As I mentioned in last week’s column, a Bermuda team comprising Marge Way, Charles Hall, Bill Pollett, Rachael Gosling and Misha Novakovic travelled to Panama last week to the Central American and Caribbean Bridge Championships to take part in the Open Teams event and also in the Mixed Teams event which followed straight after.

Chief tournament director at the event was our own Jack Rhind, who sent regular updates on the Bermuda teams’ progress.

After a slow start in the Open event, a run of three wins put Bermuda in contention for the final, but a disappointing last two results saw the team finish third – the final table was:

Guadeloupe – 156

Panama – 133

Bermuda – 105

Guatemala – 85

Barbados – 67

Costa Rica – 63

Guadeloupe and Panama then went on to play a pulsating final – Guadeloupe went into the last session trailing Panama by a wafer thin two imps – 47/49. Guadeloupe ended up winning a really close last session, but still came up short as they won the session by just one imp! That left the jubilant home team of Panama as the winners by the same margin of one imp – congratulations to the host country!

The Mixed Teams event followed straight after the Open Teams and Bermuda once again finished third – the final results in the round-robin were:

Barbados – 71

Guadeloupe – 70

Bermuda – 50

Guatemala – 48

Costa Rica – 46

Panama – 16

In the final Barbados jumped into a huge first session lead against Guadeloupe and held off a spirited charge in the second session to win 69-54.

Well done to the Bermuda players – these tournaments are really competitive and even the smaller countries can turn out some really strong teams.

This week’s hand featured the declarer playing capability of two good players – only one was a bit better than the other! See the hand in Figure 1.

The deal came up in a team game and both South players declared six spades after similar auctions, where both Souths opened four spades (reasonable, perhaps a slight overbid and both Norths used RCKB to ask about the spade suit. When their partners promised two key cards and the Queen of spades with the call of five spades, they bid the slam.

The opening lead at both tables was the ten of clubs. The first declarer not very imaginative but he gave the contract a good shot.

After winning first trick with dummy's Ace of clubs, this declarer drew trumps in four rounds while throwing two low hearts and a low diamond from dummy.

Next he led a club to dummy's King and ruffed the two of clubs. When the Queen of clubs did not appear, South led a heart to dummy's Queen and East's King. After ruffing East's Queen of clubs return, he led a diamond to dummy's Queen. When East produced the King of diamonds declarer finished a trick short of his contract.

At the other table, declarer also won the first trick in dummy with the Ace of clubs then drew trumps in four rounds.

However, instead of throwing two low hearts from dummy, declarer shed two low diamonds and the two of clubs.

Next declarer led a low heart and covered West's eight of hearts with dummy’s nine. East won the trick with the ten of hearts but was now end-played.

This was the position (see Figure 2).

No matter which suit he exited in, declarer would make an extra trick in that suit to go with his original 11 winners, and so make his contract.

You should note that if West had played the Jack of hearts at trick six then declarer would cover it with the Queen. East would take this with the king and again be end-played, forced to concede an extra trick to declarer no matter which suit he returned. (Dummy's Ace-nine of hearts would take two tricks on a heart back.)

Just that little bit of extra thought …

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

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, May 26

No Game

Monday, May 29

North/South

1. Geoff Bell-Kathleen Bell

2. Sheena Rayner-Magda Farag

3. Judy King-Martha Ferguson

East/West

1. Lorna Anderson-Heather Woolf

2. Charles Hall-William Pollett

3. Patricia Siddle-Diana Diel

Tuesday, May 30

North/South

1. Amanda Ingham-Heidi Dyson

2. Daque Davis-Ahzjanai Smith

East/West

1. Malcolm Moseley-Mark Stevens

2. Nikki Boyce-Carol Eastham

Wednesday, May 31

1. Gertrude Barker-Jane Smith

2. Rachael Gosling-Charles Hall

3. Jack Rhind-Lisa Rhind

Thursday, June 1

1. Tracy Pitt-Linda Pollett

2. Duncan Silver-Marion Silver

3. William Pollett-Jean Schilling

Granaway Bridge Club

Wednesday, May 31

North/South

1. Diana Diel - Stephanie Kyme

2. Heather Woolf – Judy King

3. Wendy Gray - Richard Gray

East/West

1. Linda Pollett – William Pollett

2. David Cordon – David Petty

3. Sally Godet – Scott Godet