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  Too passive?                               “Too Low, Joe” It was not that the... read more here

Safety Play and Safety Way: for less experienced players and others. In a recent Teams match, both tables reached game in clubs with the hands below. There are some interesting options available to the declarers and not just in 5C but also in... read more here

Anything goes… when it comes to opening leads against slam contracts. If you can fool the declarer a little with your choice of lead, you will sometimes reap the reward. Your partner can and will just have to cope! That is the theme... read more here

They Don’t Always Get What They Want! You bid clubs and yet your partner led a spade and the sight of dummy’s spade suit and your own length in that suit suggest they will have very few spades. You are about to win the lead very... read more here

 Tough for Experts, too! You are not sure which way to go in a high-level decision? It happens quite often, doesn’t it! Well, take some comfort from the fact that our experts do not find such decisions very easy, either. For example:... read more here

The Low Road or The High Road. “You’ll take the low road and I’ll take the high road and I’ll be in Scotland before ye…” Such are not the first words of the chorus of the Scottish song "Loch Lomond”. In... read more here

      Wishing and hoping …for less experienced players and others. Would it not be nice if you could place the honour cards in your opponents' hands? No need to be pessimistic then or get bad breaks! Well, you cannot... read more here

Jan Cormack. Jan’s Day: After the Olympics: the Olympiad Today’s deal takes us back to a tough deal at a past bridge Olympiad, a deal where the sting in the tail proved to be quite harmless and satisfactory from New Zealand’s... read more here

Marsha Woodbury. Welcome to our new Top of The South correspondent, Marsha Woodbury from Blenheim. In welcoming Marsha, a well known and popular player around her region for many years, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Jenny... read more here

Passing Messages. That’s what defenders do with each other, in a legal way, of course. It can be important when you have very little in the way of high-card points, too. Let’s see why. East DealsBoth Vul... read more here

      A Nice Place. Your bidding was a little rustic but partner is there for you and you seem to have reached an excellent spot. All you have to do is make your contract, that’s all 13 tricks. One trick lost is not... read more here

Reversing in different ways! A hand worthy of a reverse and able to make one does not occur that often. Thus, it is essential you have clear agreements with your partner about what is forcing and what is not after this strength-showing bid..and... read more here

fearless! How Strong is a Strong No Trump? for less experienced players...and others.. A strong no-trump, whether as an opening bid or an overcall, is a powerful adversary. Yet, do not let it put you off bidding, well some of the time. You are... read more here

 “Did you hear me, partner?” When you know a slam can be defeated by partner making a normal lead (e.g., their suit, your suit), you do not need to double the final bid (unless any lead will defeat it and the opponents have no... read more here

Risking all for glory. “I was unlucky, partner. I took two finesses and both failed. I only needed one to work and I would have made my contract.” A rather familiar cry for sympathy which would certainly initially have been given.... read more here

  Same venue (Bay Park: Lion Foundation Centre, Mt Maunganui) New dates    Thursday February 10th through to Thursday February 17th 2022 Congress starts 10.00am on the first Thursday morning and concludes after a finger-food... read more here

                           Knee-Jerk? You open the bidding and finish up in 3NT with your partner putting down a 17... read more here

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