The Bermuda Bridge Club has initiated a number of programs to get young players involved in this marvellous game and under the stewardship of John Burville the local programme has reached into the schools with CedarBridge Academy, Saltus Grammar, Bermuda High School and Berkeley Institute taking part.

You will also have read in last week’s Royal Gazette of the group that went to the ACBL Summer Nationals in Atlanta and the success of some of the pairs that travelled.

Add to this the Summer Bridge Camps that took place at the Club and you have a well thought out and focused programme to get the young interested in the game and I don’t think many other Clubs worldwide can match what is being done here.

The Atlanta visit was clearly worthwhile and none of these trips “just happen” — it takes a lot of work and a lot of help and I know that John has received great support from, among others, Lorna Anderson, Mike Viotti and Kalreta Conyers- Steede.

Kalreta, who is Deputy Principal at CedarBridge Academy is doing what Mike did at Saltus Grammar — embracing and learning the game and then using that passion to enthuse the pupils to learn and enjoy it.

There were many good results in Atlanta and in addition to the pairs success of Adeline Young and Shane Krueger that I mentioned last week the team of Young and Krueger with Ross Cooper and Scott Gilbertson broke new ground by qualifying for the championship session of the Teams event.

Well done to all who went, the helpers and the sponsors which include AIG and the Bermuda Bridge Club — time and money well spent!

Today’s hand is an interesting one in that there are two potentially successful lines of play — but in order for them to work declarer must have a plan and then execute it

Dealer South E/W vulnerable.

? K10985

?A63

?K72

?A8

? J ? 64

? J1097 ? 852

? QJ1094 ? 83

? J97 ? K106532

? AQ732

? KQ4

? A65

?Q4

After South opened a spade North, with five card spade support, 14 points and fantastic controls (Aces and Kings) decided to take the bull by the horns and bid Roman Key card Blackwood and when South showed 2 Aces and the trump queen he bid the small slam in spades.

When dummy hit declarer was disappointed as the exact 5-3-3-2 mirror distribution in both hands left very few options.

Declarer, who was an experienced player, did however see a couple of chances, albeit slim, to make the contract and gave it a go.

He won the diamond queen lead with the King, drew trumps, cashed three hearts and then cashed the Ace of diamonds to reach this position.

? K109

?

?7

?A8

? ?

? J ?

? J10 ?

? J97 ? K106532

? 732

?

? 6

?Q4

Declarer now actually has a couple of options — he chose to play the hand with the club king to have no more diamonds and so played the Ace and another club — East won but had only clubs left and had to provide a ruff and discard — contract made!

What was the other option? Let’s switch the King and Jack of Clubs:

? K109

?

?7

?A8

? ?

? J ?

? J10 ?

? K97 ? J106532

? 732

?

? 6

?Q4

With this layout the Ace and another Club would not work as West would simply win and cash a diamond for down one.

What would work, however, is simply exiting with a diamond — West has to win and either leads away from the Club King or provides a ruff and discard — again, contract made!

Again, there is no game like this one!

Bermuda Bridge Club results for August 20, 2018

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker/Julia Beach

2. George Correia/Lorna Anderson

3. Annabelle Mann/Marilynn Simmons

East/West

1. Magda Farag/Sheena Rayner

2. Greta Marshall/Martha Ferguson

3. Michael Bickley/John Hoskins

Tuesday evening

1. Nick Kempe/Samantha Pickering

2. Malcolm Moseley/Mark Stevens

3. Wenda Krupp/Joanne Edwards

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

2. Marilynn Simmons/Lyn O’Neill

3. Janice Trott/Michael Bickley

East/West

1. Sancia Garrison/Julia Beach

2. Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

3. Great Marshall/Heather Woolf

Thursday evening

North/South

1. Rachael Gosling/Simon Giffen

2. Peter Adhemar/Susan Adhemar

3. Diana Diel/Lyn O’Neill

East/West

1. John Glynn/Sheena Rayner

2. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

3. Annabelle Mann/Heather Woolf

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. John Burville/Adeline Young

2. Louise Rodger/Patricia Siddle

3. Jane Smith/Molly Taussig

East/West

1. Diana Diel/Lyn O’Neill

2. Janice Trott/Patricia Hayward

3. Annabelle Mann/Heather Woolf