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All News

  • Senior and Youth Eligibility for 2019

    20 Dec 2018

    The following confirms the age definitions for Seniors and for Youth Events in and involving  New Zealand for 2019 and until further notice. New Zealand is adopting WBF definitions which are set out below. In respect of Youth, there will be... read more here

  • Youth Squad Weekend in Auckland by Tracey Lewis

    20 Dec 2018

    The Auckland Bridge Club was the scene during the weekend of 15th/16th December for the New Zealand Youth Squad to have a combined teaching weekend with a tournament run by Patrick Carter on the Sunday. Lectures on Defence and Trump control were... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone Show - 024

    19 Dec 2018

    On todays show..... Today we asking the hard questions - it's a pretty big show We're talking diet and nutrition What's that got to do with Bridge? Well, Barry's found an article to share with you raising the points of nutritional and... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    18 Dec 2018

    ONE CHANCE…BETTER THAN NO CHANCE! Even if it is a slim chance! If you have a small chance which is almost no cost if it fails, then try it. Sometimes, at Christmas, when you got out of the right side of bed that day, on your birthday, when... read more here

  • NZB International Committee Membership

    17 Dec 2018

      Over the last few years New Zealand Bridge has been fortunate to have the services of Derek Evennett, who has led the International Committee and has acted as a selector, non-playing captain and Chef De Mission. All delivered to the... read more here

  • Waikato Bays News with Anna Kalma

    17 Dec 2018

    What award have the above pair of Bridge personalities won in 2018? Read on... What quasquicentennial anniversary was recently celebrated at the Tauranga Bridge Club? Read on and find out! 2018 has wrapped up with the final tournament of the... read more here

  • Announcement- Team Captains and Reserve Pairs for 2019

    14 Dec 2018

      I am pleased to announce the following appointments for NPCs and reserve pairs:     APBF Singapore 2019                 ... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone Show 024

    12 Dec 2018

      Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  This week on Bridge Zone we chatted our way through Directors, Squeezes, Points systems, weak and strong no trumps sacrificing and being a little forgiving/caring to... read more here

  • Wellington News with Paul Maxwell

    12 Dec 2018

    The Christmas Cheer event, run by the Wellington Club on behalf of the Regional Committee, is a transition point for the many tournament players who take a break over the holiday season. For those who don’t, there will be the three -day... read more here

  • Congratulations!! Recently Qualified Club Level Directors

    10 Dec 2018

       NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series:   Janet Joblin Gisborne Helen Andrews Hastings Justine Hart Hawera Glenice Houghton Hawera Mara... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    10 Dec 2018

    Cast Aside Self Pity :Match their Good Defence! Why is it when you are in times of need (I know, your contracts always seem to be in a state of need…needing a favourable lead, needing a finesse or three to work, needing just a little slice... read more here

  • LOOKING AHEAD TO CONGRESS 2019

    7 Dec 2018

    NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL BRIDGE CONGRESS 2019 We want to tell you about some changes that will take place at the 2019 Congress. We also want to thank all of you who took part in the survey during or just after this year’s Congress. We really... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana

    7 Dec 2018

     TWICE IN A NIGHT …. BUT ONCE A YEAR. What is “Total Diversity?” You learn a lot when you play an evening’s bridge and it is not all about how you can bid, play and defend any particular hand. There are some things... read more here

  • Appointment- Youth Coordinator

    5 Dec 2018

    I am delighted to annoucned that Sam Coutts of Duendin has accepted the voluntary  postion of youth Coordinator for NZ Bridge. The role is primarily focused on developing our youth players to a level that they can represent New Zealand at... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone Show - 023

    5 Dec 2018

    Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  This week has the last clip from Zia Mahmood’s’  interview and Postcard from Scotland  catch up – Samantha Punch returns to The Bridge Zone in a... read more here

  • Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs winners

    4 Dec 2018

    Celebrating Their Success Here is a chance to see  those who were successful in this year's Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs celebrate their success. First up, the overall winners, Brett Glass and Gary Foidl who led the way with their... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 8

    3 Dec 2018

    A TIME FOR A TRUMP…. Lead, that is! What else could we be talking about?! When the opposition appear to have the minority of the high card points, one place they will try to score extra tricks is by ruffing, whether cross-ruffing (that is... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 8

    30 Nov 2018

    PATHWAY TO DISASTER. Maybe you know many such ways to get a bad score at the bridge table? One is certainly making a weak hand as declarer and the strong hand as dummy. It gives free licence to imaginative defenders to underlead aces to give... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    29 Nov 2018

    Greetings again from the Winterless North. We have been very busy up here with tournaments, prize givings, a wedding and a leaving party (not the same party, thank goodness). First off was the Kauri Tournament over in Dargaville back in October.... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 7

    28 Nov 2018

    TOP DEFENCE, SCOTTY. Working as a partnership…signalling meaningfully where necessary….counting declarer’s hand. These are some aspects of top defence. This week’s hand is not necessarily one you will get right (you... read more here

  • THe Bridge Zone Show - 022

    28 Nov 2018

      Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  This week's show includes: The Bridge Legend, Zia Mahmood continues his chat with Mereana and Barry. Talking about carding systems, suit preference and his... read more here

  • Leads, Lebensohl and more at the Inter-Provincials

    27 Nov 2018

    the late Dougal McLean. And do not play the same contract as your teammates! As was stated yesterday, it was Wellington who came up as the top region in last weekend’s Interprovincial Championships at the Auckland Bridge Club. Whereas in... read more here

  • DAY TWO AT THE INTER-PROVINCIALS

    26 Nov 2018

    WELLINGTON IN THE DRIVING SEAT. Day 2 of the 2018 Inter-Provincial Championships has seen Wellington teams make the running in  the Dougal McLean Trophy competition, led by their Open and Intermediate teams who both hold sizeable leads in... read more here

  • Wellington The Champions

    26 Nov 2018

    WELLINGTON THE CHAMPIONS Wellington won the Dougal McLean Inter-Provincial Championships for the third year running. The region won both Open and Intermediate events in fine style with their Seniors’ team coming third. Meanwhile, second... read more here

  • Day one at the Inter-Provincials

    25 Nov 2018

       Waikato Bays' Day. Day 1 of the 2018 Inter-Provincial Championships has seen Waikato Bays teams make a strong start in the quest for the Dougal McLean Trophy, for the best performing region over the four categories. After 5 of the 14... read more here

  • NZ Interprovincials 2018

    23 Nov 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 7

    23 Nov 2018

    The five level’s for the opposition….but the 4 level? One board at Akarana demonstrated that the famous saying of the 5-level belonging to the opposition does generally hold true, while another challenged whether the same might hold... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone Show- 022

    22 Nov 2018

                                    Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    22 Nov 2018

    BEV GAY – Marlborough The following shows the value of Bev Gay to the Marlborough Bridge Club. It seems that Bev knows everything about Marlborough Bridge Club and shares her knowledge. She is also passionate about bridge, the players... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    20 Nov 2018

        " Loud Shirt Day" at Golden Bay. Congress has been the big event for many in our region over the last couple of months.  A strong TOPS contingent spent the week in Hamilton; all had an enjoyable time and in many instances... read more here

  • National Teams at Wellington

    19 Nov 2018

                          Testing the Defence. The winners of this year’s National Teams, held this past weekend at the Wellington Bridge... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 5

    19 Nov 2018

     A MATTER OF COUNTING. Trumps, tricks, the number of hearts in one hand, the number of spades outstanding…the number of boards left in the session of bridge before you can get a drink! You are always counting something when you sit... read more here

  • National 15A Teams- Wellington

    17 Nov 2018

    Link to results read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    16 Nov 2018

    A table of bridge being played...but where? Meanwhile, here are some snippets from September. Plastic Cups at Tournaments.             When I arrived at the Timaru Club recently, I noticed... read more here

  • InterProvincial Time is almost here

    16 Nov 2018

    Note down the dates of the weekend of Saturday November 24th through to lunch-time on Monday November 26th as that is when this year’s Inter-Provincial Championships will be taking place, at the Auckland Bridge Club in Remuera.  Click... read more here

  • Newsletters from Chairperson- Allan Morris

    16 Nov 2018

    Newsletter No 10 for 2018 -  added  16th  November 2018   read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 6

    16 Nov 2018

               “ Two suits” “MICHAELS WEEK”. It was in the Open New Zealand trial last week-end when Michaels Ware and Whibley won the head to head match, to be followed by... read more here

  • Bulletin- NZ Open & NZ Mixed Teams for 2019

    15 Nov 2018

    I am pleased to announce the following teams for 2019:   OPEN The same six players will play at both the ABPF in Singapore and the World Championships in Wuhan, China   Matt Brown Michael Whibley GeO Tislevoll Michael Ware... read more here

  • Play and Defend...even Bid Better

    14 Nov 2018

    MICHAEL’S MISTIMED Here’s a little play problem for you. No catches…and no help from the defence, either. It’s quite a reasonable 28 hcp slam. West leads J which wins the first trick. West continues with 2.... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone Show 021

    14 Nov 2018

    Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  This week's show includes: Puppet Stayman rears its head again, we talk Overcalls, Christmas Parties and about Taupo and Thames Bridge Clubs. Plus results of the NZ Team... read more here

  • The New Zealand National Teams Trials

    12 Nov 2018

    The New Zealand National Teams Trials The Orewa Bridge Club was the scene this past weekend for the trials to determine our National Teams for two events in 2019, the Asia Pacific Bridge Championships (APBF), to be held in Singapore, in June, and... read more here

  • NZ National Teams Trials

    9 Nov 2018

    Link to Results read more here

  • NZ Open Team Trial- BBO VuGraph Schedule

    9 Nov 2018

    Timetable Here read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 5

    9 Nov 2018

    DESPERATE MEASURES Whether you are a declarer or a defender, when the chips are down, you do not want to go down without a fight. The odds may seem against you but there may just be a chance. Can you take it? Firstly, you are in the driving seat... read more here

  • Otago- Southland News with Brad Johnston 1

    7 Nov 2018

    Greetings from the South, Since Moss has last updated you, we’ve had a few tournaments to test our mettle in and a few high finishes in National events (although at this point I feel that everyone is all “Congressed out”).... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone 020

    7 Nov 2018

    Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  This week we hear about the Babich pairs winners - Interview Hugh McGann - Irish International - Ed Roggeveen TOPS director & did Bruce select the Melborne Cup... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 4

    6 Nov 2018

    SIGNALS DO MATTER. They do not have to be complex. They are, though, very important. You cannot manage without getting some help from your partner. Take the following example: South DealsN-S Vul ♠ K J 10 8 2... read more here

  • Babich Winners

    5 Nov 2018

    Another Babich New Zealand Wide Pairs took place on the evening of Friday November 2nd…and seems to have been an enjoyable evening around the country. We had 55 clubs participate this year with 986 pairs playing, slightly down on last... read more here

  • Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs

    2 Nov 2018

    Check your across the field results in this year's New Zealand Wide Pairs. There are 55 heats of this event being played on the evening of Friday November 2nd, all merged into one results table.   Press this link to see yours and all the... read more here

  • Expressions of Interest- Youth Advocate for NZ Bridge

    2 Nov 2018

    Please see the information below regarding this voluntary postion with NZ Bridge   Youth Advocate 2 Nov 2018 Scope and Delegation of Authority Youth...  read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 4

    2 Nov 2018

    MISFITTING “MAYHEM” It seems a good philosophy that when your and your partner’s cards fit well together that you can bid relatively aggressively though when they do not, stay as low as you can….and best do not bid at... read more here

  • Host Clubs- NZ Wide Pairs 2018

    1 Nov 2018

      Participating Clubs as at 1st November 2018   Alexandra   Ashburton   Auckland   Cambridge Christchurch Dargaville Feilding Franklin Gisborne... read more here

  • Worthwhile Weekend in Auckland

    1 Nov 2018

    The weekend of 27th/28th October was certainly a worthwhile one bridgewise in Auckland this year. The Auckland Club itself ran its own excellent Wes Dodd event on the Saturday though while that was taking place, and for many hours either side,... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 019

    31 Oct 2018

    Open this post to enjoy this week's episode of The Bridge Zone.  Jane and Bruce look at Why join a club?  Etiquette around beginners is considered and how transfers and super accepts work - are the subjects under discussion.  Enjoy... read more here

  • Waikato Bays News 1 with Anna Kalma

    31 Oct 2018

    Breaking news is the New Zealand success at the Spring Nationals in Sydney including our local international duo – from left Jenna and Christine Gibbons who paired with Steph Jacob and Rebecca Johnston from Auckland to take out the... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 3

    29 Oct 2018

    Right Opening…Right Play….Right Double. Look at the two wonderful hands below. If you had the choice of defending the opponent’s 6S contract, doubled, for one or two down (naturally, they are not vulnerable) or play in your... read more here

  • Kiwi Success at Sydney Spring Nationals

    28 Oct 2018

    Sydney’s annual mid- October Spring National events saw some excellent results for New Zealand based players. The Dick Cummings Open Pairs was won by Michael Whibley and his Australian partner, Phil Markey. The TBIB Spring National Open... read more here

  • Top International Bridge Press Award goes to New Zealand Player

    27 Oct 2018

    GeO Tislevoll has won the International Bridge Press Association (IBPA)award for the best defended hand of 2018. This has just been presented to him at a ceremony in Sanya, China on October 25th.  GeO is a current New Zealand Open... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 3

    26 Oct 2018

    The Lure of the Vulnerable Game. It’s Teams. We’re vulnerable. We have enough high card points to make game a possibility. Should we therefore go for gold? It seems many of us tried at the wrong time on this evening. So, a couple of... read more here

  • Auckland News with Douglas Russell

    25 Oct 2018

    As the weather becomes a little more spring-like and our thoughts turn to planting out our veggie gardens and planning our summers, the more single-minded souls of the bridge world continue in their relentless quest for glory and A points. As... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 2

    24 Oct 2018

    ONE EXTRA CHANCE “All I wanted was an even trump break and I would have had a claim” exclaimed the declarer as another slam bit the dust. While that comment was true, the declarer did not give himself that one extra chance of making... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 018

    24 Oct 2018

    In this week's episode Barry and Mereana discuss when to sacrifice and the Smolen convention as well as a round-up of the two Labour Day congresses in Otago and Hamilton.  You can listen to this week's episode of The Bridge Zone radio show by... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    24 Oct 2018

    October 2018 - Tony Sutich.   A Great Contributor to Bridge in Wellington Tony has been  a very active member of both the Regional Committee since the time of its inception and its predecessor the Wellington Centre. Some two years... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 2

    19 Oct 2018

    The Achievable and The Unachievable Here are two questions for you. We will pose a third later.You hold:  T                 ... read more here

  • Central Districts News with George McLachlan 1

    17 Oct 2018

    Thanks to Allan Joseph (Wellington) and his able assistant Bryan Green (Levin) there could soon be a clutch of newly qualified Club Directors in the region.  Candidates from New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Palmerston North and Levin have been... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 017

    17 Oct 2018

    This week's episode brings you No Trumps and 5 Card Majors, Congress, Aces, Postcard from Scotland, Zia Again, Bridge Report, Herman Yuan, NZ Youngest Directors Waikato Bridge Club, NZ Team Trials For China.  You can listen to the... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players 1

    16 Oct 2018

    The Ruff You Do Not Want! You have a singleton in your partner’s suit. You have a tenuous trump holding in the opponent’s suit, KJ2 with both A and Q in the hand where you do not want them. Yet, if partner gives you a ruff, that is,... read more here

  • Congratulations- Our New Grandmasters

    15 Oct 2018

    Details here read more here

  • Top 100 All Time Masterpoint Earners- Updated 15 Oct 2018

    15 Oct 2018

    Details Here read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 1

    12 Oct 2018

    Four Point Support:  Too much to pass, too little to bid. There would not be a problem if you held 4 high card points and no support for partner’s major or maybe not if you held 4 card support along with your 4 count. Bergen, at least,... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    10 Oct 2018

    A LITTLE CARE… I saw, participated in over 500 boards at last week’s National Bridge Congress. I am sure there were a number of good plays and defences during the week. This one caught my eye as, unfortunately, I was on the receiving... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 016

    10 Oct 2018

    This week's episode brings you a wrap up from National Congress as the roving Bridge Zone Crew track down the winners of the different events.  We hear more about the Dan Gifford legacy for rubber bridge and learn how many shirts you can iron... read more here

  • Wellington News 001

    10 Oct 2018

    In a slight oversight a couple of months ago, I agreed to submit this newsletter two days after returning from the Congress in Hamilton. I obviously wasn’t looking ahead that much - which some at Congress might have noticed about my declarer... read more here

  • Reminder- The Congress Survey is open

    8 Oct 2018

    We would love to hear from you read more here

  • Update- Congress Masterpoints

    8 Oct 2018

    Judy Butler has done a sterling job during congress uploading the Masterpoint Files and the conclusion of each event. At this stage the awards for match wins in the teams events are to be uploaded. This will take place progressively over the next... read more here

  • Congress Update - Day 7

    5 Oct 2018

    Congratulations to the winners of the completed events yesterday  Senior Pairs: Ernie Sutton - Frances Sheehy Intermediate Pairs: Tony Ren - Kevin Hu Same Sex Pairs: Moss Wylie - Charles Ker Mixed... read more here

  • Congress Survey

    3 Oct 2018

    We are always looking for ways to improve our National Congress and this year we'd invite you, the New Zealand (and wider) bridge community to answer this short survey and tell us what you think and what you want. We have some things we want to... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 015

    3 Oct 2018

    This week's episode brings you all the news from National Congress as the roving Bridge Zone Crew find the news from the winners and goes behind the scenes.  You can listen to the podcast of this week's episode of The Bridge Zone by opening... read more here

  • Congratulations Liam and James

    2 Oct 2018

    Well done Liam Milne and James Coutts for winning the 2018 NZ Pairs  Top 10 Place Result % Pair Name 1 901.3 59.69% JAMES COUTTS - LIAM MILNE 2 834.6 55.48% MICHAEL COURTNEY - PAUL WYER 3 807.1 56.05% SAM... read more here

  • NZB awards 2 Life Memberships

    2 Oct 2018

    Congratulations Alan Turner and Robin Young for being awarded Life Memberships to NZ Bridge. A presentation was made at the AGM and Congress opening. Alan Turner, Mayor of Hamilton Andrew King and Chairman of NZB, Alan Morris Robin Young, Andrew... read more here

  • AGM Presentation

    29 Sep 2018

    Click here to read the NZB Presentation 2018 AGM read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    29 Sep 2018

    June Day - Te Puke. Treasurer and much more. The Club Committee would like to nominate June Day, who has been our Treasurer for about19 years. She finally decided to retire due to her 80th birthday.  She kept meticulous records and her... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 010

    28 Sep 2018

    Normal Breaks do occur….. Normally! You do not believe the above statement, do you? You have seen it all..bid a grand slam with 10 trumps missing the queen and find Qxx behind the AK. You have played in countless excellent games with 4... read more here

  • Another year another National Congress

    27 Sep 2018

    Hamilton will be abuzz again starting on Saturday for nine days.  We have a good number of entries and can't wait to get started. If you want to receive updates during Congress, you need to be registered o this NZB website.  To do this,... read more here

  • Waitemata turns 50!!

    27 Sep 2018

    WHAT A STORY On Saturday the 22nd I had the honour of attending the 50th Anniversary of the Waitemata Bridge Club in west Auckland.   The Club’s humble beginnings came about after the Auckland Bridge Club decided to move from the... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    26 Sep 2018

    Greetings from the Winterless North once again. A lot has been happening here tournament wise and we have had some incredible results including the 5A Swiss Pairs tournament in Kerikeri held last weekend which was won by two Intermediate players.... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 014

    26 Sep 2018

    You can listen to the podcast of this week's episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  In this week's episode Bruce and Jane interview Paul Marston, catch up with Katherine Gough in Wellington to hear about her Super Social Sundays... read more here

  • Bulletin- Selection of NZ TEams & Trialists for 2019

    25 Sep 2018

        The selectors are pleased to announce their decisions in respect of the International events for 2019. Firstly I would like to acknowledge all applications. Some of you will be disappointed that you are not included in the teams or... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    25 Sep 2018

    Keeping Partner “Sweet”. You lead partner’s suit and you wish you had not. You do not lead partner’s suit and wish you had! Do you know the feeling? Been there, done that, I am sure. Watch the following:  ... read more here

  • Cynthia Clayton Greeting Cards- Supporting Youth Bridge

    24 Sep 2018

    We are delighted that Cynthia will be offering her greeting cards for sale at Congress again this year.  Proceeds go towards the support of Youth Bridge in NZ. Please look out for the display at the venue. A small sample below of what will... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 009

    21 Sep 2018

    THE FOOLISH FIVE? It’s OK. There will be no names except my own. I have to admit to being guilty..or am I just being wise after the event? What would you do? There’s not too much to this bidding sequence:  ... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    20 Sep 2018

       no money for Marina! Read on.... Top of the South is now in its 9th year, and has grown up!  No longer a TOT but TOPS.  Those important Club Committees. There have been a couple of AGMs in the last few weeks.  Simon... read more here

  • Sundays are Novice Days

    19 Sep 2018

    Calling Novice Players. What better way is there to spend a Sunday afternoon than playing bridge? Social Bridge, that is. That is the concept behind Auckland-Northland Regional Bridgemate, Jan France's, Social Sunday afternoon concept. The first... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 013

    19 Sep 2018

    You can listen to the podcast of this week's episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  In this week's episode Barry and Mereana interview Karen Martelletti, catch up with Professor Samantha Punch from Stirling University, compare... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    17 Sep 2018

    RUNNING OUT OF TRUMPS   A play problem for you. You are South and become declarer in 4. You may criticise the bidding, with justification: more of that shortly. However, it is 4 you have to make and not 4 or even 3NT. West leads 4 to... read more here

  • Congratulations!! Recently Qualified Club Level Directors

    14 Sep 2018

        NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series:   Vicki Jacobsen Cambridge Luisa McNabb Christchurch Janet De Lu Crockfords... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 008

    14 Sep 2018

                   Different Routes: Same Result.                Party Spoilers! There were many different... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    13 Sep 2018

    From time to time, quite a few of my friends at the club express surprise that I have another sister who plays at the Christchurch Club. And it was to my surprise that Madelaine Green and Rodney Green presented themselves at the club recently, and... read more here

  • National Bridge Congress Update

    13 Sep 2018

    In just over two weeks, we will all be getting ready for the first round of the JLT New Zealand Open and Restricted Open Pairs. The big day will be here very soon. The good news is that numbers coming look like being up there with the high numbers... read more here

  • Babich - NZ Wide Pairs-

    12 Sep 2018

                                                        ... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE - BROADCASTING ON FIVE RADIO STATIONS! 012

    12 Sep 2018

    The Bridge Zone radio show is now the second most downloaded podcast on the Hamilton Radio Station Free FM with over 3,000 downloads in August.  The success means that four other radio stations have asked to broadcast the show.  Their... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    10 Sep 2018

    TOUGH DEFENCE. We could twist those above two words around and insert the word “is” because “Defence is tough.” Here’s a hand to prove the point though in many cases, we could expand on the phrase and say... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 007

    7 Sep 2018

    “Innocent Bystanders”. Or were we? Everyone (well nearly everyone..or some people!) say they love Swiss Pairs. I might sometimes even agree with them, or some of them, or some of the time but there is one time when I and others are... read more here

  • National 15 A Pairs by Moss Wylie, Invercargill

    6 Sep 2018

    A Happy Hunting Ground for Wayne and Clair The Otago Club held the National Pairs in the first weekend of September. 28 pairs attended the two day event directed by Caroline Wiggins, all the way down from Hastings. The qualifying day saw... read more here

  • Otago- Southland News with Moss Wylie

    6 Sep 2018

    Congratulations to Clair Miao and Wayne Burrows who came south to win the National 15A Pairs in Dunedin. There is a separate report on this event on the NZ Bridge website. Meanwhile, several Otago- Southland players are preparing for the big trip... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 011

    6 Sep 2018

    You can listen to this week's episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  Barry and Mereana interview NZB secretary, Alister Stuck, catch up with more news from Professor Samantha Punch of Stirling University with her PhD in bridge... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    4 Sep 2018

    Success without Finesse! 50% they work and 50% they fail. “Really” many query? “Mine always seem to fail!”. In case yours do always fail, especially when you really want them to work, how about trying to avoid taking a... read more here

  • National 15A Pairs - Otago Bridge Club

    31 Aug 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 006

    31 Aug 2018

    Tales of Disruption Surely there should be a rule about the number of times you can disrupt the opponents’ bidding?! That’s what you would wish for if you were the side who had reached a sensible game contract. Not so if you were the... read more here

  • LAST DAY FOR CHEAPER NATIONAL CONGRESS RATES

    30 Aug 2018

         If you are registering for the full National Congress registration  or  the package rates for New Zealand Pairs, New Zealand Restricted Pairs or New Zealand Teams, then      pay by 31st August... read more here

  • Waikato Bays News

    30 Aug 2018

    Lesley Quilty and Sonia Crawford. Nice to see the days getting longer and the grass getting longer as spring beckons (well good for the farmer and maybe not so flash for the weekend lawn mowers). A whip around the clubs' websites indicates that... read more here

  • Summer Festival of Bridge- Canberra Jan 2019

    29 Aug 2018

    read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE and OTAGO MORNING NEWS 010

    29 Aug 2018

    Brad Johnston, returning youth gold medalist from China, features in The Bridge Zone broadcast this week and also on Otago Morning News broadcast.  You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone and the podcast from... read more here

  • NZ Representitive Teams for 2019- Application forms available

    28 Aug 2018

    Latest bulletin and squad application forms now available. read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    28 Aug 2018

    Helping Partner: The Doubleton Lead in No Trumps! What? Had you forgotten that it is no trumps and not a suit contract? “Certainly not” as the defender found a lead to test the declarer on the following board. What would be your... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 005

    24 Aug 2018

    “GAME” FOR ALL Three makeable suit games and a great sacrifice in the fourth. Even 3NT was only one down! The board must be worth a look. A poser for you first. You are West: Board 8West DealsNone Vul    ... read more here

  • 2018 New Zealand Youth Bridge Weekend

    23 Aug 2018

    And They Just Love the Bridge They came from Auckland, from Oamaru, from the Wairarapa and Wellington, from the Central North Island, from Dunedin, the Waikato and from Canterbury, 38 in total to this year’s Youth Bridge Weekend which was... read more here

  • Auckland News with Douuglas Russell

    23 Aug 2018

    Early July turned out to be something of a Mike Curry benefit. With Anisia Shami, he won the Auckland Club’s Thursday Bruce McLaren Swiss Pairs, and matched that on the following Saturday by winning Mt Albert’s 3A with Neil Stuckey; at... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 009

    22 Aug 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana interview Professor Samantha Punch and discuss her fascinating research work at Stirling University into the... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    21 Aug 2018

    DISPOSING OF LOSERS….URGENTLY! When in a trump contract, you would like to be able to draw the opposition’s trumps quickly. We should know there are situations where declarer has to ruff cards in dummy first or where two losers need... read more here

  • GOLD MEDAL FOR NZ

    20 Aug 2018

    A victory for New Zealand at the 17th World Youth Championships in China.  Brad (Johnston) from Otago Bridge Club played a part in winning the BAM - Board a Match Transnational event. This is for players whose teams do not make the... read more here

  • Welcome- Gillian Alexander -

    20 Aug 2018

    Regional Bridge Mate - Otago Southland   Introducing our new Regional Bridge Mate for the Otago/Southland Region - Gillian Alexander. Based in Dunedin, Gill joins the team and has hit the ground running, organising a raft of media... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana 004

    17 Aug 2018

    SUITS MISHANDLED That’s all four of them. Spades should never have got a look-in. Hearts just cannot be trumps, for anyone. Diamonds were largely ignored while clubs proved too tough a suit to defend against accurately. These are the sad... read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    15 Aug 2018

    Day 6  No Happy Ending In the sense that New Zealand did record one win on the last day, the above statement was not true. It was their 4th win in 21 matches, most of which had been significant losses. Opponent Imp Score... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 008

    15 Aug 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana interview Bridge Development Officer Richard Solomon, profile the South Island Pairs winners and look at unusual... read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    14 Aug 2018

    Day 5. It’s Tough Downstairs. Although a glitch in the event website seemed to have dramatically incorrectly increased New Zealand’s score, along with that of every other country, Day 5 seemed to be a replica of Day 1, with four big... read more here

  • Congratulations Alister

    13 Aug 2018

    The NZB Secretary, Alister Stuck, achieved a great milestone on the weekend, reaching the giddy heights of Gold Grand Master.  Well done Alister and it looks like you celebrated in style with a ginger beer !     read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    13 Aug 2018

    DAY 4 - ONE GREAT COMEBACK This day featured one great Kiwi comeback, nearly 100 imps shared with the host Chinese and then a bit of a reality check from the table-topping Americans. Hang in for the ride! Opponents Imp Score NZ... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    13 Aug 2018

    Tournaments abound at this time of year and over recent weeks we have had two of the bigger ones.  Picton hosted the South Island Pairs on 7th July and most recently, Sunday 12th August, Richmond Club hosted the Howorth Cup, Top of the... read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    12 Aug 2018

    Day 3 Another tough day at the office. The third day of the event proved as hard for the young Kiwis as the previous two, with only the last match of the day against the country below the Kiwis providing some relief:   Opposition... read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    11 Aug 2018

    Day 2 A LESSON TO BE LEARNT It was not a golden day but in at least two of the three matches, our Bridge Jacks showed an improvement and were finally rewarded with their first win, against opposition who had been doing extremely well:... read more here

  • NZ at the World Youth Championships

    10 Aug 2018

    Day 1. WHEN IT’S NOT YOUR DAY…… Our Bridge Jacks started on Day 1 of the qualifying Round Robin with the same hope as the other 21 competing countries in the Juniors section of the World Youth Teams Championship…21 x... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana

    10 Aug 2018

    Hearts A’ Flutter. Three successive boards, all with a similar theme, that of doubling heart contracts. Are your nerves up to it because in two cases, there will be no bloodbath! Let’s start with a bidding problem, or maybe it is... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 007

    8 Aug 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana enjoy a highly entertaining interview with Blair Fisher, winner of the North Island Pairs and discuss Masterpoints.... read more here

  • Wellington News

    8 Aug 2018

    The winter months are a good time for a bridge club to hold a quiz night, which often doubles as a fund raiser and fun social evening. At the Wellington club, our local Chess players use the club rooms, with several also being (excellent) bridge... read more here

  • The North Island Pairs

    7 Aug 2018

    The 2018 North Island Pairs “The Come-Back Kids”. Every good event has a good story to go with it. This year’s North Island Pairs had two, both involving the winners. So, there you are in Hastings contemplating how you will... read more here

  • Bridge Jacks ready for action

    6 Aug 2018

    The 17th World Youth Bridge Championships in Wujiang, China start on Wednesday. The Bridge Jacks team of Nik Mitchell, Brad Johnston from Otago and Zachary Yan and Vincent He from Auckland are representing New Zealand in the Junior Teams. Meet Nik... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better: for improving players

    6 Aug 2018

                                 If at first you do not succeed, try try again. But where? Which suit?... read more here

  • North Island Pairs - 4th-5th August Auckland

    4 Aug 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • Central Districts News with George McLachlan

    3 Aug 2018

      71.30% is a mighty good score in a tournament. It came in a Junior tournament last month. Here are recent tournament winners in our region including the Juniors who excelled: Date Tournament Winners Score/%... read more here

  • Tales of Akarana

    3 Aug 2018

    “ Game Forcing” Bids? Two pieces of interesting hand evaluation thrust  partnerships up into the slam zone..but would they drive on to too high a level? Let’s see: The first board offered both partners a chance to value... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    3 Aug 2018

    AUGUST 2018 - RUTH LEWIS (ROTORUA) Just indispensable This acknowledgement from the club committee comes from Pam Moore. It really says it all.  "Ruth has been a member of the Rotorua Bridge Club for well over 30 years. She has been a... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 006

    1 Aug 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana discuss the PhD in bridge being offered by Stirling University, signals and discards, opening leads, ducking and... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    31 Jul 2018

    The Singleton That Isn’t… …or not where the defender thinks it is. It is a common plan when in a suit contract to win the opening lead and play immediately a singleton towards dummy’s  king or king, queen in a suit... read more here

  • A Week for the Youth

    30 Jul 2018

    If you were around Auckland during the last week, you could really have thrown aside the belief that Bridge is for the older folk in our society. Let’s see what has been happening. Auckland Grammar School where bridge is played two... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    27 Jul 2018

                          Camouflage. If you make it plainly obvious how you are going to play a contract, then the chances are that the... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    26 Jul 2018

    Welcome again from the Winterless North. We nearly had our second frost this morning which will just about signal the end of Winter here as there are only normally around three frosts a year. (It sounds like Whangarei’s temperatures are... read more here

  • New Zealand at the World Youth Championships

    25 Jul 2018

    New Zealand has a team in the up-coming World Youth Championships which will be held in the Chinese city of Wujiang, just north of Shanghai from Wednesday 8th until Saturday 16th August. Follow the progress of this team with daily reports on this... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE 005

    25 Jul 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana find out more about the Cambridge and Christchurch Sixes, the Boat Race and discuss how professional bridge players... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    23 Jul 2018

    Damned if you do: Damned if you don’t. It’s that old problem: leading to 3NT when you and your partner have a bid a suit. Do you lead your suit or do you not? It’s time for you to decide. Here are two lead problems:... read more here

  • VACANCIES- CONTRACT SHARE REGIONAL BRIDGE MATES - OTAGO/SOUTHLAND REGION AND CENTRAL DISTRICTS REGION

    23 Jul 2018

    NZB is seeking to contract motivated bridge players who are inspired by its vision to Grow the Game of Bridge.    Two opportunities have arisen within NZB to support and grow bridge clubs across the Otago/Southland Region and... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    20 Jul 2018

    “Badley” Done The title hardly literally reflects the theme of what follows because in this case, the defence can reflect on a job well done. The hero for the defence was, of course, Duncan Badley. So, let’s put you in... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    19 Jul 2018

    A Tournament with a great welcome - Akaroa Scnic Bridge Tournament, May 5th.   A bridge tournament in the South Island  with a powhiri is rather unusual! Thanks to Darryl Dowthwaite for reporting on this tournament: “Every... read more here

  • The Bridge Zone 004

    18 Jul 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  This week Barry and Mereana ponder the pleasures and pitfalls of couples being bridge partners, pre-empting with a 5 card minor, announcing... read more here

  • Top 100 All Time Masterpoint Earners

    17 Jul 2018

    List Updated 16 July 2018 read more here

  • Congratulations!!! Our New Grandmasters

    16 Jul 2018

    Details Here read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    16 Jul 2018

    Which Club? Give a bridge player an opportunity to go wrong and the chances are they will accept it with open arms. So, if there is anything we can do to save one’s partner from themselves, then we should strive to do that. It’s a... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    13 Jul 2018

    "UNLUCKY" FOR SOME. That’s Board 13. It was there this evening to test one’s superstitions and liking or otherwise of safety plays! Safety plays are there when there is no apparent danger in taking one…so, you be the judge!... read more here

  • THE BRIDGE ZONE

    12 Jul 2018

    You can access the direct link to the latest episode of The Bridge Zone by opening this article.  Save the link as a bookmark - and you will be able to tune in each Wednesday at around midday for the latest show broadcast. Click... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    11 Jul 2018

    It’s been a few months since Moss’ last regional write-up, and it’s good to see that some other correspondents have weighed in on the issues brought up by Moss with regards to the IP trials. But the trials are over and the IPs... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    10 Jul 2018

    YOUR 12 TRICKS ARE? You have reached a reasonable but slightly pushy 6 spade contract and your bidding has telegraphed to your opponents that a trump lead is a good idea. So, that’s what you got…and now is the time to decide how you... read more here

  • South Island Pairs

    10 Jul 2018

    A WEEKEND FOR TWO RUSSELLS AND A ROBIN The South Island Pairs came to the Top of The South and players came from all over New Zealand to Picton for two wonderful days of Bridge. The event involved five barometered sessions, 46 pairs playing... read more here

  • South Island Pairs - Picton 7th-8th JuLy 2018

    6 Jul 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    6 Jul 2018

    AND THE MINIMUM PERCENTAGE IS? That’s for bidding games, especially vulnerable ones. How bad can they be for us to say we should be in part-score? There were 6 low point-count, lowish percentage games to be bid this week. Most were makeable... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    5 Jul 2018

    Barbara Fitzgerald - North Shore. We go to Auckland's North Shore Bridge Club for this month's nomination. Not only has this club got an absolutely beautiful setting, being next to Lake Pupuke, but it has one most valuable member in Barbara... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    5 Jul 2018

    Tournament Successes. The big tournament winners from the past few months included Grant Jarvis and Ian Berrington who took over by a whisker from Michael Ware and Geo Tislevoll on the final round of the National Swiss Pairs in Hamilton across... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    4 Jul 2018

    SLAM ON “14” One side has 26 hcp between their two hands and the other a more modest 14. One side can make 9 tricks with their best combined suit as trumps. The other can make 12. Naturally, you would much rather be holding the... read more here

  • New Zealand at the Yeh Bros event, Day 3.

    4 Jul 2018

    Consolation Swiss at Yeh Bros Cup After the disappointment of just missing out the main knock-out stage, the New Zealand Open team looked to improve in the Consolation Swiss. It was not to be as after 5 of the 8 rounds, they are in 14th place in... read more here

  • New Zealand at the Yeh Bros event, Day 2.

    3 Jul 2018

    LIKE NEW ZEALAND: LIKE JAPAN Choose whichever team you wish, the Japanese football team or the New Zealand Bridge team..and they are both suffering from last kick/last board disappointment. Japan were seconds away from extra- time and a chance of... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    3 Jul 2018

    “CAN I HELP?” Another unmakeable contract makes! It’s only a part-score but it’s 5 imps to the opposition which they really should not have got…or it would have been a lot better had their contract failed.... read more here

  • New Zealand at the Yeh Bros event, Day 1.

    2 Jul 2018

    IT WAS NEVER GOING TO BE EASY This year’s Yeh Bros event had plenty of strong teams taking part. After doing the necessary against one of the weaker teams present, South Africa, New Zealand came up against three strong European countries in... read more here

  • New Zealand Open Team at the 2018 Yeh Bros Cup

    29 Jun 2018

    Follow the New Zealand Open Team at the 2018 Yeh Bros Cup which will take place in Beijing from Sunday 1st July until Thursday 5th July. You can follow the link below to see how our Open Team is faring or else read daily reports on this site... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    29 Jun 2018

    DISASTER! So you think our top players always get it right? It’s nice to show how well they can play. Sometimes, though, it is just not their night. So, if you have a bad night at bridge, then what follows is here to cheer you up. It can... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    27 Jun 2018

    The rainy season has started in earnest in Auckland, and partly as a consequence the tournament season is in full swing, with a pretty crowded calendar. The Howick Restricted Pairs was won by John Craig and KC (what does the KC stand for?) Lee,... read more here

  • NZB launches weekly radio show The Bridge Zone 001

    27 Jun 2018

    Listen in to the new all bridge radio show sponsored by NZB.  A half-hour weekly slot "The Bridge Zone" had its first broadcast today.  Wednesdays at 10.30am and repeated Thursdays at 6.30am are the times to tune in live. ... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    25 Jun 2018

    THE PRICE YOU PAY We like to bid when we get the opportunity though there are times when you do bid when you wish you had not. One such occasion is  when you tell the declarer how to play a hand by the bid you have made. Watch the following:... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    22 Jun 2018

    PUSHING THE RULE TO THE LIMIT. You may have heard of it, “Hamman’s Rule” where if 3NT is a possibility from among your options, then you should give it a go. The boards at Akarana this week did little to doubt the wisdom of this... read more here

  • INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER - BACKING BLACK!

    21 Jun 2018

    Read the latest news on the international programme, meet the Youth squad heading to China, hear from Michael Cornell on what it means to "Earn the Fern"  or bid in an auction to play with one of our top players in the Youth Fundraiser. ... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    19 Jun 2018

    Go for Gold..but how? A touch of overbidding but you have ended in not too bad a contract…at least on their opening lead. You are in 3NT and there are only two suits wide open! So, let’s see how many tricks we can count.... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    19 Jun 2018

    The last couple of weeks have seen a good few records broken (and not the only thing broken!) in Top of the South.  The Inter Provincial Trials hosted once again by Marlborough had 8 ½ tables of hopefuls in the Intermediates; plus a... read more here

  • Refresher Boards for Beginners

    18 Jun 2018

    We had a great suggestion from Christchurch asking for a couple of sets of boards that include hands from each lesson for refresher sessions.  One set has a selection of 12 hands from Lessons 2 to 5 (in case you have a refresher... read more here

  • The National Open Swiss Pairs

    18 Jun 2018

    A Good Time to hit the lead This event was held over the weekend of June 16th and 17th at the Hamilton Bridge Club. It was run as an 11 round Swiss of 9 board matches with 58 pairs competing. Grant Jarvis and Ian Berrington hit the front at just... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    15 Jun 2018

    IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, DO NOTHING! How many boards when you are defending have you had no idea how you should be defending? If you are truthful, then the answer could be “quite often”! I would put two boards from this... read more here

  • National 15A Swiss Pairs- Hamilton 16 & 17 June 2018

    14 Jun 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    13 Jun 2018

    There were kind words about the Wellington Regional Congress in late April from players, praising the organisers for their planning and preparation beforehand, and all those working during the five days. I have too many photos of the many... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    11 Jun 2018

    WELL BID….and WELL PLAYED? When you make the right decision in the bidding, you want to follow it up by playing the hand correctly. Hopefully, that means making your contract! So, plan the play in the following 3NT contract. While... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    9 Jun 2018

    This is Libby who came to lessons in New Plymouth last year when she was 12 with her mum and grandfather. She has played most C grade nights since graduation. Her mum is the C grade convenor and Libby helps out by doing the announcements... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    8 Jun 2018

    PLENTY OF FUN WITH POINTLESS HANDS. Welcome back to stories of a night’s bridge at the Akarana Bridge Club. After a gap of two months, it was nice to be back. It felt like a good practice for my first up-coming Rubber Bridge match in the... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    8 Jun 2018

         JUNE 2018 - Graham Potter, Wellington.    The nomination came from the Wellington Bridge Club. Club President, Brad Tattersfield, and Manager, Bridget Hannaway-Willcox explain why. One of our “unsung... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    7 Jun 2018

    SHOULD YOU TRUST PARTNER? That’s right. We are talking about your partner. Bridge is all about creating a large level of trust between you and your partner. Are you going to “not lose the post mortem” and trust partner or is it... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    6 Jun 2018

    If you “walk the dog”, watch out for the traffic! “Walking the dog” is a phrase which can mean many different things depending on the context. In Bridge terminology, it refers to a player who takes rather a long-winded way... read more here

  • NZ Youth Team Fundraiser

    6 Jun 2018

    You are invited to play in a session individual tournament on Sunday 24th June at 1pm to be held at the Auckland Bridge Club. Funds raised on the day will be used to help our Youth Team who are heading to China in August.   Entry is open... read more here

  • Tauranga- Boston Cup Teams

    6 Jun 2018

    Photo Gallery from this annual event held at Tauranga   https://www.taurangabridge.co.nz/blog/791460   read more here

  • Those"Rainy Day" Bids - Our Internationals conquer Auckland

    6 Jun 2018

    You may have noticed that one particular team have been doing rather well recently. They are our Open International Team, Michael Cornell – Ashley Bach, Michael Ware – GeO Tislevoll and Michael Whibley – Matthew Brown. They have... read more here

  • Appointment- Regional Bridge Mate- Wellington

    5 Jun 2018

      Welcome to Katherine Gough - Regional Bridge mate for the Wellington Region read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    2 Jun 2018

    John Skipper on the Board of New Zealand Bridge. I have been rather remiss in not reporting this old news, but many in the region will not realise a fellow Cantabrian John Skipper gained a place on the New Zealand Bridge Board as from 1st April... read more here

  • Expressions of Interest- Board Vacancy

    31 May 2018

    31 May 2018 Notice Calling for Expressions of Interest Vacancy on the Board of New Zealand Bridge   [Pursuant to Rule 12 (Filling of Vacancy)] The Board of NZ Bridge is calling for expressions of interest to fill a vacancy on the Board... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    30 May 2018

    GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO GO WRONG. A standard time for false-carding is as declarer when the first round of a suit is played and you fear a ruff if you follow meekly low. Name me a defender who has not at some time been fooled by the jettisoning of... read more here

  • Otago-Southland News with Moss Wylie

    29 May 2018

    Freeland Team Blitz Winton Open Teams. April 14th saw 10 teams compete in the 5A Winton Teams. Only one local team took part. However, the local club put on a good spread of tasty treats.  Paul Freeland- Margret Perley and Arleen Schwartz... read more here

  • BRIDGE WITH OUR NEWEST NEW ZEALANDERS

    26 May 2018

    Jane Stearns is currently delivering bridge lessons to 17 refugees and migrants as part of the curriculum this term for the advanced ESOL course at Hamilton Settlement Centre. From Jane: "The students are from Afghanistan, Syria, Colombia,... read more here

  • 2018 Inter-Provincial teams have been decided

    22 May 2018

    The trials for all the Regions were held on May 12/13 and some teams have been named. Congratulations to those who have been selected.  Click on this link to view the teams we know about so far.  As more come to hand, they will... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    22 May 2018

    COMBATTING THE JACK We learn pretty early on that “third player plays high.” That means, simplistically, that when your partner leads a low(ish) card, you will play a high card to either win the trick or force an even higher card out... read more here

  • Bulletin 5 - 2018. International Programme for 2019

    18 May 2018

    International Programme 2018-2019 Bulletin 5...  read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    17 May 2018

    Greetings from the Winterless North yet again. It seems like only last week I wrote the last round-up but we are already fast approaching the middle of the year. Here in the North we have been having great successes holding Intermediate and... read more here

  • Regional Committee Memberships From 1 July 2018

    16 May 2018

     Congratulations to the following people confirmed to serve on our Regional Committees from 1 July 2018. Auckland Northland Waikato Bays          Sue Brown Rona... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    15 May 2018

    Keeping The Extra Chance up your Sleeve. When you first see the sight of dummy and thank partner for the 13 cards they have produced which may or may not resemble their bidding, your next task is not to play a card from dummy but to plan the play... read more here

  • INTERPROVINCIAL TRIALS 12-13 MAY 2018

    11 May 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS:   Auckland Northland Waikato Bays Central Districts Wellington Top Of The South Canterbury Otago Southland   O,W,S           Intermediate read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    9 May 2018

    Jean Tisdall - Oamaru. This month's Volunteer is a committee member at the Oamaru Club who frequently does that bit more. Over then to Frances Sheehy, the Club President: "On behalf of the Oamaru Bridge Club, I would like to nominate Jean... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    9 May 2018

    Waikato Bays May Round-Up We start with a milestone … Enid Trower turned 100 in April.   Enid is a great endorsement for why playing bridge is good for your mind and soul.   She is an active playing member at Hamilton... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 May 2018

    TWO LEADS ONE THEME Opening leads are at times pretty subjective affairs. Rules can be laid down, proven and then on the particular problem you have can be proven not to work. With that depressing thought somewhere in the back of your mind, try... read more here

  • Alan T receives his "gong"

    7 May 2018

    Congratulations Alan for receiving your QSM the other day.  We are proud of you and thank you for your services to Bridge.  The nice thing Alan discovered as he received his medal from the Governor General, Patsy Reddy,... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    4 May 2018

    The theme for this report seems to be family (and soon to be family – see below!) successes. We often tend to think that playing bridge in partnership might be a little dangerous for real life relationships, but there is little evidence of... read more here

  • Dan Gifford Rubber Bridge Finals 2018

    4 May 2018

    Congratulations to the  Wellington Region who recorded the highest number of Pairs contesting the Rubber Bridge play-offs.  Accordingly Wellington Region will have two spots in the finals at Congress.  ... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    2 May 2018

    Things are beginning to hot up on the Tournament front, with a few under our belts.  The Nelson Open Teams on 10th March was well subscribed with 26 teams from across the region.  Winners on the day were the Westport quartet of Glenys... read more here

  • CONGRESS ACCOMMODATION UPDATE

    1 May 2018

    LAST COUPLE OF ROOMS AVAILABLE AT 130.00 per night for National Bridge Congress at Distinction Hotel With the upgrade of the 100 wing, only the 600 wing of the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton has not beenrenovated. The 600 wing is the wing by the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    1 May 2018

    Take advantage when the sun shines You should take great care in the way you play any board as a declarer, watching out ahead for the dangers, doing what you can to minimise them. Yet, there are times when a touch of optimism is required,... read more here

  • System cards now in Excel

    28 Apr 2018

    NZB has now created blank and partially filled in System cards in Excel.  The PDF version has presented challenges for some to fill in.  If this is you, try the Excel version, which has been designed to virtually look the same as the PDF... read more here

  • VACANCY- REGIONAL BRIDGE MATE - WELLINGTON REGION

    26 Apr 2018

    Following the resignation of Maureen Sheldon there is an opportunity within NZB to support and grow bridge clubs across the Wellington Region.  NZB is seeking to contract a motivated bridge player who is inspired by its vision to Grow the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    24 Apr 2018

    GOT THEM..OR HAVE YOU? We love to bid and make nice slams. We love to make a difficult contract. We love to catch the opponents with a penalty double. All three statements seem true though the last has a proviso…that we beat the contract.... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    20 Apr 2018

      Colette Benfield - Richmond. Richmond Club Secretary, Barbara Gordon, is a big admirer of Colette and gives some of the reasons why the Club Committee felt Colette is worthy to be nominated for this award. "Colette Benfield is a great... read more here

  • Announcement- NZ Youth Team for 2018

    19 Apr 2018

      19 April 2018   I am very pleased to announce that we will sending the following team to the World Youth Championships in Wujiang, China:   Nik Mitchell and Brad Johnston of Otago Zachary Yan and Vincent He of Auckland... read more here

  • Watch a video on how to enter a Tournament

    19 Apr 2018

    To make life easier, we have made a couple of small instructional videos; To show you how to enter a Tournament on the NZB website To show you how to remove or amend an entry. Click here to take you to the Instruction page and scroll down... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    19 Apr 2018

    As I write this, we are a few days away from the start of our regular Wellington Regional Congress, which will end, as usual, with a Swiss Pairs on Anzac Day. This year the calendar has started us off with two days of Teams over the coming... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    18 Apr 2018

    Every follower of golf knows how fickle golf results can be – even Tiger Woods could not win everything. This month has seen a few surprising results, so much so that every Bridge tournament player can live in hope of taking a first prize!... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    17 Apr 2018

      giving a helping hand. Signalling for Success. Whatever methods you normally use to exchange information to partner, there are times when clear suit preference signals are required. For many pairs, this occurs when one player leads an... read more here

  • Congratulations!!! Our New Grandmasters

    16 Apr 2018

    Here is the revised list of Grandmasters now available. GOLD GRANDMASTERS Ken Yule Matamata   SILVER GRANDMASTERS Stanley Abrahams Mt Albert Liz Fisher Hamilton Eileen Horsman Waiheke... read more here

  • Masterpoint search

    12 Apr 2018

    Newly released We have improved the Masterpoint Search page so players can see more than just the last month's points earned.  We know this has been something many have wanted and we are happy to report this is now available.  During... read more here

  • Club Level Director Exams - July 2018

    10 Apr 2018

    LINK TO INFORMATION read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    10 Apr 2018

    The Curse of Board 11 Keen bridge players and most Scottish people (surely all Scots play Bridge!) know that the diamond 9 is the “Curse of Scotland”. Our der knowledgeable friend “Google” will enlighten any ignorant... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT AND GRADINGS TASKFORCE UPDATE

    10 Apr 2018

    Information and toplines are now available from the tournament and grading survey sent out late 2017. The purpose of the survey was to inform the Tournament and Gradings Taskforce in their review of the current tournament schedule and current... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    4 Apr 2018

    The start of 2018 hasn’t seen too many tournaments down South, with only the Invercargill 8B Pairs, the Oamaru 5A Pairs, the Taieri and Queenstown 8B Pairs since Moss last wrote to y’all. The winners of these events were as follows:... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    3 Apr 2018

    Signalling and Counting One of the advantages of being a defender is that you have someone else at the bridge table on your side, with the same aims as you have and someone who is taking an active part in the play of the hand. So, even though you... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    29 Mar 2018

    Kerikeri winners, Neil Ruddell and Andrew Liu Once again we are in the Winterless North and while we hope to have a nice Easter Weekend, they don’t call it “Whangarainey” for nothing. Life is slowly getting back to normal... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    29 Mar 2018

    a real hold FOUR VIEWS OF DUMMY So, what is a hold for no-trumps? You cannot always have AQJT in the suit the opposition bids. Sometimes with Kxx, you have to play the whole hand trying to keep one opponent off lead. Then, there are lesser holds... read more here

  • Opportunity- NZ Bridge Foundation

    28 Mar 2018

        NZ Bridge, in conjunction with the Trustees of the NZ Bridge Foundation, is looking to increase the number of Trustees supporting the Foundation and invites expressions of interest from interested parties. The Foundation, which... read more here

  • Welcome to New & Returning Players

    28 Mar 2018

    Welcome to the new (and some returning) players around the country since the start of the year.  We will report number regularly in future. We hope you love this game as much as those who have played for years. Here are the numbers by club,... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    26 Mar 2018

    King for Count in Queenstown This is the tale of an actual hand (well, all the stories are) but this is a kind of special one from last weekend’s Queenstown tournament. Are you ready for a defensive problem? Board 2East... read more here

  • HAMILTON BRIDGE CLUB TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES

    23 Mar 2018

    Members from Hamilton Bridge Club were invited to appear on the Free FM show Aapki Mehphile Harmony. You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the link below. You may like to start 7 mins into the broadcast. Click here to listen to the... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    23 Mar 2018

    Triers “Rewarded” 26-30 high card points between your two hands are an awkward number to handle. On some days, you want to be in a cold slam while on others, you are picking up the mess of how many under-tricks you need to concede.... read more here

  • High scores

    22 Mar 2018

    High scores around the country 1 Jan - 20 March, Pairs events only, 40C club venues in first section, A and B tournaments later.   40C Club events   Auckland Northland Region 40C Club events Patricia Porter, John Cooper... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    22 Mar 2018

    There is always a surfeit of Teams Events in the Waikato Bays at the start of the year, culminating (for a few months at least) with the Kelly Peirse Teams in Rotorua.   This was held last weekend with 30 teams signing up to the 10A... read more here

  • JUST LOVING HIS BRIDGE

    20 Mar 2018

     "I Love playing Bridge with People" So says one of our youngest Bridge players. Introducing 8 year old Ollie Benton. Ollie's story is told here by Regional Bridge Mate for Otago-Southland, Susannah Pinckney: Stayman from the start... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    20 Mar 2018

    PAIRS AND TEAMS PHILOSOPHY They can be the same and they can be so different. One similarity would be when you are in a normal contract, you would not risk going down in your contract by taking a finesse for the sake of an overtrick, unless you... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    16 Mar 2018

    Making the best of a bad job Whatever happened to Hamman’s Rule? If 3NT is amongst your choice of makeable game contracts, then go for it….or words similar to that! It did not seem to be particularly true at Akarana this week. When... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    15 Mar 2018

    Greetings from the “Big Smoke”. As the weather turns less inviting, the appeal of spending several hours indoors with like-minded friends playing the game we love becomes even more appealing. Quite a light period for tournaments in the... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    15 Mar 2018

    March 2018.   Val Darragh, Hastings Our Volunteer of the Month is a quiet achiever, the kind of person every club needs. A Quiet worker Val has been a member of the Hastings Bridge Club for many years and while she has held no formal... read more here

  • 2018 Board Election results

    13 Mar 2018

    read more here

  • A Big Bridge Weekend in Taranaki

    13 Mar 2018

    The team of Moss Wylie- Wayne Burrows and Steve Baron – Matthew Brown had a comprehensive victory in the Teams event at the weekend’s Taranaki Bridge Congress. Although only finishing 5th out of 6 qualifiers on day 1 and needing a big... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    12 Mar 2018

    CUTTING ONE’S LOSSES Unless we know we are sacrificing, we bid games to make them. It is great if we do, especially with an overtrick or two. However, either partner’s hand is a let-down (never yours, of course!) , a bad break or good... read more here

  • 33RD New Zealand National Congress

    10 Mar 2018

    Did you enjoy the Gold Coast Congress? Whether or not you went, it’s time to start planning for Hamilton. In just under seven months, it will be time for the 33rd National Bridge Congress to be held at the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton.... read more here

  • Taranaki Bridge Congress

    10 Mar 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • South Pacific Zone- World Bridge Federation

    9 Mar 2018

      I was honoured and humbled to be elected President of the South Pacific Bridge Federation at our annual meeting at the Gold Coast Congress in February, and at the same time, as our zonal representative on the World Bridge Federation... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    9 Mar 2018

    Viva “The Law” Many pairs use cue-bids of the opponents’ suits to make serious game tries when our partner makes an overcall. This enables a jump raise, or in certain circumstances, even a simple raise to be of a pre-emptive... read more here

  • Entering a tournament on this website

    8 Mar 2018

    We hope more and more clubs will use this online entry process which was introduced in September 2017. It utilises the Tournament schedule, to avoid duplication and errors. How to enter. Read the instructions below or scroll down to view the... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    7 Mar 2018

    We seem a bit too far into the year to talk about Christmas, but several good parties with great attendances were held in TOTS region not to make mention of them.  Kaikoura had almost a full house at their annual prize giving and lunch;... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    6 Mar 2018

    Finessing is Fun Yes, it can be. Trust me. They do work sometimes. Indeed, sometimes, well maybe all the time, you really hope they work. Let’s see how many finesses you need on the following board. If they all fail, you could be in serious... read more here

  • Only ever one winning team. The 2018 North Island Teams.

    5 Mar 2018

    Last month’s South Island Teams was a relatively close run affair though only one team was going to win the North Island Teams, held at Palmerston North Bridge Club over the weekend of 3rd/4th March. The team of Michael Ware- GeO Tislevoll,... read more here

  • North Island Teams- Palmerston North 3rd-4th March 2018

    2 Mar 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS LINK TO ENTRY LIST   read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    2 Mar 2018

    Forcing and Invitational Bids 25 hcp between the two hands, a 4-4 spade fit, and not one of the 12 East-West pairs made it to the almost cold 4 game. Four will claim some dispensation as they reached and made 3NT, a contract which relied on the... read more here

  • Central Districts - News with George MacLachlan

    28 Feb 2018

    Wise Head on Young Shoulders It was a case of wise heads on young shoulders when Paula Martin partnered 12 year old Libby Winyawonk on Wednesday’s C grade night at New Plymouth on 7th February.  Can you imagine the excitement when the... read more here

  • 2018 WBF Women's Online Spring Festival

    27 Feb 2018

    The WBF Online Women’s Spring Festival is being held from 9th – 15th April with a great prize given by the WBF President. The overall winner and a partner of her choice will be offered free entry to the 2018 Women’s Pairs... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    26 Feb 2018

    TUNNEL VISION It is a really good idea to look at your hand and dummy after the opening lead is made and see what can be done with all the losers in your hand. Then and only then should you play to the first trick. There is, though, a hand type... read more here

  • Gold Coast - Final Report

    25 Feb 2018

    Michael Courtney held on to win the East – West section of the Ivy Dahler Butler Swiss Pairs. Here are the final results of this event, the final event of the Congress. Ivy Dahler Butler Swiss Pairs Open 118 tables. North-South... read more here

  • Gold Coast Friday

    24 Feb 2018

    No joy unfortunately for the Kiwis in the final stages of the Gold Coast Teams. In the Round of 4 Open event (the Round of 4 was for the teams finishing 3rd-6th in qualifying…the winners and the top 2 met in the semi-finals), Bouton, which... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    23 Feb 2018

    The Unchanging Commodity Bidding styles change over the years because some traditional approaches, whilst effective, occur so rarely that we find more frequent uses for such bids. A prime example is reserving one’s 2 level suit openings... read more here

  • Thursday on The Coast

    23 Feb 2018

    A great last qualifying day for a young team of mixed Australian/ New Zealand players saw Bouton climb up to 4th in the Open where the top 6 teams qualify. The team includes Dunedin’s Vicky Bouton and Brad Johnston and ex Wellingtonian... read more here

  • WBF YOUTH TEAMS ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIP

    23 Feb 2018

     1st WBF YOUTH TEAMS ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIPS (March – July, 2018) PLEASE SUBMIT NZ APPLICATIONS TO NZ Bridge Secretary secretary@nzbridge.co.nz by 5.00pm Friday March 2nd 2018 Format of the Championship The Championship consists of... read more here

  • Gold Coast Update. Teams, Teams..it's "teeming" with them

    22 Feb 2018

    Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday are Teams days for everyone. That’s four 14 board matches per day, Swiss style. In the Open event, the top 6 qualify and in each of the others, the top 2 play a final. That makes it quite tough to qualify but... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    21 Feb 2018

    We are now off with the old and on with the new - going into 2018 with some new faces on the Board and some new approaches. One of these approaches has landed in Wellington with radio advertising, starting mid-February, in the city and the Kapiti... read more here

  • GOLD COAST BRIDGE CONGRESS

    20 Feb 2018

    MONDAY REPORT. MATTHEW BROWN WINS OPEN PAIRS. Congratulations to all the Kiwis who did well in the various Pairs and Swiss Pairs events. Leading the way was Matthew Brown who with his Australian partner, Johnno Newman, retained their lead to win... read more here

  • FROM COMMONWEALTH GAMES TO GOLD COAST

    19 Feb 2018

      Same venue but now time for everyone to join in. Firstly, though, we left you at the top 8 qualifying stage of the Commonwealth Teams. Australia Gold, Scotland White, India A and the President’s Team, an English invitation team,... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    19 Feb 2018

    There are many ways of discarding which work most of the time. Sometimes, they all run into difficulty. When that happens think about the easiest way you can get your message across to your partner. If your card is not going to be easy to... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month

    19 Feb 2018

    FEBRUARY 2018 MARION SILLICK, PARAPARAUMU. Dennis Lahman speaks on behalf of the Club Committee and reflects the views of so many at the Paraparaumu Club. "Marion arrived in Paraparaumu in 2004 from Orewa with a reputation of being fully... read more here

  • The Fifth Commonwealth Nations Championships - Day 3

    17 Feb 2018

    A Day of Two Halves The last four qualifying matches. A steady showing over these matches could mean top 8 for New Zealand. For a while it looked a possibility with two wins before lunch. However, the two afternoon matches did not go New... read more here

  • Calling Bridge playing Teachers

    16 Feb 2018

    New Zealand Bridge is trying to take Bridge into schools. We know that traditionally our game has been played mainly by older people. There are reasons why school age students would take to our game. Some will become “addicted”... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    16 Feb 2018

    “Full Marks”. There are some jobs in Bridge which are very hard to pass on to anyone else. One such role is President of the Akarana Bridge Club. Ask Jonathan Westoby although after at least a decade in the job, he did escape. Ask... read more here

  • The Fifth Commonwealth Nations Championships - Day 2

    16 Feb 2018

    A Roundabout Way to Where We Started At the end of the 11 round Swiss, 8 teams will qualify. However, it is not as simple as saying that will be teams 1-8 as the medals can only be won by the teams representing Commonwealth countries. The rules... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Max Robb

    15 Feb 2018

          A warm welcome to our new Canterbury correspondent, Max Robb. Max is well known around the Christchurch bridge scene. Please contact him if you have any news items. His contact details are at the end of this report.... read more here

  • The Fifth Commonwealth Nations Championships - Day 1

    15 Feb 2018

    The scene is the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Wednesday February 14th is the first of five days of competition, the first of the three day qualifying Swiss during which all 36 teams will play 11 by 14 board matches to qualify eight teams for the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    13 Feb 2018

    USING THEIR TIME So, what do you do as a defender when the declarer goes into what seems like a 10 minute reverie at the first sight of dummy? OK, it was only 30 seconds but you only had four minutes to play this board or else time penalties... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    12 Feb 2018

    THE SECRET OF GRANT’S SUCCESS You may have observed that the team of Grant Jarvis, Ken and Kathy Yule and Jan Alabaster won the South Island Teams in Christchurch over the last weekend. Naturally, we wanted to report on some of their finer... read more here

  • A Weekend in Christchurch

    12 Feb 2018

    South Island Teams Exciting hands, excellent organisation, wonderful continuous catering and a full house of 38 teams at the Christchurch Bridge Club for this year’s South Island Teams. For most of the event, it was close at the top though... read more here

  • Nominations - Board Elections 2018

    10 Feb 2018

    Nominations received for Chairperson: Allan Morris     CV Allan Morris Nominations received for Board Members: Karen Martelletti    Karen Martelletti  CV Kay Nicholas        ... read more here

  • SOUTH ISLAND TEAMS - CHRISTCHURCH 10TH - 11TH FEB 2018

    10 Feb 2018

    LINK TO RESULTS PAGE read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    9 Feb 2018

    SPADES A ‘ PLENTY After three weeks of Rubber Bridge, Akarana started its Teams and Swiss Pairs program with a lively night of Bridge this week. There were three interesting spade slams to be bid, only one of which stood a chance to be... read more here

  • Congratulations!!! Baden Wilson Winners for 2017

    8 Feb 2018

    Kate Davies from Wellington for the Women and Grant Jarvis from Franklin for the men read more here

  • NZ BRIDGE YOUTH BRIDGE WEEKEND

    7 Feb 2018

    read more here

  • Otago-Southland News with Moss Wylie

    7 Feb 2018

    FEEL THE HEAT…. 2018 Bridge started early in the “Deep South” with 43 pairs crammed into the Alexandra Bridge Club to contest the Holiday Pairs, a  two evening affair, January 5/6th.  Auckland’s Jeff Thompson... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    5 Feb 2018

    “PRECISION” DEFENCE.. or… “EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY” Well, whenever the “day” for Precision is, the following deal which even those present at the recent Tauranga Congress will struggle to remember, was not... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    5 Feb 2018

    SECOND PLAYER PLAYS….. You know the rule. You learnt it five or ten or thirty years ago in the days when you wanted to be dummy…less pressure. It’s good to know that the rule is alive and very well. Yet, there is another rule... read more here

  • 2018 World Wide Bridge Contest heats

    2 Feb 2018

      PRESS RELEASE   The 2018 World Wide Bridge Contest heats will be played on eight different days with simultaneous pairs being held on: Tuesday 27th March & Thursday 29th March  Tuesday 24th April & Thursday 26th... read more here

  • Ashburton's Youngest Bridge Player

    1 Feb 2018

    “You can never be too young to play”. The following article by bridge player and new Canterbury Bridge Mate, Sonia Gill, appeared recently in the Ashburton Courier. It reflects what many of us know but are trying to get across the... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    1 Feb 2018

    SIZZLING SUMMER OF BRIDGE The country has just had a scorching weekend weather wise and sitting inside playing bridge at the Tauranga Bridge Club was perhaps the best place to be over the Anniversary Weekend.   Well appointed rooms with... read more here

  • New Robot Tournaments set to launch on 1st February

    31 Jan 2018

      WORLD BRIDGE FEDERATION PRESS RELEASE   New Robot Tournaments set to launch on 1st February   “We are delighted to announce an exciting new venture – indeed a new adventure – with the launch of Robot... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    30 Jan 2018

    MISSED GAME: STILL PLAY CAREFULLY So you played in a stupid part-score contract when you see that slam in a different suit is cold? Don’t give up. Try and make +90 even in your 3-1 fit. It might just be worth + 4 imps when the cold slam... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    26 Jan 2018

                                     High Level Action at Rubber Week 2 of the three week... read more here

  • Welcome back, Greymouth

    25 Jan 2018

    Greymouth Bridge Club used to be affiliated to New Zealand. Times have changed and the club has chosen to rejoin the Association. Read on, hear about Greymouth......and do what another small West Coast has achieved. Ray Curnow, who is the Top of... read more here

  • Our "Fab 4" win once more

    24 Jan 2018

    A question for you. Michael Cornell has won the Canberra National Open Teams  five times, with a different partner each time. Name his five partners.  Reading the next piece will give you a clue to one of them. Mention the names of... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    23 Jan 2018

    Welcome to a new year of bridge, fun and friendship. The warm weather has to some extent thawed Biritch the Russian Blue’s frosty disposition, and many of you will have seen his familiar furry features at local tournaments (Biritch most... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    23 Jan 2018

    "ROUGHLY" DOWN Maybe the first word has been misspelt but the second word is clear evidence of what happened as another contract which should have been made bit the dust. A test for you. You made a very respectable overcall and much to your... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    22 Jan 2018

    THAMES TITBITS MOTHER TO MY RESCUE Have you ever felt like the outsider at the table? It was not that I was in any way made to feel unwelcome but I was partnering Anna Kalma in a Swiss match against her mother, Hermanna, and Hermanna’s... read more here

  • Congratulations!!! - New Grandmasters

    22 Jan 2018

      21st January 2018   New Grand Masters   New Zealand Bridge congratulates the following players who have reached the rank of Grandmaster:   Silver Grand Master Gary Chen – Akarana Patrick D'Arcy – Wellington... read more here

  • SONIA GILL JOINS RBM TEAM

    22 Jan 2018

    We warmly welcome Sonia Gill to the role of Regional Bridge Mate for Canterbury. With a wealth of experience in media Sonia hits the ground running - here is some information on the latest member of the RBM team. Sonia Gill I joined the learners... read more here

  • Expired email addresses

    19 Jan 2018

    Most people are aware several email addresses expired on the 30th November Approximately 300 players registered on this website unfortunately did not change their email address as their login and these non-email addresses are now causing some... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    19 Jan 2018

    “SWISS RUBBER” Welcome back to 2018. Akarana has welcomed the first month of the year with something a little different, a 3 night “Swiss Rubber” competition. Each night pairs play 2 x 14 board matches with Rubber Bridge... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    18 Jan 2018

    Greetings from the Winterless North. I hope this finds everyone safe and well after the Christmas break and ready to get into it again this year. December saw the Annual Northland 2017 prize giving with congratulations going to: Top Open... read more here

  • Australia's Day at the Youth Test

    17 Jan 2018

    The New Zealand Youth Team could not repeat their 2017 victory over Australia in the Stern-Cornell Trophy Challenge Match held at the end of Australian Youth Week in Canberra.  The match was played in two stanzas of 16 boards with Matt... read more here

  • Great travel insurance offer

    17 Jan 2018

    JLT, a keen supporter of NZBridge, and Chubb Insurance is pleased to offer Travel Insurance to Bridge players. For your next trip, whether it's for leisure or business, domestic or international, get a travel policy that is tailored to your trip.... read more here

  • Grade and Rating Point changes

    16 Jan 2018

    Update 16th January Grades and Rating Points have now been updated for 2018.  Please contact us if you have any queries. Alister is away this week, so contact me until he is back at work. RegardsKaren Martelletti read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    16 Jan 2018

    SACRIFICE THE QUEEN Queens are good cards to hold, often winning tricks on the second round a suit is played. That does not mean you should always keep them in your hand when defending. One sacrificed queen carried an important message on the... read more here

  • Sunshine, Mussels and Bridge A'Plenty at Thames

    15 Jan 2018

    The storms of the past week had passed. The roads around Thames were no longer closed. The sun shone very brightly on the many players who were playing in the 13th Summer Bridge Festival in this lovely town. 84 boards for those keen enough on... read more here

  • Good Luck to our Youth Team

    12 Jan 2018

    The Youth Test between New Zealand and Austraila is tomorrow, Saturday 13 January.  The New Zealand Youth Squad are enjoying their time in Canberra joining in various youth events in the lead up to the International. Our photo shows Nik... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 Jan 2018

    PRESENT TIME ….and COUNT! So, Christmas is a time for giving (if you are lucky, receiving too)…presents, of course! Yet, one form of “present” should be “given” all year round from one defender to another,... read more here

  • Six Problems for a Rainy Thursday

    4 Jan 2018

     New Year's Quiz Are you craving for your first game of Bridge of the year? Maybe you have played a few hands already? Surely here in New Zealand we can lay claim to the first making contract, probably the first non-making contract too, of... read more here

  • Congratulations - Alan Turner QSM

    30 Dec 2017

    Wow what a fantastic way to usher in 2018!! Congratulations to Alan Turner, current Board Member and longtime supporter of Bridge in New Zealand. Alan, pictured with partner Judy Mcleod was awarded a QSM in the New Years Honours List for... read more here

  • Remembering 17

    29 Dec 2017

    Everyone remembers the year that is almost gone. So, why not New Zealand Bridge? Let's share a few memories of this past year. Here's a great place to start: Fourth at The Bowl Great days in Lyon as our Open Team did us proud with a 4th... read more here

  • Tip for Christmas Day

    25 Dec 2017

    A TIP FOR CHRISTMAS MORNING Or the day or week after…by the time you have read all the bridge books you have been given for Christmas. “What, you did not get any? Then, read on. Glad to be of service.” Today’s tip... read more here

  • International- Commonwealth Nations Team

    20 Dec 2017

    20 December 2017  Bulletin 2 - 2018 International Programme Update   The Asia Cup in Bangladesh has been cancelled. We understand that the APBF (Asia Pacific Bridge Federation) is in discussion with India to hold the Asia Cup there in... read more here

  • New Zealand Youth Squad Trial for Australian Test by Tracey Lewis

    20 Dec 2017

    To ensure fairness of selection for the test in Canberra in January 2018, a weekend of competing against each other was held over 16-17th December at the Auckland Bridge Club. On the Saturday, the six pairs played 72 boards and  on the... read more here

  • Survey- Lucky Draw Winners

    20 Dec 2017

    Congratulations to the following people who participated in the recent Tournamant & Grading Survey and whose names were drawn out winning one of 50 $20 Petrol Vouchers:   Candice Smith Auckland Noeline Wiseman Christchurch... read more here

  • NZ Bridge - Review of International Team Selection Process

    19 Dec 2017

    The International Committee has initiated a review of the current method of selection of NZ representative teams which has been in place since 2011. Current, past and aspiring international players are invited to make submissions to the Secretary... read more here

  • Vale Bob Scott by John Wignall

    15 Dec 2017

    It is my sad duty to record the death of Bob Scott, certainly one of our better players. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2016 and stoically endured a long period of chemotherapy etc  from which he emerged in what we all... read more here

  • Congratulations!!! Recently Qualified Club Directors

    14 Dec 2017

        NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series:   Paul Armstrong Masterton Neil Catherall South Wairarapa Hattie Curtis Waihi Lesley Davies Masterton... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    13 Dec 2017

    The Christmas Cheer tournament at Palmerston North is by far the best supported tournament in the region. Typically, 30 tables were in play and players came from far and wide ..  as evidenced by the winning pair of George Masters (Hastings)... read more here

  • CHRISTMAS IS COMING

    12 Dec 2017

    and we will all wind down for a week or two..or less. "Bridgeless Days". What are they? Someone once said ( they could not be a bridge player!) that bridge players do not know how to enjoy themselves. Let's destroy that myth! The following is a... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    12 Dec 2017

    Another Finesse That Failed They all do, or so it seems. Selective memory, perhaps, for the 50% or so that work…usually when you have missed an iffy game and play in part-score, when every finesse seems to work! Yet, there are some... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    8 Dec 2017

    “Passing” Time. I thought it would be nice to finish the Akarana year with the story of an exciting board, high level bidding, drama, a grand slam..the sort of story we all enjoy reading. Alas, no. We start this story a couple of... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    6 Dec 2017

    With bridge calendars just about finished for the year, TOTS congratulate the following for winning their respective Club Championship Pairs: Nelson... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    5 Dec 2017

                                 “To continue or to switch”? That is the question. One of the... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    5 Dec 2017

    Wrong Suit, Wrong Level, Wrong Result? Hey, let’s be positive as we draw to the end of the year. Here’s hoping that those new to the game are enjoying themselves, maybe getting the hang, just a little, of how to bid and play this... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    4 Dec 2017

    Who Understands them? “Who” or is it “whom” are we talking about…or to be grammatically correct, “about whom are we talking?” Women, of course. Follow me through one particular recent hand and explain... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    1 Dec 2017

    Following in Michael’s Footsteps? Could they be? Zachary Yan and Vincent He are two students at Macleans College, the school in East Auckland which has had a keen group of Bridge players for around 6/7 years. Several are now members of the... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    30 Nov 2017

    Inter-Provincial Teams – Dougal McLean Trophy STAYS IN WELLINGTON The 2017 finals, held at the Wellington Bridge Club, ended earlier this week. Waikato Bays started well, and then Wellington had a good Sunday, going on to win with strong... read more here

  • Consistent Wellington win the Dougal McLean Trophy

    29 Nov 2017

    Wellington won only one of the five Inter-Provincial trophies in ensuring that the Dougal McLean Trophy remains in the this year’s host region but it was the important one, the Dougal McLean Trophy itself. Consistency won the day as... read more here

  • Inter-Provincial Vugraph Schedule and Results link

    27 Nov 2017

    Watch matches from the Inter-Provincials live from Wellington on BBO this weekend.  The provisional Vugraph schedule is set out below.  Times are subject to change on the day.  We will try to bring you some commentaries on the most... read more here

  • Waikato Bays' Day in Wellington

    26 Nov 2017

    After Day 1 of the 2017 Inter-Provincials at the Wellington Bridge Club, Waikato Bays have their nose in front in the overall Dougal McLean Trophy competition. Were the competition to end at this point Waikato Bays, who have never previously won... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    24 Nov 2017

    PRE-EMPTING PAIN and PLEASURES One can experience and inflict both types of feelings when pre-empts are around. … and there were a few. What, for instance, would you do when your partner, bless him, gets the ball rolling with 3NT, a solid... read more here

  • Babich New Zealand Wide Pairs winners

    23 Nov 2017

    WINE WINNERS. Below are some of the pairs who won Babich wine in the recent nationwide pairs competition. Pride of place goes to the winners, Peter and Jenny Story, who played at and spend their weekends in Kaikoura though who live in... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    23 Nov 2017

    Winners of the Waikato Bays Junior and Intermediate Leagues were decided in October.  For each competition, points are awarded for turning up to play, placing in a participating tournament (6 events in the Juniors and 9 in the Intermediates),... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    21 Nov 2017

    How many losers? Many…well just about all…players new to the game breathe a sigh of relief when they become dummy. The bidding is over. Partner should look and sound happy when you turn your cards over..and you can relax for a... read more here

  • Play and Defend Better..a piece of bidding and The Lighter Side of Bridge

    20 Nov 2017

    PLAY and Defend Better….a piece of bidding….and The Lighter Side of Bridge. Three articles around one bridge deal. How do you rate your partner? Now, that is a very interesting question. You can see in print what your partner... read more here

  • Yuletide comes early in Tauranga

    20 Nov 2017

    The National Open Teams For Kathy and Ken Yule and their teammates, Fuxia Wen and Ian Berrington, Christmas came five weeks early at the National Open Teams in Tauranga over the last weekend. They came home the strongest in an amazing change of... read more here

  • National 15A Teams Tournament - Tauranga

    17 Nov 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    17 Nov 2017

    When being “bad” is “good”. I learnt my lesson the hard way. Opening 4 of a minor with a four card spade on the side was a recipe for disaster…and it was disaster as we never found our way to the cold 4 spade... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    16 Nov 2017

    First, very many thanks to our Editor Richard Solomon for so ably covering for Biritch the Russian Blue and me during our absence overseas in August and September. I am happy to say that we are now settling in to our new abode, and that my laptop... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    15 Nov 2017

    AVOIDING MINOR SUIT GAMES There are times when you want to be in 5 of a minor as opposed to 3NT. When one player is very short in a side-suit, and there partner has only one hold in that suit, maybe a doubtful hold at that, then 5 of a minor may... read more here

  • Inter-Provincial Time is Near.

    13 Nov 2017

    There’s no wind-down to the end of the year for an important group of our players as the week-end of November 25th-27th approaches, the Inter-Provincial Championships, being held at the Wellington Bridge Club. There are seven regions taking... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    13 Nov 2017

    A squeeze you can perform. You may have heard of this term “squeezing an opponent”. You may think it is something the “better players do”. Certainly, they do get extra tricks, make seemingly impossible contracts, by... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    10 Nov 2017

    THE MORE USEFUL CUE-BID “I’m your partner. Please do not pre-empt me”. Too late. Your partner is not listening. First in hand, not vulnerable. Off they go with the “stop” card. “3¨”. What pile of... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    8 Nov 2017

    Congress and Tournament and one Local Success. As we’re coming to the close of another year, it’s a good time to look back and reflect on how well it has gone. But before I rip into lauding achievements, a simple play problem for you... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    7 Nov 2017

    The Wonderful and “Worrisome” HJ The HJ proved both a wonderful and a “worrisome” card for the East players on the following deal. Let’s first give East the problem of what to do when trying to make their 4 of a... read more here

  • UPDATE- REGIONAL BRIDGEMATES PROJECT

    7 Nov 2017

    From October 2017 to September 2018 the following actions are underway:   Auckland/Northland Region – RBM Jan France Papakura, Dargaville and Whangarei have all been offered assistance. A regionwide radio advertising campaign ahead... read more here

  • Record Highs at the "Babich"

    6 Nov 2017

    The 2017 Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs, which was played on the evening of Friday November 3rd produced some noteworthy records. Perhaps, most importantly, as the event raises funds for The New Zealand Bridge Foundation, this year saw the... read more here

  • Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs

    3 Nov 2017

    FRIDAY EVENING 3rd NOVEMBER 2017 FOR RESULTS   CLICK HERE The event is being held to raise funds for the New Zealand Bridge Foundation. Heats were held at: Auckland-Northland Auckland Dargaville Franklin... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Nov 2017

    TOUGH TO BID…AND TO MAKE? That’s an obvious conclusion to draw from Board 12 at Akarana this week. Of the 11 tables in play, the correct contract was reached only five times and of those five, only two made their contract. Back in... read more here

  • Nesting Pairs

    2 Nov 2017

    Jane Stearns' Nesting Pairs course that she has run across the Waikato since 2012 is now offered nationwide thanks to financial support from the New Zealand Bridge Foundation and the Cambridge Bridge Club.  Click on this YouTube link for... read more here

  • Canterbury News

    1 Nov 2017

    Geraldine Turns "40". Friday September 8th saw Geraldine Bridge Club celebrate its 40th anniversary, with somewhat appropriately about 40 members celebrating the occasion with a pot luck dinner. The club was founded in 1977 by Anne and Colin... read more here

  • Top scores October 2017

    1 Nov 2017

    Top percentage scores by region achieved 1-31 October 2017 inclusive (on event date), followed by top scores in B and A tournaments. WELLINGTON REGION          John Bath,  Martin Connelly 2-Oct-17... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    31 Oct 2017

    ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR CONTRACT You bid to what looks like an excellent slam. You thank your partner for their dummy…and really mean it! It is a truly excellent dummy. All you have to do is to make your contract. Yet, alas, you had to record... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    30 Oct 2017

                       ASSIGNING BLAME As well as being a story about a bridge hand, this is a story about attitude at the bridge table. We know that our game... read more here

  • Wellington Region 10A Teams

    28 Oct 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA by Mark Hangartner

    27 Oct 2017

                                  A Question of Judgement. Two newer players to Akarana, Kinga Hajmasi... read more here

  • Northland News with Sue Brown

    26 Oct 2017

    The first week in October saw a record number of Northland bridge players descend on Hamilton for New Zealand’s premium tournament of the year – National Congress – with some spectacular successes. Andrew Liu from Whangarei,... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    26 Oct 2017

    And the Danger is…..? Often the danger that can await you on a board may not be apparent as it can arise from a card or series of cards held by the declarer. On the following deal, the defender should have been aware of the danger as it... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    20 Oct 2017

    INSPIRED LEADERS Does that description fit you? Jacinda Ardern or Winston Peters, perhaps? Maybe they had other things on their minds last Wednesday evening.  There were plenty of imps available on the following two boards….Will you... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    19 Oct 2017

    Central Districts' players were well represented at the recent National Congress. Among the more successful were Les Gould and Pieter Verhoek who reached the final of the National Rubber Bridge competition. The region’s only winner was Wayne... read more here

  • 2017 WBF Women's Online Autumn Festival in association with BBO 13 - 19 November 2017

    18 Oct 2017

    2017 WBF Women’s Online Autumn Festival in association with BBO 13 - 19 November 2017 Our Online Women’s Bridge Festivals are increasingly popular and enjoyed by many women across the world. We hope that as many players as possible... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    17 Oct 2017

    HERO or VILLAIN? That’s your partner, there to help you out, in any way they can. Hopefully, they can do so within the rules….but sometimes the rules do prevent even your partner from saving you from utter disaster. It’s... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    17 Oct 2017

    THE “MISSING” HEARTS Have you heard that defence, maybe declarer play, even bidding too, is about “counting”? Right from the time you sort your cards (are you sure you have 13?), you are counting…high card points,... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    13 Oct 2017

    “Currie(d) Ducks” So, about playing a board with David Dolbel? We all know David’s system is a little “eft field” but when it comes to being declarer, he is in the same uncertain melting pot as the rest of us. So,... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    11 Oct 2017

    There’s been plenty on the agenda over the last couple of months for Top of the South. The second round of the Margaret Cederman Cup, a two round match between Motueka and Golden Bay was played in early September with Motueka the firm... read more here

  • Website enhancements

    11 Oct 2017

    We have received a lot of good constructive feedback over recent weeks about the changes to the website.  It was a good opportunity to catch up with many clubs during Congress and we appreciated the "Brownie Points" received from Yvonne... read more here

  • 5 Kiwis and 1 Aussie take out the NZ Teams

    8 Oct 2017

    Congratulations Liam Milne, James Coutts, Tony Nunn (the Aussie), Nick Jacob, Rosie Don and Michael Courtney for winning the NZ Teams. Runners-up: Andrew Liu, Jun Chen, Herman Yuan, Linlin Hu and Shiyu Huo   read more here

  • Unsung heroes at Congress

    8 Oct 2017

    Thank you to the caddies, Directors and support staff for the wonderful job they do during Congress.  You ARE appreciated Directors Tony Morcom, Allan Josephs, Matthew McMannis (Australia) and Scorer Peter Busch (Australia)  ... read more here

  • Winners at Congress

    8 Oct 2017

    Congress is over for another year.  To view all the prizes look under the Congress Tab or click on this link to view In the photo above is the NZB Secretary, Alister Stuck, Chair, Alan Dormer enjoying a catch up with Russell... read more here

  • NZ Teams A points

    6 Oct 2017

    We wish to advise the allocation of A points for sessions and the final ladder are incorrect. They will be fixed so please do not panic. Sorry for the inconvenience.  read more here

  • THank you Cynthia

    6 Oct 2017

    Our recent Volunteer of the month, Cynthia Clayton, has been busy all week selling her wonderful hand made cards at Congress.  Proceeds are going to Youth Bridge.  It has been great to see her table so busy between... read more here

  • Auckland-Akarana Quinella

    3 Oct 2017

    Congratulations Patrick Carter and Julie Atkinson for comfortably winning the NZ Pairs 2nd was Gary Chen and Richard Solomon. Hope Richard can tell us how he Chairs the Congress committee, manages the entries and plays good bridge at the same... read more here

  • 2017 AGM

    30 Sep 2017

    The 2017 AGM was held on Saturday the 30th September It was requested of the Board to post the Board member presentations here on the website, so please click here to view the slides read more here

  • First Congress Bulletin now online

    29 Sep 2017

    Go to the Congress tab/Daily Bulletins/2017 or click on this link.  What a great first edition from Brian Senior and we look forward to good reading during the week read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    29 Sep 2017

    Kairangi returns home...but is Tony ever at his "home? The Kairangi Bridge Club have now returned to play regular bridge in their club rooms. The strengthening work on their building will be fully completed in October. Tony Sutich, our regional... read more here

  • WANT EMAIL UPDATES FROM CONGRESS ?

    28 Sep 2017

    Login to this website and then go to MY NZB   In the section that says AREAS OF INTEREST there is a tick box for Congress.  Tick the box and you will receive Congress emails.  Many of you are already subscribing from last... read more here

  • MEET THE NEW REGIONAL BRIDGE MATES

    27 Sep 2017

    The training day for six new Bridge Mates to help grow the game in the Regions took place in Wellington yesterday (26th Sept).  Armed with their RBM Toolbox and plans for Regional initiatives they are ready to go into action in October.... read more here

  • Our National Congress is almost here.

    25 Sep 2017

    In less than a week, we will be all sitting down for the start of the New Zealand Pairs or the Restricted Open Pairs, with the usual buzz of excitement and anticipation. Before you get to Hamilton, it would be a great idea to check the listings... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    21 Sep 2017

    A TALE OF TWO “SHORT” KINGS Partner and I have a kind of agreement that we do not treat singleton aces or kings as singletons. They tend to lead partner astray as to the strength or otherwise of their own holding in the said suit. So,... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    20 Sep 2017

    The Reopening Double This article is more about the bidding than the play. The more bridge you play the more kinds of uses of double you find. Initially, it is just the take-out double, the penalty double and maybe the negative double.... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    20 Sep 2017

    The Ever Popular Cambridge 6's The highlight of the Waikato Bays bridge calendar was the Cambridge 6s held in August at the expansive venue next to the Lake Karapiro. The format is a team of six plays in three concurrent Swiss Pairs competition... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    18 Sep 2017

    SMALL CARDS: BIG CHICKS.HAVE FAITH. “Who’s afraid of the big bad no trump The big bad no trump, the big bad no trump Who’s afraid of the big bad no trump….” Not you nor partner nor I! So, are you? Come on, you... read more here

  • Auckland News

    15 Sep 2017

    Firstly, we must celebrate the success of the five New Zealand Open Team members who live in Auckland, Michael Cornell, Michael Ware, GeO Tislevoll, Matthew Brown and Michael Whibley. We can claim the sixth too even if  Ashley Bach lives... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    15 Sep 2017

    ANYONE FOR HEARTS? Trying to play boards in hearts this week at Akarana proved or could have proved a little difficult. From Board 1 through to 28 would see a multitude of failed contracts. On Board 1, East-West held:... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    12 Sep 2017

    “Ruffly” Speaking. You have to keep partner focused…or at least that is the only reason West can account for the following banter. The opposition had, to one player at the table’s frustration, pulled up short of slam at... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    12 Sep 2017

    RIGHT- SIDING A CONTRACT One of the aims of bidding, the most important aim, is to reach the right contract, to decide whether one’s side is likely to make game, maybe even slam, or else rest in a part-score, or maybe even defend. However,... read more here

  • Macleans College retain Auckland-Northland School Teams Trophy

    11 Sep 2017

    Five teams from two schools, Auckland Boys Grammar and Macleans College, took part in this annual event which takes place at the Howick Bridge Club, this year on 10th September. Numbers were less than last year but there was still an excellent... read more here

  • Vodafone announcements about their email service stopping

    10 Sep 2017

    Vodafone will axe its email services in a move that will impact between 200,000 and 250,000 customers. Vodafone will turn off its email accounts, including Clear and Paradise accounts, on November 30 and will instead encourage customers to set up... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    8 Sep 2017

    Passing…and Doubling. What is the highest number of high card points you have ever held when you passed your partner’s opening three-level pre-empt? Secondly, would you double the following 4 heart contract after the following... read more here

  • Website Q & A

    8 Sep 2017

    We have set up a Q & A session in the Forums for players, clubs and Admin people who wish to learn more or ask questions.  Please go to MY NZB and click on Forums then select the forum headed "New Masterpoint and Membership Process",... read more here

  • We are now Live on the new website

    5 Sep 2017

      Have you had a look ? MasterpointsThere is better search function of players and Masterpoints: Not only can you search a player, but you can add a date range in that search.  You will also be able to search by Grade, Rank, Club or... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    4 Sep 2017

    Make Them Pay. They have stolen your contract. There’s a slam to be bid and made your way but you decided to take the money off them at the five level. The vulnerability is in their favour but you were never going to bid the slam any way.... read more here

  • Website change over happening 5th Sept

    2 Sep 2017

    We wish to advise that this website will be completely unavailable next Tuesday the 5th September, as this is when we are changing over to the new platform.  We anticipate it will be only for the day, but will advise if any different.... read more here

  • National 15A Swiss Pairs Tournament

    1 Sep 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    1 Sep 2017

    Tales of the Absurd: Do you want to play in hearts? How else can one describe a couple of boards from this week’s play? No fancy squeezes or end-plays this time. It’s all in what we bid and how much…which usually means too... read more here

  • Director Exams - 28-29 Oct 2017

    30 Aug 2017

    information here read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    30 Aug 2017

    Here are the top session scores achieved in July 2017. Congratulations to all, especially to Michael Hume and Chhris Bras for their 73.20% at Rangiora.     Session % Final Position Michael Hume - Chris Bras Rangiora 8B... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    30 Aug 2017

    Here are the Tournament Results from July 2017 for the Auckland- Northland and Waikato Bays regions. Apologies that they appear a little later than in previous months. Spa Town Teams, Te Aroha (1st July). Multigrade     Spa... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    30 Aug 2017

    Here are the Tournament Results from the Central Districts and Wellington regions for July. The highest score in a 2 session event came from Steven Needham and Penny Stark with 132.66% at the Hawera Intermediate Pairs. Dannevirke... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    30 Aug 2017

    Here are the results for the South Island Regions for July 2017. The highest score in a 2 session event was achieved by Jim Burford and Ron Griffiths, 130.32% at the Oamaru All Grades. Oamaru All Grades (2nd July)     Rangiora... read more here

  • WOULD YOUR CLUB WELCOME A HELPING HAND?

    30 Aug 2017

    Would your club welcome some support?  At NZB we plan to have “Regional Bridge Mates” trained and ready to be deployed in October to start working alongside clubs across New Zealand.  Could your club use a kick start? Are... read more here

  • Southland News with Moss Wylie

    29 Aug 2017

    News of tournaments in Winton, Taieri and Invercargill and of a tough to play hand from Invercargill. On some hands, the key to success is drawing trumps quickly. On others, you must not. Which is this to be? The Winton Club held their 5A Open... read more here

  • Summer Festival of Bridge - Canberra Jan 2018

    29 Aug 2017

    Special Offer for NZ Players Come and play the Summer Festival 2018 NZ...  read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    28 Aug 2017

    The Finesse You are happy to lose. Many contracts require care. If that was not the case, we would get a little bored with all deals being too simple to play. Maybe you would like a simple board to play? Many players hate playing in no-trumps.... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    26 Aug 2017

    The Battle for Bronze 58 imps in 64 boards. That was the Bridge Blacks’ target. Nothing to lose. Could they achieve it for bronze? Set 4 New Zealand 41  Bulgaria 23 As Open captain and chef de mission Derek Evennett said,... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    25 Aug 2017

    Playing with Stanley…and like him! Well, that has to be a compliment. It certainly would be true on the following board from play at Akarana. The moral of what follows is: Never be fazed By the difficulty of the contract By a lack of... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    25 Aug 2017

    The Battle for Bronze So, to the play-off for bronze, 5 sets of 16 boards over two days.  The first set was relatively flat with the Bridge Blacks scoring the largest swing, 8 imps, when their opponents went down a total of 5 tricks at both... read more here

  • The crowd goes wild !

    25 Aug 2017

    Woo hoo we get a mention on TV at last and they were even positive about our game !.  Thanks so much Prime for running a segment from Lyon.  We are also pleased to note that Andrew Mulligan's mum plays bridge too.  Hi Andrew's mum.... read more here

  • Do not remove your Black Socks when in bed tonight !

    24 Aug 2017

    Fresh socks are now required ! Our team in Lyon needs your support.  OK we faltered a little against the French.  Probably because the team ate too many frog's legs at the restaurant the day before !  We still have a... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    24 Aug 2017

    A Big Score, The Northland Teams and An "inelegant flat board". July 29th saw the Kerikeri New World tournament which attracts entries from all over the North Island. Mainly because of the A points on offer of course but the very, very generous... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    24 Aug 2017

    On then to the Battle for Bronze 92 imps down at the half-way point of the semi-final against France. That would be a tough ask against any decent opposition…but against a top country playing well. “C’est non”. It would... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    23 Aug 2017

    New Zealand v France in the Semi Final of the Bermuda Bowl. How exciting is that? Tremendous, whatever the outcome. Matt Brown and Michael Whibley slept in for the first set, as they seemed to have done most days, while the other four did... read more here

  • Link to Lyon

    22 Aug 2017

    WEAR YOUR BLACK SOCKS EVERYONE ! This team is making history at the Bermuda Bowl Geo Tislevoll, Matthew Brown, Michael Wibley, Ashley Bach, Michael Cornell & Michael WareGo to our Facebook page to read all about the players,... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    22 Aug 2017

    Careful or Careless? When suits break evenly, playing a contract is relatively easy. There is usually more than one path to success even if your path is not the one taken by the experts. Yet, the mark of a good Bridge player is a careful Bridge... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    22 Aug 2017

    WELL, I NEVER….. Could we really reach the semi- finals of the Bermuda Bowl? “In your dreams” would have been the answer for many years. Yet, when you have three pairs all playing top Bridge, dreams have a way of becoming... read more here

  • New Zealand Bridge Youth Weekend

    21 Aug 2017

    Our “Tomorrow Players” Meet in Auckland. Matt Brown could not be there. Nor could Susan Humphries. They had some prior engagement in Lyon. Yet, they are just a touch too good for those young players who gathered for a week-end of... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    21 Aug 2017

                ALIVE, VERY WELL and FIGHTING: Bermuda Bowl Quarter Final. It’s so nice to be looking forward to the quarter finals of the Bermuda Bowl with New Zealand one of the 8... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    20 Aug 2017

    WE DID IT How wonderful to be proved wrong. We seemed a long way off making the quarter-final stage of the Bermuda Bowl.... but our Open Team did it. Read on and see how dramatically close it was.   Open  ... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    19 Aug 2017

    Hindsight is a wonderful  thing to have. At the start of Day 6, our Open Team would need about 40vp from Day 6 to stay competitive for the top 8. Read on to see if they could achieve that on a day of three very hard matches. ... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    18 Aug 2017

    Play Low, Low and Low Again With plenty of action from Lyon at present and a quiet night at Akarana, here is a little story involving some unusual happenings in the spade suit. The first was in the bidding. You are sitting there as West and... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    18 Aug 2017

    Our Open Team started the day against top placed Sweden. A really bloody board helped one of these countries to score an excellent win. See if you would have avoided going for -1100.     Open    ... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    17 Aug 2017

    Val Gardiner returned to her home town to win the Wanganui Open with fellow Aucklander Michael Whibley. They were first in each of the early sessions  but had  a slightly nervous third session .. but had enough in reserve to hold off the... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    17 Aug 2017

    Lyon – Day 4 Among the interestingly shaped hands today was a powerful 7-5 in the reds and a blockbuster 4-9 in the majors. If you like that kind of excitement, then the South seat is where you should be!   Open... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    16 Aug 2017

    Lyon – Day 3. Life in the nervy 5 level....a hand with 2 x 6 card suits....and some more freaky slams. Some good news....and less good news re our three teams in France.... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    15 Aug 2017

    The Best of All Worlds Signalling…easier to give than to interpret. “How could I realise that the 7 was your lowest heart?” exclaimed a frustrated player after they failed to find a club switch. “How could you want me to... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    15 Aug 2017

    Lyon Day 2 Three wins for our Open team but disappointment for our other two teams on the second day of competition. Plenty of interest including a wonderful vulnerable sacrifice at the 7 level.... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    14 Aug 2017

     Stop  Cards are “ear” to stay! There are just two serious statements I want to make this week. The first is unlike a number of bridge players, I am very much in favour of the use of “Stop” cards, or should I... read more here

  • The Bowl at Lyon

    14 Aug 2017

    Welcome to the first of the daily reports from Lyon on the progress of the three New Zealand teams who are taking part in the Bermuda Bowl/ Venice Cup competitions. We all hope for performances to match those of our Open and Women’s Teams in... read more here

  • 43rd World Teams Championships

    11 Aug 2017

    We will start daily reports on the progress of the three New Zealand teams in the World Championship events(Open, Senior and Women) on the morning of Monday August 14th.   Richard Solomon read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    11 Aug 2017

    SLAMS A’PLENTY There were good slams to be bid. There were bad slams which were both bid and missed. There were 50% slams where the missing king was well placed for the brave. There was even one lay-down slam in each direction, “lay... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    11 Aug 2017

    Winter time = Tournament Time except for your TOTS reporter who is spending most of it in UK and Ireland. So TOTS News for August is brought to you remotely this time round…………. I did manage an appearance at the ever... read more here

  • COULD YOU BE A" REGIONAL BRIDGE MATE" AND HELP CLUBS GROW ?

    10 Aug 2017

    Following consultation with all clubs and regions the Board has decided to run a two year trial of a grass roots project designed to bring help and support to grow clubs nationwide. NZB is now looking for amazing enthusiastic people to contract... read more here

  • My Conversation with Warren Buffett about Bridge, Bill Gates and a bus ride.

    9 Aug 2017

     By Thomas Heath The following article appeeared recently in The New Zealand Herald. We thought you might be interested in reading about one, maybe two of the most well known people who enjoy our game. Warren Buffett doesn't spend all his... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    8 Aug 2017

    OUT OF SIGHT: OUT OF MIND They are very considerate at the New Plymouth Bridge Club. They know that when you are scoring well, you are very happy for everyone to see your score. When, shall we say, you have just experienced or in the case of... read more here

  • FIRST TIME PARTNERSHIP WINS NORTH ISLAND PAIRS

    8 Aug 2017

    Over the weekend of 6th/7th August, top Open Bridge players from all over New Zealand converged on New Plymouth for the prestigious North Island Pairs Championship. Bringing home the bacon were Auckland’s Matt Brown and Whanganui’s... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 Aug 2017

    A Difference between Pairs and Teams? It may seem a strange question to ask but sometimes when confronted with a problem, you have to ask the question “are we playing Pairs or Teams?” In bidding, it may be a choice of bidding 3NT or 5... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    8 Aug 2017

    August 2017 - Cynthia Clayton (Hamilton) - Card player and maker. Cynthia has been involved in Bridge for over 40 years, first playing, then teaching in Hawkes Bay before moving to Rotorua and then on to Hamilton. She is a Silver Grand Master... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bidding for Newer Players

    7 Aug 2017

    BUT THEY BID HEARTS! Bridge is full of good pieces of advice … and we know that sometimes we find reasons to break the advice. However, such tips are there for a purpose. At least one player paid the price when they did not follow a very... read more here

  • NORTH ISLAND PAIRS- NEW PLYMOUTH 5TH - 6TH aug

    5 Aug 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • National Bridge Congress update

    4 Aug 2017

    Counting down the days…. It’s less than two months until the Congress gets under way. So, if you have not done so, now would be a great time to start entering the events you want to play. You can do that without reaching for your... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    4 Aug 2017

                             The Glorious Dummy. Don’t you love it when you struggle your way through the play of a hand, in... read more here

  • YOUTH SQUAD UPDATE FROM TRACEY LEWIS

    4 Aug 2017

    read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    2 Aug 2017

      Back to Kapi Mana's Multigrade and Kairangi's renovations. At the end of this update, I'll provide a few more results from the Kapi Mana Multigrade mentioned in the June report. I was short on detail across the grades back then. While I'm... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    1 Aug 2017

    EXPOSING A RISKY RUSE On this board, a declarer played a dangerous game and came up smelling of roses, but should the defence have been able to work out what was happening? Let’s look at the board from the point of view of West.... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    31 Jul 2017

    Sweet Orange ….. or Sour Lemon? You start off with a hand of great potential which is either decimated by the sight of dummy (“You are on my side, partner…or have you forgotten?”) or by subsequent bidding or by a wrong... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bidding for Newer Players

    31 Jul 2017

    LOSE ONE TO WIN TWO. When you are playing in a no-trump contract, it is rarely correct to play all your aces and kings at the start unless you can see you have enough tricks to make your contract. Even then, sometimes, crafty declarers can make... read more here

  • Revised WBF Rules- Effective from 1 Aug 2017

    31 Jul 2017

    Information available here Including a link to a Utube presentaion by the EBU read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    28 Jul 2017

    HEART ATTACK …and HEART BREAK! The evening was littered with long heart suits. The heart suit normally has to play second fiddle to the black  spades but much of the action revolved around the red hearts. Spring Lin and Kevin Fan were... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    26 Jul 2017

    As I’m into the second week of calving and life is busy on the farm, I apologise in advance for this month’s regional round up … it is likely to be shorter than usual, riddled with errors with a few unsubstantiated stories... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    25 Jul 2017

    A “Partnership” Slam Much of the time when we have bid to slams (good slams, that is!), the play can be quite straightforward. One must be very careful in the play but barring very bad trump breaks, the line to success should be quite... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    24 Jul 2017

      There’s Always a Way Don’t we love Deal Master Pro, that little box at the bottom of each hand on the hand record we clutch at the end of any session of Bridge? It can be so reassuring…27 high card points but somehow... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    24 Jul 2017

    SHOWING A STRONG HAND When the opposition open the bidding with a suit bid at the one level, we double to show an opening hand reasonably balanced between the other three suits apart from opener’s. There is, though, another type of hand for... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    21 Jul 2017

    ONCE MORE INTO BATTLE In English History, it could be “The Wars of The Roses” between Yorkshire and Lancashire. In cricket, it could be the battle for “The Ashes” between England and Australia. It could be Trans-Tasman... read more here

  • International Programme for 2018

    20 Jul 2017

    Bulletins and information read more here

  • Canterbury News

    19 Jul 2017

    Akaroa have just completed their biennial Beginners Classes, with 11 players receiving their graduation certificates and NZ Bridge Cheatsheet. Their first full night of bridge will be the Mid-winter Dinner on July 31st. The computer will have... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    18 Jul 2017

    DIAGNOSIS OF A DISASTER The opposition reached a very poor 3NT contract, with insufficient high card points and no real long suit to run….at least not without a loser or two first. They got a little lucky with the break and position of... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    17 Jul 2017

     A Bidders’ World. Would you?  Should you?  There’s not any money at stake but you are playing Rubber Bridge and you are winning the match. The opponents are vulnerable and stand to claw back your advantage if they make... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bid for Newer Players

    17 Jul 2017

    The Finesse That Cannot Fail. Everyone is taught the art of finessing at a very early stage of their bridge career. Playing a small card towards AQ gives you a 50% chance of success, even if you feel that more than half of your finesses do fail!... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    14 Jul 2017

    Hope Springs Eternal The emotions one can through during the 7 or so minutes you play a hand of bridge can be quite contrasting. You can start off with dreams of gold, a nicely shapely hand with an almost solid suit…and just for once, your... read more here

  • Bridging The Gap for our Migrants

    13 Jul 2017

    English Language Partners New Zealand (ELP) is an organisation which works with migrants and refugees who have come to New Zealand and helps them to settle and become part of our culture while still retaining their own identity. On a regional... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    12 Jul 2017

    They Do Not Come Very Often…. Especially when your partner opens a strong 1NT! So, enjoy the minute or two bidding such a hand and hopefully you can have a sensible auction to the right spot. One such hand occurred last weekend in the... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    12 Jul 2017

    To line up with the release of the last season of the popular show 'Game of Thrones', winter has well and truly come to New Zealand. What better way to while away the cold days than in a warm clubroom playing our favourite cardgame? The learners... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    12 Jul 2017

    July 2017: Heather and Chris Jared It is a great pleasure having joint nominations this month with the award going to husband and wife, Heather and Chris Jared. They have been long-time supporters of the Hutt Bridge Club in particular and of... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    11 Jul 2017

    THE IMPORTANCE OF…..or Replacing the Guess You can manage without it but without it, it becomes guesswork. You can try and guess what is happening with a deal, what the declarer wants you to do and therefore do the opposite. You can... read more here

  • Play, Defence even Bidding for Newer Players

    11 Jul 2017

    Getting Rid of Your Losers The teacher said when you are in a trump contract, it is usually best to draw the opposition’s trumps. Normally, hopefully, your side has more than they do and you can stop their trumps being a threat. The... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    10 Jul 2017

    The following are the top session scores for June 2017. What a great session for Richard Hishon and Jen White at the Winton Intermediate Pairs. RECENT HIGH SESSION SCORES June 2017     Final     Session %... read more here

  • South Island Pairs Title Heads North

    10 Jul 2017

    Seven North Islanders headed to Dunedin for this year’s South Island Pairs andt two of them returned home with the title. It did not look that way when after the first of the four rounds, Clair Miao (Auckland) and Wayne Burrows (Palmerston... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    10 Jul 2017

    Here are June's results from the Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays Regions. The top two session score came from Mike Curry and Neil Stuckey in Auckland's Lesley Porter Paairs, 133.12% while in the only three session event, Michael Ware and GeO... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    10 Jul 2017

    Here are the June 2017 results from the Central Districts and Wellington Regions. The top percentage score of the month came from Barry Marsh and Barry Masters, 125.28% in the New Plymouth Restricted Pairs. Hawke's Bay Congress (2nd- 5th... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    10 Jul 2017

    Here are the South Island results from June 2017. Top 2 session score was achieved by Paula Gregory and Michael Johnstone at the Temuka All Grades (126.32%) while in a 3 session event, James and Sam Coutts scored 183.15% to win the Otago-Southland... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    6 Jul 2017

    As I mentioned in an earlier epistle from JAFA land, neither Biritch the Russian Blue nor I have been much in evidence in the local scene of recent weeks. I have been wrestling with sifting through 25 years of accumulated stuff (I have no better... read more here

  • South Island Pairs

    6 Jul 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS PAGE read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    5 Jul 2017

    COUNTING WINNERS – A WELCOME TO THE NEW PLAYERS With players coming out of Beginners’ Lessons at about this time of year, this week’s example hand is one for those new to the club session. Perhaps you could give the following... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    4 Jul 2017

    Hello all from the Winterless North. We have had one of our two usual frosts for the year. Hopefully winter is all but done and dusted for us here.  Whangarei has the fortunate advantage of having its very own National Director in Richard... read more here

  • NZB Regional Bridge Development Proposal

    4 Jul 2017

    NZB are considering a proposal to introduce Regional Bridge Development Officers (Human Bridge Mates) to help clubs and regions grow the game.  The proposal was discussed at National Conference with the Regions and has now gone to the Clubs... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    3 Jul 2017

    EXPERT CARD COUNTING Brilliancies come in different ways. We will show you an innovative way of finding winning bridge. You must have seen examples of brilliant card play and defence in past bridge articles, of how declarers worked out the... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    30 Jun 2017

    PREEMPTING A PRE-EMPT.....The Eighth Deadly Sin. Do you? Should you? What are the dangers? Can your partnership pull up short of disaster? These are some of the questions generated by Board 23 this week. Look at the West hand and decide if you... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    27 Jun 2017

    Guiding Partner Good defence can be thoughtful defence. You know what needs to be done but partner may not be on the same wave-length. If you can, guide them. Look at the very simple error which occurred in the defence to this part-score.... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    26 Jun 2017

    DOWN A BEER OR DOWN THE CONTRACT? Which is more important to a bridge player? Maybe if you are 25 or under..or a year or 20 over, then the answer is obvious. The chance of a free drink would certainly come at the expense of beating a part-score.... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    23 Jun 2017

    GIVE NOTHING AWAY….NOT EVEN GERBER! One up for Gerber this week. Firstly, though, some thoughts on opening leads to games. Do you attack or go defensive? No-one should answer that question without asking one in return. “What do I... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    21 Jun 2017

    Great Week-end for Kaikoura and Westport As if the dead of winter wasn’t cold enough, 4 Nelson players, Kath Orlowski, Lesley Rogers, Rosie Page and Barbara Gordon took themselves off to Alaska recently for a bridge cruise with Ron Klinger.... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    20 Jun 2017

    “Don’t Send a Boy on a Man’s Job” The “boy’s” name was Jack.  He was sacrificed, was sent out too early. His loss caused a break-down of the whole operation (contract) resulting in failure. Cause of... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    19 Jun 2017

    PARTNER’S ALWAYS RIGHT….EVEN WHEN THEY ARE…… That’s right! Partner knows best. You lay down the rules and partner agrees with you. All fine in theory. Let’s tune in to two sides of the bridge table,... read more here

  • Schools' Bridge Pairs

    19 Jun 2017

    HUGE SCORE BY MACLEANS PAIR IN SCHOOL PAIRS COMPETITION Sunday 18th June saw 22 students from Macleans College and Auckland Grammar School take part in a one session Pairs competition at the Auckland Bridge Club. The speed was, shall we say,... read more here

  • NZ 15A Pairs -Wellington

    17 Jun 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    16 Jun 2017

    Nicely Bid: Nicely Played Board 6 at Akarana this week resulted in 8 different contracts being played at the 9 tables with only three declarers being successful plus another achieving their aim taking a sacrifice against game. Board... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    14 Jun 2017

    25 years and going very strong That’s the Hawke’s Bay Bridge Congress which, during Queens Birthday Weekend, drew players from all over the North Island and beyond to its new home at The Taradale Club, the building which houses the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    13 Jun 2017

    COUNT TO SUCCESS It’s not easy and there are some deals where you either have to make assumptions in order to try and count a defender’s hand…i.e. working out where missing honour cards are more likely to be. Sometimes, when... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    12 Jun 2017

    “What a Pass” Take a step forward, Stanley Abrahams. In case you do not know, he is a fine intuitive Auckland bridge player. Played for New Zealand, too. So, pardon the expression, “no mug”. Lover of the Multi 2 too,... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    10 Jun 2017

    We have five 70% + session scores this month, led by a very nice 73.96 from Adrienne Dale and Miriam Lewin at the Hutt Junior Pairs. RECENT HIGH SESSION SCORES May 2017     Final     Session % Position... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    10 Jun 2017

    Here are the Tournament Results for the Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays regions for May 2017. The highest session score was 69.90% by Jan Cormack and Grant Jarvis at the Howick Open Pairs. Hamilton Ladies Day 3A Open Pairs (2nd May)... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    10 Jun 2017

    Here are the Tournament Results for May 2107 for the Central Districts and Wellington regions. The highest session score was the 73.96% by Adrienne Dale and Miriam Lewin at the Hutt Junior Pairs. Feilding Intermediate Pairs (6th May)... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    10 Jun 2017

    Here are the South Island Tournament Results for May 2017. The highest session score was 73.00 by Moss Wylie and Anne Somerville at the Te Anau Open Pairs. Akaroa Open Pairs (6th May)     Motueka Intermediate Pairs (6th May)... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    9 Jun 2017

            FITS LIKE A GLOVE We are programmed, have it drummed into us to beware of misfits, that high-card points are not everything and to be cautious in our approach to bidding. Over-cautious would be my impression... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 Jun 2017

    HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL Dicey contract; wrong opening lead. You are on the back foot. Don’t panic. There is still hope! You are sitting East and after you made an “I want to do something but I am not sure what” double, things have... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 9

    7 Jun 2017

    Two Contrasting Test Matches While the Zone 6 countries fought for the Zone’s places at the Bermuda Bowl/ Venice Cup, both New Zealand teams played 64 board test matches against Australia. The first 12 boards saw the Australian Ladies win... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    7 Jun 2017

    Wellington ANZAC Congress It seems so long ago, the Wellington Regional Congress held way back around ANZAC Day. We used the extra day from ANZAC Day falling on a Tuesday to run a two day Open Teams. We went for a leisurely pace, rather than... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    6 Jun 2017

    Spotting the difference? 55 boards played…one to go. A nice quick board to finish the day, a quick score-up. The bar beckons. A nice solid 8 card suit . They open 2, meaning, strangely, diamonds…..and you still remember to use the... read more here

  • APBF Championships

    6 Jun 2017

    read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 8

    6 Jun 2017

    DISAPPOINTMENT ALL ROUND At the start of the final day of the double-robin event, the New Zealand Open Team was in third place. Good performances in their three matches against the other top teams and anything was possible. They started against... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 7

    5 Jun 2017

    HELP FROM ACROSS THE TASMAN The New Zealand Open team started in great style with a 32-4 (16.72) win over Australia. With China recording a smaller win over Indonesia, New Zealand regained the overall lead by a massive 0.37vp! It was a steady... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 6

    4 Jun 2017

    A NEW NAME TO CHASE The day started with the New Zealand Open Team chasing Japan who had come off a huge day to take the lead. A lot can happen in 24 hours or 4 matches. First up for New Zealand was Thailand with a bucketful of imps changing... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 5

    3 Jun 2017

    JAPAN SETS THE PACE IN ROUND ROBIN 2 In the second Round Robin, the leading teams start off by playing those at the bottom. So, there is the likelihood of some big scores. The New Zealand Open Team got to play the bottom team of all…but... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea....Day 4

    2 Jun 2017

    A JOB WELL DONE…SO FAR The New Zealand Open team had only two matches today as they finished the first round-robin with a bye. It was to be a day of mixed fortunes, too, with a loss, a good win and then a wait to see if they would end the... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    2 Jun 2017

    PATIENT DEFENCE REQUIRED Last week, I moaned at the lack of middle cards I was dealt. Moaning had little impact when it came to Board 26 this week. My trumps were 6543 and with partner holding the 2 among his four, it was hardly going to be a... read more here

  • July Director Exam Series Postponed

    1 Jun 2017

    1 June 2017   TO Club Secretaries CC Regional Committees   July Director Exam Series Postponed   With the updated WBF rules coming into effect in New Zealand from 1 August 2017 a decision has been made to postpone the... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 3

    1 Jun 2017

                   Our Open Team Take The Lead With three tough matches to complete the day, the New Zealand Open Team needed a good result in their opening match of Day 3 against... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    1 Jun 2017

    KEEP YOUR HEAD ON..DON’T PANIC Panic caused a number of declarers to go astray in the following recent slam. Making 12 even 13 tricks in spades and 12 in no trumps was quite possible but some only made 11. Here are the North-South hands:... read more here

  • Queens Birthday Weekend Events- Link to Results

    1 Jun 2017

    Auckland Hawkes Bay Otago read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea...Day 2

    31 May 2017

    The “Four Slam” Day New Zealand Open team dropped to third with a narrow 18-23 (8.42) loss to Malaysia in the first match of the day. The result swung on the defence to Board 13: Board 13North DealsBoth Vul... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    31 May 2017

    Hello from the saturated Waikato Bays – autumn is turning up perfect weather to stay in and play bridge although driving any great distance can be treacherous. Highlights from the past few months include the IP trials which had good... read more here

  • New Zealand in Korea Day 1.

    30 May 2017

    New Zealand in Korea  Day 1 Our Open Team Lead the Way Both New Zealand teams started the first day meaning business. Both are playing 14 board matches with the Open team playing four and the Ladies three matches a day. Our Open Team... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    29 May 2017

    Making Someone Happy Look on the bright side. One pair’s disaster is another’s delight. If you can make someone happy along the way, then your day or night has not been in vain. Who said those fine words? So, I pose a bidding... read more here

  • New Zealand at the APBF

    29 May 2017

    Two New Zealand teams, an Open and Ladies’ team, are taking part in the 51st Hicar APBF Bridge Federation Championships which start today in, Seoul, Korea. We will be bringing you here on this website daily reports of their progress.... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    26 May 2017

     ACES ARE FOR DEFEATING SLAMS…EVEN GAMES! A troublesome night for many on defence where many a defensive ace went to bed without winning a trick. Sometimes we wait. Occasionally we under-lead. On this night, we needed to score them... read more here

  • Canterbury News

    24 May 2017

    The "All Blacks" of Bridge At about the time you are likely to read this feature, two of Canterbury’s best will be heading off to Korea to take part in this year’s Pacific Asia Bridge Championships. In August, they will represent New... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    23 May 2017

                                      How Could I Know? Lightning struck twice in one... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    22 May 2017

                        LONG ODDS AND CLUBS What are the odds of you winning Lotto, not a welcome but unstartling $30 or $40 but the real big money? OK, I... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    22 May 2017

    May 2017. Heini Lux - Rotorua Heini has been a member of the Rotorua Club for over 30 years. He has been a President of the Club, is currently a Vice President and has served on the committee for many years. His work for the club has included... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month - The First Year

    22 May 2017

    This award has been running for one year. With our game so reliant on the support of volunteers, New Zealand Bridge thinks it is really worthwhile to acknowledge some of those who contribute to our game. We also believe that the volunteers... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    19 May 2017

    ONE CHANCE Leading partner’s suit is not always a good idea as North was to find out on the first board of this evening at Akarana. There was to be no recovery when dummy proved to be rather unusual:   Board 1North... read more here

  • Souhland News with Moss Wylie

    18 May 2017

    Weekend at Winton April 1st kicked off with the Winton 5A Open Teams. This event was well supported by Otago Club players. The catering was excellent thanks to generous country hospitality. Craig Rogers directed the round robin affair with... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    16 May 2017

    Don’t you love it? You are, probably like most other pairs, in 3NT. You have 8 tricks on top and have different ways of playing to try and get the 9th trick. One false move and they will have 5 tricks before you get 9. And then there is the... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    15 May 2017

    Showing Your Hand There are many important things to learn about bridge. You probably know that….and are still struggling with about 60% of them (you would not want me to put a higher percentage, would you?). What follows is about a... read more here

  • WOMEN TRIUMPH UP NORTH IN THE INTER-PROVINCIAL TRIALS

    15 May 2017

    This last weekend has been Inter Provincial Trials Weekend in all regions. In our two Northern regions, there were very impressive results by two Women’s pairs. Most regions ran the trials Butler Pairs or Swiss Pairs style with combined... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    13 May 2017

    Here are the highest session scores achieved in April 2017. Congratulations to all the following pairs.  Pair  Tournament Session % Position Carol Richardson - Matthew Brown Hibiscus Open Pairs 2 72.22 1... read more here

  • Interprovincial Trials- Link to results by Region

    12 May 2017

      Auckland Northland  Waikato Bays Central Districts Wellington Top of the South   Open, Womens & Senior     -   Intermediate Canterbury Otago Southland read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    12 May 2017

    Critical Choices Challenging, frustrating, at times exhilarating.  Could it be marriage about which we are talking? No! Partnership of another kind. Defence, of course! Drawing inferences, looking for signals from partner. Knowing when to be... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    12 May 2017

    Here are the April 2017 results in the Auckland- Northland and Waikato Bays regions. The highest two session score is that of Julia Zhu and Tony Jiang, 136.46 at Hibiscus and in a three session event of Andrew Liu and Herman Yuan. 179.89 at the... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    12 May 2017

    Here are the April 2017 results from the Central Districts and Wellington Regions. The top two session score was achieved by Marcus Smith and Edward May, 135.09%, at the Upper Hutt Junior Pairs. Waipukurau 5A Open Pairs (1st April)  ... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    12 May 2017

    Here are the South Island Tournament Results for April 2017. The top two session score was achieved by Karen Sullivan and Bob Smith, 132.73 in the Picton Junior Pairs while the top three session score was that of Arleen Schwartz and Chris... read more here

  • Auckland News by Douglas Russell

    11 May 2017

    As wintry weather settles in over the big smoke, many of us seek escape in our favourite pastime. No, not following the latest twists and turns in the ever more bizarre political scene in the USA, but crossing swords with opponents at the bridge... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    9 May 2017

    AWAKE ON THE JOB That’s part of what good defence is about. Staying awake. Staying alert. Where possible guiding your partner. With all that in mind, plan the defence as East. You did not have much for your bid but at least it’s an... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    8 May 2017

    “COUNT ON ME, PARTNER” Partners are very very reliable in not producing the hand you want them to have. When you need them to have a nice maximum for their weak no trump, they tell you as they put down dummy that they stole a point as... read more here

  • TV Interview- Shirley Newton & Jenny Wilkinson

    6 May 2017

    Video Interview read more here

  • National Bridge Congress update

    5 May 2017

    Time to plan and even start the booking process. Saturday September 30th – Saturday October 7th 2017 (NZ Youth Teams – Friday September 29th) “It’s only May” you may say…. but soon winter will be over and... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    5 May 2017

    EIGHT PLUS ONE EQUALS ….EIGHT Would you say that J862 opposite a void is a good enough hold for no-trumps? Your left hand opponent has bid the suit and their partner said it was OK to lead that suit if you chose to play the board in no... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    3 May 2017

    Lots of Learners in Kerikeri Sue Brown reports that Kerikeri has done a big advertising campaign this year for its beginners classes and is delighted with 20 new people learning bridge plus four returnees!  This is the most this club has... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    3 May 2017

    Bad Breaks: Good Plays When suits break normally and you have sufficient high cards, most players are able to make their contracts. There’s no finesses, no doubleton queens to drop. It all sounds pretty straightforward. Look at the... read more here

  • Bridge for the new New Zealanders

    2 May 2017

    The following article appeared recently in the Manukau Courier. We know that our game is a wonderful game at all levels, for those who like strong competition, for those seeking company, for those who want a challenging activity and also here for... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    1 May 2017

    “NO SENSE” BIDDING  dedicated to all those who have momentary lapses in the bidding of some hands. Imagine you have a bidding sequence for which you have no meaning . Not just “no meaning” but you have an agreement... read more here

  • alan dormer

    28 Apr 2017

    NEW ZEALAND ORDER OF MERIT FOR OUR CHAIRMAN On 27th April 2017, New Zealand Bridge Chairman, Alan Dormer, received his award of the New Zealand Order of Merit from the Governor General for services to law. He follows in the footsteps of the... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    28 Apr 2017

    News from the eastern side of our area features four recent tournaments. The Waipukurau Open tournament attracted a field of 26 pairs and after two sessions there was a very close finish with Bob Hurley and Deb Smith winning with an average of... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    28 Apr 2017

    WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE “BOSS” SUIT? You like to have a handful of spades. They are pretty good to have in any competitive auction. Yet, this suit did not get a look-in in either of the hands which follow. However, the possessor of... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    26 Apr 2017

    “Guiding Partner” It’s a sensible thing to do in order to get a good score. We often “guide partner” by a particular signal, suggesting they play a certain suit though another way is by taking away all other options... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    25 Apr 2017

                             ... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    24 Apr 2017

    LIGHTNING DOES STRIKE TWICE Conceding a slam when one plays duplicate bridge is annoying unless it is likely to be bid by every other pair sitting the same way. (It rarely is!) You can also hope that your teammates will do so as well. Playing... read more here

  • Wellington Region - Congress 22-25 April 2017

    22 Apr 2017

    Link to Results Pairs Link to Results Teams read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    21 Apr 2017

                 BRING IT ON: THE BARELY USED BLUE CARD When did you last use it? It sits there in your bidding box almost untouched. Compare that to the state of your 1 club card. However,... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Lindsey Guy

    19 Apr 2017

    Saturday 25th March saw 16 teams competing at the Marlborough Bridge club. There had been a late withdrawal so that the kitchen helpers were pulled into play on the day. There was a ring around to find extra people to fill the gaps.  Kate... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    18 Apr 2017

    A “SPECTACULAR” START......or "Jumping Jack Flash" First board of the day. Lots of laughter. Friendly opponents. A day of Pairs ahead. All good. You’ve even got a good hand too! A strong no-trump. You are North. So, off you go... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    18 Apr 2017

                                 A “SIN” WORTH CULTIVATING Are you a greedy player? There is... read more here

  • Auckland Easter Congress - 15th - 17th April 2017

    15 Apr 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS PAGE read more here

  • Canterbury Easter Congress 15th-17th April 2017

    15 Apr 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS PAGE read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    14 Apr 2017

    The Natural Psyche…or “Bidding the Boss Suit”. The race to bid spades was a key factor on one particular board this week. Would you bid them in this auction? You are South with:  KQT5  9854  63 986 and... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    12 Apr 2017

    In my last regional update, I mentioned that my partner and I were heading off to the Gold Coast Congress. So were many other Kiwis, including a large chunk of my particular club, the Wellington Bridge Club (WBC). NZBridge reports at the time gave... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    11 Apr 2017

    The “Wake- Up” Signal Taking your mind off the job for even one second could cost you big time when you are playing Bridge. What would you do as West in the following situation when some minutes ago, you overcalled at the one level... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    10 Apr 2017

    Below are the session scores of 66% and above in March 2017 in tournament play. Look at that fantastic score by Norma Mcdonald and Ruth Slee at the Invercargill Junior Pairs. Also, Jenna and Christine Gibbons had a great morning at Te Puke.... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    10 Apr 2017

    Here are the March 2017 Tournament Results for the upper North Island Regions. Te Puke 8B Restricted Pairs (4th March)     Howick Restricted Pairs (11th March ) 1. Amanda Smith- Joy Bates 121.52   1. Jan Ashwell -... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    10 Apr 2017

    Here are the March 2017 Tournament Results for the Central Districts and Wellington Regions. Taradale Intermediate Pairs (4th March)     Marion Hill Pairs, New Plymouth (11th March)   1. Carol Fraser- Judy Inzunza... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    10 Apr 2017

    Here are the March 2017 Tournament Results from the three South Island Regions. Westport All Grades (4th March)   Invercargill Intermediate Pairs (4th March)   1. Lindsey Guy- Steve Gray 116.27   1. Yvonne Hughes -... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    7 Apr 2017

                                             &... read more here

  • Gold Coast Congress Masterpoints

    5 Apr 2017

      The Masterpoints for the 2017 Gold Coast Congress have been processed today. read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    5 Apr 2017

    Guiding Partner Sometimes it may seem obvious for our partner to switch to a different suit, “obvious” that is from our seat. Since it is not so obvious all the time from the other side of the table, we adopt ways of signalling to our... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    5 Apr 2017

    Waikato Bays news in April We have moved from the summer of competitive teams events into the autumn of more relaxed restricted, multigrade as well as the start of the Junior and Intermediate tournaments in the region.  Hamilton's... read more here

  • Start Thinking About Our National Congress

    3 Apr 2017

    COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS A LOOK AHEAD TO THE 2017 NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL CONGRESS Whether you know it all about our National Congress (maybe you have been to all or most of the previous Congresses) or Are unsure what it’s all about (we... read more here

  • Welcome to the new team on the Board

    3 Apr 2017

    As you all now know, the Board has 3 new members after the recent elections. Alan Dormer (Chair), Clare Coles and Jane Stearns.  Click here to view details of all Board members Alan Dormer promises to keep the Bridge community up to... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    31 Mar 2017

    Good Defence: Bad Luck If there was voting for the “Good Defence” and “Bad Luck” categories at the end of a year’s bridge at Akarana, then I would have a couple of nominations from this week’s play. Firstly,... read more here

  • A Lighter Look

    30 Mar 2017

    A LIGHTER LOOK It can all get a bit too much at times, saving overtricks, watching partner’s discards. (You do, don’t you?). Say “yes” and promise you will…at least until the tea break! So, relax and take in some... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    30 Mar 2017

                Derek Rankin - Taupo   Several years ago the committee of this club decided to take on electronic scoring. Derek agreed to have a look at what was on offer and in his... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Craig Shanahan

    29 Mar 2017

    PROMISCUITY AND BRIDGE Gottcha!   Rangiora Bridge Club celebrated its 50th anniversary over the weekend of 24th – 26th March.   It was a huge success with a Mix and Mingle on the Friday evening of 60 current and former... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    29 Mar 2017

    That Precious Entry “I have not got much” said dummy as he laid his hand down, with a smile. “You can cope”. So, thanking your partner for all that he gave you, you had to set about getting 9 tricks in 3NT. West, on your... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    24 Mar 2017

    The Card that never came and the ace that came too soon High level decisions often end with “if onlys”. One player per side could have been saying those two magic words on the first of the two featured deals from this evening’s... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    22 Mar 2017

    Bridge in the South starts each year with one of the more popular events, the Alexandra Holiday Pairs. This perennial favourite had 42 pairs competing over two nights (and enjoying the weather during the days) up in Central Otago and was won this... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    21 Mar 2017

    Safety in Signalling “I did not want to give a trick away” North was heard to say in the post-mortem which came too soon after another game had slipped through. “Too soon” was because it occurred at the table rather than... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    17 Mar 2017

    “A Very Successful Operation….” And you know what happened to the patient! Why? The preparation (the bidding) had gone perfectly. On a part-score deal, the opposition were heading for either -200 or -500, certain imps in. Let... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS with Douglas Russell

    16 Mar 2017

      On the Move Your Humble Correspondent has been a little preoccupied with domestic matters over the past few weeks, as I am shortly about to move house. Biritch the Russian Blue is not at all happy about this state of affairs, as not only... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    15 Mar 2017

    Break a Rule: Keep a Rule It’s tough, this game of Bridge. The experts give you rules to follow and then not just let you break them but tell you it’s correct to do so! Take this situation. You are in 3NT and you have a heart suit of... read more here

  • Board Elections- Results

    14 Mar 2017

    Board Elections March 2017     New Zealand Bridge congratulates the following who were successful in the recent Board elections and will commence their term of office from 1 April 2017. Chairperson: Alan Dormer   Board... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    13 Mar 2017

    Here are the names and scores of those who scored 66% and over in the first two months of 2017:       RECENT HIGH SCORES 2017                      ... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    13 Mar 2017

    Here are the first results for 2017, for the months of January and... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    13 Mar 2017

    Here are the first results for 2017 from the Wellington and Central District regions, for the months of  January and February 2017: Central Districts/ Wellington         Wanganui Picnic Pairs (5th February)... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    13 Mar 2017

    Here are the results from the three South Island regions for January and February 2017: Alexandra Holiday Pairs (6th/7th January)   Christchurch Holiday Pairs (5th,10th12th January) 1. Elwyn Hughes - Elspeth Welsh 118.99... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    10 Mar 2017

    A Deal of Problems Two bidding and one play problem from the same deal. Sounds like worth a little look. Pre-empts usually make life difficult for someone. This one made life rather so for everyone including the pre-emptor. Yet, what would be... read more here

  • Director Exams - Dates for 2017

    9 Mar 2017

    Directors Exam dates for 2017 15th & 16th July 2017 -  Club & Tournamament Papers  Flyer Club & Tournament 15 & 16 July 2017.pdf  28th & 29th October 2017 - Club Paper   Alister Stuck National... read more here

  • North Island Teams in Auckland

    8 Mar 2017

    Teams and Slams Galore and even more! What’s the “more”? It’s what you always get when Michael Ware wins a tournament, a good joke, of course. Yet, we are going to concentrate here on the large number of teams, 42, and... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 Mar 2017

    A Different Kind of Finesse Recently, I watched a club player struggle and fail in a relatively tricky contract and it occurred to me afterwards that a technique which seems quite obvious to more experienced players has not been explained even on... read more here

  • Announcement- NZ Teams for 2017

    7 Mar 2017

    7 March 2017     Bulletin 3 - International Programme for 2017   I am pleased to announce that the Selectors (myself, Kris Wooles and Richard Solomon) have chosen the following teams for Seoul and Lyon.   APBF... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    7 Mar 2017

    Happy New Year We may be 2 months into the year, but as this is my first bulletin due to a little bit of shirking responsibilities and changing of dates it is my first opportunity to say Happy New Year.  A new Trophy from the Old Year... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Mar 2017

    The Bizarre and The Absurd Fortunately, the following board was only played at two tables as the results achieved at other tables would have taken too long to describe. Why at only 2 tables? Perhaps because all other tables passed the board in?... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    3 Mar 2017

     February 2017   Lester Clark – Milton Hopefully, you know where Milton is and if you do, you would stop as you pass through the small town midway between Dunedin and Balclutha. There, you will find a small bridge club which... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    2 Mar 2017

    We have started 2017 with a hiss and a roar and already have three tournaments under our belts. It was awesome to see some out of towners supporting these as well. A massive welcome to all who have managed to make it up North over the break, One... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    28 Feb 2017

    One Ruff is Enough South should have been very thankful on the following board that West scored a diamond ruff because without that ruff, the 4 contract would have been pretty hard to make. However, South did not take advantage of their good... read more here

  • NORTH ISLAND TEAMS

    27 Feb 2017

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    26 Feb 2017

    4 MAN/ 6 MAN? There has been a lot said over the years about the merits of a 6 person against a 4 person team in a long bridge event. The final of the Gold Coast Teams will add more fuel to the fire. Congratulations to the team of Andy Hung,... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    25 Feb 2017

    Friday’s Bridge Gold Coast Teams – Open, Round of 6 The top two teams were rewarded with the morning off while teams 3-6 slugged out an extra 24 board match. Michael Ware and GeO Tislevoll’s team was in action here, taking on... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    24 Feb 2017

    One Team, One Pair, One Player into the Finals That’s the end result of the Kiwi efforts after the third day of Swiss Pairs. We could have added “one near miss” too. In the Open, the team captained by Andy Hung and which... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    24 Feb 2017

    TAUGHT IN THEORY: PROVEN AT THE TABLE If you were forced to write down good and bad aspects of a bridge hand, then theory suggests that where you only have a 4-4 trump fit, having a singleton in partner’s first bid suit is not a great... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    23 Feb 2017

    KIWIS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE RESTRICTED TEAMS That’s the good news from yesterday’s play in the Gold Coast Teams. After 8 of the 12 matches had been completed, these were the high placed Kiwis in the Restricted competition (94... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    22 Feb 2017

    The Hokowhitu club now has a fifth Life Member. Graeme Donaldson joins Mary Scott, husband and wife Chris and Trish Abbey and Pauline Brown.  Graeme's contribution began in earnest when he represented the club on the Caccia Birch House board... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    22 Feb 2017

                                             &... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    22 Feb 2017

    “Man or mouse”?   or   You cannot defend every hand correctly. So, did West get a poor result on the board below because of a wrong lead, for not being brave enough or from that many times used excuse “bad... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    21 Feb 2017

    MONDAY AT THE GOLD COAST   There are some Kiwi successes to celebrate on day 3 of the Gold Coast Congress. Some of our best results came in the Restricted section of the Bobby Richman Pairs: A Final 2      ... read more here

  • Kiwis on The Coast

    20 Feb 2017

    There’s hundreds of them invading Queensland’s Gold Coast in the name of Bridge. They should certainly have a great time at and away from the bridge table. For all us “Cinderellas” at home (it’s OK, today the sun is... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    17 Feb 2017

    WE LOVE THEM: WE HATE THEM What are “they”? High level competitive decisions, of course! Get them right and the sun shines and the imps flow in. Misjudge and you are left with that “if only” feeling in your stomach. I... read more here

  • YOUTH BRIDGE WEEKEND August 18th-20th 2017

    16 Feb 2017

    Please see the attached for information about the 2017 New Zealand Bridge Youth Weekend.   for futher information or for registering, please contact :   Richard Solomon richard.solomon@nzbridge.co.nz 09 232 8494 read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    15 Feb 2017

    LOOKING AFTER PARTNER Now, there’s an interesting concept. Rather than blaming them for the wrong bid they made, their terrible opening lead, their failure to find the right switch, you should always think about what you could have done to... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    15 Feb 2017

    Like the endpoint of a winter sport increasingly encroaching on summer, the bridge playing season runs from early January to late December. This doesn't give us much of a break between seasons. Local players, winding down from Interclub and the... read more here

  • South Island Teams

    14 Feb 2017

    VISITORS TRIUMPH IN NELSON Many come from England to “summer” in the South Island though two English visitors, Christine Duckworth and Brian Callaghan had a different motive in visiting Nelson over the weekend of 11th/12th February as... read more here

  • The " Toughest" Part of the Game

    13 Feb 2017

    “TRUST ME; I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING!” There are a lot of tough parts of our game. Bidding to the best contract taxes many. Playing hands well is no “walk in the park”. Tough defence can be hard to find, very hard. There is... read more here

  • New Zealand Beaten in semi finals at NEC Championships

    11 Feb 2017

    A New Zealand team reached the semi final in the NEC Cup, a prestigious tournament being played currently in Yokohama, Japan. 53 teams took part in the qualifying stages which consisted of 12 matches over three days. The New Zealand team of... read more here

  • Consultation Report by Allan Morris & Stephen Henry

    10 Feb 2017

    read more here

  • South Island Teams

    10 Feb 2017

    SI Teams Entries   Link to Results read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    10 Feb 2017

    Ignore at Your Peril Who cares about clubs? Lowest of rank, outbid by all. They have far more status in “500” than in bridge. Ignore them at your peril, though. Take the opening lead to 3NT on Board 15. West opened a strong 1NT with... read more here

  • 2017 World Wide Bridge Contest

    9 Feb 2017

      Everything is now in place for the 2017 World Wide Bridge Contest, and it is even more exciting ! This year there are eight Simultaneous Pairs tournaments and the prize for the overall winning pairs is amazing ... a 3-day final in Beijing... read more here

  • BRIDGE AT THE MOVIES

    9 Feb 2017

    iT'S HERE. Starting 9th February, New Zealand Bridge is doing a promotion at certain cinemas with the aim of attracting new players to the game. Your club's Beginners' Lessons should be starting soon, hence the timing of the promotion. As in... read more here

  • Youth Camp in Sweden

    9 Feb 2017

    Even if you are unable to attend, we thought we would keep you in touch with what is available in Youth Bridge worldwide.   It's an international game for the young: see the following.   Richard Solomon The Swedish Bridge... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    8 Feb 2017

    Lesson Time Clubs around the Waikato Bays are gearing up for lessons and some clubs are trying out the radio medium for the first time in a bid to attract punters along to lessons taking their lead from the Hamilton Club's successful promotion in... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    7 Feb 2017

    A Good Look at Dummy? Sometimes, declarers are one-eyed and overlook the easiest way to make their contract. The declarer below should have had their other eye open when playing Teams, as they failed in the following game contract.  ... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Feb 2017

    Dangerous Doubling Welcome back to another year at Auckland’s Teams and Swiss Pairs club, Akarana, scene of much interest and excitement at the bridge table. The first night of February was a relatively quiet evening, barring the odd missed... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS with Douglas Russell

    1 Feb 2017

    Hello and Happy New Year from a wild and windy Auckland. Bridge is probably not uppermost in the minds of most of us at this time of year, with family arguments gatherings dominating. Biritch the Russian Blue hates Christmas, and spends much of... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    1 Feb 2017

    “DON’T JUST LISTEN: ACT!” I have often wondered the virtues of the so called “Lightner” double of a slam contract. In theory, we believe that if a slam is going to be beaten (other than if it was bid as a sacrifice)... read more here

  • Youth Report from Canberra

    31 Jan 2017

    Read the attached report by Tracey Lewis about New Zealand's Youth Bridge successes during January in Canberra. Tracey is New Zealand Bridge Youth Co-Ordinator. read more here

  • Documents referring to proposed NZB changes

    16 Jan 2017

    Recently a number of documents we sent to all Clubs and Regions regarding the proposed changes. The list of documents are below and link to "The Board" section in the Resources tab on this website A letter from Arie Geursen, chair of NZB -... read more here

  • NZ YOUTH CLEAN SWEEP IN CANBERRA

    16 Jan 2017

    New Zealand's Youth players completed a clean sweep of events during Youth Week at the Australian National Congress in Canberra. Following on success in both the Youth Pairs and Youth Teams events, the New Zealand Youth Team won a 48 board Test... read more here

  • Interested in standing for the Board ?

    12 Jan 2017

    If so, please read the Board Manual and Policies document It is held under the Resources/The Board tab of this website or you can click on this link to do there directly to the page. read more here

  • Website update

    12 Jan 2017

    As many know, we did presentations at Regional meetings, sent the information to clubs and attached the same information on our website in September 2016 to show what we have done on the website and the progress we are making on new... read more here

  • KIWI YOUTH SUCCESSES IN CANBERRA

    11 Jan 2017

    New Zealand has 10 players taking part in the Australian Youth Week in Canberra and at the mid- point already has two successes. The team of Nik Mitchell – Brad Johnston and Andi Boughey – Matthew Brown won the Australian Youth Teams.... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    11 Jan 2017

    EARLY IN THE YEAR BUT END PLAY If this deal looks kind of familiar to some of you, then you are “kind of “right. It is a "what might have been" deal, a deal that could have left less experienced declarers moaning at their bad luck.... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    11 Jan 2017

           January 2017.  David Laing, Nelson Welcome back to bridge in 2017. We will continue to recognise some of those people at our clubs whose service is so valuable. It is impossible to recognise everyone but... read more here

  • "Golden" Moment Celebrated Back Home

    4 Jan 2017

    Ashley Bach and Michael Cornell have played a lot of bridge at the Auckland Bridge Club premises whether at the Akarana Bridge Club, the Teams Group (formerly the Auckland Masters Group) or at the Auckland Bridge Club itself. It was thus fitting... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    3 Jan 2017

    “Sorry” but who said it? It was nearly the last competitive bridge board of 2016. Yet, like too many others earlier in the year, it resulted in an oh too familiar result…misdefence. Contract made when not only the so... read more here

  • No need to miss playing...despite the good weather

    30 Dec 2016

    Happy New Year and Start the New Year with BRIDGE Can you think of a better way to start the New Year? A quiet game at home, maybe on-line or if you are anywhere near the Auckland Bridge Club on the evenings of 3rd, 4th or 5th of January, then... read more here

  • Our Youth Prepare for Canberra

    21 Dec 2016

    Tracey Lewis is the co-opted representative on the NZ Bridge International Sub-Committee with special responsibilities in respect of international and potential international Youth players. A Youth squad of eight players has been selected and will... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    20 Dec 2016

    CHRISTMAS “CRACKERS” That’s with an emphasis on “cracking good hands”. You know the type of hands you always claim never to hold. “10, 11, maybe 14 counts are my usual limit”. If you say that , then you... read more here

  • Advertising by Radio

    15 Dec 2016

    Getting media advertising for Bridge in this country is neither straightforward nor cheap. This is certainly true of advertising on television but can also be the case for the print media. Have you or your club committee ever thought of... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    14 Dec 2016

    Quick Death, Slow Death or No Death at all? We are talking bridge, of course! There’s no need to be morbid at this time of year! We are talking about another contract which made when it should have been defeated. So, to start, we have... read more here

  • Going to The Movies Again

    13 Dec 2016

    As in early 2016, New Zealand Bridge will be “ going to the movie theatres” to try and promote our wonderful game. We will be using the same 30 second advert to try to encourage some who may not have thought that Bridge is for them or... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    13 Dec 2016

    WHERE THE BUCK STOPS When disaster strikes, we are very keen to apportion blame. If you have a good partnership, you will look at what you could have done to avoid what happened. In a bad partnership, your eyes turn towards partner! There’s... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    9 Dec 2016

    AND THE JOKER IS?   We finish the year with a light-hearted look at a recent Akarana deal …and with only 14 boards played on Akarana’s last Wednesday of the year because of the club AGM, we will go back three further days... read more here

  • NZ Bridge Board Elections - March 2017

    8 Dec 2016

    read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    7 Dec 2016

    The social Christmas season arrived early in the Waikato Bays kicking off with Thames Xmas tournament in November (who says November is too early to put up Xmas decorations!), followed by Te Awamutu, Waikato, Rotorua and concludes this weekend... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    6 Dec 2016

    Sweet Dreams can turn to Custard! So, you have got a good hand and, yes, the news gets even better because you have got a good fit with partner. Time to be a little adventurous? Why not? You hold:  AKQ4  AQT2  5  KJ93 You... read more here

  • The Dougal McLean Trophy Goes Home to Wellington

    6 Dec 2016

    Wellington has ended Auckland-Northland’s recent dominance of the Dougal Mclean competition by winning the supreme award at this year’s Inter-Provincials in Dunedin. This was the 9th year of the event. Wellington won the first time the... read more here

  • Recently Qualified Club Directors

    4 Dec 2016

      NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series:   Sue Belin Waiheke Nick Cantlon Te Awamutu Graham Cheater Waikanae... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Dec 2016

    STRONG PRE-EMPTS Back even before I started playing bridge, rumour has it that one opened at the 3 level with a hand one trick short of game. I think most players’ 3 level openers today are generally more than one trick short. First or... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    30 Nov 2016

    THIRD PLAYER PLAYS …… “High” says the book when your partner leads a low card. “Just have a look before your follow the book. Playing high and kiss the beating good bye.” Have a look….3NT played 6... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    29 Nov 2016

    “Grand Tauranga” by Sam Simpson, Tauranga The following hand was played recently at the Tauranga club during a Swiss Pairs event and only two pairs bid the makeable grand.   Board 16West DealsE-W Vul... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    28 Nov 2016

    The last couple of months have seen TOTS players slog it out over 3 tournaments, Marlborough’s Zonta Charity Pairs, Golden Bay’s 3A and Westport hosting the Region’s 10A in the middle of November.  Pretty much sell out... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    26 Nov 2016

                                             &... read more here

  • 2016 InterProvincial Teams

    23 Nov 2016

    LINK TO RESULTS  The finals take place in Dunedin over the week-end of November 26th -28th. Good luck to all competing teams. Auckland- Northland  Team 4               Open  ... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS with Douglas Russell

    23 Nov 2016

    Biritch and I have been somewhat absent from the local scene for much of the preceding months, and this report is therefore a little sketchy and largely hearsay. As always, a large number of tournaments have taken place, and many of our local... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    23 Nov 2016

    TEASING DEFENCE Some aggressive bidding put the declarer in a difficult situation on the following 3NT deal. The declarer had already been told by his partner that it had to be a breeze as there were so many high card points in dummy. Such a... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    23 Nov 2016

    Helen Edwards, Paraparaumu. This month, we focus on a club member who according to its Committee, has made “a contribution which far exceeds reasonable expectations.” Let’s take a  look at the contribution made by... read more here

  • As Tight As It Gets. The National Open Teams at New Plymouth

    22 Nov 2016

    The National Open Teams took place at the New Plymouth Bridge Club over the week-end of November 19th/20th. Although it was not one of the events designated as an official trial for those pairs who have formed the squads for the 2017 international... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    22 Nov 2016

    The Effect of Nuisance Bidding by Anthony Ker Hot off the press. Our first bidding article fresh from the National Teams held in New Plymouth (19th/20th November) Round 6 saw the decisive clash between the two leading teams in the New Plymouth... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Craig Shanahan

    18 Nov 2016

    BRIDGE, LONGEVITY        AND BANANAS   Writing the history of the Rangiora club for its 50th anniversary next March, the researcher came across this comment from the late Jack Green who died aged 99 years... read more here

  • Interesting Bidding

    18 Nov 2016

    Bridge is not all about Play and Defence. You can play a hand brilliantly and get zero match-points if the contract is wrong. You can defend like a demon but you just will not score that well if you have been out-bid. What else is there? The... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    18 Nov 2016

      Pointless Why do we bid? Maybe the short answer is that if we kept passing, we would end up defending all the time and that’s tough! So, let’s bid and try and be the declaring side, make our contract and get a good score. You... read more here

  • NZ 15A Teams - New Plymouth 19th-20th Nov 2016

    17 Nov 2016

    LINK TO RESULTS read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    16 Nov 2016

    Bad Breaks: Good Play There are a few basic suit combinations you should know how to play. A recent deal featured two quite common situations. One slip on this deal and you would be writing a minus score on your score-sheet. That does not sit... read more here

  • Possible NZB changes

    14 Nov 2016

    Thank you for your comments and feedback we have received since our letter of 08 November.  The attached letter offers clarification in the area of the Financial Implications if a change were to be made. read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    11 Nov 2016

    Chances Both Ways That’s what makes a good bridge hand. Both sides have the opportunity of a good score…and in the case of Board 7, there were a few “if onlys” afterwards. We will look at from the point of view of some... read more here

  • Jane Stearns Recent - Seminars- Otago Southland Region

    10 Nov 2016

    Link to Report read more here

  • Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs 2016

    9 Nov 2016

     LINK TO RESULTS WEBSITE NEARLY 1000 PAIRS, YET AGAIN. The Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs The Babich Wines New Zealand Wide Pairs took place at 59, or was it 60, clubs around New Zealand on the night of Friday November 4th.... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    9 Nov 2016

      International Flavour in Dargaville October 15th saw the Kauri 5A Pairs played in Dargaville. This is an event which historically attracts quite a few out of towners to Dargaville and this year was no exception. At the end of the day we... read more here

  • NZ Team Selections- Open and Womens Squads for 2017

    9 Nov 2016

      We are pleased to announce the Open and Women’s squads for 2017. Teams will be chosen (following the SI and NI teams) for the APBF in Seoul which is being held from the 29th May to 7th June 2017 and the World Team Championships in... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    9 Nov 2016

    Follow the Rule, even if you are not sure why. (for less experienced players…and others!) We create lots of “do’s” and “do not’s” in Bridge and then come up sometimes with reasons why we should break... read more here

  • Letter to all clubs, Regions and players

    8 Nov 2016

    Attached is a copy of a letter sent to all clubs today in response to a letter from Alan Turner last Friday. We ask all Clubs to think carefully about everything you read and hear. The current Board members remain committed to working for NZ... read more here

  • WBF Women's Online Autumn Bridge Festival

    7 Nov 2016

    It’s time to look forward now to the 2016 Autumn Online Women’s Bridge Festival which will be held from 14th – 20th November 2016. The main prize for the Autumn Pairs is offered by the President of the European Bridge League,... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    4 Nov 2016

    PERCENTAGE OR PSYCHOLOGY? Which takes precedence when you have those big decisions to make at the bridge table? At what point is it right to abandon the percentage line in favour of the psychological one? You just cannot apply an exact percentage... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    3 Nov 2016

    October 2016     Ian Drysdale, Whakatane It is a great pleasure to have Whakatane's Ian Drysdale as New Zealand Bridge's  "Volunteer of The Month" for October 2016. With his wife,Bobbi, another staunch Club member, ... read more here

  • NZ Youth Team - Test Match Canberra Jan 2017

    2 Nov 2016

    Congratulations to the following players selected to represent NZ in the Youth Test match against Australia:   Matt Brown (captain) Andi Boughey Brad Johnston Nik Mitchell Feitong Chen Matt Hughes   Jacob Kalma & Jeremy... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    2 Nov 2016

    A lot has happened since you last heard from the South with three players from Otago going over for the World Bridge Championships, multiple podium placings up at the National Congress, and the Regional Congress due to happen in Balclutha.... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    2 Nov 2016

    “The Poisoned Apple” or Is the Dealer to blame? Well, you’ve got to blame someone. You have just gone down in a 3NT contract when you had close to 11 tricks. It must be a really unlucky break that meant you went down. “Not... read more here

  • Tournament Listings

    2 Nov 2016

    Did you know ? You can have your tournament posters and a sponsor's logo attached to your tournament listings on this website.  Just send the files to our Secretary, Alister, and he will attach them for you.  In the near future, club... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    28 Oct 2016

    “TRIED and TRUE” Some of those lessons we learnt many years (well, “very many”) years ago in Beginners’ Classes are still pretty relevant. A couple saved my partnership a lot of anguish this week at Akarana. Try... read more here

  • Board resignation

    26 Oct 2016

    It is with regret, the Board recently received Carol Richardson's resignation due to personal reasons.  We ask the bridge community to respect Carol's decision. In her short time on the Board, Carol contributed... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    26 Oct 2016

    JUST IN CASE Today we look at two 6 slams which occurred in the last week, one in tournament play and the other in club play. One cannot be made and the other cannot be defeated. One is certainly for the less experienced players while the other... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    26 Oct 2016

    It has been a quiet two months for the Wellington Region's Open tournament players with regard to  local Open tournaments. Thank the bridge gods pictured below for Congress and Multigrade tournaments. (or am I a little confused here?... read more here

  • Expressions of interest - Board Vacancy

    25 Oct 2016

    read more here

  • Jane Stearns - Seminars- Otago Southland Region

    25 Oct 2016

    read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    21 Oct 2016

    The “Get out of Jail Free” Card. How can a lead be right and be so wrong? We will come back to that but will firstly look at a play problem. You have reached, or been pushed to the 5 level by the usual frisky non-vulnerable... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    19 Oct 2016

    A tour this time through recent tournaments…starting in mid-August at Taradale where the Open Pairs was quite a low scoring affair with George Masters and Judith Johnson getting home by 0.30% from Jenny Wilson and Alan Doddridge. Second... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    19 Oct 2016

    BLACK SUIT RED HERRING 31 points in yours and partner’s hands, two missing kings and no real fit, not even a very long suit. It does not augur well for making 6NT, unless the wind is behind you and the finesses work. No, face facts,... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    14 Oct 2016

    It’s Easier for Some Just not for me. Somehow, when I pre-empt the opposition, the sky is the limit if they want to be aggressive. Yet, when the boot is on the other foot, the roof is just about to fall in! I held what seemed a pretty... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    12 Oct 2016

    TOO GOOD TO LEAD Sometimes you do not lead partner’s suit because you have your own agenda, your own suit, have your own entry. They are playing 3NT and declarer has announced a hold in your partner’s suit. Without a fair suit of your... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    12 Oct 2016

    A lot has happened in the region since the last regional round up ... including a missed deadline for last month’s update. So, as penance, I have been given one day to conjure something up. (future contributors, be warned!) The region is... read more here

  • Congress Catch-Up

    7 Oct 2016

    A “BLOOMING” GOOD PLAY When you are playing against Sydney’s Peter Gill, the best place to have him is in the dummy seat. He cannot exert nearly as much influence on the result of a board or match as he can in any other... read more here

  • Congress Catch-Up

    6 Oct 2016

    Dobbing Him In I am not sure if it is a benefit or not in having one’s partner being a prolific writer- up of bridge hands. It has never happened to me. However, it is time for me to tell on my partner, Gary Chen, who was not previously... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    5 Oct 2016

    Winter = Tournaments. Lots of them.  But also for Top of The South, it is a time when our clubs battle it out in a variety of interclub competitions.    This year for the first time, the Howorth Cup, our TOTS Open Teams Event and... read more here

  • Congress Catch-Up

    4 Oct 2016

    THE STRANGEST GRAND OF ALL What do you need for a grand slam? A good grand slam. An unbeatable grand slam. You need first round control in every suit. You need good trumps, a running suit maybe, a source of tricks…..oh and occasionally it... read more here

  • TALE OF TRICK 13

    3 Oct 2016

    CONGRESS CATCH UP The National Congress is over for another year. We have already had a couple of hotel rooms booked for next year. It’s great to get in early. Bulletins have already carried the names of those who have been successful. So,... read more here

  • 7NT vulnerable re-doubled

    25 Sep 2016

    Do you want a customised numberplate Val Gardiner is offering to sell this numberplate. Is 7NT vulnerable Redoubled a contract you want to remember, or dream of? She is asking for offers above $300 and offering half of the amount to support youth... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    21 Sep 2016

    “What If?” Quick to say but not quite as quick to put into action. Those two words should be spoken (well, quietly to yourself!) by every declarer when they see dummy. Our declarer did not do that when as South, he was declarer in 4... read more here

  • Website improvements/changes

    21 Sep 2016

    We have been continually updating our website and are in the process of some exciting new developments that all clubs need to be aware of.  We are a little way off delivering this yet, but it will be good for you all to know and think about... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    20 Sep 2016

    Bet Glengarry – Motueka This nomination has come from the Motueka Bridge Club. Over to club Secretary, Chris Sutton. “Our club would like to nominate Bet for an award acknowledging the work she does for our club and in promoting the... read more here

  • Farewell From Poland

    19 Sep 2016

    The Winners, a “What should have been” and Kiwi Connections. The last report on the World Championships finished with New Zealand’s quarter-final loss to Spain. There is a degree, maybe not of satisfaction, but of say... read more here

  • LATEST NEWS RE NATIONAL CONGRESS

    19 Sep 2016

    The National Congress is Nearly Here (Sat 24th Sep-Sat 1st Oct) In less than one week, we will abandon our normal lives and focus on the National Bridge Congress. The really good news is the number of entries. We now have about 650... read more here

  • ANOTHER GREAT KIWI RESULT IN POLAND

    18 Sep 2016

    CORNELL - BACH Finish 2nd in Open Pairs The Open, Womens, Seniors and Mixed Pairs ran alongside the latter stages of the Teams competitions. Some of the New Zealand Pairs took part. In the Seniors' Pairs, Trevor Robb- Andrew Janisz and Chris... read more here

  • Recently Qualified Tournament Directors

    18 Sep 2016

    NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series: Sandy McKirdy Wellington Cathy  Nijman Wellington     read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    17 Sep 2016

    CREATING YOUR OWN FUN On a night where so many of the deals seemed to be routine games (even 6-6 in the majors is fairly common-place these days!), one player decided to create his own piece of excitement. I am not sure what your thoughts would... read more here

  • MORE KIWI SUCCESS IN POLAND

    15 Sep 2016

    This country has made an impression at the World Bridge Championships at the table. We have another success to report away from the main action. The International Bridge Press Association is what it seems, a body made up of those worldwide who... read more here

  • BEATEN BUT PROUD

    14 Sep 2016

    It was not to be but in going down to Spain, the Kiwis can hold their heads high, not just for their performance in the quarter final but in the 8 days which preceded it. New Zealand started the second half of the quarter final 44 imps down. The... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    14 Sep 2016

    Kia Ora from the North. Looks like the rain has finally stopped and we are able to get out fishing again. Well I am hoping so anyway as it will mean less competition at our tournaments and a wee bit more luck for me. Northland has been enjoying... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    14 Sep 2016

    Just In Case Are you one of those players who last took a successful finesse back in 1986…and you have played a lot of bridge since?! If so, read on. If finessing always works for you, then have a coffee instead of reading this..but take a... read more here

  • The Open Team's Quarter Final Match

    13 Sep 2016

    It Was Never Going To Be Easy Confidence in our Open Team would have been “sky high” after the defeat of France. The next hurdle, Spain, had just won over USA in the Phase of 16. So, while Spain is not a country right at the top of... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland- The Day we Beat France

    12 Sep 2016

    NEW ZEALAND INTO THE QUARTER FINALS Yes, it’s true. Our Open team have beaten France, with just enough to spare while our Women put up a mighty fight against Sweden though the deficit of 90 with 32 boards left proved to be too much. Before... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland - Phase of 16

    11 Sep 2016

        our successful Women's team Let The Fun Begin Once you have qualified for the final stages of any event, you have achieved. In whatever event you are competing, no matter how good you are, qualifying is hard. For our Open and... read more here

  • Kiwi Joy, but Spare a Thought for our Mixed Team

    10 Sep 2016

    In celebrating a great day in New Zealand’s international bridge calendar, let’s start with a sad story. Our Mixed team had started this event well but later results had been disappointing. Nevertheless, they still had a reasonable... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland - Day 5

    9 Sep 2016

    THREE NEW ZEALAND TEAMS WELL IN CONTENTION Qualification for the knock-out stages is looking a real possibility for three of our four teams in Poland. Although the number of qualifying teams in relation to the size of the field is extremely... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    9 Sep 2016

    ‘‘Ducking and Diving” If you play a hand as well as you can, you are sometimes rewarded by an opponent’s slip. That was certainly the case for John O’Connor who is quite a new player to Akarana. He reached 3NT from... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland - Day 4

    8 Sep 2016

    Day 4 – The Reality Check When you play 3 or 4 matches a day for 6 days against strong opposition, you are going to have a day that is tougher than others. Let’s hope that our Women’s and Mixed Teams have just experienced that... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Craig Shanahan

    7 Sep 2016

    A BIT OF COLOUR AND A QUIZ                       On Sunday 14th August at the RANGIORA club, famous for its hospitality, the Rangiora Rascals... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland Day 3

    7 Sep 2016

                    A GREAT DAY FOR THE KIWIS Day 3 at the World Championships was a really good one for the New Zealand teams trying to qualify for the knock-out stages. The... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    7 Sep 2016

    BEWARE THE “DANGER” HAND   Often there is one of the opponents you would like to keep off lead. This can be especially true in no-trumps where one opponent has led their long suit…and you have two holds in the suit... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland Day 2

    6 Sep 2016

      More of Day 1's Results It was a repeat of the first day with our Women and Mixed Teams being very much in the mix, our Open Team in midfield and our Seniors Team wishing they were! The Open Team started with their bye and then produced... read more here

  • Kiwis in Poland

    5 Sep 2016

    OUR MIXED TEAM OFF TO A FLYING START New Zealand’s 4 teams had mixed starts on day 1 of the World Teams Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. The Mixed and Seniors are in Round Robins of 23 and 24 teams respectively with the top 8 qualifying... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Sep 2016

    “The High Road or The Low Road?” There are times when the standard approach to bidding makes it difficult to explore for the best contract especially when you are in the “maybe slam zone”. “One step too many”... read more here

  • 2016 World Bridge Games, Wroclaw

    1 Sep 2016

    Look up the results of the 4 Kiwi Teams competing.  Also a radio interview, some photos and a video. Click here to listen to Richard Solomon being interviewed by RNZ (13th Sept, 2016) Click here to view a video clip from Wroclaw... read more here

  • National 15A Pairs - 3rd & 4th Sept 2016

    31 Aug 2016

    Link to Results read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Moss Wylie

    31 Aug 2016

    South Island Pairs winners from Dunedin Congratulations to Ellena Moskovsky and James Coutts on winning the South Island Pairs, storming home with a 67% session in the second round of the final. They are part of the New Zealand team which will... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    31 Aug 2016

    The “Free” Finesse that “Cost”. Call it a free finesse, one where you will not lose the trick even if it fails. Call it a “Greek Gift”. Whatever you call it, it was one down in a contract that never should... read more here

  • Are you going to Congress ? Then register now on this website

    29 Aug 2016

    If you are going to Congress and not yet registered on the NZB website, you may like to do so now.  We plan to email Congress players notices during Congress, such as session times, when results are posted and anything... read more here

  • Pay for The National Bridge Congress NOW

    29 Aug 2016

    ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE NATIONAL BRIDGE CONGRESS? Saturday September 23rd until Saturday October 2nd 2016 Do you remember the wise old owl? He is a wealthy creature. Why? He paid for the National Bridge Congress BY 31st August. We will give you a... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    29 Aug 2016

    Here are the top session scores for tournaments in July. One unusual fact was the score recorded by Yuzhong Chen and Gary Foidl in the Matamata Open Pairs. We will not mention their first round score but their 71.09% was over a 30% improvement.... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS. UPPER North Island

    29 Aug 2016

    Here are the results from tournaments in the Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays regions in July 2016. Howick Open 3A Pairs (2nd July)      Howick 5B Intermediate Pairs (2nd July)   Faisal Alam - Gina Hsu... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    29 Aug 2016

    The South Island Tournament Results for July 2016 follow. Teams results come after Pairs results. See also Recent High Scores for the top scores in the month. Nelson 3B Junior Pairs (2nd July)     Rangiora 8B Open Pairs (3rd... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    29 Aug 2016

    These are the July Tournament Results for the Central Districts and Wellington regions. Teams results come at the end of the Pairs results.   Dannevirke 5B Pairs (2nd July)   Taradale Junior Pairs (9th July)  1 Carol... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    28 Aug 2016

    A joint award this month as Peter Bowyer and Angela Royle have been a real team on the Auckland Northland Regional Committee for a very long time. This award is in recognition of that. While Angela may not be regarded as a "Volunteer" in terms of... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    26 Aug 2016

    A “Helping” hand Your partner is there to help your side. Believe it! It’s true. Just because they do not always lead the suit you bid (they had their reasons, maybe valid ones!) or return your suit to give you a ruff (check out... read more here

  • 2017 International Squad Application Forms - Released 25 August 2016

    25 Aug 2016

    read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    24 Aug 2016

    Counting ... Down That’s the idea if you are defending. “That”? Why, to beat the contract! Playing Pairs, there are times when you want to restrict overtricks but generally, your score will look much better if you have beaten... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    24 Aug 2016

    The local Wellington weather has again provided excellent conditions for bridge. The big event of this period was the 10A Regional Teams event, hosted by the Hutt Bridge Club and attracting 18 teams.  Newell (Peter Newell, Martin Reid, GeO... read more here

  • Summer Festival of Bridge Canberra - Speacial Early Bird Offer for NZ Players

    22 Aug 2016

    Special limited promotion for NZ players – enter online NOW Offer applies only to Pairs and Teams comprising all NZ players Entry must be done online and paid in full by single credit card before 5 October A 20% refund to credit card... read more here

  • Congratulations To Our Recently Qualified Club Directors

    19 Aug 2016

    NZ Bridge congratulates the following people who were successful in the recent exam series:   Julie Ballance Wellington Doris Chapman Hastings Greg Davenport Thames Lorraine... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    19 Aug 2016

    Crashing Honours A series of curious events resulted in 12 well won imps on the following board (4). In the cold and reflective light of the post-mortem, one can find a reason why the defence could have prevailed but the declarer, Carol... read more here

  • Bingo.. Mafia..Speedball

    18 Aug 2016

    All in the name of Youth Bridge. "Mafia" takes over from Bridge. The Christchurch Bridge Club was taken over from Friday 12th until Sunday 14th August by a group of 44 keen young bridge players coming from all over the country to indulge in a... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    17 Aug 2016

    Winners of the Wanganui Open held in mid-July were Bob Hurley and Pam Livingston though the highest score of the day (67.11%) came from the familiar faces of Ken Bateman and Noel Woodhall (pictured above). Meanwhile, Patrick D'Arcy and Graeme... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    17 Aug 2016

    EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS EASY, IT’S HARD. Or” It Isn’t over until the fat lady sings.” “What’s that” you may ask? “Why, defence, of course!” Another way of looking at this is that a contract is not... read more here

  • Plenty of Fun at The Cambridge 6's

    16 Aug 2016

    "The Union Jacks" from Cambridge...just there to have a good time.   It was all happening at the Don Rowlands Centre at Karapiro near Cambridge on Saturday 13th August  where Cambridge  Bridge Club hosted the largest one day event... read more here

  • Website improvements

    16 Aug 2016

    Over the last 12 months, NZB has been working on major changes to our site. It has been a work in progress and still is.  We know it is not perfect and there are still things we want to improve, but recently we addressed some issues.... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    12 Aug 2016

    AVOID THOSE MINORS Two boards played this week proved some well-known rules about where you should be playing game if you can and conversely what to avoid. They both involved some potentially hefty opposition pre-emption. One involved one of... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS with Douglas Russell

    11 Aug 2016

    Hello from a very wet and chilly Auckland. Many of our bridge players have taken refuge from the incessant rain by playing in the warmth and comfort of our very welcoming clubs over this period. Down in Papatoetoe in June, Gary Chen and Blair... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    10 Aug 2016

    BEATING OR NOT BEATING THE PART-SCORE Sorry, no great end-play to make an impossible slam this week. This is routine every day what went right or in this case wrong defending a part-score. The first question is after an illuminating sequence of:... read more here

  • Seniors' Success at Hamilton

    9 Aug 2016

    Andrew and Trevor The North Island Pairs Trevor Robb and Andrew Janisz, members of this year’s New Zealand Seniors team which is soon to leave for the Olympiad events in Poland, were victorious in last weekend’s North Island Pairs at... read more here

  • Pacific Asia Women's On-Line Bridge Festival

    8 Aug 2016

    NZ Bridge is very pleased to advertise the third Pacific Asia On-line Women's Bridge Festival to be held from Monday 22nd August to Friday 26th August 2016. For all details, including the registration pages, go to... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    5 Aug 2016

    “Twice in one night” Can lightning strike twice in one night? With our weather at present, the answer must certainly be “yes”. Yet, we are talking about more pleasant matters like “opening leads”. You can get... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    3 Aug 2016

    AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS Now, I am not calling you an elephant, at least not in public! I do, though, want you to justify my faith in you by getting two problems right. One is a little easier than the other. Both are on the same theme. In each... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    3 Aug 2016

      Calling all readers but especially those on Stewart Island. Welcome to Rhondda and Jeff Bergman. It's OK. We know our geography and that our southern island is not really that close to Nelson or Picton! Read on: Tournament News Maurice... read more here

  • MacLeans College remains top Bridge School in Auckland

    1 Aug 2016

    The last morning of July saw the annual Auckland-Northland Teams Bridge competition take place at the Howick Bridge Club. Four schools were represented by 11 teams in what was a four round Swiss competition. After winning the trophy for the first... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    1 Aug 2016

    Well done, Whakatane. I am going to cheat a little this month and give my typing finger a rest(it’s the most well- worn finger in New Zealand!)and give the floor to one of our smaller bridge clubs which has something important to say. For... read more here

  • Volunteer of The Month

    30 Jul 2016

    Janice Jones, Orewa This feature started in June with the award to Rona Driscoll, who is known nationally as well for the huge amount of time given to her own club. As we stated, a volunteer can help a club in many ways and to be our... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    29 Jul 2016

    “Good Prediction, Owen” When the opposition have done well against you and say words like “obvious defence” or “everyone will do that”, you have a little hope that your world has not caved in. Last night, it... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    27 Jul 2016

    SIGNAL and SAVE Save what? Today it is saving an overtrick. Tomorrow it may mean defeating the contract. So, get in the habit if you can. You are playing Pairs and just perhaps you forced the opposition higher than they wanted to go. By the look... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    27 Jul 2016

    The first comment below and the picture above should tell you which region is reporting its news this week. Is there really something more important than bridge? Gee these regional round-ups sneak up on you quickly, right in the middle of calving... read more here

  • The Anatomy of Success and Failure

    26 Jul 2016

    Grant Jarvis Auckland Provincial Pairs and Teams A Win, a “Draw” and a Loss The weekend of July 22nd/23rd saw a good weekend of bridge at the Auckland Bridge Club. Here is a slightly quirky look at a little of what happened in the... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    22 Jul 2016

    “Michaels Issues” solved by James.                        How do you play Michaels Cue Bids? There are more theories than there are bridge players... read more here

  • Yo'd Wish You'd Been There

    22 Jul 2016

                     THE NATIONAL BRIDGE TEACHERS' CONFERENCE What makes a National Conference? One aspect is meeting up with others from around the country who share similar... read more here

  • Northland News

    21 Jul 2016

    “The other side of the coin”: A Piece of Good Fortune? A new award is born.     Do you ever moan about your bad luck? Like maybe when your brilliantly bid small slam on a combined 21 hcp goes down when a side suit... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    20 Jul 2016

    THE BIDDING TO THE RESCUE How do you feel about the following two hands? A combined 22 hcp and you are playing in 1NT with every chance of at least one hold in every suit. It sounds quite straightforward to make your contract. They even led a... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    20 Jul 2016

    June 2016.  Only two session scores of over 70% in June, occurring in Levin and at the Otago Bridge Club. Read on to see then who scored over 66% in a session last month, including the two high scoring pairs. RECENT HIGH SESSION SCORES... read more here

  • Tournament Results Lower North Island

    20 Jul 2016

    June 2016.  Here are the top three placings from the Hawke's Bay Congress and other tournaments this month in these two regions.       Hawkes Bay Congress (June5th-7th)   Taihape Intermediate/Junior Pairs... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS. "North" of the North Island

    20 Jul 2016

    June 2016. Here are the winners from our two northern regions during this month. Jeter Liu was not just the most generous sponsor of the Auckland Queens Birthday Congress but returned a huge average score to win one of the events. It was though... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    20 Jul 2016

     The top placing at South Island tournaments in June including the Otago/ Southland Provincial Pairs and Teams follow. Read on to see the successful pairs and teams.   Otago Southland Provincial Pairs (5th June)   Otago... read more here

  • Youth Advocate

    20 Jul 2016

    The International committee of the Board welcomes Tracey Lewis, taking over from Susan Humphries as the youth advocate on this committee.  Tracey is widely known in the Auckland/Northland area as a keen bridge player, teacher and fundraiser.... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    15 Jul 2016

    What Every Aspiring Golfer Needs….. If you hit those golf balls regularly down the fairway onto the green and then with minimum shots into the hole, there are some basic things you need….rub of the green, a good swing, a reasonable... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Giles Hancock

    13 Jul 2016

    Two ladies from Wellington came down to play a double-date with two local gents. What happened next? Sorry.... you will just have to wait to find out. Firstly, though, the Rangiora 8B on July 3rd. Rangiora 8B July 3rd was a glorious... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    13 Jul 2016

    MISBID…BUT HOPEFULLY NOT MISDEFENCE That’s your aim this week. When the opposition appear to have gone astray in the bidding, you must make sure they pay the price by defending accurately. Surely on the board below the opposition... read more here

  • It's when the music stops that counts

    12 Jul 2016

    South Island Pairs 42 pairs contested the South Island Pairs held over the week-end of July 9th-10th at the Christchurch Bridge Club. One spectacular round when it mattered proved to be the winning of the event. The early leaders after the first... read more here

  • Preserving the image

    8 Jul 2016

    The image. What image? It’s not an image. It’s a cold hard fact, a black fact, set in concrete. Well, you need a spade or two to “set concrete”. The image…the fact…is that if you hold more spades, you are... read more here

  • Remembering Paul Hobbs

    8 Jul 2016

    Paul Hobbs, a Life Member of New Zealand Bridge, passed away this week, aged 91. Paul was a founder member and first President of the Te Awamutu Bridge Club back in 1961. Both Paul and his wife Kathy played in the late 1950's at the newly formed... read more here

  • South Island Pairs- Link to Results

    8 Jul 2016

    read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    8 Jul 2016

    The “slow” or the “fast” lane? A night of fairly routine games and part-scores was brought to life at some tables by a deal where no pair could bid the better of the available slams but where there was much interest in... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    6 Jul 2016

    Tournament results have been flying in fast and furious over the last few months, but thanks to Richard's write-ups on these for each month, it means I can instead focus on those that deserve special mention. Congratulations to Chris Ackerley and... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    6 Jul 2016

    TAKING INFERENCES AND AVOIDING LOSERS A good declarer should do both of the above. Also, we know that one of the worse parts of bridge is a two way finesse. When your finesse is one way, you just know if you have to take it, there seems to be a... read more here

  • Update on Improver Lesson material

    6 Jul 2016

    We have the next installment of teaching material now this website.  This is the Powerpoint presentations for Improver classes.  A big thank you to the Teaching committee and Amanda Smith for their hard work in providing the... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    2 Jul 2016

    September in Hamilton Our National Congress is less than three months away. We hope many of you are not just thinking of coming to Hamilton for all or part of the week but have started planning to do so. Some have already registered and paid. For... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    1 Jul 2016

    LEADING AGAINST SLAMS There are those who think leading against slams is a pretty random occupation. Actually, “leading” against any contract is pretty random. By the time they have key carded or cue-bid their way to slam, you may... read more here

  • Share The Moment

    30 Jun 2016

    Nice Defence If defence is regarded as the hardest of the difference aspects of playing the game, then when it goes right, it can be the most rewarding. Maybe we should find a dynamic defence to beat a cold slam or at least a cold game but the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    29 Jun 2016

    Tried and True Sayings “When all they have is trumps……. Playing Teams, the 5 level can be a risky place. In a recent Teams match, one North-South pair decided to shoot it out at the 5 level while the other made a good bidding... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    29 Jun 2016

    The Wellington Regional Committee has thanked and farewelled Dinnie Hall, our chair over the last 6 years. She was still smiling as we broke up, which is a tribute to the enervating effect of bridge administration. Or maybe it's just the way... read more here

  • International Programme for 2017

    27 Jun 2016

     27 June 2016 Bulletin 1 - International Programme for 2017     In 2017 NZ Bridge has decided to send teams to the APBF in Seoul, Korea and the World Championships in Lyon, France.   The provisional dates for the APBF are... read more here

  • Volunteer of the Month- June 2016

    27 Jun 2016

    This is a new award, to be made monthly, to someone in our bridge community who “gives”, a true volunteer. So many people volunteer to help make our game so enjoyable. New Zealand Bridge wants to highlight, say “thank you”... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    24 Jun 2016

    Which is more important: The Bidding or the Play? It’s a long-standing debate. Is the battle won or lost when you reach the right contract or has the real battle not started yet? Let’s judge from two hands from this week’s play.... read more here

  • Draft 2017 tournament schedule

    23 Jun 2016

    The draft 2017 tournament schedule is available for checking so please have a look at the Tournament page and address any queries or corrections to your regional committee. read more here

  • Share The Moment

    23 Jun 2016

    Here’s an opportunity for you to tell an interesting,perhaps funny story about some recent bridge happening. Maybe your partner or an opponent did something pretty smart. (You are far too modest to own up to your own brilliancies, I hope!).... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    22 Jun 2016

      Junior/Intermediate Teams winners at the Hawke's Bay Congress, Susan Brown, Karen Eriksen, Jolene Zink and Judith Lucas There’s only one place to begin, at this year’s, the 24th, Hawke’s Bay Congress. It was held as... read more here

  • Novices To The Fore at Tauranga

    22 Jun 2016

     A "Recipe for Success" by Karen Martelletti The Tauranga club decided to take a leaf out of the book of the Hamilton club and run a novice session alongside their Intermediate and Junior tournaments (all held on the same day). The novices... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    22 Jun 2016

        You wish, don’t you that the line you take for any contract is the right line, the play that ensures your contract is “cold”. You do not want always to have easy contracts, at least not if you want to do well,... read more here

  • Sweet Success for Jeter and Fuxia

    22 Jun 2016

    National Swiss Pairs, Auckland. (18th/19th June) Akarana’s Fuxia Wen and Jeter Liu had only played one tournament together before they agreed to play The National Swiss Pairs this year. They struck gold on this occasion when a series of... read more here

  • A "Royle" Fundraiser

    17 Jun 2016

    Congratulations to the Royle Epsom Bridge Club and especially to the club owner, Angela Royle, who organized a 24 hour Bridge Marathon on Friday/ Saturday 11th/12th June in the clubrooms. The event raised $7245 for children with severe burns... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    17 Jun 2016

    The Art of Diving Two boards offered East-West the chance of diving at perhaps uncomfortable levels but few achieved the optimum results on the two boards. Certainly, one required North-South to take mildly aggressive action before the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    15 Jun 2016

    Why Take One Finesse When You Can Take Two? Good players do not take them if there is any way to avoid doing so. Their track record is no better than yours or mine. They have a habit of failing! So, why am I suddenly advocating taking more... read more here

  • Top of The South News with Jenny Pomeroy

    15 Jun 2016

    Like all regions it’s been a busy couple of months with tournaments on many weekends, IP Trials, club champs well underway, learners’ lessons in full swing and I have even had a grammar lesson from Richard Solomon! (no charge!)... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores in May

    14 Jun 2016

    To average over 73% in a two session tournament is a great achievement. Genevieve and Tim Webb did that last month at Gore with the top two scores anywhere in May and two of the four highest scores in tournaments anywhere this year. They are still... read more here

  • Tournament Results: Lower North Island

    14 Jun 2016

    Here are the May 2016 results for the Central Districts and Wellington Regions. The Inter-Provincial results have been shown already and are not repeated here. Upper Hutt Open Pairs (1st May )   Feilding Intermediate Pairs (7th May)... read more here

  • Tournament Results: South Island

    14 Jun 2016

    Here are the results for May for the South Island regions. Once again, the Inter-Provincial week-end has been ignored. Look at that huge percentage at Gore for Genevieve and Tim Webb winning a two session tournament by over 32%. Naturally, they... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Upper North Island

    14 Jun 2016

     Here are the May 2016 results from the upper North Island. The Inter-Provincial Results have been shown previously and are not included in these or the other areas' results. High Session scores follows as well. Kerikeri Open Pairs... read more here

  • Have you seen the cinema advert ?

    11 Jun 2016

    Click here to view read more here

  • Our Kids Can Enjoy Bridge with Your Help

    10 Jun 2016

    We bridge players are used to hearing comments made like “My grandmother plays bridge.” The comments we want to hear more of are ones like: “My grandchildren are playing bridge…and love the game.”   New... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    10 Jun 2016

    Wild Weather and Hands The dealing machine was certainly in tune with the elements this Wednesday night and threw up some freaky hands with awkward decisions in the bidding and play. One of the more awkward ones came early in the evening.... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS with Douglas Russell

    8 Jun 2016

           Douglas's co-correspondent. Read on to find out more. Well, the weather in Auckland might be pretty chilly at the moment, but the bridge is hot hot hot, with tournaments just about every weekend (and more) to... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    8 Jun 2016

    “Be Prepared” That’s the motto for boy scouts and for bridge players, especially defenders. You know those precious few moments when you as a defender see dummy…and the declarer does their thinking about how to play the... read more here

  • Queens Birthday: Sunshine, Drama and Bridge

    8 Jun 2016

    East Pier Hotel, Napier, the new Hawke's Bay Congress venue. Yes, plenty of all three this past weekend with major bridge congresses in Napier and Auckland along with two major tournaments at the Otago Bridge Club. A teaser though to whet the... read more here

  • NZ Bridge- 2016-2017 Business Plan

    7 Jun 2016

    read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    3 Jun 2016

    31 POINTS FOR 6H? “NOT TODAY, JOSEPHINE”. No, we are not referring to the wife of one of the bridge greats, Ely Culbertson, who was no slouch of a player herself. If you read the advice given to beginners, you need at least 31 points... read more here

  • FUN(D) RAISING FOR OUR INTERNATIONALS

    2 Jun 2016

    It’s not easy when you are a full-time student and are aiming to play against the world’s best bridge players in this year’s World Championships in Poland. There’s the little question of finding enough time to practice and... read more here

  • RUBBER BRIDGE NEWS

    2 Jun 2016

      EXTRA PLACE IN RUBBER BRIDGE FINALS   Each year, the National Rubber Bridge finals take place at the National Congress. Each of our seven regions is currently running a knock-out event to determine which pair will... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    1 Jun 2016

    MAKING THE MOST OUT OF A PART-SCORE DEAL A recent part-score deal shows the difference between positive and passive defence. Although there is a time for “going passive”, to get a good score you have to do just a little more than sit... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    1 Jun 2016

    The Waikato Bays news is brought to you on Gypsy Day … the time of the year that the weather turns to shite and the roads are congested with stock trucks and dodgy ute loads heralding the start of the dairying year. The Waikato Bays... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    31 May 2016

      Giving Status Not all our tournament players will get their chance to represent this country playing bridge. It’s a neat feeling to have done so. We want if possible to give as many players as possible the chance to represent and if... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    27 May 2016

    BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS So you thought 15-17 was a range in respect of strong no trump openings or overcalls? That maybe but at Akarana Bridge Club, it spelt out some boards which attracted some rather hefty scores. Board 15 was fairly tame at all... read more here

  • "Nice to have known you, Lindsay"

    26 May 2016

    A tribute to the late Lindsay Adams who “passed peacefully away” on May 19th stated “Just a warm, gentle, very kind man, a privilege to have known Lindsay.” That too is my memory of Lindsay, coupled with a lovely little wry... read more here

  • Northland News with Tania Brown

    25 May 2016

    Welcome all to the Regional Round Up from Northland. Sue Brown is away at present swanning around some exotic countries. Thus, the reporting is down to me. Whangarei was proud to host its 5A Teams early in April. We had a large contingent from... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    25 May 2016

    YOUR JOB You know that old saying about “second player playing low”. Just like every “old saying”, there are times when you these wise sayings do not apply. East really should have been a little more alert on this deal.... read more here

  • Tournaments in June 2016

    23 May 2016

    Click here. read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    20 May 2016

    A little luck goes a long way “Nice hand” partner, declarer said on surveying dummy. What he was probably thinking was “could you not have given me the HQ as well?” but what he had was surely good enough to make your... read more here

  • Canterbury News with Craig Shannahan

    18 May 2016

    Bon Jour Mesdames and Messieurs Peninsula Akaroa held its annual 8B tournament on Saturday 9th May with a healthy 20 tables of players present, including players from faraway Wellington and Timaru.   A group of six ladies from the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    18 May 2016

    Counting Tricks It’s not so easy in a low level part-score. It’s vital when you are playing a game contract. It’s absolutely critical in the slam zone. You have got to have a plan for making your 10, 11,12 or 13 tricks before... read more here

  • DEADLIER THAN THE MALE

    16 May 2016

    Are they good enough? Can you get a realistic Swiss Pairs comparison by involving them? They just distort the normal results and we are better off without them. Who are they? Why, men, of course! Fortunately, we did not have to compare our scores... read more here

  • Forums on this website are live !

    16 May 2016

    read more here

  • Board News

    13 May 2016

    With Richard Solomon. Bridge Development Officer The New Zealand Bridge Board met twice during April, firstly by Conference Call and then face to face. The two new Board members, Akarana’s Carol Richardson and Havelock North’s Noel... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    13 May 2016

    “Four Play” Are you ready to see how to execute a “Guard Squeeze” or a “Mole Squeeze?” Yes, they exist but they must wait for another day. Today could be a case of “being on your guard” as we... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Moss Wylie

    11 May 2016

    Welcome to Invercargill correspondent, Moss Wylie. Good weather and plenty of good bridge down South. The “Indian summer” continues down south with long warm days. (It’s not too bad further north, either!) With duck hunting... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    11 May 2016

    That Same Old Message A solid 8 card suit, plenty of aces and other honours. Looks good for a slam though partner made the bidding a little harder when they opened a Multi 2. The opposition had nothing to say. Your nice collection was:  KJ... read more here

  • BOOK AND PAY ON-LINE FOR THE NZ NATIONAL BRIDGE CONGRESS

    10 May 2016

    New Zealand Bridge hopes that you will be coming to all or some of this year’s National Bridge Congress in Hamilton from 23rd September to 1st October 2016 with events open to all levels of players from experienced to less... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    10 May 2016

    Here are the top session scores in April. We have three scores over 70% with a Junior Pair leading the way                 Session % Final Position        ... read more here

  • South Island Tournament Results

    10 May 2016

    Here are the April 2016 Tournament Results from the South Island. We hope these will appear monthly from now on. Session High Scores will follow in the next news item.   Picton Junior Pairs (2nd April)   Ashburton Anniversary... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS from Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    10 May 2016

      Here are the April results from our top two regions. High session scores from all regions follow shortly. We hope these will be produced monthly from now on.         Howick 1 session Junior... read more here

  • Tournament Results from Central Districts and Wellington Regions

    10 May 2016

    There's some very high scoring down Kairangi,South Wairarapa and Wanganui way. Session High Scores will follow very soon. Waipukurau 5A Open Pairs (2nd April)     South Wairarapa Junior Pairs (3rd April)   John... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    6 May 2016

    An Unfortunate Bid The textbook definition of a balanced hand is getting stretched these days.5 card majors in a 5332 shape,  5-4 shapes, 6 card minors (like one last night), even the odd singleton…almost anything goes. For some... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    4 May 2016

    Play Card: Have Meaning You have opened the bidding with a pre-empt and partner leads the ace of your suit. Dummy has queen and another. Your partner knows how many cards he holds in the suit. He can do a quick count as to how many cards declarer... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS with Paul Maxwell

    4 May 2016

    It's been a busy time for tournament players in Wellington. While the local regional congress over the Anzac weekend was a great success by all accounts, I'm coping with a trying situation. Against expectations, the weather was superb. Again.... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    29 Apr 2016

    Playing Russian Roulette with Michael Cornell Or “How high do you go, Joe?” Joe is not his real name. If you are really interested, you could flick through the results on Board 26 at Akarana last night. What you do need to know is... read more here

  • ANZAC WEEKEND BRIDGE IN WELLINGTON

    28 Apr 2016

    It’s the final round of qualification in the Open Teams. You have not had a particularly good match so far against strong opponents. You need a few imps quickly. Those annoying opponents are in the auction again being disruptive.... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    28 Apr 2016

    That big step. An important time in the bridge calendar will soon be here for most bridge clubs. It is not the fact that there are lots of tournaments as that seems to be true all year round….or even that elections for regional committees... read more here

  • Central Districts' News with George MacLachlan

    27 Apr 2016

    News about a Central Districts’ player now on the NZ Bridge Board, another who has become a father and one who has been showing his club members how a top player thinks, news of Hawkes' Bay Congress and all the recent Tournament Winners.... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    27 Apr 2016

    MAKING IT TOUGHER That’s what you are there for as a defender. Some contracts cannot be beaten. Some contracts cannot be made. There’s unlucky leads, misplays and misdefences all amounting to some contracts making when they should not... read more here

  • Website Improvements

    27 Apr 2016

    Just to let everyone know that we are working on the Login issue when you select the "Remember Me' option, but it does not work.  We appreciate this is a hassle and do want this fixed as much as you do. Booking and paying... read more here

  • Announcement- NZ Mixed Team for 2016

    26 Apr 2016

    The Selectors are pleased to announce that the following self-funded team has been chosen to represent NZ at Wroclaw in September of this year:   Tom Jacob (playing captain) Andi Boughey James Coutts Ellena Moskovsky Nick Jacob Ella... read more here

  • Tournaments in May 2016

    24 Apr 2016

    Click here. read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    22 Apr 2016

    THE HIGH ROAD OR THE LOW ROAD? Many Acol pairs rebid 1NT after a suit opening and response from partner with 15-17 hcp and 2NT with 18-19. The rebid of 3NT becomes something of a redundant response, giving you the option of choosing a meaning. My... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    20 Apr 2016

    Time to Shine. So much about play and defence is in the avoidance of errors. So, here’s an opportunity for you to do something positive to beat a contract. Down to business. You are West, playing Teams:   South... read more here

  • Top of the South News

    20 Apr 2016

    A warm welcome to our new correspondent, Jenny Pomeroy. Jenny will be well known to regular players in the TOTS region, always a plus for a regional correspondent, and has been serving on the Regional Committee. As this is the first report... read more here

  • Youth Bridge Weekend 12-14 August 2016

    18 Apr 2016

    Starts Friday evening and finishes Sunday afternoon Learn and enjoy more about bridge and meet other young people who play ... Lots of fun events plus learning more about the game AND plenty of playing bridge Organised by Richard Solomon and... read more here

  • Recent High Session Scores

    15 Apr 2016

    Here are the top session scores from up and down the country from the first three months of 2016. Find a friend's name...maybe even your own. Scores listed are 66% and above.                ... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    15 Apr 2016

    The Effect of Heart Overcalls There is a saying that pairs would be a lot better off as far as imps are concerned if they had never bid a slam. That saying was reinforced for the North-South pairs in the second match at Akarana this week. For... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS South Island

    15 Apr 2016

    See the first three months of 2016 results from the South Island regions. Apologies that these have been published a few days after North Island results.  Canterbury Holiday Pairs (January 5th,7th,12th) Otago/Southland Swiss... read more here

  • TOURNAMENT RESULTS from Auckland-Northland and Waikato Bays

    14 Apr 2016

    It's wonderful to participate but it is also nice to achieve and for such achievement to be recognised.   So, while the top placings in most of our tournaments can be found on a club website, it is also nice to see them all... read more here

  • Tournament Results from Central Districts and Wellington Regions

    14 Apr 2016

    See the first three months of 2016 results from the Central Districts and Wellington regions.                                   ... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    13 Apr 2016

    WATCH THOSE PIPS When you start playing bridge, it is all you can do to remember if the ace of a suit has gone, maybe try and count trumps but no more! Usually, even that much is too much. Yet, it does get easier the more you play and after a... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    13 Apr 2016

    Firstly, congratulations to our newest Gold Grandmaster, Jenny Millington, who joins just a handful of females who hold this rank.  Jenny is a great ambassador for bridge in the region and puts a lot of energy back into the game especially... read more here

  • Grosvenor is alive and well..and living in New Zealand

    11 Apr 2016

    Fact is so much weirder than fiction. A “Grosvenor Gambit” is described as “a deliberate error by a defender giving declarer an opportunity to make his contract which the declarer refuses because he expects rational... read more here

  • Tournaments in April 2016

    10 Apr 2016

    Click here read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS

    8 Apr 2016

    Here we are again, and apologies for producing this a little late. I can only blame, well, myself. The tournament season is now in full swing, so quite a few results for you. First name for this month is definitely Susan. Back in February, David... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    8 Apr 2016

    Getting to Game…the right game.   When one partner has a really strong strong no-trump hand (18 count) and their partner a good long heart suit, you would think getting to 4 would be a formality… but this was not always the... read more here

  • Launch of Directing, Teaching and Master Solvers forums

    7 Apr 2016

    Over 2,000 people have registered on the this NZB website and it seems a good time to add new forums to encourage exchanges of ideas and opinions within the bridge community. These replace the Directing and Teaching forums moderated by Peter... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    6 Apr 2016

    SPOT THE LOSER You accepted your partner’s invitation. So, as they say, it’s your fault if game does not make. You know from the bidding that East has a weak 2 in hearts. West leads 10 to East’s king to be followed by the A on... read more here

  • GOLD COAST CONGRESS - MASTERPOINTS

    4 Apr 2016

    I have recieved and have processed the file from the ABF which includes the Gold Coast Congress Masterpoints. Players records have now been updated to include these awards.   Regards   Alister read more here

  • Heartland New Zealand

    4 Apr 2016

    You may not associate that phrase with Whangaparaoa but one board at the Hibiscus 3A and 8B tournaments last Saturday changed all that. We are all still waiting for the “perfect” hand to be dealt but Board 2 of the second session came... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    1 Apr 2016

    WHEN WILL YOU EVER LEARN “Where have all the trump leads gone, long time passing. Where have all the trump leads gone, long time ago. Where have all the trump leads gone, gone to wise bridge players every one. When will they ever learn,... read more here

  • Canterbury News

    31 Mar 2016

                                Find out who has been doing well in recent Canterbury events. Daylight saving ends... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    31 Mar 2016

                            As promised, a look each month at one aspect of our game. This time, we have an interesting idea on the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    30 Mar 2016

    Too Good To Lead We all have been frustrated when we fail to beat 3NT when the computer analysis says 8 tricks is the limit…but when 6 tricks is the limit for declarer, it is even more frustrating. What went wrong? Firstly, though, you... read more here

  • Double and Off

    29 Mar 2016

    That’s Susan Humphries  who had a wonderful Easter Week-end at the Auckland Bridge Club with victory in both the Open Pairs (with Michael Whibley) and with Steph Jacob, Michael Whibley and Matthew Brown in the Open Teams. Then, later... read more here

  • It's crazy...but it's true

    29 Mar 2016

    Easter Madness at Auckland The two day Teams event at the Auckland Bridge Club brought out the bizarre in the card dealer…and where the cards were not wild, the players contrived to make them so. This is not really an article about good... read more here

  • Board News

    25 Mar 2016

             They meet almost every month, have phone-ins at regular intervals and as individuals are constantly working for the betterment of our game. What do they talk about? Well, we can bring you some of... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    25 Mar 2016

    JUST ANOTHER DEFENSIVE DECISION…. You’ve got the bidding, your hand and dummy to look at. You’ve even seen the play to the first three tricks. It can’t be too hard…can it? You are North. South... read more here

  • Beginner Lesson Quiz 6 error

    24 Mar 2016

    There was an error in Quiz 6 for the Beginner Lessons.  The hands for the first question were incorrect.  They have now been fixed and reloaded on the website.  Open this news item, then click on the links if you wish to open them... read more here

  • Northland News

    23 Mar 2016

    Welcome to Sue Brown who presents the first on-line news from Northland....and what a great piece of news she has to start with, a great success for a Northland player. Northland is celebrating its first ever player to achieve selection for the... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    23 Mar 2016

    THOSE PART-SCORES ARE IMPORTANT TOO. No matter what form of the game you are playing, you want to be on the right end of the part-score battles, both in the bidding but also in the play and defence. Many examples deals are about the action in... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    18 Mar 2016

    WILD and WONDERFUL That’s if you end up on the right side of the pendulum. I was a little surprised that only just over half the tables got to grips with Board 26. Firstly, let me give you the problem I faced…and really did not find... read more here

  • The 30th WBF WORLD WIDE BRIDGE CONTEST

    18 Mar 2016

                                          ... read more here

  • SPRING WORLD ON-LINE WOMEN'S BRIDGE FESTIVAL

    17 Mar 2016

    The World Bridge Federation and BBO present the Spring Online Women's Worldwide Bridge Festival. Calling Women's Pairs. To be held from 4th – 10th April 2016              ... read more here

  • Otago/Southland News with Brad Johnston

    16 Mar 2016

    Brad and Moss Wylie will share the reporting duties in bringing bridge news from down south every couple of months. They are two of the keenest bridge players in their region and will keep you up to date with what is happening. G'day from down... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    16 Mar 2016

    “THEY ARE NOT THAT BRILLIANT, ARE THEY?” Just another board to plan at trick one. You are in 4 having shown great discipline in not opening a weak 2 with a good four card heart suit in your hand. They lead an annoying Q. Over to you?... read more here

  • A BUSY WEEK-END'S BRIDGE

    15 Mar 2016

    Some nice weather and plenty of bridge played last week-end. Here are the names of those who won the various competitions. Bridge is very much alive and well.   Taranaki Congress     click here for all results Marion... read more here

  • What's new ...

    15 Mar 2016

    Welcome to the updated New Zealand Bridge website:  you should notice a few improvements.  If you register once1 on the My NZB page using your NZB Computer number your Masterpoints will appear automatically each time you visit the... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    11 Mar 2016

     AVOIDING FAILURE : Once more to Wednesday night at the Akarana Bridge Club.... When 9 out of 13 Akarana declarers fail in a reasonable and according to Deep Finesse makeable 4 contract, we should have a look and see what went wrong. At the... read more here

  • A GREAT WELLINGTON WEEK-END;NORTH ISLAND TEAMS

    10 Mar 2016

    Wellington was the venue for the third qualifying event for the 2016 National Trials. Not that all 36 teams had a trip to Poland on their mind. The large field, following on 38 in Auckland and 28 in Dunedin, was proof that these events are... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    10 Mar 2016

    SPOT THE DANGER HAND Can you? If you can, it will help you to find the winning play on the following deal. Here is your hand and dummy after the 9 lead from West. Both sides are vulnerable.        ... read more here

  • Board Elections- March 2016

    9 Mar 2016

      New Zealand Bridge congratulates Carol Richardson & Noel Woodhall the successful candidates in the recent Board elections. Carol and Noel will commence their term from 1st April 2016.     read more here

  • New Zealand International Teams Announcement

    9 Mar 2016

    The make-up of the three teams to represent New Zealand at the 2016 Olympiad In Poland in August has just been announced. The following have been selected after the completion last week-end of the third of the qualifying events, the North Island... read more here

  • WELLINGTON REGIONAL NEWS

    9 Mar 2016

    Welcome to the first news from the Wellington area with Paul Maxwell. The weather has been great and so has the bridge. Read on.  The Wellington Regional Bridge Committee ran a Junior League during 2015. This initiative was well received by... read more here

  • GOLD COAST TEAMS FINAL UPDATE

    4 Mar 2016

    Congratulations to Royle Epsom's Kinga Hajmasi and Andrew Michl whose team won the Restricted Teams competition. Kinga (far left) and Andrew with their Australian teammates. Their team won the 48 board final 113.1-108 imps after a 30-15 win... read more here

  • TALES OF AKARANA

    4 Mar 2016

    For those of you who do not know, the Akarana Bridge Club is different from any other in this country in that it plays only Teams events. When we say “Teams”, we also include Swiss Pairs and even the occasional “Point A... read more here

  • New Zealand National Bridge Congress Update. What's New in Hamilton?

    3 Mar 2016

    Saturday September 24th –Saturday October 1st 2016 Many have just returned from a glorious week at the Gold Coast Congress. It seems months away until our own National Congress in Hamilton, seven at the time this was published. Watch out... read more here

  • Central Districts' News

    2 Mar 2016

    As usual, the western area started the year with three Picnic Tournaments, at New Plymouth, Hawera and Wanganui. The overall winner, and winner of the Upson Cup, was New Plymouth’s Pushpa and Ravi Modgill with the respective heat winners... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    2 Mar 2016

    OVERBIDDING SHOULD NOT PAY “They overbid to a silly slam and it was just too hard to find the lead to beat it” said a mournful South after a slam had slithered home giving the defenders a rank bottom board. Judge for yourself whether... read more here

  • FINE WEATHER, FINE COMPETITION IN DUNEDIN

    1 Mar 2016

    THE SOUTH ISLAND TEAMS Yes, Dunedin produced both for the South Island Teams whose field of 28 teams contained all those trialling for this year’s international selection. The only thing missing for those who sat North-South was a total... read more here

  • THE GREAT UNDERLEADS OF 2015 by Richard Solomon

    1 Mar 2016

    Lead low and down they go.....   No!      We’ve had a lot of reminiscing in the media about sporting and musical exploits in 2015. This is one category of “greats” which so far has not been seen. We... read more here

  • GOLD COAST TEAMS

    26 Feb 2016

    Some Kiwi successes, some near misses at the end of the three days, 12 rounds Swiss Teams. Congratulations to Michael Ware, GeO Tislevoll, Michael Cornell and Ashley Bach whose respective teams made the top 6 in the Open competition and... read more here

  • RICHARD'S THOUGHTS

    26 Feb 2016

    This is the first of a monthly series when "the floor is mine". THE WAY WE WERE: THE WAY WE WILL BE This may just go on to the New Zealand Bridge website to the “converted” though hopefully also it will be seen by others more used... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    24 Feb 2016

    “DON’T GO DOWN, PARTNER” 33 points, plenty of trumps, no threat of a shortage in the opponents’ hands but several declarers failed to make their 6 slam. Let’s look at the deal below and see what happened.  ... read more here

  • WAIKATO BAYS NEWS with Anna Kalma

    24 Feb 2016

    Hello from the Waikato Bays region and my first column as the nominated correspondent (i.e. couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough when asked). What to write? No sweat – I will ring around some of the movers and shakers in the region... read more here

  • KIWI NEWS FROM THE GOLD COAST

    23 Feb 2016

    Are there any New Zealand Bridge players still in New Zealand?  By a rough count, 177 of them have crossed the Tasman to go to the Gold Coast Congress. By the end of Monday, the Pairs competitions had been completed. There is a pretty good... read more here

  • AUCKLAND NEWS

    18 Feb 2016

    Auckland News with Douglas Russell This week's News comes from the city with the most bridge clubs and traffic jams in the country. Any connection between the two? If only.... Well, it is nice to see that reports from the regions have come... read more here

  • RIGHT TIME: RIGHT PLACE

    18 Feb 2016

    So you think that knowing the time and the place of a bridge tournament are pretty important? Many bridge players struggle to remember the starting time. “Was it 9.30am or 10.00am?” “Was that the time for morning tea or when... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    17 Feb 2016

    As a defender, one of your aims is to make life as easy as possible for your partner. With that in mind, plan your defence on the following deal. Teams. Dealer North. Vul E/W. You are South.... read more here

  • BEV SMITH 1940-2015

    10 Feb 2016

                                             BEV... read more here

  • NEWS FROM THE REGIONS: CANTERBURY

    10 Feb 2016

    Welcome to the first of what we hope will be a regular weekly review of what has been happening bridge-wise around the country. Our aim is to focus on one region per week…and seeing it is summer, and we have some lovely summery news,... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE for Improving Players

    10 Feb 2016

    HOW MANY TRUMPS? Trumps can be dangerous objects in the hands of the defenders. Sometimes, though, we have to leave them in play, waiting to cause us grief. What’s your plan in making 11 tricks with the following cards?... read more here

  • THE LEGAL DRUG

    9 Feb 2016

    Say “No” to Drugs” Google quotes Pattaya as “a town on Thailand’s Eastern Gulf Coast known for a wild nightlife scene that attracts international visitors, weekenders from Bangkok and expats.” Not any more.... read more here

  • 2017 tournament schedule

    7 Feb 2016

    The Regional Committees are refining the 2017 club tournaments timetable and the national tournament scheduler Rona Driscoll expects the 2017 tournament to be finalised by July or earlier. If you need sight of the draft schedule (which is subject... read more here

  • Kiwi busted in Thai bridge scandal

    5 Feb 2016

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11584884 read more here

  • Bridge at The Gay Pride Festival

    4 Feb 2016

    PLAY BRIDGE AT THE "PROUD TO PLAY" GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL You do not have to be gay. Anyone can play. The Trusts Arena65-67 Central Park DriveHenderson, Aucklandstarts      February 15th 2016 (Monday) at... read more here

  • PLAY and DEFENCE

    3 Feb 2016

    NOT FOR THE DEFENCE’S BENEFIT. What’s the ultimate insult for a defender, defending a no-trump contract? You make a bad lead…and…get the suit you led played straight back at you! You may feel deflated… but do not... read more here

  • TALES OF TAURANGA

    2 Feb 2016

    Strange stories of those who did not win.  The Tauranga Mini Congress  Week-end. January 30th- February 1st 2016 The Bay turned on a pretty good wettish weekend for bridge which suited the host club with a roomful of players for all... read more here

  • KIWIS IN CANBERRA

    29 Jan 2016

    Of all the Kiwis who went across to Canberra’s Summer Festival of Bridge, the most successful was Auckland’s Nick Jacob. Nick certainly landed himself a very good partner in the shape of Ishmael Del’Monte. Nick and Ishmael... read more here

  • 2016 Lesson material

    28 Jan 2016

    The 2016 Lesson material has now been transferred over from the old site, INCLUDING the revamped powerpoint presentations. Please note, the layout on the page is a little different (for the better we hope). The Dealer files are now lower... read more here

  • REMEMBERING ALEX

    28 Jan 2016

    Past Editor of New Zealand Bridge Magazine, bridge club founder, Alex Moore, a very colourful character, died on the 30th December 2015. He was 68 and suffered a major heart attack. Alex Alex had a variety of careers and a very varied life. He... read more here

  • PLAYING THE CARDS

    26 Jan 2016

    In this series of articles, we will feature hands played well or where there could be, shall we say, a little room for improvement. You learn to finesse at an early stage in your bridge career. It is so often the pathway to scoring extra tricks.... read more here

  • Young,Enthusiastic and with Passion

    25 Jan 2016

    Yes, we are talking about bridge, not always an activity associated with the youth of our society. When we talk of young bridge players, some say we are talking about those in their 30’s and 40’s. Not any more as there is a quiet,... read more here

  • BRIDGE ARTICLES ON THE NEW WEBSITE

    19 Jan 2016

      Welcome to the new New Zealand Bridge website. We hope it will retain the best of its predecessor but in other aspects will be a big improvement. Technology is fast changing. We aim to keep New Zealand Bridge abreast of the latest changes.... read more here

  • PLAYING THE CARDS

    19 Jan 2016

    In this series of articles, we will feature hands played well or where there could be, shall we say, a little room for improvement. We will start off with a deal which was played very nicely by a bridge personality more associated with directing.... read more here

  • THAMES TEN YEARS ON

    15 Jan 2016

    The second week-end of January saw the eleventh anniversary celebrations of the Thames Coromandel Summer Bridge Festival. The Congress was the idea of the late Allan Barclay and was started at the time when January was a relatively uncluttered... read more here

  • International Squads for 2016

    13 Jan 2016

    OPEN Matthew Brown and Michael Whibley Nick Jacob and Glenn Coutts Tom Jacob and Brian Mace Michael Ware and Geo Tislevoll Ashley Bach and Michael Cornell James Coutts and Sam Coutts Alan Grant and Anthony Ker... read more here

  • List of Club & Regional Secretaries - Updated 24 Jan 2016

    13 Jan 2016

    Club & Regional Secretaries.pdf  read more here

  • Qualified Directors

    13 Jan 2016

    List of Qualified Directors 5 January 2016.pdf (0.21MB) read more here

  • Playing the Game

    12 Jan 2016

    In this series of articles, we will feature hands played well or where there could be, shall we say, a little room for improvement. We will start off with a deal which was played very nicely by a bridge personality more associated with directing.... read more here

  • Playing and Defending - for Those new to the Game

    22 Dec 2015

    by Richard Solomon THE WAY WE WERE A neat song and a title so true of our wonderful game. If you can play a bit now, remember back to those oh so confusing days when you started. The play of the following hand really happened. I know. I watched... read more here

  • Running Diamonds

    22 Dec 2015

    Two successive deals on a recent Monday night had a certain theme connecting them. On both of them, the opening lead was a diamond and in both cases, dummy had a five card diamond suit. This was the first: Dealer... read more here

  • SAVING YOUR TEAM

    22 Dec 2015

    When your opposition get into an aggressive but making contract, a defender has to do something pretty drastic to save the day for their team. That was certainly the case when Franklin Club player, Christine Egelmeer, found herself on lead to... read more here

  • Rejuvenating a Bridge Club Presentation

    24 Sep 2015

    Jane Stearn's presentation "Rejuvenating a Bridge Club" is now available to view on YouTube. read more here

  • Appointment- New Zealand Bridge Foundation

    23 Sep 2015

    read more here

  • NZ Bridge- Social Media Policy

    22 Sep 2015

    NZ Bridge Social Media Policy Document read more here

  • Club Directors Exams

    10 Sep 2015

    EXAMINATIONS FOR DIRECTORS 2015 31st Oct & 1st Nov 2015 (Club Directors Exams) read more here

  • Documents Released for 2016 International Team Selections

    24 Aug 2015

    Follow the link to download the documents for 2016 read more here

  • Recenlty Qualified Club Directors

    24 Aug 2015

    Congratulations!! read more here

  • NZ National Congress

    6 Jul 2015

    26th September - 3rd October. Don't forget to register now. Entry fees for main events/packages are discounted if paid by 31st August. Click here to visit the Congress website to enter or view entries read more here

  • The Young are coming and getting good, too

    6 Jul 2015

    by Richard Solomon Those who say that bridge is just something one’s grandmother plays have not been to the Howick-Pakuranga area recently. There is plenty of bridge being played there by those who are still at school. The... read more here

  • NZ Youth Teams Event - 25 September 2015

    24 Apr 2015

    read more here

  • BULLETIN ANNOUNCING 2015 TEAMS

    18 Mar 2015

      The Selectors have chosen the following teams:   APBF BANGKOK   OPEN Ashley Bach and Mike Cornell Gary Chen and Richard Solomon Glenn Coutts and Nick Jacob   Reserve... read more here

  • NZ Youth Teams Event

    15 Feb 2015

    read more here

  • Youth Bridge Weekend

    28 Jan 2015

    Learn and enjoy more about bridge and meet other young people who play ... Lots of fun events plus learning more about the game AND plenty of playing bridge read more here

  • NZ Bridge Inc - 2015 Annual Report

    22 Sep 2014

    read more here

  • NZ Bridge Electronic System Card Now Available

    15 Aug 2013

    read more here

  • New Grand Masters

    5 Jul 2012

    Congratulations to all our new Grand Masters who are rising up in the ranks. Updated 10 July 2015   read more here

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