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Nice hand… but where to go? Just for once your partner seems to have a decent overcall…and your hand is not without merit. Yet, the two hands do not seem to gel very well. What to do next? North DealsE-W Vul  ... read more here

  Taking Full Advantage. ..of an opponent’s   How do you feel when the opponents double you for penalties? A little nervous perhaps. Bad trump break? Certainly no “walk in the park”. Then they lead and suddenly the... read more here

National Rubber down to the last board. The 2021 National Rubber competition was finally completed on Real Bridge on Saturday afternoon in a very tight match between Wellington’s Anthony Ker and Russell Dive and Christchurch’s Fiona... read more here

Hopefully not the result of your gamble! Who is Gambling now? The “Gambling 3NT” opening bid is certain to create a problem for someone at the table…and it is not the opening bidder! They are showing a long solid minor and no... read more here

Thinking of… Well, you are hoping to beat a contract. That’s you and your partner, co-operating together, without saying a word. It’s all done by the cards you play. So, here you are: East DealsN-S Vul  ... read more here

Maybe five aces in the pack? 40+ points. Have you ever had one of those auctions where everyone has lost the “pass” card?! It seems there are far more high card points than there should be. Take the following auction which occurred... read more here

Just in case…. Sometimes it’s not what they lead but what they don’t which can help you to find the right path. See what you think about your chances on this board. South DealsNone Vul ♠ 7... read more here

A handy card. Safety Does it. A nice controlled bidding sequence to 6. It’s your chance to ensure nothing goes wrong in the play. So, take a look below and plan the play after 10 lead from South.   South DealsBoth Vul... read more here

Then say “nothing”! So Obvious? You have a hand of no merit at all. You have been given the opportunity to pass. So, that seems the obvious thing to do. Well, is it? Below is the kind of hand you hold frequently. So, you should be... read more here

The grass may seem greener on the other side…or in another contract!   There’s better and worse contracts..but   The first sight of dummy is no time to wish you were in a different contract. (Well, a one second wish is... read more here

Defence or Attack …. but not in between! So, you are on the defence fighting a 3NT contract pretty much on your own. Your partner indicated with their bid that they have very few if any honour cards to help the cause. What then should your... read more here

   Careful! It’s a great one-word piece of advice whether you are in the most mundane looking part-score or rather higher. When the contract seems so easy, take extra special care. So, here you are in 6 and all you have to do is... read more here

no bridge at the club but plenty on-line for Timaru. Taking a Trip "to" Timaru.  It would surely be a nice trip to visit Timaru whether or not one spent all one’s time in the local bridge club. Currently, we can play in bridge... read more here

                Rule Breakers? Are you? Well, you cannot answer that question until you know what the rules are! Some people will say that the rules keep changing. Take... read more here

The Price You Pay. Or maybe it might just not be your day! You can choose which of the two phrases above is more applicable. Firstly, though, have a thought about how you would play these East-West cards in 3NT. West DealsNone Vul... read more here

Down to Earth….almost! Maybe you have been following the New Zealand Open team in action: maybe not. Perhaps some of the deals have been a bit too complex, especially the bidding. So, let’s come back to something a little simpler,... read more here

  A Sad Ending. It seems longer than one week since when The Bridge Blacks led the world after their first match and then hovered around the last 8. The joy of maximum wins over England and Netherlands has since passed. We had hoped that... read more here

Twenty Short. Four matches on Saturday and hope at the start that a good performance could leave The Bridge Blacks challenging for the top 8. How many vps did we need from a day with no easy matches, if such a thing exists in this event? Perhaps... read more here

Deja Vous. At the end of this day, there will be sadness in the Kiwi camp that inconsistency has once again let the side down. Let’s not forget also that it was a day in which the Bridge Blacks beat the strong USA 1 team and then toppled... read more here

“A Sad Tail” Spell “tail” either way and the adjective “sad” could be applied to the performance of the Bridge Blacks on Day 4. A day of what might have been. Their first match on BBO against South Africa saw... read more here

                             A "Double" Double Day 7th at the start of the day and 13th at the end of 4 matches sounds like a disappointing day for The Bridge Blacks. Even... read more here

A Sign of Great Happiness? Apparently, some cultures believe that if you see a group of seven ducks, then they represent great wealth or happiness coming your way! If we substitute 7C for “seven ducks”, then there was a sign of great... read more here

the venue. Day 1 Stop the Clock! This week, daily reports from Salsomaggiore replace or double as our "Daily Hands". Right now, after three of the 23 matches for the New Zealand Open Team playing in the Bermuda Bowl in Salsomaggiore. If... read more here

The Timing’s Right too! If you are going to do something a little unusual, then you could have egg on your face if it backfires. However, on a good day, your “crime” or creativity pays dividends. Today, we have Alan Grant... read more here

is? Where to next? Under one third of the North-South pairs bid today’s North/South cards to quite a reasonable slam, many being satisfied to play in 3NT. Let’s see what our Panel would bid at a key moment in the bidding.... read more here

The Last Resort. If you can entice the opposition to open up a suit to your advantage, then it can be better than playing the suit yourself. Perhaps you can force them to play that suit for you. Even better. If all else fails, you will just have... read more here

What you can hear. Today, I am handing the floor to Pat Carter, one of our leading players and directors. Pat has been heavily involved in on-line playing and directing since the start of the Covid epidemic, firstly on BBO and then on... read more here