24th February 2026

Winners

North/South: Penny Houlden & Beryl Webster finished first with 60.71%, beating Sandra & Stephen Saltissi by 2.77%.
East/West: Michele Woodward & Pam Stevenson won the field with 60.71%, clear of Bill Burrows & Ted Hulme (59.52%).
(Winning margin analysis: gained through consistent small margins (bettering the field on 13 of 21 boards))

Did you have the cards?

In this Mitchell movement, the session was marked by frequent scoring opportunities, featuring 1 slam opportunities and 10 game boards. North/South faced 5 game/slam opportunities while East/West had 6, so exposure to high-value boards was evenly balanced. 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 19, Sandra and Stephen defended 4*♠ doubled by E to collect 1100 points (4 down). Another pair made 3♣ and scored 170 — a swing of 1270 points.

Slams

No slams were bid or made in this session.

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 10 split the field. Multiple pairs chose 3NT scoring up to -690 (W making), while others preferred 4♠ scoring up to -680 (E making). This purely auction-based decision created a swing distinct from play or defense.

Individual Tops

- Ann Casey & Paul Hozack / Table 19 West: In 2♣, declarer secured an overtrick that other tables missed. This extra trick improved the score to -130, differing from the standard achieved by the field.

Distribution of Points

North/South held an average of 19.0 HCP compared with 21.0 for East/West. This 2.0-point difference favored East/West, providing them with a consistent structural advantage.

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.