All News

choices! Tricky Trick 3. It’s time to defend and it’s time to be careful. You have taken two tricks, half the number you need to defeat their game contract. It’s time, perhaps, to get off lead, but how? South... read more here

The Uncooperative Partner! A nice hand, an extremely nice hand, especially when you find a fit. You have three suits, a void and over 20 hcp. Can you risk opening such a hand at the 1 level or is it right to use what for most pairs these days is... read more here

                But is it?  SAFE BUT UNSOUND. When you hold KQJT or QJ109 or J1098 you have very safe leads when you are defending a no-trump, or perhaps any... read more here

For Less Experienced Players. The Wrong Hand. It did not seem at the time such a big error to make…and it was not 100% terminal but a tiny mistake caused our declarer today to fail in what seemed to be a rock-solid contract.... read more here

Cunning! Welcome to “Jan’s Day” where we will find the answer to the problem opening lead we left you with yesterday. The following Precision auction left you on lead as East:      ... read more here

  Discovery Day. It seemed a pretty sensible line to play the overcaller for a key ace. It was a vulnerable overcall, after all, and we all know that vulnerable overcalls are respectable, don’t we! So, at least one declarer, probably... read more here

I hate the concept. Life is worth far more than a chance. So, why did I employ it at the bridge table? At least, in my bridge version, I did have a 50% chance of survival, maybe 51!   ♠ A 10 8 ♥ A... read more here

                     Remembering Pete. The second session of the Young Cup Pairs took place at the Wellington Bridge Club on the evening of... read more here

as worn by Pete Benham. This article is dedicated to the late Pete Benham and is reproduced from a 2008 NZ National Congress Bulletin. It reflects the way Pete and his teammates played the game, very competitively but always with a sense of... read more here

Every Dog has its Day…but was this it? The answer to the above question maybe “no”, but maybe “yes”! Maybe!  This deal centres around a Michaels Cue-Bid and whether you are prepared to take what could be a... read more here

For Less Experienced Players. (it's Thursday)     Spot the Danger. If only our South had. Then, they would have recorded a plus score in their game contract. No overtricks, as you cannot always make them, especially when the... read more here

Jan Cormack. How High on Jan’s Day? Today’s "Jan’s Day" article features a classic “how high do you pre-empt” situation. Before we see the winning answer, we checked with our Panel some 45 years after the problem... read more here

 A decent minor hand!  It’s All About the Minors. Who cares about the major suits when you can play in a minor? The opposition have one major while the other one seems spread around the other three hands. We have those precious... read more here

            Help at hand. Discarding to a long suit can be, well may be, one of the most difficult and frustrating parts of the game. Sometimes your partner, even indirectly the declarer,... read more here

                                         &... read more here

For Less Experienced Players. Too Weak to Bid?             We will try, on Thursdays, to look at problems affecting our less experienced players. For many, every hand of 13 cards is a new... read more here

 Jan Cormack Timing: Looking Both Ways. As promised, we start our Wednesday “Jan’s Day” feature hand today. These articles featured in the New Zealand Women’s Weekly for about 10 years. They are fun and easy to read... read more here

                                  A Diamond in with your... read more here

The New Year’s honours announced today include that for “Mr Albert Archibald Jelley (Arch), as a Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics and the game of bridge”. Today is Arch’s day and not one to... read more here

Judy Holdom The Joy of Winning. It’s been quite a year for everyone. So, it is great to be able to finish it on a mainly positive and happy note, tinged like everything this year with a little sadness. Firstly, let’s look at our... read more here

                                       “Bread and... read more here

                              Too good to pass but nothing to say! The Christmas holidays have... read more here

2021 New Zealand National Bridge Congress At Lion Foundation Centre, Bay Park, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga    Saturday September 25th until Saturday October 2nd 2021 This is the new home of our National Bridge Congress. On behalf... read more here

  Safety First. Were this not the season of goodwill (why cannot all seasons be such?), then a level of criticism could be levelled at our declarer today who may have felt a little deflated at failing in their contract. North... read more here

Christmas Cracker! In this case, “cracker” should be divided into two. “Crack” or “solve” the problem! Most defensive issues seem to be problems to a greater or lesser degree and we often fail to solve them, in... read more here

“Where have all the diamonds gone..long time passing…?” A vanishing suit, one that questions whether we dare take a bid. Why would we bid, in the pass-out seat when we have a four-card holding in the opposition suit, a partner... read more here

Mismatch When you and partner find a fit, you can happily explore which level you wish to play. However, when you have no apparent fit and each partner has their own good, long suits, finding the right denomination in which to play can be tough.... read more here

                                         &... read more here

This year has been like no other. At the start of the year, we looked forward to a year of club, tournament, and international bridge. Alas COVID-19 hit the world like a bombshell, resulting in economies being shut down, communities thrust in... read more here

                             A Bidding Dilemma! One would normally be more than happy to hold a 21 hcp... read more here

Puppets on a string. It is rather nice when we can make our opponents do what we want them to do. That is much better than leaving the success or failure of a contract to good fortune or bad defence. The defenders would not like to admit it but... read more here

A Clear Head? Have you got that? You are defending and it does not look that easy. A glass or two of your favourite alcoholic beverage is not recommended before you embark on a tricky defence. Indeed, that really is the only advice needed before... read more here

Hand for a strange year. Everyone says it. So, it must be true. 2020 has been the most unusual year for a very long time. That comment needs no further explanation in a bridge column. Here though is a hand befitting this year, a hand not right to... read more here

Keeping Options Open. Whether or not you can use the “undo” button when playing bridge on-line, you get no second chance to withdraw your lead in real life. There is certainly no second chance when you see immediately that you regret... read more here

            Beware the successful finesse. So, your finesse worked. A time for celebration, an extra trick, maybe more. Indeed, but it is not time to be casual. Look what happened to our... read more here

Awkward Choices (Part 2). Damage Control. Yesterday we survived. We made a bid most of the Panel would not have made and then was left with an ugly choice next time round. Would we be so lucky, or so intelligent (let’s face it, our second... read more here