The Non Life Masters Pairs will have concluded at the Bridge Club on Thursday so full results on that next week.

The second session is clearly going to be a tight one if the first session is any guide.

Lying in first place after the first session are Kathleen Keane and Mike Viotti with a 58.97 per cent game followed closely by Inger Mesna/Noula Contibas on 57.05 per cent and Richard Hall/James Fraser on 55.13 per cent.

Fourth and fifth place were taken by Linda Abend/Christine Lloyd-James and George Correia/Martha Ferguson on 53.21 per cent and 50.96 per cent respectively.

The others are bunched in behind so calling a winner at this stage would not be easy. Watch this space!

This week’s hand is another lesson in thinking ahead and … preparation!!

Dealer West E/W Vul Duplicate pairs

North

S KQ65

H 104

D AJ5

C AK65

East

S A4

H Q2

D Q10842

C J987

South

S J10987

H K3

D K9

C Q1043

West

S 32

H AJ98765

D 763

C 2

West dealt and opened the hand 3 Hearts — North doubled, East bid 4 Hearts and South’s 4 Spade bid closed the auction.

West led the Club 2, an obvious singleton and this was won by the Queen in the South hand after East had played the Jack. Declarer was in a bit of a quandary — East almost certainly held the Spade Ace so a ruff was looming in Clubs and another two Heart losers would mean down one.

Declarer briefly considered playing the Diamond King and then one to the Jack but then realised that all he really had to do was take West’s exit cards away if he got in with a Club ruff. So he played King of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds and ruffed a Diamond and now played a Spade to the King which East won with the Ace in this position.

North

S Q65

H 104

D

C AK6

East

S 4

H Q2

D Q10

C 987

West

S 3

H AJ98765

D

C

South

S J109

H K3

D

C 1043

East is stuck! If he plays a Heart the defence can get two Heart tricks but no Club ruff, and if he plays a Club West can ruff but now has to lead a Heart to Declarers King … either way, contract made. Notice that if East plays the Heart Queen declarer must cover and now East cannot regain the lead for the club ruff.

If declarer had not eliminated diamonds then West can get his ruff and exit with a diamond and simply wait for his two heart tricks — an excellent piece of declarer play.