The new year is now upon us and I wish all my readers a great 2026 at and away from the table. Next up on the bridge calendar is the biggest event of the year, the Bermuda Bridge Regional which starts with the charity game on Saturday, January 31, and ends with the closing banquet and prize-giving on Friday, February 6.

If you and your partner want some extra preparation for the Regional, come along to the Bridge Club next Saturday, January 10, where I will be giving a two-hour talk on “How to maximise your ability at the table”. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced player, I know you will pick up enough to get you those precious extra points at the event and in the year ahead.

This week’s hand (see Figure 1) comes from Sally Brock’s excellent column in The Sunday Times — the hand is a great example of a declarer who was good enough to see an extra chance for an overtrick and was rewarded when he executed perfectly and the cards lay favourably.

Most of the room were in four spades — at this table North’s raise to two spades was somewhat ordinary when you know your side has at least a ten-card fit in a major you need to bid them up. I would have wanted at least a three-spade bit by North (or perhaps three hearts to show a good spade fit). The contract would, however, still be four spades.

West led a heart and East continued, South wining the King. South now made the correct play in trumps, holding 11 of them by banging down the trump Ace — when the King does not appear it looks “normal” to give up a spade and diamond and claim ten tricks.

Declarer at one table, however, saw a chance for an overtrick and, since it came for free, decided to make a play for it. He cashed the club Ace, crossed to a diamond and ruffed a club, crossed to the other high diamond and ruffed the last club. This was now the position (see Figure 2).

Only now did he give West his King of spades — with no diamonds left West had to lead a club providing a ruff and discard and the losing diamond went away.

This situation happens more often than you think, especially when both declarer and dummy have long trumps, even 4-4. So look out for it.

Could the defence have done better? As it happens, yes, though it was all at trick one — with the West hand I would 100 per cent lead the club King with that solid suit — on this hand, fortuitously, that actually holds the contract to ten tricks, even though it does not set up a club winner.

On the club lead, having not as yet made the heart King, declarer needs three entries to dummy, one to lead a heart and two to ruff diamonds — he has only two entries, so he has to give up a diamond.

***

• It is with sadness that the Club heard from John Hodge of the passing of his wife of 51 years, Sue. John and Sue are members of long standing and after moving to the US some years ago, they continued their membership, playing regularly at the club when staying on the island at their house in Newstead. They were last here in early November, when they were winners at the Wednesday morning game.

The club will pause to remember Sue on the day of her funeral before the regular game on Monday, January 12.

• David Ezekiel can be reached at davidezekiel999@gmail.com

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Monday, December 29

North/South

1 Sheena Rayner/Magda Farag

2 Allyson Eadie/Aida Bostelmann

3 Margaret Way/Stephanie Kyme

East/West

1 Lorna Anderson/Heather Woolf

2 Elysa Burland/Molly Taussig

3 Caroline Svensen/Jane Clipper

Tuesday, December 30

1 John Thorne/Heidi Dyson

2 Tracy Pitt/Kim Simmons

3 Jane Downing/Jamie Sapsford

Wednesday, December 31

1 Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

2 Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

3 Judith Bussell/Stephanie Kyme