Void
♦ Void
♣ A Q 3
♠ K 8 7 4
♥ K 9 5
♦ A 7 3 When East follows with a small heart,
♣ 5 4 2 throw your low club. West has to win
♠ 9 6 ♠ 3 2 the trick and is endplayed. If he leads
♥ Q J 10 8 N ♥ 7 4 3 2 any red card, you ruff in dummy and
W E
♦ 9 8 5 4 S ♦ J 10 6 discard the queen of clubs; if he leads a
♣ K 7 6 ♣ J 10 9 8 club, both your ace and queen make.
♠ A Q J 10 5
♥ A 6 Conclusion
♦ K Q 2
♣ A Q 3 Loser on loser plays can be tricky but the
idea is simple. With a sure loser, consider
Contract: 6♠. Lead: ♥Q. throwing it on another loser if you think
you might gain an advantage. ■
Page 15
Travel on board V OYAGER
a
ll 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.

is pleased to say he is receiving bookings from an

increasing number of non-bridge playing passengers, they
enjoy the opportunity to be part of a group and the social
benefits this gives to those travelling alone.

dinner on board Voyager is open sitting which allows for greater

flexibility. However, we have arranged for clients
to meet up with those in similar circumstances and sit at tables
together. Being part of a group means passengers
should never feel they are alone.

BRITISH ISLeS and the

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MedITerranean MedleY
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Liverpool • Belfast • Oban Honningsvåg • Hammerfest
Port of Tyne • Portsmouth Leknes • Molde
Castles, cathedrals, palaces Stavanger • Portsmouth
and historic landscapes – all
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adrIaTIC, aeGean and THe LegeNDARY IN THe FOOTSTePS

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To
I d T el

Id T m

I d T ra
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St

be

ar

13 days; Saver Fares from £1,649pp 14 days from £2,399pp 13 days; Saver Fares from £1,449pp
an

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y
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Dubrovnik • Kotor Istanbul • Nesebur

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Istanbul • Canakkale
Katakolon • Itea • Corinth Odessa • Sevastopol • Yalta Dikili • Kusadasi
Canal • Piraeus • Mykonos Feodosiya • Novorossiysk Antalya • Patmos • Kavala
Volos • Dikili • Canakkale Sochi • Batumi • Trabzon • Thessaloniki • Piraeus
Istanbul Istanbul
visit sacred destinations and
This fascinating voyage as Voyager traces the black the marvellous ruins of cities
takes in medieval walled Sea’s legendary coastline lined with the early history of
cities, monuments of ancient the enthralling history of Christianity. There is an
Greece and transits the the region unfolds. explore option to visit the Holy Land
remarkable Corinth Canal. legacies of the Russian Tsars. after your cruise.

www.bridgecruises.co.uk
All fares shown are per person, based on two people sharing the lowest twin bedded cabin category currently available, are for new bookings only, include all applicable discounts and cannot be combined with any other discount, excluding Discovery
Club Discount for past passengers. Saver Fares do not include UK coach transfers, car parking at port or gratuities (gratuities will be added to your on board account), full payment is required at time of booking, 100% cancellation or amendment fees
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To be part of the Mr Bridge group, a supplement of £30pp will be taken at time of booking. Only bookings made through the Mr Bridge office are eligible to be part of the Mr Bridge Group. Price Promise applies to Standard Fares only where the fare you
have booked is reduced on the same cruise and cabin grade and does not apply to Saver Fares, group bookings, Grand Voyages or any Winter 2012-13 cruises. Full terms and conditions apply, see brochure for details. Voyages of Discovery is the
trading name of All Leisure Holidays Ltd.

S
ome years ago, while aboard P &
O’s famous cruise liner Canberra, I
was due to partner a passenger with
whom I had never played before. On
asking what conventions she would like
to play, I received the surprise response,
‘KISS’. Not having come across this term
before – in a bridge sense – I felt a bit
apprehensive. Anyway, waiting for no
longer than needed for dramatic effect,
my partner explained ‘Keep it simple,
stupid’. Now all was clear and, in fact, I
was in total agreement, even if the flam-
boyant label seemed a shade out of place.
I am sure you must have noticed how
unfamiliar partnerships often trip up
when one member or the other fails to
react correctly to a conventional bid
or signal. Perhaps one of them didn’t
really want to play the convention in
the first place but agreed to do so out of
politeness – or they simply took the line
of least resistance, hoping it wouldn’t
crop up.
Over fifty years ago, before the advent
of transfers as we know them today,
Texas transfers started to become
popular. The idea was that over a 1NT
opening, responder could bid 4♦ or
4♥ to ask opener to convert to the suit
above. It was easy enough to remember
to bid 4♥ over 4♦ but equally easy to
forget to convert 4♥ to 4♠.
After some lapses Terence Reese and
Boris Schapiro, the number one British
pair, agreed a fining system in the hope
that this would jog the memory. Maybe
it did – but, of course, it requires many
advantageous hands to compensate for
one calamity, fine or no fine.
KISS applies just the same today. It
is better to play something imperfect
that you can remember than something
theoretically superior that you – sorry,
your partner – is prone to forget.
I recall a very recent deal that
illustrates only too clearly how KISS
would have saved the day.
Freddie North Says
KISS
The bidding was over quickly even
Dealer East Love All. Pairs. though it might appear bizarre. South
♠ Q J 6 2 opened 4♦ and all passed! North had
♥ K J 8 3 forgotten that the partnership were
♦ Q 7 6 playing ‘Namyats’, whereby 4♣ and 4♦
♣ 5 2 show ‘good’ pre-empts in hearts and
♠ K 10 8 ♠ 9 5 spades respectively (4♥ and 4♠ openings
N
♥ Q 10 6 5 W E ♥ 4 2 are weaker). The concept is sound – pity
♦ K J 5 2 S ♦ A 9 3 about the result!
♣ 7 3 ♣ K Q 10 9 8 6 It never ceases to amaze me how
♠ A 7 4 3 players get themselves mixed up with
♥ A 9 7 their signals. What usually happens
♦ 10 8 4 is that one member of the partnership
♣ A J 4 foists their ideas (or a newly learnt toy)
on a reluctant partner. What is wrong
with a simple form of high encourages,
West North East South low discourages and suit preference
Pass 1NT when – and only when – applicable?
Pass Pass 2♣ Pass
2♥ Dble End
♠ Q J 10 8
As you can imagine, 2♥ doubled was ♥ A Q
a disaster for East-West. A relentless ♦ J
defence saw the contract go four down. ♣ A K J 9 7 5
So, what went wrong? East-West were ♠ 9 7 5 2 ♠ 6 4 3
playing that 2♣ normally showed both ♥ 4 N ♥ J 7 2
W E
majors. There was a proviso in place; a ♦ A K Q 10 8 4 S ♦ 9 6 5 3
passed hand could use double for the ♣ 10 4 ♣ 8 6 2
majors, leaving 2♣ free as a natural ♠ A K
overcall. West simply forgot! ♥ K 10 9 8 6 5 3
You can guess what went wrong on ♦ 7 2
the next deal, again a case of no KISS… ♣ Q 3
Dealer South. Love All. A simple sequence put South in 6♥.
♠ Q 5 3 West led the ace of diamonds. East,
♥ A K 9 8 desperate for a continuation to defeat
♦ 6 3 the contract (dummy’s forced high
♣ 7 6 3 2 ruff would promote the jack of hearts),
♠ 10 ♠ 7 2 played the nine. Alas, West took this as
♥ J 10 6 N ♥ Q 5 4 2 a suit-preference signal and shifted to a
♦ Q 9 8 7 2 W E ♦ K J 10 5 spade. KISS, where are you?
S
♣ A K 9 4 ♣ Q J 10 Finally, I must tell you of the time a
♠ A K J 9 8 6 4 famous international pair bid to a grand
♥ 7 3 slam missing the ace of trumps. Boris
♦ A 4 Schapiro, ever the jester, announced,
♣ 8 5 ‘The ace of trumps was on the wrong
side. It could happen to anyone!’ ■
Page 18

I
f you need one trick from Layout A
below, what is your best line?
Layout A Layout B
Q J 6 A J 10
N N
W E W E
S S
5 3 2 5 3 2
Correct with Layout A is to lead low
from South, and if West follows low, play
the queen (or jack). If this loses to the
ace or king, you later lead towards the
remaining honour. You succeed if the ace
and king are split or West has both.
If you start (wrongly) with the lead of
the queen, the defenders can thwart you
any time the missing honours are split.
Layout B is similar, except your target
is two tricks. Correct is small to the ten,
and if that loses, small to the jack. This
also succeeds about 75% of the time,
failing only when East holds the king
and queen. If you start by cashing the
ace, you are very likely to fail.
Playing towards strength might mean
you play a high-spot card from the other
hand. Consider the following:
Layout C A J 9
N ♠ K J 10 3 2 ♠ 9 8 5 three tricks only if the suit breaks
W E
S
5 3 2
This is the first suit Victor Mollo and
Nico Gardener discuss in their classic
Card Play Technique. Correct is small
from hand, inserting the nine if West
plays low. You succeed if West holds the
K-10 or Q-10. If you play small to the
jack, you succeed only when West holds
the K-Q – half as likely.
Mike Wenble Says
Lead Towards
Strength
The theme should be clear: to make Declarer played low from dummy and
the most tricks in a suit, you usually ruffed in hand! He drew two rounds of
lead from small cards towards honours, trumps and then led a club towards the
rather than playing off top cards. With queen. West ducked, so the queen won.
this in mind, here are a couple of layouts Declarer then threw the two clubs he
for you as a test. The answers are at the had left in his hand on the diamonds,
foot of the article. losing just a spade trick. Had West gone
in with the ace of clubs, the slam would
still make. The K-Q of clubs would be
Layout D Layout E high and declarer throws two spades on
K J 7 5 A Q 6 4 the A-K of diamonds.
N The point here is that declarer can
W E
S
N place West with the ace of clubs from
W E
S
the bidding. Hence, the king of clubs
Q 4 2 J 7 5 3 is not real ‘strength’ – its main value is
in promoting dummy’s queen. To lead
towards the club king (or indeed, to
1 How do you play D for three tricks? lead towards the spade queen for a futile
2 How do you play E for four tricks? finesse) will lead to defeat.
Now the answers to my questions:
Sometimes your high cards are split
between the two hands, and it may not
appear to matter how you play the suit. Layout D Layout E
With K-5-4 facing Q-6-2, you expect K J 7 5 A Q 6 4
to make only one trick unless someone N
happens to hold a doubleton ace. Still, W E
N
S
appearances can be deceptive. Let us see W E
S
this in the context of a full deal. Q 4 2 J 7 5 3
♠ 7 4 1 Lead low towards the king-jack and,
♥ A K 9 3 if West plays low, put up an honour
♦ A K 9 5 (say the king). If this holds, playing
♣ Q 6 2 back towards the queen will give you
♥ Void N ♥ 8 7 3-3, and not otherwise. If the king
W E
♦ Q J 10 6 2 S ♦ 8 7 4 3 wins, correct is to return to the South
♣ A 9 7 ♣ J 10 8 3 hand and play small towards the jack.
♠ A Q 6 This wins if the suit splits 3-3 or West
♥ Q J 10 6 5 4 2 holds the doubleton ace.
♦ Void 2 You can only win four tricks if West
♣ K 5 4 has king doubleton, so this is what
you play for. Once again, correct is to
play a small card towards the stronger
West opened 1♠, North doubled, and hand – in this case, the ace-queen.
South finished up in 6♥. West led the Note that, if you start by leading the
queen of diamonds. jack, West will cover and you must
How do you think the play went? lose a trick. ■
Page 19
 cruises to classical

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DATE PORT APR 25 Fly to ATHENS Greece
APR 15 Fly to ISTANBUL Turkey Transfer to Aegean Odyssey
Transfer to Aegean Odyssey APR 26 PIRAEUS (Athens) Greece
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civilisations – spring 2013

MAY 7, 2013 MAY 19, 2013

VENICE TO ROME ROME TO CANNES
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BRIDGE CRUISES FOR SPRING 2013
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11 days from £1,895 pp
13 days from £2,150 pp Including a tour of renaissance Florence; visits
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www.mrbridge.co.uk

I
firmly believe in ‘seven-card suits
should be trumps.’ You will almost
never lose control when you have
seven or more trumps in one hand. In
addition, the ability to ruff gives you
built-in entries to the long suit.
In a teams match, you, North, pick up:
♠ J 5 4 3
♥ K Q J 10 7 6 4
♦ 3
♣ 2
Your partner opens 1♦ and you decide
not to respond 4♥ in case you miss a
spade fit. You are very pleased with
yourself when partner rebids 1♠ over
your simple response of 1♥. Unsure of
the value of your hand, you try a gentle
2♠. Partner now raises himself to 4♠.
This is the full deal:
♠ J 5 4 3
♥ K Q J 10 7 6 4
♦ 3
♣ 2
♠ Q 9 8 N ♠ 7 6
♥ 5 W E ♥ A 9 8 3
♦ Q 9 8 4 S ♦ J 7 5
♣ K J 9 8 4 ♣ A 10 7 5
♠ A K 10 2
♥ 2
♦ A K 10 6 2
♣ Q 6 3
West leads the eight of clubs and East
wins with the ace.
East returns a club, forcing dummy
to ruff. Declarer tries the king of hearts
from dummy but East wins with the ace
and cleverly plays another club, forcing
dummy to ruff again. Try as hard as you
like but, on this defence, ten tricks in 4♠
are impossible.
David Gold Says
Seven-Card Suits
Should be Trumps
In the other room, North knew about
the power of the seven-card suit and ♠ Q 3
simply responded 4♥ to 1♦. As you can ♥ Q 10 9 6 5 3 2
see, playing in hearts, ten tricks are ♦ 7 6 5
trivial – and eleven tricks are possible if ♣ 2
the defenders do not attack spades.
Next time, you are South and pick up:
LHO opens 1♣, partner overcalls 2♠
(strong) and RHO puts the pressure on
♠ K 3 2 with 4♣. While you don’t have much,
♥ Q J 10 9 8 7 5 you know the power of the seven-card
♦ 6 suit and venture a very aggressive 4♥.
♣ K 2 This is the full deal:
Partner opens 1♠, promising a five-card ♠ A K 10 7 6 5
suit in your methods. Just as you are ♥ 7 4
wondering how many spades this hand ♦ K Q 10
is worth, you remember my maxim: ♣ A 3
’seven-card suits should be trumps’. ♠ J 9 8 4 ♠ 2
So you respond 4♥ – a bid that means ♥ K J N ♥ A 8
W E
exactly what it says at the rubber bridge ♦ A 9 2 S ♦ J 8 4 3
table. ♣ K Q J 4 ♣ 10 9 8 7 6 5
This is the full deal: ♠ Q 3
♥ Q 10 9 6 5 3 2
♦ 7 6 5
♠ A 8 7 6 5 ♣ 2
♥ Void
♦ A K 9 7 3
♣ Q 6 4 On the normal lead of the club king,
♠ Q J 4 ♠ 10 9 you will easily make 4♥, just losing
♥ A 4 3 2 N ♥ K 6 two hearts and one diamond. 4♠, by
W E
♦ 5 4 S ♦ Q J 10 8 2 contrast, is hopeless on any lead.
♣ A J 9 7 ♣ 10 8 5 3 The maxim applies on other auctions,
♠ K 3 2 including after partner opens at the
♥ Q J 10 9 8 7 5 three level and when you are the opener.
♦ 6
♣ K 2 You Partner
1♥ 1♠
2♥ 3NT
Despite partner’s void, 4♥ makes easily ?
for the loss of one club and two hearts
– the third spade goes away on a top If you have seven hearts, you do not
diamond. need to know anything more about your
4♠, despite the favourable trump hand: bid 4♥. So next time you have a
break, is very awkward and should not long suit and do not know what to bid,
make unless the defenders slip badly. remember: ‘seven-card suits should be
Now that you are getting the idea: trumps.’ ■
Page 22
READERS’
LETTERS
GONE MISSING
I enjoy your magazine, but
was really disappointed that
my two favourite sections,
the letters pages and the
quizzes, were missing from
the December issue.
I seem to remember that
last Christmas, there was a
bumper quiz which I saved
for one of the quiet days
early in the New Year.
This year, the whole
magazine just seemed to
be one big advertisement
for bridge holidays, cruises,
events, products etc, which
I’m sure are wonderful but
are repeated every month.  equivalent of reverting to a
 Please reassure me
that these sections will
return in the New Year.
Jane Troughton by email.
Please feel reassured. Also,
see my editorial, page 5.
BRIDGE WEEKLY
Very sorry to hear that you
are discontinuing Bridge
Weekly. Personally, I would
prefer you to continue with
the magazine bimonthly.
Why not sell advertising
with the weekly email.
At the moment, the
demographics of your
readership probably means
that any polls you conduct
are skewed with a higher
than usual proportion of
non-computer users, as
evidenced by the average
age of (non EBU) duplicate
clubs. However, over the
next five years, there will
be a significant change
as your older readers fall
prey to nature’s reality.
You have already put
an ‘investment’ into the
weekly email which should
be steadily enhanced,
not abandoned.
Forgive my bluntness,
but I am a retired sales and
marketing professional; at the
moment demographics are
more important to the bridge
marketplace than at any
other time. There is now a
generation of people retiring,
and taking up bridge, who
expect a sophisticated
internet provision and use
paper only as a follow up.
In terms of change, I
believe this would be the
black and white magazine.
Your faithful readers would
stay with you, but you
would lose them through
natural attrition, with no
new readers subscribing.
Mrs B Brown,
Longfield, Kent.
This is not how I see it but I
respect your right to say it.
MORE FOR THREE
I was intrigued by Mr
Kennedy’s description of his
variation of three-handed
bridge in BRIDGE 119.
We have an interesting
extension of this, which
is very popular with my
12-year old grandson. It is
called ‘Booby’. As with Mr
Kennedy’s game, seventeen
cards are dealt to each
player, the fifty-second being
placed face up as the start of
dummy. Each player discards
four cards face down into
the dummy, then the bidding
begins, but – and here the
game departs from Mr
Page 23
Kennedy’s – with every bid
made, one card from dummy
is faced up. There is a further
twist to the game in that there
is a fifth suit, called ‘nanoos’,
which lies between hearts
and spades. Moreover,
this is a misere suit, so if a
player contracts to make four
nanoos, he intends to lose
ten tricks. A nanoo grand
slam, therefore, undertakes
to make no tricks at all and
this is even rarer than a
conventional grand slam.
It is a game of the greatest
subtlety. Like Hi-Lo in Poker,
the decision whether to go
for nanoos or no-trumps
or one of the suits dictates
not only which four cards
players originally discard but
also how they subsequently
bid. The bidding is further
influenced by the cards that
are turned up in dummy
as the auction proceeds.
Peter Stocken,
Stubbs Walden, Doncaster.
EXTRA EFFORT
I have pleasure in enclosing
a cheque for £300 payable
to L.U.C.I.A. ‘Little Voice’.
This money was raised by
my son, Robert Bamberger,
who organised a raffle
of a sewing machine in
his Colchester shop.
Mrs Zena Bamberger,
Trimley St Mary, Suffolk.
See following letter.
NEW COLLECTOR
Thank you to all of you
who are now sending your
used postage stamps to Mr
Malcolm Finebaum at 8
Mountford House, Crescent
Road, Enfield, EN2 7BL, who
has kindly taken on the role
that the Colin Bamberger
performed so well.  Mrs W Harper, Reading.
Could we respectfully ask
supporters to ensure that the
correct amount of postage
has been paid as Royal Mail
impose a large surcharge
on any envelope that has
been under stamped. This
detracts from the amount
of benefit that the charity
derives from your efforts.
Jill Russell,
On Behalf of L.U.C.I.A.
OLD MEMORIES
I was sorry to read of Mr
Bamberger’s death. I always
sent him my used stamps
after Christmas. So I do
hope someone will continue
handling them in the support
of such a good cause.
I remember that at the
end of the war in 1945, I
was stationed on a gun
site at Trimley so I must
have visited the store at
Felixstowe. However, the
shop I remembered most
was the chippie quite near
the village. We celebrated
VE day in Felixstowe but
all the pubs were dry by
the time we got there.
Ursula Ings,
Beckenham, Kent.
ALL GOOD
My husband and I recently
went on a splendid bridge
weekend at the Elstead
Hotel in Bournemouth and
we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The hotel was very good,
as was the bridge team led
by Jo Walch. The meals and
accommodation were also
excellent – so was the bus
service into Bournemouth.
Jo suggested that we stop
bridge at 10.50am on the
Sunday, so that we could
enjoy a cup of coffee or
tea and watch the Service
of Remembrance at the
Cenotaph. All 48 bridge
players stood for the duration
of the two minute silence
– it was quite moving.
MISSING MARMITE
What has happened to Sally
Brock’s Seven Days column
in your excellent BRIDGE
magazine? I was so
READERS’ LETTERS The fact that you may have
continued
to slim the publication to
meet postal weight criteria
could present you with an
disappointed not to see editorial ‘headache’ though.
it in the latest issues. I so The Readers’ Letters section
look forward to reading could, of course, become
Sally’s column as it offers an occasional supplement,
a little something different rather than a feature – hope
from the purely bridge you can still spare some
quizzes and articles. space for the Charity Bridge
Please say it is only stuff. I like the new layout
a temporary omission and style – a magazine
and that she will return that has great content and
in the near future. positive collectors appeal.
Noel Gubbins. It looks good and I wish
Nuthall, Nottingham. the new initiative well.
As requested, I can say Now a progress report
it is only a temporary regarding your generous
omission and she will provision of second hand
return in the near future. software, to be sold in
support of our various
EMAIL FROM VOYAGER Charities. John Shaw and
Cecil and I are now back I are pleased to tell you we
from the Voyager cruise. raised a further £565.
The weather did eventually Malcolm Howarth,
get better after Madeira.  St Neotts.
The bridge was very well
run, despite the location INFO WANTED
and hopefully something In one of your recent
will be done about that. We articles it was mentioned
did mention it in detail on that the Sputnik double was
our ‘comments’ form and first introduced in 1957.
also how much we enjoyed This was the year when I
having the full bridge migrated from solo whist
programme. Despite one to bridge using the Eli
or two teething troubles, we Culbertson system which I
did like the ship and look soon abandoned for Acol.
forward to another trip. This prompted me to think
Marie Leighton by email. about other conventions.
  Could we have a series
CHARITY BRIDGE of these in BRIDGE.
First, many thanks for the Charles Leveson,
advanced copy of your Poynton, Cheshire.
magazine, BRIDGE. The Sure can.
higher quality paper certainly
gives the document a better STRAW POLL
feel and appearance – less In the past, many club
like the ‘free newspaper’ players were taught that
look it previously carried. when opening the bidding
with 1NT, it denied holding
a 5-card major suit.
A modern view is that you
should open 1NT (within
range) even with a 5-card
major and 5-3-3-2 shape.
This is to apply to both a
weak 12-14, four-card
majors (Robson) or even a
strong 15-17, five-card
majors (Brock).
Would a ‘straw poll’ of your
experts show full consensus
– or is it controversial?
Mr M Gurney,
Hempstead, Holt.
Never mind the experts.
What do readers think?
HISTORY WANTED
I have played bridge
for more years than I
care to remember, and
have been asked on
numerous occasions, the
following question:
How did the name Bridge
originate? From where
did it get its name?
I expect there is more
than one answer. Can you
answer this question?
Mrs June Ross,
Talke, Stoke-on-Trent.
I will ask Ned Paul to
put something together
for a forthcoming issue
when space permits.
PARTY GAMES
I refer to the article Our
Party Night by Colin Payne
BRIDGE 117. My husband
and I play Chicago bridge
one afternoon a week at
the Calne Bridge Club. This
has now been running for
almost twenty years and we
have never diverted from
straight bridge until now.
However, this year, having
read Colin Payne’s article,
my husband decided to make
it a fun bridge afternoon
and chose option number
6. This caused a bit of
confusion with the scoring at
first but the members soon
cottoned on and we all had
a enjoyable afternoon.
M G Poole, Chippenham.
I reprint the article for
reader’s convenience.
If readers have some
further ideas for party
time, do let me have them
as soon as possible.
BIDDING QUIZ
Holding the hand below
and playing Acol 12-14 NT,
with neither side vulnerable,
what would you bid?
♠ A K Q 5
♥ Q J 6 5 4
♦ Q 10 9
♣ 5
The answer: 1♥.
ALTERNATIVE VIEW
1NT. It is a fallacy to say
you can’t open 1NT with
a singleton. On this hand
you can almost see seven
tricks even if partner has
nothing and you are giving
them count. They might even
respond with Stayman and
then you are laughing. The
only possible alternative is to
open 1♠ with a 2♥ rebid. If
you open 1♥ you will have to
reverse to show hearts and
you are not strong enough.
Andrew Mountain,
Wrexham.
Caution. Adopting this may
damage your game. ■

REDUCE THE COST OF YOUR POSTAGE Write to Mr Bridge at:

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Values supplied in 100s, higher values available as well
as 1st and 2nd class (eg 2nd class: 100x37p+100x13p)
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Page 24
 Party Bridge
Our Party Night
by Colin Payne
F
rom the start, everyone is banned from playing with their regular partner. We have a
series of half-hour sessions, playing a variety of games based on bridge. We choose
from some of the games below. We have a break halfway through for drinks and a
buffet. Prizes are slightly arbitrary; probably top lady and gentleman; others maybe ‘closest to
zero’ or closest to a score determined at the end of the evening by drawing a card (card value
x 100; black is plus; red minus). We try to avoid members playing for a predetermined prize.
1 Rubber Bridge
Self explanatory.
Set timer for 25 minutes,
with no dealing after the bell.
2 Chicago
Play 4 hands, normal vulnerability,
each hand scored as duplicate.
3 Goulash
Deal 2 sets of 5 cards and 1 set of 3
cards to each player.
Bid.
Play all contracts worth game or which
would convert an existing partscore to
game, also any doubled or redoubled
contracts.
Otherwise, score 1 trick less than bid
(1 level bids = 0).
Then stack and cut the cards
without shuffling before redealing.
Note: After a played hand,
shuffling is at the dealer’s discretion.
Set time to 25 minutes.
No dealing after the bell.
4 Irish Roulette,
Chicago Scoring
Shuffle and deal as normal.
Play 4 hands.
Each player in turn is declarer.
Contracts are predetermined by the
organiser (game contracts work best).
Suggested scoring system:
successful contract, of declarer’s score (e.g. Declarer
500 + contract value
+ 100 per overtrick.
Unsuccessful contract,
100 per undertrick.
5 Pass the Parcel,
Rubber Bridge Scoring
Shuffle and deal as normal.
Each player passes 4 cards of the same
suit to the player on their left.
Bid and play the hand.
Set time to 25 minutes.
No dealing after the bell.
6 Bid as normal, but overtricks are
penalised as well as undertricks
Quiz Winners
The following people provided the
right answer to the quiz (1♥) and
have received their prizes.
Mr Woodburn, Falkirk. Mr P and Mrs A Aelberry,
Downham Market. Mrs J Kent, Reading. Mrs
Whelan, SE11. Mr G McNeilly, Harpenden.
Ms M Ahsman-Marr, Warleigh. MrsBarnard,
Southsea. Mrs Jones, Horsham. Mr P Allison,
Oldham. Mrs P A Turner, Altrincham. Mrs
Macleod, Isle of Lewis. Mr Peeler, Aylesbury.
Mr E St Clair Sepion, New Malden. Mrs R
Lenney, Reading. Mrs Mullett, High Wycombe.
Mrs E Suddards, Bindley. Mr & Mrs I Shaw,
Flested. Mr Oliver, Wombleton. Mrs M Taylor,
Heaton Mersey. Mrs C Levick, Nairn. Mr
Quayle, Hertford. Mrs Wood, Lewes. Mrs
Mardle, Bledington. Ms Drever, Alton. Mr D
at 200 per trick. Reward for Williams, Llangollen. Mrs Cooper, SW7. Mrs
making the contract; 300. Lovett, Poole. Mrs L Orchard, Beaconsfield. Mr
Bennett, Richmond. Mrs V Parkes, Sheffield. Mr
7 A small prize for last person Roberts, Thornton Cleveleys. Mrs Le Couteur
Rowell, St Clement. Mrs Morgan, Bognor Regis.
making a trick with a two Mrs J Britton, Sutton Coldfield. Miss Cleaver,
when the bell goes. Llowes. Mrs S Meakins, Burgess Hill. Dr
Hunter, Belfast. Mrs Thompson, Bracknell.. Mr
8 All or Nothing J Turnbull, Wimborne. Mrs P Hill, Wallington.
Mrs S Wallbank, Sutton Coldfield. Mrs Fagan,
Shuffle and deal as normal.
Hertford. Mr G Foster, Cheltenham. Mr Howell,
Play 4 hands. Trump suit is Winchester. Mrs Poole, Chippenham. Mrs B
predetermined; First hand clubs; Grassick, Bramhall. Mr Owen, E11. Mr P Gann,
then diamonds, hearts and spades. Ipswich. Mrs M Bawden, Amersham. Mr D
Cherry, Diseworth. Mr C Chambers, by Perth.
Dealer is declarer and may opt
Mrs Wren, Solihull. Mr T Mitchell, Shipston on
to make all 13 tricks or no tricks. Stour. Mrs M Ferguson, Henley on Thames. Mrs
Scoring is from the following table: E McNeilly, Harpenden. Mr Wabe, Bookham. Mr
Perry, High Wycombe. Mr A Clarke, Loughton.
‘All’ Tricks ‘Zero’ Dr Ehsanullah, Chalfont St Giles. Mrs J Clark,
Sawbridgeworth. MrsBashford, Croydon. Mrs P
attempted made attempted Kinzella, Worthing. Mrs Hocking, Littlehampton.
-1050 0 +1400 Mrs D Larwood, Great Yarmouth. Mrs Vale,
-750 1 +1050 Wells. Mrs J Ahmad, SE3. Mrs P Law, Shipston
-500 2 +750 on Stour. Mr J Positive, Churchdown. Mrs
Frisby, Oakham. Mrs J Forrest, Lancashire. Mrs
-300 3 +500 C Osman, Ascot. Mrs Goodliffe, Boston. Mrs
-150 4 +300 Lawson, Haslington. Mr Brown, Falkirk. Mr &
-50 5 +150 Mrs Kirkman, Bovey Tracey. Mr K Cameron,
0 6 +50 Grimsby. Mr Harris, Todmorden. Mrs P Wilson,
Grantown on Spey. Mrs P M Pickup, Chester.
+50 7 0 Mr Leonard, Northampton. Mrs P Browne,
+150 8 -50 County Down. Mrs M Bennett, Innellan. Mrs M
+300 9 -150 A Slayter, Bristol. Mr W B Coffey, Alrtincham.
+500 10 -300 Dr Litton, Harrogate. Mrs P Davies, Cheshire.
Mr A Mann, Nuneaton. Mrs E Hardaker, Market
+750 11 -500
Harborough. Mrs Jones, Clevedon. Mrs Jones,
+1050 12 -750 Colwyn Bay. Mrs J Lesser, Westcliff on Sea. Mrs
+1400 13 -1050 N McCrossan, County Derry. Mr Watson, SE12.
Mrs Harper, Reading. Mrs Clinker, Brentwood.
Mr Watkiss, Nr Saxmundham. Mr J Bax,
Note: Defenders score the reciprocal
Bristol. Mrs P Bayliffe, Blackpool. Mr A Peel,
Horsforth. Mr S Davis, Yeadon. Mr C Brown,
+300; defenders -300). High Wycombe. Mr D Green, Cambridge. Mrs
S Evers, Wellington. Mrs A Best, Northallerton.
9 Gamblers’ Delight Mrs Kaye, Watford. Mrs P Clarke, Polegate. Mr
McCurdy, Port Stewart. Mrs I Rees, Fife. Mrs C
Deal as normal. Merrett, Wimborne. Mrs H David, Piddington.
Play 4 hands. Mr Riddleston, Witham. Mrs M Robinson,
Each hand dealer decides contract with Sidmouth. Mrs D Gellatly, Edinburgh. Mr
no bidding (level and denomination). Lewis, Bath. Dr Navaratnam, Cambridge. Mr
Barrett, Northampton. Mrs Hutchings, Tisbury.
Scoring: Mrs Raven, Nether Heyford. Mr Styles, Bristol.
For contracts bid and made. Mrs Templeman, Torquay. Mr Law, Shipston
on Stour. Mrs E Kendall, Addington. Mrs Shah,
1 level 100 Moseley. Mrs Chrisp, Fife. Mrs Binns, Norwich.
Mrs Beech, Crewkerne. Mr Ferriss, Alford. Mrs
2 level 300 Playle, Bristol. Mr Ellis, Christchurch. Mrs
3 level 600 Nathanail, Sidcup. Mr Owen, Conwy. Mr Stoyle,
4 level 1000 Chalfont St Giles. Mrs Hanscombe, Madeley.
Overtricks 50 each Mrs L Spooner, Steyning. Mr & Mrs Childs
Hopkins, Aldsworth. Mrs Paine, Barnstaple.
Undertricks 100 each.
Page 25

I
was leafing through my copy of
the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge,
looking for the Benjamin System,
when I noticed the adjacent entry:
Bennett Murder.
This was the deal:
♠ A 10 6 3
♥ 10 8 5
♦ 4
♣ A 9 8 4 2
♠ Q 7 2 ♠ 4
N
♥ A J 3
W E
♥ Q 9 4
♦ A Q 10 9 2 S ♦ K J 7 6 3
♣ J 6 ♣ Q 7 5 3
♠ K J 9 8 5
♥ K 7 6 2
♦ 8 5
♣ K 10
East-West were a couple by the name
of Hoffman. South was a Mr John
Bennett, who opened 1♠. After a 2♦
overcall, Mrs Myrtle Bennett raised
to 4♠. The ace of diamonds was led,
followed by the jack of clubs. Mr
Bennett failed in his contract, was
verbally abused by his wife, slapped
her face, and was then shot dead! Mrs
Bennett was acquitted of his murder,
after expert evidence regarding the
provocation . . .
The printed analysis (paraphrased
here, with my comments in italics) was
by the bridge patriarch, Ely Culbertson:
Mr Bennett had overbid his hand. Of
that there can be no doubt. He still
could have made his contract and
saved his life. The proper play before
drawing the trumps would have been
to establish the club suit [via the ruffing
finesse], after ruffing the last diamond.
Eventually Hoffman – West – would
From the Baron Archives by Dick Atkinson
Riviera
Regicide
ruff or overruff a club, and he could
still defeat the contract if he returned
a trump, but at least Mr Bennett would
have had the satisfaction [well – briefly,
anyway] of knowing that he had played
the cards dealt him by fate to the very
best of his ability.
I copied the deal down on a page
from the telephone pad, intending to
cross off the cards to check the play in
full. Just then my Uncle Leopold, the
ancient Baron, walked into the hall
from the kitchen. A tangible halo of
garlic hung about him, and I mentally
wrote off the nice paté I had bought
that morning for my supper. ‘To whom
have you been talking?’ he probed, his
eagle eye noting the recorded deal.
Time for a little sport, thought I.
‘Just Vera from the club – wanting
my opinion on a hand that cost them
rather a lot in a match at the weekend.’
‘Why?’
‘She wanted to know how to play it
properly.’
‘Well of course she did. But I mean
why did she want your opinion?’
Ignoring the wounding remark, I
folded the sheet twice to conceal the
East-West cards, and followed him
into the sitting room where he lowered
himself into my favourite armchair. I
handed it to him. ‘Dealer South,’ I said.
‘Strong intermediates in the
principal suit, both majors, easy rebid.
. . 1♠.’
So far so good!
‘West overcalls with 2♦.’
‘Hm. It’s only a 3♠ bid really, but
maximum . . . You may well get away
with 4♠ – unless there’s duplication
in diamonds, of course. But unless
you have a more informative indirect
route, I’d bid it vulnerable. Better
odds, of course.’
Page 26
‘Yes, they were vulnerable. Buffy bid
4♠ and all passed.’
‘You see what I mean about
duplication. If South’s lowest heart
had been a diamond, making it a much
weaker hand in isolation, 4♠ would be
a far better contract. However, lead
on.’
‘West led the ace of diamonds—’
‘Ace from ace-king?’
‘Erm, no. . . and switched to the jack
of clubs.’
He thought for a microsecond or
two. ‘Was West by any chance the
Village Idiot or some kindred spirit?’
‘No. A National Master. Four Star.’
‘He might well still be the Village
Idiot! However, assuming West has
some halfway intelligent reason
for developing dummy’s long suit
gratis, then we must assume your
Four Star National Master had a lead
problem. He therefore has the ace of
hearts, which is bad news, but also
the queen of trumps, which is ample
compensation.’
‘He could be void in trumps.’
‘Rubbish! With the Chicane he
would surely be doubling for take-out.
Unless that was a sneaky club switch
from queen-jack, the contract should
be made. Run the knave to the king.
Draw trumps finessing against West –
I am assuming they are not 4-0, which
would make East’s lack of interest in
the auction hard to account for. Ace
of clubs, ruffing finesse against the
queen, with the diamond ruff for re-
entry. I make that four spade tricks,
plus one diamond ruff, one club ruff
and four club winners.’
‘Culbertson doesn’t agree.’
‘Meaning either that you have com-
municated with the late Ely via the
Ouija Board or that this is in reality
 Riviera Regicide continued
the famous Bennett
Murder Hand, as I realised
immediately . . . Not that
it can compare for interest
with the rather less well
known Stuart Deal.’
‘The Stuart Deal?’
He turned the sheet over
and plucked his favourite
gold propelling pencil from
a pocket – my pocket, my
pencil.
‘The descendants of your
British Royal house, the Stu-
arts, lived on until recently
in exile. By recently, I mean
1963. This was from the fi-
nal of the Almanach de Go-
tha Multiple Teams of Four,
played in Cannes that year.
Two-board matches, thir-
teen teams, point-a-board.
At the first table the Baron
de Nexon was playing with
the current Stuart Pretender,
Prince Alexander, a vigor-
ous forty-year-old widower
and womaniser. The first
hand was an unbeatable
7NT – an obvious tie – so
the match rested on the oth-
er deal. Playing the Albar-
ran Convention, de Nexon
opened with 2♣ as West and
his partner responded 3♥.’
‘Albarran?’
‘In the mid-twentieth
century, de Nexon and Al-
barran were France’s top
international pair. Albarran
invented canapé bidding,
and also the ace-showing
responses to 2♣, which
your CAB players adopted
in England. Remember?’
‘Of course – do you take
me for a fool?’ I lied.
‘Indeed. Spade void, sin-
gleton four of hearts, dia-
mond void, and twelve clubs
missing the three, opposite
two aces of mixed colour
and rank still only adds up
to 6♣, which you call di-
rectly over South’s inter-
vention of 4♥. North calls
6♥, and your partner calls
6♠. You pass this, North
doubles, and your partner
runs to 7♦; 7♥ from South,
to you.’
‘Hm. North’s double is
Lightner, a club void—’
‘Good, good. South has a
club void also.’
‘Ah. I should give prefer-
ence to 7♠, then.’
‘That is what happened in
another match. One down
– and lucky at that. Baron
de Nexon doubled, know-
ing that his partner has
solid tops in two suits, clubs
are, shall we say, adequately
protected, and a trump lead
will limit North-South to
eleven heart tricks at best.
This was the full deal. De
Nexon led the trump.’
♠ 4 3 2
♥ 9 8 7 6 5 3
♦ 7 5 3 2
♣ Void
♠ Void ♠ A K Q 9 7 5
♥ 4
N
W E ♥ Void
♦ Void S
♦ A K Q 8 6 4
♣ A K Q J 10 9 ♣ 3
8 7 6 5 4 2
♠ J 10 8 6
♥ A K Q J 10 2
♦ J 10 9
♣ Void
I looked and thought, as
usual, not quite enough.
‘Wow. Six top losers.’
‘Not a bit of it, Declarer
can play low from dummy,
and when East shows out,
he follows with the deuce,
leaving West on lead. On
the next three cards – clubs
– declarer can ditch spades
from dummy and diamonds
from hand. That’s just four
down.’
‘And at the other table?’
‘The same contract was
reached by the Heir Ap-
parent, Prince Malcolm, as
North. I have a deeply held
Page 27
belief in the value of inter-
ference bidding on weak Cheltenham
hands over artificial forcing
openings, and so I approve
Regency
of his weak 2♥ overcall. In Hotel
this case it prevented East-
West from showing their Cheltenham GL51 0ST
aces. East led the king of
spades, using the old ambig-
uous method of king from
ace-king or king-queen. His
partner ruffed and returned
the two of clubs, North’s
second spade being discard-
ed. That comes to five down,
which should cost the board
and the match. However,
the players were not to know
that. East, who would have BRIDGE
taken the first six tricks, EVENTS 2013
threw a heavy glass ashtray
at his partner. The Prince, 15-17 February
Chris Williams
leaning gallantly between
Hand Evaluation – £215
them to try to separate the
two, was struck on the tem- 5-7 April
ple and died. Ironic, really, Just Bridge – £199
since he was a non-smoker.
17-19 May
And that was the end of the Just Bridge – £199
Stuart line.’
‘Did the Pretender not feel 12-14 July
he had a duty to remarry?’ Bernard Magee
‘Oh, did I not explain? Thinking Defence – £245
At the first table, de Nexon 26-28 July
would have exited with his Just Bridge – £199
club deuce, putting the con-
9-11 August
tract six down after all. . . but
Just Bridge – £199
Prince Alexander ‘helpfully’
discarded the three of clubs 6-8 September
on the trump lead. It wasn’t Just Bridge – £199
just the missed undertricks,
13-15 September
or even the match, so much Just Bridge – £199
as the stolen opportunity to
make the most extreme un- 11-13 October
derlead of all time. De Nex- Just Bridge – £199
on challenged the Prince to 25-27 October
a duel. It was all hushed up, Just Bridge – £199
the French being very un-
derstanding about crimes 1-3 November
Further into
passionnels.’
the Auction – £215
‘And the result in your
own match?’ 29 Nov – 1 Dec
‘You know my meth- Declarer Play – £215
ods. 6♣ opened and made. 6-8 December
Shame about the missed Just Bridge – £199
Grand . . .’ ■
Full Board
No Single Supplement
Previously published
in BRIDGE 61. Booking Form on page 9.
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For persons aged 60 years or less the excess is increased to £500 Areas 1&2, £750 Area
3, £1,000 Area 4 or on a Cruise.
For persons aged 61 to 90 years the excess is increased to £1,000 Areas 1&2, £1,500 Area
3, £2,000 Area 4 or on a Cruise.
Please note that we consider a Cruise to be a Trip by sea in a liner calling at a number of ports.
Medical Screening
Unless you are travelling to Area 4 or on a Cruise, there is no need to advise us of your
pre existing medical conditions.
If You have a history of any medical condition and are travelling within Area 4 or on a
Cruise, you must first contact Towergate Medical Screening Line to establish whether
we can provide cover for your trip. The number to call is:
0844 892 1698
If you are accepted, the level of excess stated above will apply. You will receive
written confirmation that you are covered for the trip. In the event that you are not
accepted for cover having been screened, we may be able to offer you cover under
our Single Trip “PLUS” product.
Please ask us for further details or go to our website.
 ✄
Single Trip
Single Trip Travel Insurance
travel insurance is arranged by Global Travel
Insurance Services Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the
Financial Services Authority and our status can be checked on the FSA
Suitable for for a single round trip starting and finishing in the UK
Register by visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/register or by contacting the FSA
and Channel Islands, is of no more than 94 days duration,
on 0845 606 1234.
for persons whose age is 90 years or less.
This insurance is underwritten by ETI International Travel Protection
(ETI) the UK branch of Europäische Reiseversicherung A.G. Munich, an
ERGO group Company, incorporated and regulated under the laws of
Global Travel Insurance
A1 Yeoman Gate, Yeoman Way, Worthing, BN13 3QZ
Germany, Companies House Registration FC 25660 and Branch Reg- ( 01903 267432 Fax 01903 268946
istration BR 007939. ETI is licensed by the Bundesanstalt für Finanz-
dienstleistungsaufsicht (BAFIN – www.bafin.de) and approved by the SINGLE TRIP APPLICATION FORM
Financial Services Authority to undertake insurance business in the UK.
Please FULLY complete the following in BLOCK CAPITALS. Once complete,
return the application panel direct to Global Travel Insurance at the address
SINGLE TRIP INSURANCE PRODUCT SUITABILITY
above, with a cheque or with card details entered. Insurance is not effective
until a Policy has been issued.
As this description contains the Key Features of the cover provided it
constitutes provision of a statement of demands and needs. Title (Mr/Mrs/Miss) Initials
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 Surname
persons whose age is 90 years or less.
This insurance is only available to persons who are permanently Telephone No.
resident and domiciled in the UK and Channel Islands.
House Number/Name
Single Trip PREMIUM RATING SCHEDULE
Street Name
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS
1. United Kingdom Town Name
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, including all
islands comprising the British Isles (except the Channel Islands and the Postcode
Republic of Ireland). (Any British Isles or UK Cruises are rated as Area 2).
2. Europe Date of leaving Home
Continental Europe west of the Ural mountain range, all countries
bordering the Mediterranean Sea (except, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Date of arrival Home
Lebanon, Libya & Syria), the Channel Islands and the Republic of
Ireland, Iceland, Madeira, The Canaries and The Azores. (Persons Screening Ref
residing in the Channel Islands need to pay Area 2 rates for UK trips).
3. Worldwide Introducer Mr Bridge
All countries outside of the above (except those within Area 4).
4. North America, Central America & The Caribbean Geographical Area – See Premium Panel
Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, (1,2,3 or 4)
Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, The
Names of all persons to be insured Age Premium
Caribbean Islands, United States of America.

SCHEDULE OF PREMIUMS
1 £

The following Premiums are valid for policies issued up to

2 £
31/3/2013 and for travel completed by 31/12/2013.
Maximum age is 90 years.
3 £
Maximum period of insurance is 94 days.
4 £
Geographical Areas
5 £
Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4
1 – 3 days £15.60 £23.80 £49.90 £71.90 6 £

4 & 5 days £18.70 £30.00 £62.70 £90.40 Credit/Debit Card Details TOTAL PREMIUM £
6 -10 days £21.80 £40.40 £85.10 £121.80
Card No
11-17 days £24.90 £44.20 £94.60 £136.30
18-24 days £28.00 £50.80 £106.50 £153.40 Start Date End Date Issue No

25-31 days £31.10 £57.80 £121.20 £174.50 Security Code

Each + 7 days call for a quotation
All premiums include the Government Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)
PREMIUM ADJUSTMENTS
All 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.
✄
DECLARATION
On 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

P
opular folklore has it that those
who forget to draw trumps end
up sleeping on the Embankment
(or, in America, under the Brooklyn
Bridge). Why is it vital to draw trumps?
Well, why do you choose a trump suit
in the first place? You think you can
make extra tricks by ruffing opposing
winners. At the start of the play, the
defenders have trumps as well – so they
might ruff your winners. However, if
you have chosen the trump suit wisely,
you will have more trumps than they do.
After a few rounds have gone, your side
will have the only trumps left. Ruffing
then becomes the exclusive privilege of
yours, the declaring side.
‘If in doubt, get them out.’
♠ K Q 7 6
♥ 7 6 2
♦ 6 5 4
♣ Q 7 5
N tricks once they switch to that suit.
W E
S
♠ A J 4 3 2
♥ A K Q 4
♦ 8 3 2
♣ A
You, South, play in 4♠. West leads the
jack of clubs to your ace.
You have three diamond losers and,
unless hearts split 3-3, a heart loser as
well. This is no problem as you intend to
ruff the fourth round of hearts in dummy.
What must you do before that? You must
draw trumps. If you fail to do so, some-
one short in hearts will ruff one of your
top hearts. So long as trumps break 2-2
or 3-1 (a 90% chance), you will be able to
draw the opposing trumps without draw-
ing all of dummy’s in the process.
Drawing trumps appeals even more if
dummy cannot ruff anything.
Julian Pottage Says
If in Doubt, Get Them
Out – Draw Trumps
You have only one entry to dummy –
♠ 9 6 3 in clubs – and so must pull the missing
♥ A K 6 trumps before you try to run the suit.
♦ J 9 8 If not, you will have no way back to the
♣ A J 7 3 clubs if someone ruffs the third round.
♠ 8 7 ♠ K Q 4 2 You win the club in hand and, after
N
♥ 10 4 W E ♥ 8 3 2 cashing the A-K of trumps to confirm
♦ A Q 3 2 S ♦ 5 4 the 3-2 split, give up a trump. You lose at
♣ K 9 8 5 4 ♣ Q 10 6 2 most two spades and a trump.
♠ A J 10 5 Is it ever right not to draw trumps?
♥ Q J 9 7 5 Yes, here are common reasons not to:
♦ K 10 7 6 1 If you want to ruff in dummy but
♣ Void dummy is quite short in trumps.
2 If you need some trumps as entries.
3 You need short trumps as stoppers.
You play in 4♥. West leads the eight of
spades and East plays the queen.
To make this contract you must win ♠ K 6 3
at once and play three rounds of hearts. ♥ Void
After that, you can knock out the king ♦ K Q 9 8
of spades and West’s diamond winners. ♣ K Q 9 7 3 2
This way the trump suit works for you – ♠ 8 7 2 N ♠ 9 4
your two long trumps will help to stop ♥ A 10 6 4 W E ♥ Q 8 3 2
the defenders from making any club ♦ J 4 3 2 S ♦ 10 6 5
♣ J 5 ♣ A 10 8 6
If you delay drawing trumps, you will ♠ A Q J 10 5
find that West ruffs a spade or East a ♥ K J 9 7 5
diamond – or both. ♦ A 7
♣ 4
♠ Q 7
♥ 8 3 You are in 6♠ and get a trump lead.
♦ J 9 8 3 All the above three exceptions apply.
♣ K Q J 10 9 If you draw trumps, you will lose a heart
♠ A 9 8 3 ♠ K 10 4 2 or two as well as the club ace (trump
N
♥ J 6
W E
♥ Q 10 4 needed as a stopper). You will also
♦ K 6 5 S ♦ 10 7 4 2 be short of entries to set up the clubs
♣ 8 5 4 3 ♣ 6 2 (trump needed as an entry) and a trick
♠ J 6 5 short (ruff in short trump hand needed).
♥ A K 9 7 5 2 Get out a pack of cards and try it.
♦ A Q Correct play is to win in hand and play
♣ A 7 a club to the king. Win the trump return
in dummy, ruff a club, ruff a heart and
ruff another club. Now you draw the last
You are in 4♥ and West leads the five of trump and enjoy dummy’s winners.
clubs. The rule about whether to draw trumps
This deal, too, calls for drawing is that you draw them unless you find a
trumps with gusto. Do you see why? reason not to. If in doubt, get them out. ■
Page 30

P
artner leads the two of spades and
dummy plays low. Which card do
you play as East below?
1 ♠ 6 5
♥ Q J 8 7
♦ J 9 7
♣ A K 4 2
♠ Q 8 7 2 ♠ K 10 9 3
N
♥ 10 6 2 ♥ 5 3
W E
♦ 10 8 6 S ♦ A K 4 3
♣ Q 6 5 ♣ 10 9 8 ♣ J 7 3
♠ A J 4
♥ A K 9 4
♦ Q 5 2
♣ J 7 3
West North East South
1♥
Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥
End
You know that partner will not have
underled an ace in a trump contract, so
is there any point in putting up the king,
just to have it topped by declarer’s ace?
Let us think about partner’s lead. Hold­
ing only small cards in the suit, partner
would have led a middle or high card.
Therefore, we know that the two must be
from an honour. If it is the jack, it does
not matter whether we play the nine or
the king, since the nine would lose to the
queen giving declarer two tricks in the
suit. However, if partner has led from the
queen, it is imperative to put up the king
in order to establish partner’s queen.
What does the rule of ‘third hand
high’ tell you? It tells you that, if partner
leads a low card and the next hand also
plays low, the player in third seat should
play their highest card in the suit (but
lowest from equal cards). The objective
is to win the trick or drive out a top card
from declarer and, you hope, establish a
winner for partner.
Heather Dhondy Says
Third Hand
Plays High
West North East South
2 ♠ Q 8 1NT (12-14)
♥ J 9 8 7 Pass 3NT End
♦ J 9 7
♣ A K 4 2 Your partner leads the seven of spades
♠ 9 7 5 2 ♠ K 10 6 3 against three no-trumps. Which card
N
♥ 10 6 2 W E ♥ 5 3 do you play as East?
♦ Q 8 6 S ♦ A K 4 3 You see the same spade suit as last
♣ Q 6 5 ♣ 10 9 8 time, but there are two important
♠ A J 4 differences. Can you see what they are?
♥ A K Q 4 Firstly, when you are defending
♦ 10 5 2 against a no-trump contract, partner
may well have led from an ace whereas
this is unlikely in a trump contract.
Secondly, the lead is slightly different.
South plays in 4♥ on the same auction The seven will tell you that if partner
as 1. This time partner leads the seven has led fourth highest, declarer will
of spades and declarer plays low from have one higher card in the suit. If it is
dummy. What card do you play now? anything but the ace, there is no cost to
Again, you must think what the lead playing the king. Indeed, when declarer
may be from. It looks most likely to be holds the jack doubleton, as here, it is
second highest from 9-7-x-x or be from essential to play the king.
J-9-7. In either case, you should play the Just consider the position where
ten. If partner has led from low cards, declarer has the ace – is he really going
you will hold declarer to two tricks by to play low from dummy to trick one?
doing so. If instead he has led from No, of course he is going to try putting
the jack, playing the ten will prevent up the queen. Therefore it appears
declarer from having a second trick in correct to put up the king… but is it?
the suit. Suppose partner has led second
So what happened to third hand high? highest from four small cards? This
Actually, you did play high – but you would give declarer the ace-jack and,
took a finesse with the ten – saving your if declarer has only A-J-8 rather than
king to cover the queen later. A-J-9, it may be important to play the
ten, to hold declarer to two tricks in
the suit. Now on the expected play of
3 ♠ Q 5 the diamond finesse, you can win and
♥ K Q 3 continue with the king of spades. So
♦ A Q J 2 how do we know what to do?
♣ Q 8 5 4 If 3NT is to go down on this second
♠ A 9 8 7 2 ♠ K 10 6 3 highest lead, partner will need to have
♥ 10 6 N ♥ J 9 8 5 4 four diamonds to the ten at least. Do
W E
♦ 10 9 7 6 ♦ K 8 not play for partner to have led from
S
♣ J 7 ♣ 10 9 his second best suit. When partner has
♠ J 4 led a card that could be fourth highest,
♥ A 7 2 you should normally play him for it and
♦ 5 4 3 play high to the first trick. We all want
♣ A K 6 3 2 to lead our longest and strongest suit if
we possibly can, even partner! ■
Page 31
CRUISE FROM ASIA TO EGYPT
BRIDGE
If undelivered or unwanted kindly return to
Ryden Grange, Knaphill, Surrey, GU21 2TH
SINGAPORE TO LUXOR - MARCH 7, 2013
Cairo
Giza
Luxor Safaga
EGYPT Muscat Porbandar
Red Oman
GRAND VOYAGE – GREAT VALUE WITH Sea Salalah Mumbai
INDIA
Spanning two continents and exploring some of the world's greatest treasures, this epic 29-day voyage SINGLE Marmagao Bay of
SUPPLEMENT Arabian Mangalore Bengal
takes you from the dynamic city-state of Singapore to the monuments of Pharaonic Egypt via the Sea Cochin
wonders of the Indian subcontinent. You’ll visit the birthplace of Gandhi, the magical island of Sri ONLY £100* Colombo
Sri Lanka
Malaysia
Penang
Lanka, the desert beauty of Oman, and finally Luxor in Egypt before returning home. Malacca
Singapore
Cruise in comfort, relax in style MAR 7 Depart UK MAR 21/22 MUMBAI India
Aegean Odyssey is a premium-class ship, carrying around MAR 8 Arrive SINGAPORE MAR 23 PORBANDAR India
350 passengers. The atmosphere on board is relaxed with MAR 9 SINGAPORE Embark MAR 24 At Sea
plenty of passenger space, a choice of restaurants (with open- MAR 10 MALACCA Malaysia MAR 25/26 MUSCAT Oman
seating dining) and generously-sized accommodation, plus MAR 11 PENANG Malaysia MAR 27 At Sea
the comfort and attentive service of boutique-style cruising. MAR 12-14 At Sea MAR 28 SALALAH Oman
MAR 15/16 COLOMBO Sri Lanka MAR 29 - Cruising Arabian Sea
MAR 17 At Sea APR 2 & Red Sea
Mr Bridge fares from just £2,950† include: MAR 18 COCHIN India APR 3 SAFAGA/LUXOR Egypt
Visit Temple of Luxor
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APR 4 LUXOR Egypt
• EXPERTLY PLANNED ITINERARIES • SHORE EXCURSIONS MAR 20 MARMAGAO India Fly home via Cairo
• EXPERT ANTIQUITY GUEST SPEAKERS • OPEN-SEATING DINING
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• EXCLUSIVE COCKTAIL PARTY NIGHTS IN EGYPT Enjoy an extra night in Luxor and then fly to
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BRIDGE PLAYERS: The bridge programme is exclusive to Mr Bridge bookings but completely optional and Mr Bridge passengers can participate as much, or as little as they wish.
in Cairo. Flying home on April 7. Double £369 per person, single £459.
There will be a duplicate session every evening and bridge every afternoon the ship is at sea. Singles are made especially welcome and a playing partner will always be found.
† Price is per person, for double occupancy in double cabins and includes Mr Bridge special savings. *The number of cabins is strictly limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.
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10093
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