As I started to write this column, I saw the sad announcement from the bridge club of the passing of Tony Buckley at the age of 92.

Tony was a good friend along with his wife, Dorothy, and he will be missed on many levels.

Tony and Dot were a regular pair at the games and it is hard to think of a better pair to have as members — supportive, very regular players who were always smiling and courteous and full of class and took their good and bad results as if they were the same.

What I remember about Tony’s bidding is him, at the drop of a hat, jumping to 3NT to avoid an error in bidding along the way and because he played the hands well. It was an amusing and defining feature of his bidding style.

At the same time as this announcement, we also read of the passing of Charlie Gambrill, for so long an active member of the club, after a very short illness.

I could not believe that Charlie was 97. When I last saw him a few short years ago, he was still as sharp as a razor blade and I think bridge has something to do with that. Both Tony and Charlie will be greatly missed.

On a more uplifting note, it appears that the contingent of young school-age aspiring bridge players had a hugely enjoyable and worthwhile trip to the ACBL Summer Nationals in Atlanta.

There were some notable successes, particularly Adeline Young and Shane Krueger who won the Stratum C Consolation Pairs with a stunning 74 per cent score, especially since they are not really credentialled at the C level.

This was a great result and Adeline, who is leaving the island shortly, continues the great success she had in the Newcomer class at the Bermuda Regional — well done to both!

More on the Youth Bridge initiative in the column next week.

This week’s hand is all about the opening lead, and once West did not find the killer lead declarer was in control, if he could execute.

Dealer South E/W vulnerable

North

? K10985

? A6

? J654

? J10

West

? J

? J1097

? K92

? K9852

East

? 64

? 852

? A108

? A7643

South

? AQ732

? KQ43

? Q73

? Q

South opened 1 Spade and quickly ended in the Spade game after North had shown a limit raise in Spades — West made the perfectly reasonable lead of the Heart Jack.

Declarer clearly had a Club loser and possibly three Diamond losers if he played the suit himself, so the best plan was to force the opponents to start the Diamond suit, in which case there would only be two losers.

Declarer won the Heart with the Ace, drew trumps, played the King and Queen of Hearts, carefully throwing a Club from dummy and ruffed the last Heart to come to this position.

North

? 109

?

? J654

? J1

West

?

?

? K92

? K9852

East

?

?

? A108

? A764

South

? Q73

?

? Q73

? Q

Declarer now exited with a Club and the defence was helpless — they either opened up the Diamond suit for declarer or led a Club, which would allow declarer to discard a Diamond from hand and ruff in dummy — four Spades made for a very good board.

This is a play that comes up time and again and you can often get to a position in the play of the hand where you can force your opponents to help you.

Bridge Results

Week ending August 13

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Louise Rodger/Lyn O’Neill

2. George Correia/

Lorna Anderson

3. Rosemary Smith/

Marsha Fraser

East/West

1. Gertrude Barker/

Julia Beach

2. Magda Farag/

Sheena Rayner

3. Sancia Garrison/

Desmond Nash

Tuesday evening

1. Wendy Salvia/Diana Downs

2. Nick Kempe/

Samantha Pickering

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Donna Leitch/

Kathleen Keane

2. Margaret/Sancia Garrison

3. Annabelle Mann/

Jeanette Shaw

East/West

1. Magda Farag/

Sheena Rayner

2. Stephen Smith/

Desmond Nash

3. Elizabeth McKee/

Marilynn Simmons

Thursday evening

North/South

1. Margaret Way/

Diana Diel

2/3 Jane Smith/

Sharon Shanahan

2/3 Claude Guay/

Gertrude Barker

East/West

1. Elizabeth McKee/

David Sykes

2. John Glynn/

Rachael Gosling

3. Scott Godet/Sally Godet

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker/

Marilynn Simmons

2. Sancia Garrison/Lyn O’Neill

3. Patricia Hayward/

Bea Williams

East/West

1. Michael Bickley/Harry Kast

2. Margaret Way/

Heather Woolf

3. Molly Taussig/Jane Smith