Bridge

It's 10 years since the monthly British bridge magazine Bridge Plus was first published. Many considered it to be a risky venture on the part of its editor, Elena Jeronimidis, but it is still here, and gaining in popularity all the time. Today's hand comes from an article in Bridge Plus by Eric Crowhurst, entitled "The Correct Defence at Teams and Pairs".

South opened One No-Trump (12-14) and North bid Three No-Trumps. As West you lead ]Q, taken by dummy's ace, partner playing ]3, a discouraging card. Declarer now plays a small club to his king. Crowhurst points out that declarer is known to hold 6 points in the black suits. The unseen honour cards are +KQ and _A. With South having precisely 12-14 points, he must hold _A, plus either +K or +Q. Playing teams or rubber bridge, your aim is to defeat the contract at all costs. So on taking this trick you return a small diamond, hoping that partner has +Kxx(x) to give your side five tricks.

But at match-pointed pairs it isn't so clear-cut. Should declarer have the king of diamonds rather than the queen, he makes a trick to which he was never entitled and you convert a likely average into a likely bottom.

Bridge Plus also publishes booklets. Two of the latest are Practice Your Defence Against Pre-empts with David Bird and Practice Your Cue-Bidding with Brian Senior. Each booklet costs pounds 3.50, and begins with an explanation of the topic, followed by the practice hands, and finally the solutions, with commentaries.

`Bridge Plus', PO Box 384, Reading RG1 5YP. Tel/Fax: 0118 935 1052

LOVE ALL; DEALER SOUTH

NORTH

] A 6

_ K Q J

+ 10 9 8

[ Q J 9 4 2

WEST

] Q J 10 5 2

_ 7 6

+ A J 4 2

[ A 10

EAST

] 9 4 3

_ 9 5 4 2

+ K 7 5

[ 8 7 3

SOUTH

] K 8 7

_ A 10 8 3

+ Q 6 3

[ K 6 5