With a comfortable margin of three wins from four, and 62 victory points, Betsy Baillie, Lane Martin, Sharon Shanahan, Claude Guay won the junior open teams’ contest that concluded last week.

In second place with two wins and 43 points was the team of Carol Eastham, Nikki-Boyce, Jane Gregory, Sarah Lorimer Turner-Wendy Salvia and Judith Law.

There were five teams and each won at least one match, which showed some depth to the field. Congratulations to Betsy, Lane, Sharon and Claude on what was certainly a resounding performance.

Next up is the open teams’ event on Monday and Friday, and the long-awaited non-life master pairs on November 30 and December 7.

Every so often I put a ‘fancy’ or complicated hand into this column, but for the most part I try and concentrate on the bread and butter deals which turn up often and are where the points are won at the table.

Today’s hand is such a deal, which came up on BBO last night. Take a good look at it because it contains a couple of plays that will gain you bushels of master points if you take the time to absorb them

Dealer South N/S Vulnerable

SA76

H986542

D75

C32

S32 SK54

HA10 HKJ3

DQJ1098 D632

CKJ109 CQ875

SQJ1098

HQ7

DAK4

CA64

South opened 1 Spade and after East West competed in Diamonds the final contract was 3 Spades by South. East led the diamond Queen.

I know what would happen at most tables — looking at those great spade spots declarer wins the diamond ace and immediately takes the spade finesse. This loses to the king and when a trump is returned the alarm bells start ringing — declarer now cashes the diamond king and ruffs a diamond, but when the opponents get in with their club as declarer tries for a club ruff, another trump play kills that option and declarer sidles to a well deserved one trick defeat.

This is all about trump management and using dummy’s trumps to do what they should — score some ruffs.

The correct play is to win the first diamond, cash another and take a diamond ruff … now play a club and duck it, let the opponents win.

West wins and plays a trump but you rise with the ace and now the key play of ducking the club pays dividends — play a club to the ace and ruff your last club, contract made.

You make four trumps in your own hand, one club and a club ruff and two diamonds and a diamond ruff — nine tricks and a well deserved +140!

So the key takeaways? Don’t rush to draw trump before looking to see whether you need some of them for ruffs, and plan your entries carefully as in the club duck on the hand above. When you have control of a suit and a certain loser in that suit you should be deciding when to give up that loser.

Bridge results (week of November 6)

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Judith Bussell/Sally Godet

2. Molly Taussig/Diana Diel

3. Judy King/Aida Bostelmann

East/West

1. Gertrude Barker/Julia Beach

2. Wendy Gray/Richard Gray

3. Caroline Svensen/Dianna Kempe

Monday evening

1. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

2. Margaret Way/Jean Johnson

3. Elizabeth McKee/Rachael Gosling

Wednesday morning

North/South

1. Dorry Lusher/Jean Johnson

2. Judith Bussell/Diana Diel

3. Alan Douglas/Ruby Douglas

East/West

1. Patricia Siddle/Julia Beach

2. Tony Saunders/Molly Taussig

3. Janice Trott/George Correia

Thursday evening

1. Edward Betteto/Fabian Hupe

2. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

3. Sheena Rayner/Magda Farag

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Elysa Burland/Magda Farag

2. John Glynn/Molly Taussig

3. Judith Bussell/Jane Smith

East/West

1. Edward Betteto/Charles Hall

2. Julia Patton/Heather Woolf

3. Gertrude Barker/Marilynn Simmons