As a new section of the Website, we are collecting a set of the most Challenging Hands that have been presented during our Club Nights at the Oxshott Bridge Club. Try your skill in bidding and playing the Boards. Then see how the Oxshott Pairs played the hand. If you did well, maybe you should come along to the next Club Night. They occur each Wednesday evening, starting at 7.30 p.m. sharp. Even if you did not do so well, why don't you come along anyway??!!

Dealer is South and only East/West are vulnerable. South has 15 points and 5 Diamonds and clearly opens 1 Diamond. With 14 High Card Points and two 5-card suits, North is clearly responding and a big contract is in prospect. How would YOU respond from North and how would you bid the contract from here to ensure an optimal contract? How would YOU bid and play this Challenging Hand?

At the Oxshott Bridge Club on Wednesday, 31st October 2012, two North/South Pairs settled for a game contract in 3 No Trumps; they both made 12 tricks for 490 points. Three more Pairs bid game in 4 Spades; one made 10 tricks for 420 points, while the other two made 11 tricks for 450 points. All the other Pairs attempted a Slam bid. Three bid Slam in 6 Spades; two made 11 tricks and so lost 50 penalty points, while the third made only 10 tricks and so gave up 100 penalty points - and a top score - to East/West!! One Pair bid Slam in 6 Diamonds. Congratulations go to Valerie Howe & Pam Harries who made 13 tricks to win 940 points. However two Pairs bid Slam in 6 No Trumps. Congratulations go to Peter Wardle & Peter Sharpe for making 12 tricks for 990 points. But special congratulations have to go to Gail Norman & Nicole Lambourne who made all 13 tricks for a top score of 1020 points!!

Dealer is North and only East/West are vulnerable. It is clear from the start that North has a good hand, but how does South effectively communicate the fantastic opportunity offered by their hand? And what is the optimal contract to end up in? How would YOU bid and play this Challenging Hand?

At the Oxshott Bridge Club, on Wednesday 28 December, 2011, three North/South Pairs ended in a game contract in 4 Hearts; two made 10 tricks for 420 points, while the other made 12 tricks for 480 points. Two more N/S Pairs bid game in 4 Spades; they both made 12 tricks for 480 points. One Pair were ambitious and bid Slam in 6 Spades. Congratulations go to Alan & Pat Hammond who bid Slam in 6 Spades and made 12 tricks for 980 points!! But one Pair saw an even bigger potential in the hand. Special congrsatulations must go to  Mary Bushell & Mikiko Gissing who bid Slam in 6 No Trumps; they made all 13 tricks for a top score of 1020 points on the Board!! Given the depth of cover in all suits except Diamonds, a No Trumps contract looks to be worth the risk. The extra trick can only be made if South refuses to accept the accepted statistics that - when you have nine cards between you and Dummy in one suit - you should go for the finesse!!?? Well here all 13 tricks can ONLY be made if North plays the Ace on the first Spades trick to capture the King!! How did YOU do in bidding and playing this Challenging Hand!

Dealer is East and only East/West are vulnerable. Now this Board presents a really interesting Challenge. There is no doubt that you will need to be brave in the Bidding to maximise the potential of these hands, but the real secret is in the playing of the hands. You need really shrewd judgement and a good slice of luck. How would You bid and play this Challenging Board?

At the Oxshott Bridge Club, on Wednesday 28 December, 2011, six of the seven North/South Pairs who played this board bid a game contract in 3 No Trumps. Three made exactly nine tricks for 400 points; two Pairs made 10 tricks for 430 points; but one Pair fell short by one trick and so gave East/West a top score from the 50 penalty points!! However one North/South Pair were prepared to bid Slam in 6 No Trumps. Congrstulations go to Deanne & Kevin Goddard for bidding 6NT and making 12 tricks for a top score of 990 points!! They did have the advantage of playing the hand from North, so that the opening lead came from East. A low Spade lead, covered by the 9 by South, forces the Queen from West which is topped by the Ace from North. This ensures that three tricks are guaranteed in Spades. The Queen of Diamonds falls to the Ace, King and so four tricks are made in Diamonds. Giving East a trick in Hearts with the King (or Queen) ensures that three tricks are possible in Hearts and the Ace and King of Clubs make up the full 12 tricks!! It is amazing how easy it is when you have all the mands laid out and time to consider the best option. How did YOU fare with this Challenging Hand?

Dealer is West and North/South are vulnerable. The Challenge on this Board is in the bidding. Ambition is important but not quite as crucial as effective communication. How would YOU bid this Challenging Board?

So, after West has passed, North has to decide what to open. They have only 12 points but they do have a Singleton. Meanwhile South also has a biddable hand with 13 points and - importantly - also a Singleton. Whatever North makes as an opening bid, there is a real chance for glory!! But the secret lies in effective communication, as always!! Well here is what happened when seven Pairs played this Board at the Oxshott Bridge Club on Wednesday, 28th December, 2011.

Everyone arrived at a game contract and everyone also made at least 12 tricks!!?? Five North/South Pairs bid game in 4 Hearts; four made 12 tricks for 680 points while one made all 13 tricks for 710 points. One N/S Pair bid up to 5 Hearts; they made all 13 tricks for 710 points. But one Pair were confident enough to bid Slam in 6 Hearts. Congratulations go to Elisa Money & Mike Mulligan who bid Slam in 6 Hearts; they made all 13 tricks for a whopping top score of 1460 points!! It seems that the two singletons allow cross-ruffing so that 12 tricks are almost guaranteed, but the extra trick depends on the finesse of the Queen of Hearts through East. Surprisingly, only one Pair succeeded in claiming the full glory of a Slam on this Board!!

Dealer is West, and both Pairs are vulnerable. This Board can present an unusual chance to East/West mainly because of the bidding from North/South (!!??). How would you bid and play this Challenging Hand?

Clearly West has a powerhouse of a hand and will open strongly. But North has an unusual hand and may well want to announce his holding of 5 Spades. East needs to tell her Partner that she has seven Clubs. South has a weak hand, but will have noted the match that they have between them in Spades. The bidding has probably escalated too high for North to have the chance to communicate his strength in Hearts. If you were playing East/West, what contract would you be attempting to maximise the value of this hand?

At Oxshott Bridge Club on Wednesday 5th January 2011, three Pairs settled for a contract in 3 Diamonds; one made 10 tricks for 130 points; the second made 11 tricks for 150 points; but the third was doubled, made 10 tricks and collected a satisfying 870 points for their trouble!! Three more Pairs bid a game contract of 5 Diamonds; one made 11 tricks for 600 points; the other two made all 13 tricks for 640 points. Four more Pairs settled for a game contract in 3 No Trumps; one of them made 11 tricks for 660 points; one made 12 tricks for 690 points; the third made all 13 tricks for 720 points; and the fourth was doubled, made all 13 tricks and made a whopping 1550 points!! This is the highest number of points that it is possible to make without bidding a Slam or being redoubled!!?? But the final Pair - who played this Board at Oxshott - actually bid a Slam contract. Congratulations go to Gerald & Tricia Brown who bid 6 Clubs; they were doubled and made 13 tricks to collect 1740 points!!

It is interesting that South is unlikely to know that her Partner has two Winners in Hearts and so - following her Partner's guiding bid in Spades - will play a Spade as an opening lead. This allows West to grab the lead, concentrate on Clubs while throwing away Hearts; and finish with a run of Diamonds. Without a Heart lead, this is a "lay-down" GRAND SLAM!! How did you do with this Challenging Hand?

Dealer is East, and only North/South are vulnerable. This is an interesting opportunity for you to display your particular abilities in bidding. It is clear from East's opening bid that he has good points and strength in Hearts. South has passed, and it is up to West to bid. How would you suggest that West communicate the contents of her hand? How can you maximise the value of this combination of hands? Will the contract end up in Hearts, Spades or something else? How would you bid and play this Challenging Hand?

West has 16 High Card Points and will want to show that she has a strong hand. She might jump to 2 Spades. It is clear that there is a Slam Opportunity, but in which suit. At Oxshott Bridge Club on Wednesday, 5th January, 2011, nine out of the eleven Pairs who played this Board ended in a Slam contract. Three bid and made Slams in Spades; five bid and made Slams in Hearts; and one bid and made Slam in No Trumps. So what did you choose?

Congratulations at Oxshott go to Elizabeth Gibbon & Janet Kefford for making 12 tricks in 6 Hearts for 980 points; congratulations also go to Annemie Bisgood & Alan Hammond and to Daphne Pugh & Gillian Lowe for making 12 tricks in 6 Spades for 980 points. Extra congratulations go to Edwin Jones & Mikiko Gissing, to Valerie Howe & Pam Harries, to Paul Lewis & Joan Low and to Joyce & Chris Argent who bid 6 Hearts and made all 13 tricks for 1010 points. These extra congratulations go also to Doris Butterworth & Don Porter who bid 6 Spades and made all 13 tricks also for 1010 points. But special congratulations are reserved for Susan & Mike Sadler who braved a GRAND SLAM bid of 7 No Trumps; they made all 13 tricks for a top score of 1520 points!!

It turns out that this is a "lay-down" GRAND SLAM for East/West in 7 No Trumps. There are six Hearts winners and six more tricks from the Ace & King of the other three suits. The last trick falls by playing a low Spade and squeezing the Queen or finessing in either direction. How did you do on this Challenging Board?

Dealer is West and East/West are vulnerable. West opens a weak Acol 3 Hearts. Now the fun begins. What would you bid if you were North? Who will end up in a contract? Is there a Slam in prospect? Would a sacrifice bid deliver a better points score to N/S or to E/W than allowing the opponent to play their preferred suit contract? How would you bid and play this Challenging Hand?

At Oxshott, seven of the ten Pairs who played this Board ended up in a game contract in Hearts. Three Pairs bid 4 Hearts and four others bid 5 Hearts; all seven made 11 tricks for 650 points. Surprisingly only two North/South Pairs ended up in a game contract. One bid 5 Spades, were doubled and made 12 tricks for 750 points! The other bid 4 Spades; they were also doubled; and they achieved the top score of 790 points. Nice going indeed!!

But what about some defensive bidding? Would E/W have done better raising these two contracts to 6 Hearts? One trick short, even when doubled, gives only 200 points to N/S. Indeed if N/S were now to bid 6 Spades, a Slam bid of 7 Hearts from East/West would suffer a penalty score of only 500 points when doubled if they can achieve 11 tricks!!

Dealer is East and North/South are vulnerable. How would you bid this interesting Hand? Which suit will North/South choose for their game contract? Will East/West attempt a contract in Hearts? Should N/S consider a Slam? Take a look at the hands shown in the attached Table and determine how YOU would bid AND play this Board. Then read on to find out how the Board was played at the Oxshott Bridge Club on 8th September 2010.

Following an opening bid from South, North must be dreaming of a big game contract in prospect. At the Oxshott Bridge Club, all 12 Tables who played the Board ended up in a game contract in Spades. Seven N/S Pairs bid 4 Spades; six made 11 tricks for 650 points; one Pair made 12 tricks for 660 points. A further Pair bid 5 Spades; they made 11 tricks for 650 points. The remaining four Pairs attempted a Slam contract in 6 Spades. Two Pairs made only 11 tricks, giving 100 penalty points to East/West. The other two Pairs made the required tricks for the Slam contract. Congratulations to Jonathan Spring & Richard Coles for making 12 tricks and winning 1430 points. But special congratulations go to George Gardiner & Jean Knott for making all 13 tricks and scoring the top score of 1460 points on the Board!! But is it possible to defeat this Slam contract?

Well, let's deal with the initial lead first. In almost every case, the contract was bid by North, so East has to lead. Now it has almost become a rule when defending a Slam contract to lead an Ace if you have got one. If East plays the Ace of Hearts, then there is no way that N/S can get 13 tricks. If you delay, then N/S have the chance to  somehow discard their Hearts and trump your Ace whenever it is played. Then the question is what to lead next? Actually here, any lead except a Club will suffice. However it is a second general rule that - when you are in doubt about defence against a Slam, lead Trumps!! Thus if East leads a low trump, this reduces the opportunity of N/S to cross-trump. In the event, by giving the lead to N/S, East and West can wait until Clubs are led. Whatever N/S choose to lead, either West will win a trick with the King of Clubs or East will win a trick with the Jack of Clubs.

It is always easy to resolve hands after the Board has been played, but there really is no way that N/S should make any more than 11 tricks on this hand!!

Dealer is East and both Pairs are vulnerable. The bidding has already started and the next to bid is North. How will this interesting hand be resolved? Will East/West bid a game contract in Diamonds? Will North/South choose Spades, Hearts or Clubs as their contract suit? Will anyone bid a Slam? How can each Pair maximise their points score on this Board? Have a good look at the attached set of hands to decide how YOU would play this Board, before reading how the Board was played at the Oxshott Bridge Club on 25th August 2010. 

So what did you bid? At Oxshott, all 12 Pairs ended up in a Spades contract for North/South. Eight Pairs bid 4 Spades; two made 10 tricks for 620 points; five more Pairs made 11 tricks for 650 points; and one Pair made 12 tricks for 680 points. Two Pairs bid 5 spades; one made only 10 tricks and so gave 100 penalty points to E/W; the other made 12 tricks for 680 points. That left two Pairs who braved a Slam bid in 6 Spades. One made only 11 tricks and so gave 100 penalty points to E/W; the other succeeded in making the Slam! Congratulations go to Elisa Money & Mike Mulligan for bidding AND making the Slam in 6 Spades and winning the top score of 1430 points!

Here is how they did it? North's initial bid of two of the opponents' bid shows a very strong hand. South's bid of 2 Spades indicates real strength in Spades. North then jumped to 6 Spades on the assumption that South had the Ace and Queen of Spades. It is South who plays the contract.

So how would you play this hand? There is only one lead that gets the hand down!! Before you read on, can YOU identify what that lead is? Given a Slam contract, West led the Ace of Hearts. They thought the there was nothing that they could play that will stop a careful South making the Slam contract. However there is still the opportunity to play the correct card!! Can you identify the card? Isn't it surprising that only three out of the twelve Pairs who played the Board actually made 12 tricks??!!

Now as a final twist, is it worthwhile for East/West to make a sacrifice bid of 7 Diamonds?

This interesting hand was submitted by our Effingham Bridge Club Correspondent, Frank Marshallsay. He was playing in the East position and everyone was vulnerable with South as Dealer. South opened 1 Diamond; West doubled; and North passed. Now Frank asks us all: "What should I bid ?" Take a good look at the attached set of hands and make up your mind BEFORE reading on.

Clearly South has opening points and at least four Diamonds. West also has at least 12 points but could have much more. North could have anything, but could have less than six points. Clearly West is asking his Partner to name his best suit. So what should East respond in this situation?

Frank says that the hand is too weak to pass. It is also too weak to bid 1 No Trump. He suggests that the best answer is 1 Heart. South will then bid 2 Diamonds and West responds with 2 Hearts. All then pass. Frank assures us that: "Played with care, this contract makes!!"

Well, did you come up with the same answer as our Effingham Correspondent? If you have a Challenging Hand which you think would be of interest to all our Members at the Oxshott Bridge Club, just send in the details by email to sadler252@btopenworld.com and we will add them to our site.