16th February 2026

Winners

North/South: Hilary Rowland & Jackie Greasley finished first with 61.61%, beating Penny Houlden & Judith Sutton by 2.38%.
East/West: David Wilcox & Patrick King won the field with 68.15%, clear of Alex Hurst & James Jones (64.29%).
(Winning margin analysis: secured by several large swings (notably Boards 2, 18, 22))

Did you have the cards?

The cards were evenly distributed across all directions, with no seat holding a significant structural advantage.

Big Swings

- On Board 19, Michele and Pam defended 6♥ by E to collect 100 points (1 down). Another pair made 6♠ and scored 1460 — a swing of 1560 points.

Slams

- Lucie Wilson & Simon Kenny: On Board 19, Lucie Wilson & Simon Kenny advanced to 6♠ for -1460. While most other pairs stopped in 4♠, they bid this slam with 31 combined HCP. This decision produced a gain of 1560 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 19 split the field. Multiple pairs chose 4♥ scoring up to -650 (E making), while others preferred 6♠ scoring up to -1460 (W making). This purely auction-based decision created a swing distinct from play or defense.

Individual Tops

- Joanne Topping & Duncan Ferguson / Table 19 West: In 4♠, declarer secured an overtrick that other tables missed. This extra trick improved the score to -680, differing from the standard achieved by the field.

Distribution of Points

North/South held an average of 19.9 HCP compared with 20.1 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.