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The Right Start! Today’s deal features a bidding sequence that went wrong and ultimately left one of the players with a guess which proved not to be the right one. It would seem that both players could have saved the day. With our Panel, we... read more here

This cafe at Bay Park will soon be full of post-mortemising bridge players. We may be in orange but it is full steam ahead for the National Congress. Whether Tauranga is in orange or green, we are confident we will have a National Bridge... read more here

Jan Cormack. One Hand: Two Questions on “Jan’s Day”. There could be two very different outcomes depending on your answer to the first of two questions below. a. Would you bid as East? Be honest, answer this before you come to... read more here

Discovery Bid. Yesterday, we saw very young Wellington player, Eason Lu, get a little lucky when he passed a Blackwood response by mistake…and the sun shone! Yet, finishing 7th in the Wellington Provincial Teams last weekend was not all... read more here

A New Bridge Adventure. When you start playing bridge, every board is a new adventure. Actually, the same is true when you have played for 50+ years. Sometimes the adventure has a happy ending and sometimes you just smile and move on. After all,... read more here

Hot Water? The opposition have opened with what looks like a Weak 2, a Weak 2 in hearts. You have an opening hand with a non-too great 5 card spade suit. There are various options you could take. One issue is that the Weak 2 may not be in... read more here

What to do with those spades?  For less experienced players and others. The auction was fraught enough. Now, you need to find 11 tricks, 11 out of the next 12 as you have already lost one. What to do? North DealsNone Vul... read more here

Finding the Killing Leads. We focused yesterday on opening leads. We have more of the same in today’s “Jan’s Day” feature, except there is no question of leading or not leading partner’s suit, because they have not... read more here

A Defender’s Pet Hate. Any nominations? You must have suffered many such situations when something goes badly wrong with your defence. High up there near the top of the list must be when against a suit contract, you lead an ace. Down in... read more here

  or no trumps? Where are we heading? Upwards… but which way? We have a wonderful six-card major and a fair hand. Partner has a few values, maybe enough to raise us to the spade game..but is that where we want to be?  ... read more here

Big Hearted! That is one way to describe today’s hand. It has lots of them (hearts) and even though the top two were missing, it has the outside entries to do some damage to the opponent’s strong no-trump overcall. They are... read more here

So, we gave you a question and a deal to play for today. Both will be answered in today’s "Jan’s Day" article. Who would endure greater stress levels, a heart surgeon or a tournament bridge player? While you ponder, plan the play... read more here

the late Nina Hewitt Today is Dunedin’s day. Our “Hand of the Day” features Brad Johnston from his weekend success in the Victor Champion Teams. This article remembers a club stalwart from a past age whose name carries on with... read more here

Brad Johnston. Excitement Down South. That was certainly the case for Brad Johnston and Sam Coutts as they were members of the winning team in the Victor Champion Swiss Teams Cup last weekend. Yesterday, we featured their teammates, Tom Jacob... read more here

An “obvious” lead. No problem here. You are on lead and have a suit headed by the AK.  You are on lead to a slam, too. No, not 6NT, or else there really would be no problem, but 6. So, your lead is obvious, or is it?  ... read more here

  For our National Bridge Congress We WILL have a National Congress in February 2022. That’s the important message for all our Congress attendees, potential Congress attendees and even some of you who may not have thought of going to... read more here

Good timing, great result! So, you are doubled in your pre-empt. How you wished you had a 7th trump! Never mind, dummy looks half decent and this will be no blood-bath. Even better if you could make your contract. Can you?  ... read more here

How Random are Opening Leads? We all know that opening leads can backfire no matter how well intentioned and reasoned. We can only do our best with the sometime limited information available. So, what would be your choice with the hand below? You... read more here

“Stay Low, Joe” We all love bidding…and making!... tight games at Teams, especially vulnerable. We can smell the 10-imp pick-up as we put the cards back into the pocket. Yet, what about the 5 imps or more lost by overbidding... read more here

Under-valued! Have Aces: Go Places. and “those places” can be in the slam zone. The ingredients would be a reasonable trump fit, shortages and aces. Let’s see:       ♠ K Q 7 2... read more here

for the right game! Searching for the Making Game. When one partner has a decent 7 card major and the other partner, with normally at least 6 cards in the other, offers that suit as a playing option, you would normally think that one of those... read more here

Something you like? What to throw away! Sorry, what to discard? When it comes to discarding, there is not one correct answer because we all have our preferred methods. While the method may not be universal, the intention is much more likely to... read more here

but not on the tennis court! Jan’s Day: A “Grand” Victory. As we indicated yesterday, today’s article is not from a period gone by but features a deal from last weekend’s Inter-Provincials. No matter who you are,... read more here

An uncomfortable discard. Defending is rarely straightforward and one of the more uncomfortable parts can be discarding when a declarer runs a long suit at you. The long suit in today’s hand, from last weekend’s Inter-provincials, is... read more here

Too strong to pre-empt: too weak to open. 8 Points 10 Tricks. but not in the way you might expect. We feature a hand today that just does not fit into any traditional opening bid. If you were told that it had a 7-card spade suit and 8 high-card... read more here

“CARE”  for less experienced players and others. That’s the word we are focusing on today. Sometimes it is rewarded. Another aspect to the same question is would you rather have a 42% or 83% result on a board, playing... read more here

Jan’s Day: A Time to Bid and a Time to Pass. We look today at the subject of balancing. Sometimes, we balance and find a making contract or else we push them one level higher than they want to be. We may even go for a smaller minus score... read more here