With the unsettling news of the rise in Covid-19 cases on the Island, the Bridge Club have taken the sensible decision to suspend all games at the Club and go back to being completely online.

The Committee reviewed the options for online games and concluded that it would be simplest to follow the current schedule, but online.

In addition, the Club will reinstate the Saturday afternoon Intermediate Game.

The Club competitions scheduled for December (Open Teams and the Ernie Owen Individual) are postponed.

So the schedule is as follows:

• Monday – open Game at 12.30pm

• Tuesday – 149er game at 7pm

• Wednesday – open game at 9.30am

• Thursday – open game at 7.30pm

• Friday – open game at 12.30pm

• Saturday – 499er game at 2pm.

The Club has also decided to increase the game fee from $4 to $5.

The Club receives approximately 75 per cent of this fee, and this increase will help get nearer an income which matches the running costs of the Club.

Those costs continue to be incurred whether members are playing there or not.

Members are reminded that there are also “Support Your Club” games run by the ACBL online three times a day: playing in these games also helps the Club finances as it receives approximately two thirds of the $6 game fee.

It is a shame that we must return exclusively to the online world, but the decision is a good one.

Extra care is needed to try and keep a lid on the rise in cases after all the hard work done by all, during and after the first lockdown.

Hopefully the vaccine will soon be available here and once widely administered, will allow us to return to some semblance of normality early in the new year.

Today’s hand is truly a thing of beauty, and the declarer play to make the contract just keeps resurfacing in my head from time to time, so perhaps getting it in the column will help me flush it.

See figure 1:

South opened the hand 1 Spade and North’s 4 Spade bid ended the auction – North’s bid is slightly aggressive and many would make a limit raise, but I like it.

The hand has 4 card trump support, no soft values (queens and jacks) and ruffing values in diamonds, and 4 Spades has to have a chance.

West led the diamond Jack and East took the Ace and returned a passive diamond.

Declarer has a heart loser and must avoid losing two clubs, so it looks as if the whole hand rested on finding West with the Club Ace.

This declarer, however, was a bit better than that. She drew trumps ending in dummy and led the two of clubs from the board!

Look at what happened, here is the full hand:

See figure 2.

East has to win the queen and now declarer can drive out the Ace with the jack and discard a losing heart on the club king- contract made, magical.

Notice that declarer loses nothing by this play – let’s assume this was the club position;

See figure 3

The first club to the jack loses to the queen, but declarer can now win any return and lead a club towards the King; once again, this sets up the heart discard – it’s the same if East held the Club queen.

Brilliant foresight and execution by declarer – now my brain is a little less clogged!

Before I close it is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Margaret Kirk, the beloved wife of Michael.

I have known Michael and Margaret since I first arrived on the Island some 40 plus years ago and Margaret was a popular member of the Bridge Club and I can’t remember her without seeing that ever present and infectious smile.

She will be missed, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael and family and friends.

Bridge results to December 11

Thursday 3 December

1. Elizabeth McKee — Linda Pollett

2. 2= Gertrude Barker — John Glynn

3. 2= Wendy Gray — Richard Gray

Friday 4 December

1. Charles Hall — Sancia Garrison

2. Tony Saunders — Margaret Way

3. Julia Patton — Janice Trott

Monday 7 December

1. Charles Hall — Peter Donnellan

2. Patricia Siddle — Gill Gray

3. 3= Gertrude Barker — Jane Smith

3= Edward Betteto — William Pollett

Tuesday 8 December

1. Tim Mardon — Jean Schilling

2. Julia Cook — Joann Dawson

3. Gina Graham — Felicity Lunn

Wednesday 9 December

1. Charles Hall — Edward Betteto

2. Magda Farag — Sheena Rayner

3. Margaret Way — Rachael Gosling

Thursday 10 December

1. Margaret Way — Miodrag Novakovic

2. George Correia — Heather Woolf

3. Lisa Ferrari — Elizabeth Baillie

Friday 11 December

1. Linda Pollett — William Pollett

2. Margaret Way — Jack Rhind

3. Rachael Gosling — Stephan Juliusburger