Nothing new to report right now as the Mixed Pairs concluded last night, so a full report next week.

Given the lack of Bridge news I can report on the return of a very successful Quiz and Curry Night which was held on Saturday 29th March with Peter Adhemar once again doing a great job, before and at the event, as the Quiz Master.

After a spirited battle the team of Hugh Gillespie, Catherine Kennedy, Andrew & Katrina Dobson ran out the winners with Richard & Kathy Keane and Jim Leitch in second and Richard & Susie Hall; James & Marsha Fraser in third.

This is a really popular event and looks like becoming a fixture on the local calendar.

This hand from Friday night’s game is really very simple if one listens to the bidding, but a lot of people don’t and that makes the game a lot harder!

Board 23. Game All. Dealer South.

ª Q954

&Copy; 3

¨ KJ2

§ 109864

ª None

&Copy; AKQJ109

¨ A10975

§ 75

South opened a Precision Club (usually shows 16 + points but this is a strong hand), West bid 1 Diamond, showing both majors (!), North doubled to show 5-7 HCP, East bid a spade and South bid 4 Hearts to close the auction.

West led the Ace and King of clubs and then switched to a low spade to East’s jack which South ruffed.

Declarer started drawing trumps and, as expected, East showed out on the second round.

Declarer now lost his way and stopped drawing trumps to play a low diamond to the jack!

This lost to the queen and now another spade forced declarer and the hand slowly fell apart as declarer was forced to ruff and now had fewer trumps than West … declarer ended up down two.

Declarer was not thinking … West had shown the majors, usually 5-5, and had already shown two clubs … not a lot of room for diamonds!

Declarer should draw all the trumps and cross to the King of Diamonds and then play the jack of diamonds and run it …

The full hand:

ª Q954

&Copy; 3

¨ KJ2

§ 109864

ª K10876 ª AJ32

&Copy; 87654 &Copy; 2

¨ 6 ¨ Q843

§ AK § QJ32

ª None

&Copy; AKQJ109

¨ A10975

§ 75

The hand now makes an easy 11 tricks for a clear top ….

And what if West had started with Kxxx, xxxxx, Qx, AK and the jack of diamonds loses to West?

That is hugely against the odds on the bidding and on the diamond queen being in the short hand, but if it happens chalk it up to bad luck and move on — as long as you play with the odds all the time you will finish in front!