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Michael’s Fun: an “obvious bid?” You pick up a nice- looking hand, only a 10 count but with lots of potential. Our partner opens the bidding and not, for a change, in our void suit. Indeed, it is the opponents who bid and... read more here

or your hand! Undervalued. Today’s deal was played recently at 19 tables and only four of the South players really appreciated the worth of their hand. It might not seem to be worth very much because its high-card point count was only two!... read more here

Jan’s Day: “Catch-Up” Bridge There is a skill of trying to recover lost ground when you feel you are behind in a match. One’s natural urge may be to do something unusual to create a swing. The trouble can be is that you... read more here

The “Blame” Game…or “Blame” Game Missed! +170 or +200 (making 10 or 11 tricks in a major) would be reasonable scores playing Pairs were it not for the fact that game was a 100% certainty. It was not a case of making... read more here

All's good. We have the “boss” suit. Competitive high- level battles are quite common and are often really hard to judge and evaluate correctly. It would seem as long as we take the mainstream action, we should not get too bad a... read more here

Stuck in a corner..of our own making? We are about to see some severe criticism of a bid made at the table, a bid which seemed to land us in a spot of bother. Is there a way forward?   ♠ J 8 7 ♥ A... read more here

It’s Too Late: For Less Experienced Players and others. It is far too late when half way through the play of a board a declarer realises that they just do not have enough tricks to make their contract. That lack of planning would prove... read more here

“Gotcha” It may not seem so when you see dummy but it is nice to know you are going to make your contract by following a few basic guidelines, by watching and with just a modicum of good fortune. South DealsNone Vul... read more here

Whose hand? We have “the boss” suit and a decent playing hand, 8 tricks on a good day with just a little trump help required from partner. How high should we bid, with the vulnerability not in our favour? What can the opposition make?... read more here

“Silence” is not Golden. “What more could I say” commented one partner after a poor result had been achieved on one board. “My hand was so flat and I only had 5 high card points” said the other. The result of... read more here

a winner "extraordinaire". Read on to find out who and where. Since my last round up, I count that there have been 18 local tournaments in the region …  with many already covered online, I’m limiting my coverage to those where... read more here

Still sitting on the fence about coming to NZ Bridge Congress?   New Zealand National Bridge Congress at Bay Park, Mt Maunganui September 25th through to October 2nd   8 reasons you should be coming along to our premier event in... read more here

Keeping Track. There are times when a defender can do something brilliant, yes, even you! Such moments will come and you can enjoy them. However, generally, the art of successful defence is doing what the cards tell you to do, maybe a signal from... read more here

A Subtle Difference. “Fourth highest of your longest and strongest.” That’s quite a good approach to making the opening lead especially against a no-trump contract. It even works, some of the time! Yet, what message does the... read more here

Jan’s Day in the part-score Zone. Such deals may not be sensational but their outcome can be every bit as important as a slam or game contract, especially playing Match-Point Pairs. You bring home a very tight small slam on a double squeeze... read more here

                    Immediate Action Needed. Defence can be very personal in that although every pair defending a board has the same aim, they may well... read more here

The 2021 New Zealand Bridge Youth Bridge Weekend by Paul Coleman The 2021 Youth Weekend is the first in about 22 years that Richard Solomon has not run. By my   calculation, the 1999 youth weekend was held before two-thirds of this... read more here

   “There’s a hole in my bucket, Dear Lisa, Dear Lisa.” Well, you pick up your hand and see a neat two-suited 16 count. Plenty of potential in that. Then, you observe your partner, who is the dealer, reach for the... read more here

Too many of them! Losing a loser! Well, you just have to when you are in a 5-level contract and your loser-count seems to total three. All would be well on the deal below had a key finesse worked though by the time you get round to playing the... read more here

  Making something out of nothing... for less experienced players and others. Today we have a lead problem which covers the situation where the player on lead has very little, even less and whether they should make the normal lead of an... read more here

Jan’s Day: A Blind Spot. Most of us have them. Hopefully, they do not cost and if they do, that such an error occurs in a part-score and not in a game contract where the loss is greater. So, today, you want to get it right. You are not in a... read more here

Can you ignore me? “I” am the much abused, often ignored club suit. “I” am opened when players have three or two card suits, by some with even less. Yet, when “I” have a fine decent suit, many choose to ignore... read more here

Stolen Bid. 20 high card points but not really enough for a strong 2 level opening. However, just as you contemplate how the auction will go after you start with your longest suit at the one level, your right-hand opponent opens the suit in front... read more here

Little Clues can mean a lot. Well, they can when you are in grand slam and have a decision to make without any help from the opponents’ bidding. They were silent! South DealsE-W Vul ♠ A K 6 3 ♥ 7... read more here

Little Clues can mean a lot…for less experienced players and others. Today and tomorrow, we will look at a couple of deals where small clues might lead declarers to winning solutions. A little clue is better than no clue at all and takes... read more here

      Bad luck? Jan’s Day has a Trump Problem It is more than a little annoying when any very good contract is put into grave danger by a bad trump break but even more so when it is a slam.   South... read more here

The Most Likely Way Home. “Home” is achieving the right number of tricks to make your contract. There is no chance of an overtrick but we are in a slightly tenuous slam. So, let’s be happy with 12 tricks. East... read more here

The Chameleon Club. Your partner opens with a suit and the opposition end the bidding with a strong no trump overcall. With queen doubleton in your partner’s suit and a smattering of high-card points in the other suits, the opening lead... read more here