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It's time to take one! Bid ’em up: play ‘em well. That might seem a forlorn message with respect to the deal below because there seem four impossible losers to avoid and the contract is 4S. Nevertheless, there is no point in... read more here

The winning team, minus Karen Harris, accepting their prizes. The Cambridge 6’s started in 2013 and with the exception of a Covid enforced break in 2020 have run every year since. The 11th such event took place last Saturday in its now... read more here

More Kiwi Victories in the Trans-Tasman Competition. Although the leaders in this event, NZ Cornell, suffered quite a large defeat in the latest round of matches in the Trans-Tasman competition, the Kiwis still retain a healthy lead in this event... read more here

for Junior and Intermediate players and others...maybe a little hard for Novice players today. Oh it's Fri "super" day! “Super- Accept”! There’s not liking one’s partner’s bid. There’s quite liking it and then... read more here

Less of a guess: No finesse! If one had a choice of a slam that needed no finesses to succeed or one which needed one out of two, only a true masochist would choose the latter. However, on the board below, several declarers were either unaware of... read more here

But some hands are more golden than they look! Small hand problem. Many bridge problems revolve around hands with lots of high card points. Yet, we all seem to get plenty of hands with very few hcps. Pass is not always an option when we have few... read more here

     Russell Dive. Defending Doubled! Today, we feature one further board which contributed to Anthony Ker and Russell Dive’s victory in last weekend’s National Swiss Pairs. It demonstrates that even quite a modest... read more here

Anthony and Russell celebrate a previous success…in the National Rubber Bridge tournament. Emphatic Victory in National Swiss Pairs. The New Plymouth Bridge hosted the on-line National Swiss Pairs over the past weekend. A well-organized... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice Players…and others! It’s Fri  Day. Learning the hard way. It seemed like a routine part-score. Indeed, at most tables it was. West did not really have a take-out double of 1S, without having... read more here

Now take advantage! Benefit from A Lucky Escape. On a different day, we would discuss the merits of your 5H bid below but on this one, our central question is around your defence. Your mission may have been accomplished in that you have pushed... read more here

Shirley and Jenny on international duty.  “Just Average!” One curse of writing up the events of a bridge tournament is to ask the winners to tell on something they had done well during the event, to be able to record in print.... read more here

Strong hand! Tarnished Gold! Perhaps it is just my perception but we seem to be confronted with more strong-looking 6-6 shape hands than in the past. It could also be because I play too much bridge! Here then is one recent situation where... read more here

Kiwis still ahead in Trans- Tasman Challenge. Round 5 of the Trans-Tasman Challenge still sees the Kiwis comfortably in the lead overall: New Zealand 442.68   Australia 357.32 though honours were even this time with four wins a piece.... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players….and others! It’s Fri day. Who’s the decision-maker? There are a few useful lessons to learn from today’s deal which is more aimed at those new to the game. Don’t... read more here

Jack James. Ending on top. The Auckland- Northland Main Regional Teams was played in Whangarei last Sunday and was won by the team of Malcolm Mayer – Pam Livingston and Michael Ware – Jack James. They were in no small way helped by... read more here

Ask the right question. If you want to find out the right answer, then you should ask the right question! Strangely, that should not have stopped most pairs from finding the right contract with today’s deal….but next time it might!... read more here

      a full room at The Mount.  Slamming at “The Mount”. It is wonderful to see live bridge becoming more popular again post Covid. It is even better when that popularity is seen in Intermediate, Junior and... read more here

Grant and Patrick.  The Majors and the Minors ne’er do meet! Grant Jarvis and Pat Carter emerged from very midfield to win the Auckland-Northland Main Regional Pairs in Whangarei on Saturday with a superb second session 68.60%, over... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others. It’s Fri day. Urgent Action Required! Something unusual happened on the following board. Your side bid up to game and obviously had enough high card points to do so…25... read more here

Bridge Psychology. Whoever said bridge was about counting, mathematics? “Whoever” said that only told part of the story. You do not need a degree in psychology to do well at our game but a little understanding of our fellow humans... read more here

Too “High” to Handle? We referred yesterday to “7 Deadly Sins”. In bridge terms, today we look at number 8. Isn’t it great when your partner opens a game-forcing 2C and you have a clear positive response… no... read more here

  The Seventh Deadly Sin. It is not “less bad” than the six before it because it is number 7. Before you rush off to google to find which sin I am referring, plan your play to the following “routine” 4H game. The... read more here

Christine and Jenna Gibbons. “Doubled” and Victorious. A very experienced and a first time partnership combined to win the Hamilton Club’s 5A Teams event last Saturday. “The experience” were Christine and Jenna... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players....and others. It's Fri day.  Worth a mention? You have not got much of a hand….but your partner has! They opened a Game Forcing 2C. So, you had better co-operate. What should you bid as... read more here

All care along the way. One can bid and then play some boards in a routine fashion, finding a fit easily, perhaps drawing trumps and then claiming for the required number of tricks. Then, there are others:   ♠... read more here

An old chestnut? What you see…or what you hope partner has! Another opening lead problem from the North Island Pairs. It covers familiar territory though few East players got it right at the table….or at least completely right.... read more here

Time to Break the Rule? Our game is full of rules/guidelines about how we are best to play, bid or defend. We glory in knowing the right time to go against the recommended approach. The question today is whether “now is the hour” to... read more here

Johnny Davidson.  North Island Pairs On-line. After a most successful on-line South Island Pairs a couple of weeks back, the Waikato Bays Region hosted the North Island Pairs on-line. There were not quite so many pairs, 58 as opposed to 74,... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others: it’s Fri  Day! The Dangerous Discard. While today’s story features discarding to a long suit, the happy end for the defenders would not have happened without the... read more here

Five Level: Fast Lane! There were plenty of decisions to be made around the table with today’s board. Try the following one as South. You are playing Swiss Pairs.         North DealsN-S Vul... read more here

Times change. Many many years ago, one only pre-empted with two of the top three honours, maybe even three of the top four, in the suit one has opened. The same applied for a Weak 2. That made bidding and defending a lot easier for their partner... read more here

  The Wellington Main Regional Teams was held last weekend at the Wellington Bridge Club. While the number of participating teams was at 18 rather low, most of the usual suspects were there. However, there were one pair who really should... read more here

Malcolm Smith…a man with plenty of  not much! A Guiness Record Book Deal. There are two questions for you today relating to the bridge hand below. You are not required to choose a bid. You have already chosen yours and surely it is... read more here