THIS past week has been another STAC week at the Bridge Club and I actually played for the first time this year.The second round set the tone for our game where on a freely bid four heart contract LHO from [spade]963, [heart]A73, [diamond]AQJ9, [club]654 led . . . the ace of diamonds! This found partner with the king and we were chalking up a zero for making 10 tricks with the rest of the field making 11! Fun, when that happens . . .

There were a lot of interesting hands on the night but this one saw some real action at many tables.

Dealer South

N/S vulnerableNorth

<$f"ZapfDingbats">|0xab|KJ873

[heart]AKQJ64

[diamond]J

[club]10

West East

<$f"ZapfDingbats">|0xab|1096 [spade]2

[heart]None [heart]109873

[diamond]A109754 [diamond]K

[club]AQ53 [club]KJ874

South

<$f"ZapfDingbats">|0xab|AQ54

[heart]52

[diamond]Q8632

[club]92At our table we luckily avoided the heart suit and after E/W had bid to five clubs played in five spades which made when the heart ruff didn’t happen.

Things were a lot more exciting at John Burville-David Cordon’s table where John as West found himself on lead against five spades, after he and his partner had bid and supported clubs.

John got off to a great lead of a low club and when David’s king held at trick one he quickly worked out why John had made the dangerous play of underleading an ace at trick one in a suit contract. David now returned the three of hearts, suggesting something in diamonds — John ruffed, under-led his second ace by leading a low diamond and the second heart ruff defeated the hand by two tricks, with John winning neither of his aces!!!

Lovely defence and the kind of play which displays the real beauty of this game. Well done to both.

[bul]Full results of the STAC week will appear in the paper. The winners on Monday were Bill pare-John Glynn sitting North-South and Alan Douglas-Barry Rahman sitting East-West.