All News

   Choice of Fits. “I like having lots of trumps, the more the better” commented a bridge player recently. We were debating which minor suit we would make the trump suit on the deal below.   East... read more here

Scott "celebrating" another tricky game made! Seeing “all four hands”. Today’s deal is about making a difficult 4S contract. It occurred in the recent Havelock North Swiss Pairs and features Scott Smith in partnership with... read more here

Bridge on the Big Screen! Don’t miss TVNZ’s 7 Sharp this Friday for a heartwarming story featuring 102-year-old Jill Mackenzie, still playing bridge with style and smarts at the Kaikōura Bridge Club.   A beautiful celebration... read more here

Ten vital points. What are your ambitions with the following hand?       East DealsE-W Vul   N W   E S    ... read more here

“Numero Uno” this time for Jeremy and Jack. Jeremy and Jack Dominate North Island Pairs. Jeremy Fraser -Hoskin and Jack James came good at just the right time to win last weekend’s on-line North Island Pairs in relative... read more here

Learning The Hard Way. For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players….and maybe a few others too…. It’s Fri day. Sometimes we make the right bid and it does not work out for us. On other occasions, we make the wrong bid and yet... read more here

  or is there? What’s the problem? Those were the words I said to myself after playing the following deal in 3NT. It would seem the least likely deal to write up in this feature. Take a look: North DealsN-S Vul... read more here

Fence Sitting? There are times to be a passive defender, perhaps when you hold most of the high cards for your side but there are times when you cannot sit back and wait for tricks to come your way. What do you think about West’s situation... read more here

Declarer to the Fore. In yesterday’s tribute to Ishmael Del’Monte, mention was made of his excellent declarer play. Here, then, courtesy of Barry Rigal, are two typical examples of Ishmael at work. Double Squeeze North... read more here

Ish and Lisa. A Tribute to Ish. It is really sad to have to report the passing of Ishmael Del’Monte, one of this country’s finest bridge players. He was 54. Ish had lived in the USA for about 14 years after an extended period of... read more here

For Junior and Intermediate and other players. It’s Fri day! A Pairs …or Anytime Bid? Most players at clubs around New Zealand play mainly Match Point Pairs bridge. The tactics in this form of the game are very different from... read more here

Second in Australian Butler Pairs. It is almost big news when Michael Ware does not finish a bridge tournament in Australasia at or near the top. That still means it is big news when he does. With Matthew McManus, Michael took part in the recent... read more here

John Wang and Gary Chen.  A Hard Way to a Top Score. In the last two days, we featured boards from the Auckland Provincial Teams. Also, this past weekend, the Auckland Provincial Pairs took place. Despite a fine 70.37 % off the 27 board... read more here

Good Judgment … and Flair! “Lost Heart” Yesterday, we saw some enterprising bidding from Leon Meier which paid off. Today, we see another young player demonstrate some inspired bidding, indeed not just one but two young... read more here

Imagination at Work. We hope that our top players do have flair and imagination. There are other less flashy attributes you need to have to be a top player but a touch of out of the ordinary flair every so often, the “champagne” that... read more here

            Equal and Unequal Length. For Junior, Intermediate and Novice Players… and others. It’s Fri - Day. There’s a message here for all grades, even if the play may... read more here

The Key Aim. Several declarers in an Open tournament failed in today’s contract, perhaps because they did not recognise their “key aim” as declarer (other than to make their contract!). Do you? East DealsBoth Vul... read more here

An “honest” pre-empt…or not! Pre-empts work. Well, sometimes they do. They seem to make life awkward for one side and usually that does not seem to be the side who pre-empt. Let’s look at this situation. We are playing... read more here

Don’t rely on it! Good Fortune..or Good Defence ? The following 3NT contract was beaten (well at one table) but on the actual defence could have succeeded. Yet, on the actual lead, the contract should not have been made.... read more here

“What If?” Those two words should be right in front of a declarer every time they play a contract, a reminder to take nothing for granted. Take a look here: South DealsBoth Vul A 8 4 Q 8... read more here

for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players .. and others. It's Fri  day.  How Weak is your Weak Two? Weak 2 Opening bids are very common (apart from 2C, of course!). Therefore, those who play them should have a clear idea of how to... read more here

Finesse to Success! Well, it looks like you have made the wrong decision for your side. You are playing Swiss Pairs and you should have left the final decision to your partner who would certainly have wielded the axe!   East... read more here

A High-Stake Lead. When there’s lots of distribution around the table and the opponents have bid aggressively to slam, you want to get your opening lead right, or as right as you can. Imps will likely be flowing in the opponents’... read more here

Good Shape: Bad Shape. Two deals from the recent National Swiss Pairs illustrate well the importance of shape in hand evaluation. Both deals are in the slam zone. Firstly, therefore, two questions.   9... read more here

Gary Foidl and Brett Glass.  Waikato Win in National Swiss Pairs. Brett Glass and Gary Foidl hit the lead at just the right time in the 9 round National Swiss Pairs held this past weekend at the Tauranga Bridge Club. After a small loss... read more here

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players…and others! It’s Fri   day! “Light Hearted” It has been a bit of a heavy week with deals involving squeezes and end-plays. It’s time for something more... read more here

End -play Delight! Today’s deal provided a headache for most declarers with only 3 out of 14 managing to make 9 tricks in 3NT. Yet, the board was as tough for many of the North players as well. Firstly, then, what would you lead as North... read more here

Michael “at  the wheel”. Michael Ware is our top master-point earner, a regular New Zealand international player and currently on a rich run of success, as at last weekend’s Wellington Main Regional Teams. Let’s take... read more here

More of David. As stated yesterday, we do not see David Ackerley in action very often. So, he is now featured for the second day running after his team’s excellent performance in winning the Wellington  Main Regional Teams. There... read more here

Scott Smith, David Ackerley, Michael Ware, Matthew McManus. “Once a Year Wonder.” The Wellington Main Regional  Teams took place over the last weekend at the Wellington Bridge Club. As Michael Ware commented in his victory... read more here

for Junior and Intermediate players...and others! It's Fri day! Wishing and a ‘hoping. Having dreams is nice. They do sometimes come true and that is even nicer. We are, of course, talking about playing bridge hands! It’s strange.... read more here