There are many different ways to make certain contracts and in the hand shown in Figure 1, an experienced declarer picked his way through a contract that looked headed for defeat.

South opened 1 heart , East overcalled 2 diamonds and North raised to 2 hearts with his meagre assets and three-card trump support – that was all South needed and his 4 heart bid closed the auction.

West led the King of diamonds. There being no advantage in playing low from hand at trick one, declarer won with the Ace of diamonds as East began a count signal with the 7 to show a doubleton.

Declarer unblocked the club King and led a diamond. West took the trick with the Queen and played the 10 of diamonds. Declarer saw that there was little point in ruffing this in dummy because there was an excellent chance that East would overruff and switch to a spade. As the cards lay, that would have been one down.

Instead declarer discarded a spade from dummy – intending to try to ruff a spade in dummy later in the play. As there was now only one spade trick available to the defenders, there was no point in East ruffing the diamond; instead he discarded his last club.

West switched to the Queen of clubs and dummy’s Ace was ruffed by East. Declarer overruffed in hand and led the king of spades to West’s Ace.

When West played another club, declarer ruffed in his hand then ruffed a spade. After crossing back to hand with a trump and noting that West was void in the suit, declarer ruffed his last spade before returning to hand to draw East’s trumps.

Declarer had made his contract with two spade ruffs, six trumps and a trick in each minor.

BRIDGE RESULTS

Monday, November 1

North/South

1. Molly Taussig - Jack Rhind

2. Kath Bell - Linda Abend

3. Judy Bussell - Peter Donnellan

East/West

1. Gertie Barker - Jane Smith

2. Martha Ferguson - Joe Wakefield

3. Caroline Svenson - George Correia

Tuesday, November 2

1. Marion Silver - Duncan Silver

2. Malcolm Moseley - Mark Stevens

3. Wendy Krupp - Jane Gregory

Wednesday, November 3

1. Sue Hodge - John Hodge

2. Martha Ferguson - Judy King

3. Judy Bussell - Joe Wakefield

Thursday, November 4

1. Marge Way - Misha Novakovic

2. Lynanne Bolton - Jane Smith

3. Rachel Gosling

Friday, November 5

1. Jane Smith - Molly Taussig

2. Joyce Pearson - Joe Wakefield

3. Linda Abend - Kath Bell

Monday, November 8

1. Sarah Lorimer-Turner - Marion Silver

2. Jack Rhind - John Rayner

3. Gertie Barker - Jane Smith

Tuesday, November 9

North/South

1. Malcolm Moseley - Mark Stevens

2. Katyna Rabain - Louise Payne

East/West

1. Vivian Pereira - Wilena White

2. Lulu Neame - Richard Neame

Wednesday, November 10

North/South

1. Molly Taussig - Tony Saunders

2. Marge Way - Jack Rhind

3. Gertie Barker - Jane Smith

East/West

1. Tracy Nash - Desmond Nash

2. Dorry Lusher - George Correia

3. Pat Siddle - Julia Beach

Thursday, November 11

1. Jane Smith - Peter Donnellan

2. Marion Silver - Duncan Silver

3. Gertie Barker - John Glynn

Non-Bridge Club online results for Bridge Club members

Thursday, November 11

Jean Johnson - David Ezekiel, 4th out of 318 pairs