Bridge in Oz

All vulnerable, playing IMPS, you, East pick up this hand. Partner opens 1♣ and it then goes 5♦, pass, 6♦, all pass.

♠ K9864
♥ 765
♦ Q
♣ 9652

What do you lead? Does it matter if partner doubles instead of passing?

Discuss.

All vulnerable, playing IMPS, you, West pick up this hand and open 1♣. It then goes 5♦, pass, 6♦.

♠ AQ105
♥ AQ42
♦ --
♣ J10874

Do you double? What does a double mean in your partnership?

All vulnerable, playing IMPS, you, South pick up this hand and hear West open 1♣ and partner overcall 5♦ with East passing.

♠ 732
♥ J98
♦ 984
♣ AKQ3

Your call? Does it matter if it's the last board and you think you need a swing?

All vulnerable, playing IMPS, you, North pick up this hand and hear West open 1♣.

♠ J
♥ K103
♦ AKJ1076532
♣ --

Your call?

Here's a deal where partner opened 1♣, RHO bid 2♣ (Michaels) and I ended as declarer in a skinny 3NT. J63,10843,AK8,A87 K82,AK,1072,QJ642 The ♥ 9 was led and I put up the 10, coaxing the J from RHO. One bullet dodged! I'm going to need 4 club tricks and RHO, having advertised 5-5 majors, is likely t...

Without going into excruciating detail, it looks right to drop the ♣A at trick 1. RHO is likely to have started with 4 trumps and you may need a club entry to dummy in order to lead towards your diamonds twice. My thinking is to draw trumps ending in dummy to avoid a second club ruff and then run th...

Here's an odd little hand. With no opposing bidding you are declarer in 4♠.

♠ Q105
♥ 1064
♦ 84
♣ KJ652

♠ AK632
♥ A
♦ KJ975
♣ A10

The opening lead is the ♣7. It looks like a straightforward hand except when you play low from dummy, RHO ruffs with the ♠4 and returns the ♥K.

Your plan?

Perhaps you've heard the bridge maxim "eight ever, nine never"? That refers to the situation where you have an eight or nine card suit and are looking to pick up the Queen. It says you should finesse with eight, or play for the drop with nine. However with nine the difference in the odds is small. I...

CHBC has announced resumption of games at the club on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings starting November 6. Initially there will be a maximum of 20 players, strict safety precautions and a booking procedure. More information to come. 20 players is not many, but it's a start! A personal obser...

Cross-ruffing looks like your only reasonable plan. Drive out the ♦ A, cash your winners outside of trumps, ruff everything else. So play a diamond to dummy. RHO wins the Ace and somehow finds the killer trump return. Now what? You're not getting close to 12 tricks without those ruffs. The only chan...