RMonday, the first “Member-guest” day was held at the Bridge Club and it turned out to be a major success.

Thirty pairs took part with members playing with their guests and reports are that the competition and the social aspect of the game were exactly what the organisers would have hoped for, so a big hand to those that decided to experiment with this and to those who entered.

Winning North/South with a 62.5 per cent game were Judy Kitson and Marcia Forseman and winning East/West with a 62.95 per cent game were Gordon Bussell and Jo-Ann Dawson.

Behind the North/South winners were Wendy Gray and Maria Wakely in second; Pat Colmet and Laura Butterfield in third; and Sarah Lorimer Turner and Janine Lines, and Ellen Davidson and Julia Cook in joint fourth. Margie Way and Linda Gurr came sixth.

Finishing second East/West were Richard Gray and Lorna Anderson; followed by Gill Butterfield and Joan Skinner in third, Dorothy and Jerry Greenspan in fourth; Caroline Svensen and Sandy Dyer in fifth and Magda Farag and Carl Musson in sixth.

Well done all and hopefully we will see this event return, perhaps as a bimonthly or quarterly fixture.

Today, the two-session Non-Life Master Pairs takes place. The opening session starts at 9.30am, followed by the second session after a short lunch break. Full results in next week’s column.

This hand came up on Bridge Base online a few minutes ago and I think makes an interesting column hand

Dealer South, N/S Vulnerable

North

? AK752

? Q6

? AKJ652

? None

West East

? 1043 ? 86

? A2 ? 1043

? 109843 ? Q7

? K52 ? AJ9876

South

? QJ9

? KJ9875

? None

? Q1043

I was sitting North and after my partner opened a weak 2 Hearts in first seat I bid what I thought we could make — 6 Hearts. Give partner AKxxxx and a grand is probably laydown but partner’s hand was a disappointment, particularly the quality of the Heart suit which was the minimum I would expect for a first seat vulnerable opening bid, as I play all preemps as constructive opposite an unpassed partner.

Opposite a passed partner, especially at favourable vulnerability, the gloves are off and the suit and point range can be anything!

West led a Club and the hand did not look easy — partner ruffed, played Ace, King of Diamonds, throwing two Clubs and noticing the fall of the Queen, crossed to the Jack of Spades and ruffed his last Club with the Heart Queen. Now declarer could not avoid losing two trumps to the Ace and the 10 — one down.

Unlucky? Yes a bit, but see what happens if after the first two Diamonds, declarer continues with the Diamond Jack.

If East does not ruff, declarer throws the last Club and now plays the heart Queen and loses only one trump — so East has to ruff and declarer now overruffs and ruffs the last Club again with the Heart Queen.

The difference now, though, is that East is reduced to 10, 4 of Hearts and declarer loses only one Heart to the Ace. The Jack of Diamonds is really a no-lose play and here would have paid big dividends.

Small lines between success and failure.

Results for week of May 7

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Charles Hall/Molly Taussig

2. Patricia Colmet/Greta Marshall

3. Marilynn Simmons/Martha Ferguson

East/West

1. Edward Betteto/Lynanne Bolton

2. Magda Farag/Sheena Rayner

3. Gordon Bussell/Heather Woolf

Monday evening

1. Edward Betteto/Margaret Way

2. Alan Douglas/Jane Smith

3. Sheena Rayner/Magda Farag

Tuesday evening

North/South

1. Wenda Krupp/Sarah Lorimer Turner

2. Claude Guay/Sharon Shanahan

3. Julia Cook/Kalreta Conyers-Steede

East/West

1. Richard Keane/Richard Hall

2. Nick Kempe/Samantha Pickering

3. Jo-Ann Dawson/Mike Dawson

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Alan Douglas/Ruby Douglas

2. Louise Rodger/Elizabeth McKee

3. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

East/West

1. Joseph Wakefield/Molly Taussig

2. Jean Johnson/Linda Pollett

3. Aida Bostelmann/Joyce Pearson

Thursday evening – under 300

North/South

1. Betsy Baillie/Sharon Shanahan

2. Michael Antar/Lorna Anderson

3. John Luebkemann/Martha Ferguson

East/West

1. Nick Kempe/Samantha Pickering

2. Caroline Svensen/Ellen Davidson

3. Elaine Stevens/Ian Hilton

Thursday evening – open

1. Alan Douglas/Marilynn Simmons

2. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

3. Judith Bussell/Russell Craft

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Alan Douglas/Jane Smith

2. Elizabeth McKee/Diana Diel

3. Sheena Rayner/Ruby Douglas

East/West

1. Margaret Way/Molly Taussig

2. Jean Johnson/Tony Saunders

3. Patricia Siddle/Julia Beach