I'm back for a week between the columns from my guest columnists Roman Smolski, John Burville, Alan Douglas and Bill Tucker which I hope you enjoyed – I certainly have. It's interesting how the columns reflect so much of the personality and preferences of the writer, and I found that really fun.

The New Orleans crowd should be returning by now and hopefully we can bring you any standout results. I know Roman was there so perhaps something in his column next week.

This week's hand was just given to me by Alan Douglas , so he will have to find another for his next column!

This is what he gave me :

Board 7. Game All. Dealer South

ªAK98 ªQ64

&Copy;KJ32 &Copy;10

¨1097 ¨AQ543

§Q10 §AJ75

You are in 3NT as West and North leads a heart on which south plays the Queen – over to you.

Well, it is a standard hold up play, with a twist! You must refuse to win the first heart ... South now continues with the 9 of hearts … and you must also refuse to cover that!

The full hand :

ªJ10

&Copy;A8764

¨K62

§643

ªAK98 ªQ64

&Copy;KJ32 &Copy;10

¨1097 ¨AQ543

§Q10 §AJ75

ª7532

&Copy;Q95

¨J8

§K982

The defence is now dead ….South plays a third heart with a sinking feeling and North wins and tries a sneaky diamond …you win the Queen, cross to the Ace of Spades and take the club finesse. This loses , but you now have a lot of tricks and chalk up plus 600 … aren't you a clever little bunny !

Notice that if you make the mistake of playing an honour on the heart 9, the defence have to stay awake and North must duck in order to retain communications; once she does that, the contract is dead. Nice hand!

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