TWO teams, each with three pairs, flew out to Cura|0xe7|ao yesterday to complete in the Caribbean Zonal Championships for the right to represent the Zone in the Bermuda Bowl and the Venice Cup, to be held in Shanghai later this year.The two teams won the right to represent Bermuda after lengthy trials were held earlier this year. They will be competing in a round-robin event against teams from Venezuela, French Guiana, Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Costa Rica.

The Open team is made up of John Burville and David Cordon, David and Sally Sykes, and Roman Smolski and Vera Petty. John Glynn will be accompanying the team as non-playing captain.

Vera and Roman have won numerous National Championships as well as the British Mixed Pairs and were on the Bermuda team which won the CACBF Championships in 2003 in Martinique.

David and Sally are a very experienced pair with several National Championships to their credit. John and David are a relatively new partnership but both have represented Bermuda on previous occasions with other partners, and much will depend on how they perform.

In the past, Bermuda teams have often set out more in hope than expectation, but if this team play up to their undoubted ability they have an excellent chance of bringing home the trophy.

The Ladies’ team is made up of Sheena Rayner and Magda Farag, Judy Bussell and Stephanie Kyme, and Gertie Barker and Jane Smith. Tony Saunders will be accompanying them as non-playing captain.

Sheena and Magda are a relatively new partnership but proved themselves by beating all comers in the trials. Sheena and Magda are both Bronze Life Masters and this will be their first time playing in an international event although Sheena has previously acted as non-playing captain for the open team.

Judy and Stephanie are the most experienced pair, having represented Bermuda on three occasions — the Bermuda Bowl held in Bermuda in 2000, the World Bridge Olympiad held in Costa Rica in 2005 and the World Bridge Federation Women’s Pairs championship event held in Verona in 2000.

Judy is a bronze life master and Stephanie a silver life master. Gertie and Jane are both bronze life masters and represented Bermuda in Costa Rica in 2005.

Tony has represented Bermuda on numerous occasions, both as a player and as non-playing captain, and has been busy arranging team practice matches for them and from all accounts these have been of real value.

Bridge in Bermuda has a very strong following and the progress of the two teams will be watched with great interest. We wish them well and hope all finesses are working for them.

I happened to find my way to the Bridge Club last Monday and had a really nice game with Jean Johnson in which we seemed to be bidding on every hand which always makes for a fun evening.

There were a number of 3NT contracts played during the evening and nearly every one required a hold-up play by declarer after the opening lead. Some hold-up plays are easier to recognise than others and some declarers on the hand below fell start.

Dlr: North

Vul: BothNorth

[spade]A K 8

[heart]3

[diamond]A Q 9 8 4

[club]A 5 3

South

[spade]Q 4 3

[heart]K Q 4 2

[diamond]J 10 3

[club]K 4 2

West North East outh<$>

1[diamond] Pass 1[heart]

Pass 2[club] Pass 2NT

Pass 3NT All PassOpening lead: [heart]6, Hast plays the [heart]J. Plan he play.

For openers, if hearts are 4-4, you cannot go down no matter what, as the most you can lose is three hearts and the king of diamonds. Therefore, assume hearts are 5-3 and the diamond king is offside as that is a worst- case scenario.

If you win the first heart and the diamond finesse loses, East will return a heart and the opponents will reel off four heart tricks. Down one.

However, if you duck the heart jack and duck the heart return, you remain with the king and queen of hearts. If a third heart is returned, West wins the ace (as good as anything). East is now out of hearts and you still have a heart stopper, so the most the opponents can take is three hearts and the king of diamonds. You have made a double hold-up play with KQxx facing a singleton.

This is identical to what you would (should) do if you held four hearts to the ace opposite a singleton. With that holding, win the THIRD heart, again protecting yourself against a 5-3 division with the [diamond] king held by East.

Dlr: North

Vul: Both

[spade]A K 8

[heart]3

[diamond]A Q 9 8 4

[club]A 10 5 3

West East

[spade]9 6 [spade]J 10 7 5 2

[heart]A 10 8 6 5 [heart]J 9 7

[diamond]7 6 2 [diamond]K 5

[club]J 7 6 [c]Q 9 8

South

[spade]Q 4 3

[heart]K Q 4 2

[diamond]J 10 3

[club]K 4 2The lesson?

When things look favourable, assume bad things can happen (West having five hearts and East the king of diamonds). Try to figure out a way to overcome the problem — without putting your contract at risk if suits divide normally!