5th March 2026

Winners

Pat Quinney & Julia Burge finished first with 61.00%, beating Liz Teasdale & Anita Lynd by 4.00%.
(Winning margin analysis: secured by several large swings (notably Boards 6, 7, 11))

Did you have the cards?

In this Mitchell movement, the session was limited in scoring potential, featuring 1 slam opportunities and 9 game boards. North/South faced 6 game/slam opportunities while East/West had 4, so North/South were exposed to more of the session’s high-value boards. Most boards were part-score dominated, indicating that results relied on accurate partial contracts and defense rather than High Card Points. Ranking differences were largely driven by performance on the minority of high-scoring boards.

Big Swings

- On Board 4, Penny and Lorraine defended 3*♥ doubled by E to collect 800 points (3 down). Another pair went down in 3♣ scoring -100 — a swing of 900 points.

Slams

- Liz Teasdale & Anita Lynd: On Board 19, Liz Teasdale & Anita Lynd advanced to 6♠ for -1430. While most other pairs stopped in 5♠, they bid this slam with 26 combined HCP. This decision produced a gain of 800 points over the field.

Killer Leads & Par Breakers

HCP Efficiency (Performance vs Par)

Average tricks won above/below Double Dummy expectations per hand.

Where the choice of contract made a difference

- Board 14 split the field. Multiple pairs chose 2NT scoring +120 (N making), while others preferred 3NT scoring up to +400 (N making). This purely auction-based decision created a swing distinct from play or defense.

Individual Tops

- Liz Teasdale & Anita Lynd / Table 11 West: In 5♥, declarer secured an overtrick that other tables missed. This extra trick improved the score to -480, differing from the standard achieved by the field.

Distribution of Points

North/South held an average of 17.4 HCP compared with 16.2 for East/West. The balanced distribution meant results were determined more by contract choice and defence than raw strength.

Glossary: What does all this mean?

Double Dummy: The computer plays the hand as if everyone can see everyone else's cards. It never guesses and never takes a finesse that won't work. It's bridge played with the lights on.

Killer Leads & Par Breakers: "Par" is the computer's prediction of perfect play. A Par Breaker is when a human proves the computer wrong—either by making the "impossible" or finding the one Killer Lead that sinks a "sure thing."

HCP Efficiency: This measures what you actually did with your cards (Performance vs Par). A Positive (+) Diff means you're squeezing blood from a stone (winning more tricks than theory says you should). A Negative (-) Diff means you likely left a few tricks on the table as a charitable donation.

Avg Diff: The average number of tricks gained or lost per hand against the "perfect" baseline.