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Reasons to Bid. There can be many reasons for overcalling. You may overcall in an effort to win the contract. Sometimes, you can make it more difficult for your opponents by bidding. Then, you may just be wanting to help your partner with an... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players...and others. It's Fri  Day.  I had a dream! Well, that’s not what you should do at the bridge table, not even in retrospect about a deal! With only our side vulnerable, it was my turn... read more here

Going against the grain. We know what happens, in a no-trump contract, when we do not duck an opponent’s lead of a danger suit. The defence regains the lead and runs winners when playing low at trick one would have cut communications. So,... read more here

Fortune favours the brave. Well, you do not need to be too brave with as there are various ways to achieve a good result with today’s deal. It is complicated by the fact that it was played in the Pairs environment which means the top score... read more here

 An online Swiss Pairs fundraiser is being run on the Matariki Holiday (Friday 28th June).   Attached is the poster with more information.    Matariki Fundraiser (9.23MB)   Funds raised for this event will go... read more here

A little (in partner's hand) means a lot…..well, undertricks! Have you ever not known what to lead? Dumb question? Frequently! Well, in that case, you will find yourself in familiar territory today. The play will not take place until you... read more here

                                      Finesse and Care. The following board required both of the above for one declarer. Firstly, though, would you... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others. It’s Fri day! Guiding Partner, Avoiding Disaster! Sometimes as a defender you have to work out what to play next. Then there are times when your partner gives you a good clue,... read more here

Listen (to the bidding) and look (at your hand).   Today’s problem might seem no problem for some but for the vast majority of North-South pairs who faced it, they could not come to the right conclusion. So, if you get the wrong answer... read more here

                                                                     ... read more here

  Trans- Tasman Round 3. The 3rd round of the Trans- Tasman Teams took place last Friday night. New Zealand teams still occupy 6 of the top 8 positions in the 16 team competition though the leaders are now Australian Mixed Team who had a... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…others, too? It’s Fri day. Missing Monarchs. Some basic techniques are displayed in today’s deal. Shortly, you will be asked to form a plan to make 9 tricks but let’s glance... read more here

Percentage Problems. You reach a pretty reasonable 6C contract and there are only two cards of interest which you cannot see…and they are both minor suit kings. You would not want to lose to both of them. South DealsE-W Vul... read more here

Shape! Never mind the high-card point count. Take a look at one’s shape. Well, best look at both! How good then is the following 8-count after one’s partner opens 1S? I thought today we would take a look at how our Panel approach the... read more here

A harder form of defence. Quite often it is best for defenders to go looking for their tricks if they want to beat the contract they are defending. That can include getting ruffs or setting up a side-suit winner before the declarer is able to... read more here

Match optimism with care. The optimism came in the bidding. The care needed to come in the declarer play. If South exercised both, they could consider it a job well done on the following board. You have already taken an optimistic route in the... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others! It’s Fri   day. What a difference a lead..or a switch can make! I am not saying you should find the winning lead in the deal below. Even if you do not, then perhaps... read more here

The tale of three ducks! Well, it is the duck-shooting season! So, let’s see what happens if there are a few ducks around today’s contract!   East DealsN-S Vul ♠ A J 8 5 ♥... read more here

Game of Two Sides. Some contracts develop into a battle with both sides pushing to achieve their aim. Who will win? Let’s look at the game, or battle, through declarer’s eyes: North DealsNone Vul ♠... read more here

A little planning saves a poor result. Today’s deal tests one of the fundamentals of playing a contract. That half of those who were declarer in a routine 1NT contract failed to make 7 tricks suggests that the fundamentals are not always... read more here

Peter Newell, Malcolm Mayer, Michael Ware and Martin Reid, Open Teams winners.  ANZAC in Wellington. ANZAC Weekend meant as usual four days of bridge at the Wellington Bridge Club, Swiss Pairs, Pairs and finally two days of Teams. These... read more here

Remembering Derek Evennett, a lover of Bridge. Derek passed in late April 2024 not recovering from a major stroke. He was 78. Derek is survived by his wife, Sally, his 5 children, 10 grandchildren and the other very important family member, the... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate or Novice players..and others. It's Fri Day! A Confused Message. I wonder if the problem highlighted by today’s deal is a system failure or just laziness. You be the judge though firstly you have a question to... read more here

A.N.C. goes to Orange. Saturday 6th to Thursday 18th July 2024 Maybe you would like to go there, too? For the first time, the Australian National Championships (A. N.C.) are being held outside one the main Australian cities. Orange is... read more here

The Good Bad Break. So, you dread bad breaks? Sometimes, you dread them justifiably and the end result is not pretty. Yet, there are occasions when you need a bad break to make your contract. Firstly, though, what is your choice of opening bid... read more here

“Crime” almost pays! This is not a story about how to win a Pairs event because on the board that follows, the winners of the South Canterbury Congress Open Pairs, held last Sunday in Timaru, scored 13 out of 28 match-points... read more here

Should you? Following and Breaking Rules. Rules in bidding are really just guidelines and generally are to be followed. Sometimes, doing the right thing reaps its rewards…and  then there times when it does not!  ... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others! It's Fri  day Keep in Touch. It is very easy when, against a no-trump contract,  you have AK of a long suit to lead both top honours without thinking of the consequences.... read more here

Fearing the Worst. At times, we are taught to be optimistic at the bridge table. Then, there are the times when we fear the worst might happen. Which of these statements do you think apply below when the stakes are high in this 3NTx contract?... read more here

In whom do you trust? Tricky Trick 3! Often it is the opening lead which sets declarer onto a path of success or of failure. Not so, today. It’s all about what happened at trick 3. Are you going to succeed or fail? South... read more here

A first tournament win. Do you remember your first tournament win? For those fortunate enough to have won tournaments, the answer almost certainly is “yes”. Like one’s first A Point, it is a rather special feeling, one to... read more here

A strong opponent! Beware or ignore! Strong No Trump openings are not what they used to be. For many years, they would not contain less than 16 hcp and were a bid to be reckoned with, to be feared/respected. Now, they do not seem quite so... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others. It’s Fri   day. Take the guess (and the stress ) out of the finesse. Do your finesses always seem to go wrong? Well, they do not even if it seems they do. However, there... read more here

A Grand Journey. Recently, in an A Point Tournament, among 24 pairs who sat North/South, only two pairs reached any slam and only one reached grand-slam. 13 tricks were easy to make. I thought it would be instructive if the Panel gave some... read more here

When a Guess is a Certainty. Some guesses are more certain than others. In view of that, it was strange that more declarers did not make the 3NT contract on the deal below. The omens early on looked bad for the declarer: East... read more here

A “Five Level Leap”. The opposition are not vulnerable and have bid or implied the possession of three suits. We, have suggested game in the fourth. The Panel have a choice of action in what is likely to be the “pass out”... read more here

Kiwis on top in Trans Tasman Challenge The second round of the Trans- Tasman Challenge took place last Friday evening and produced another good set of results for the 8 New Zealand teams. All 8 New Zealand teams recorded victories, the biggest... read more here