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The following was read out on the last day’s play at this year’s National Congress. By popular demand (well, no-one has objected!), it now has a place on the New Zealand Bridge website. Our National Congress started in Rotorua in... read more here

Our National Congress. A week of bridge has just ended at Bay Park Tauranga. Hopefully, it was a happy time for all who participated, whether they were playing in the Novice Pairs or the final of New Zealand Teams, whether one was playing or... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players...and others! It's Fri day.  Amazingly quite normal! On the eve of this year’s National Bridge Congress, let’s feature a board which is both most strange but at the same time proves... read more here

Tap, Tap! At a recent Open tournament, the following board was played 8 times in a heart contract, sometimes in part-score, sometimes in game. Not once did the defence take more than three tricks. Can you do better? South DealsNone... read more here

But which one? Slamming at Pairs. Today’s deal raises a number of interesting points in the bidding. We posed a couple of them to the Panel.   ♠ J 5 3 — A K J 6 3... read more here

Swingy…but flat! Today’s board also, like yesterday’s, comes from the final of the HCL International tournament in New Delhi, won by Matt Brown and Michael Whibley and their Australian teammates, Sartaj Hans and Andy Hung. This... read more here

Big Winners from Down Under. 21st HCL International, the most prestigious tournament in India has been won by an Australasian team, Team Wham, which consisted of Australians, Sartaj Hans and Andy Hung and our own Matt Brown and Michael Whibley.... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players...and others! It's Fri  day! “One, Two…that will do!” Sometimes players get lucky when they make the wrong bid. Today, though, is a chilling reminder that wrong bids often... read more here

Difficult decision. A Feisty Opponent. Opponents are allowed to make a nuisance of themselves in the bidding but when one’s own side contracts to play 3NT, they should defend! Such a wish might have been going through North’s mind... read more here

Scoring a positive. North-South reached a poor contract today as a result of a couple of decisions made in the bidding. Could they/ should they have been avoided?       North DealsE-W Vul  ... read more here

Take advantage! No Wasted Opportunity. It looked to the declarer of today’s deal that an opportunity to defeat the contract had been missed by the defence. It is thus a good time to avoid any slip-up in the play. South... read more here

Safety First. The scoresheet looked very consistent on today’s board. It was not one that the declarers would have wanted. Yet, the play of the hand started so well for most of them. East DealsBoth Vul ♠... read more here

For Juniors, Intermediate and Novice players…and others! It’s Fri  day! Real Life Rescue! This is no made-up hand to prove that good advice works out. This is real life! I know because I sat North!    ... read more here

Double Trouble! We always bemoan missed opportunities when a contract escapes a penalty double and goes several down. Comments like “I was afraid they would run to a better spot” are common. So often, even if they have a better spot,... read more here

Pre-emptive Problems. I am not the first person to say that pre-empts do work and certainly will not be the last! This one caught East with a good hand and some difficult decisions to make.       West... read more here

Does “Crime” pay? It is not too hard a problem for this Monday. Normally, when you pick up a very rare “rock-crusher” looking hand, your partner does their best to spoil your pleasure by opening a Weak 2 or pre-empting in... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players …and others. It’s Fri  day. Time to change course? There are contracts where defenders have to change course if they want to be successful. Either an initial lead has not worked out... read more here

Weaker but Better! Today’s deal also comes from the recent Trans- Tasman Challenge. It provided a challenge for both some declarers and all of the defenders in the West seat. That is the seat from which you will see the deal initially:... read more here

Leading from Nothing at the Trans -Tasman. Nothing to go on? Well, not much. Certainly there is nothing much in our hand to admire, a true Yarborough. The bidding is swift, too. Try: Board 7South DealsBoth Vul    ... read more here

Lysandra Zheng. Catch-up Bridge. This is a very delicate art, the art of recovering from a disaster. Somehow, if one goes looking to make up a few imps, so often one ends up twice as far behind. So, is it better to play down the middle, pick up... read more here

Nick Bailey, Malcolm Mayer, Zachary Yan and Lysandra Zheng. New names and partnerships win the National Teams. This coming weekend sees the National Youth Weekend take place in Auckland. Some 40+ young players are expected to attend for a... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players....and others. It's Fri day! A “Certain” Guess. Today, we examine how some guesses as to which defender holds certain honour cards really need not be guesses at all. They are “stone... read more here

to success! Any which way. It would seem a lot easier to make 9 tricks in 3NT on the board below than 10 in hearts. Yet, especially playing Pairs, 4H is the place to be for +420 and maybe any overtrick. However, many found it too hard even to... read more here

  Bidding beyond the No-Trump Game. Our bidding so far has been fairly mainstream, or so we think, though rather strangely, it has now taken us beyond a routine 3NT. What is partner up to and what do we bid next?    ... read more here

No time to moan! Are you tired of flat 5 counts? Generally, that is the type of hand we all hold, or say we do! Actually, it is interesting when that is all one holds and the opposition bid all the way to 2S. What has our partner got? That,... read more here

Universal good defence and play? Perhaps a dream! Most declarers were in 4H by West on the following board. Some were lucky enough to have less than perfect defence to make their contract. Some failed to make their contract after less than ideal... read more here

  For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others! It’s Fri    day! A Leading Problem. Have you ever had no idea what to lead to a slam? Every week? The opponents have given you little information…and... read more here

Stephen and Annette Henry, Liz Fisher and Dwayne Crombie, 2024 Fullarton Teams winners.  Close Contest in Fullarton Teams. The two grand-slams featured in the two articles so far this week came from last weekend’s Fullarton... read more here

Dummy’s delight. If you play Roman Key-Card Blackwood, then today’s bidding question should be very straightforward…or is it? If you do not use this method of checking for aces/key cards, then today’s deal may encourage... read more here

“Grand” Bidding. We all want to. A “grand” bid and made usually produces a great score at any form of scoring and usually gets “bragging rights” in any team post-mortem! So, why then are we so shy when it comes... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice Players…and others. It’s Fri day. A Time to Tell All. There are times when you are best to tell the opposition as little as possible about your hand, perhaps to make their opening lead harder.... read more here