Here is a hand, made up just to illustrate a point. On this hand it is possible to make anywhere between 10 & 12 tricks, dependent on how you play this hand, and which line of play you follow.  

As East, from the bidding you know that South has 12 - 14 HCP's (this has been announced), and that North has 5+ ♥ and 4 - 6 HCP's at the most. The auction does depend on whether or not you play any defence against 1NT. If you do not then West will bid 2♠ and that will be the end of the auction. If you do play any defence then West will either bid 2♣ or 2♦ to indicate the majors. (I have shown 2♦ in the bidding, just because that covers more options).  Whether or not North interferes with 2♥, then East should still bid 2♠ as a preference bid. West will probably now jump to 4♠, and end the auction.

No matter which contract you end up in, the play should be remarkably similar. You get the opening lead of A♥, to which everyone follows, and followed by K♥, which is ruffed by East. From here, you can take out the Trumps in two rounds, play your A & K♦, and A♣, and with your remaining 4no trumps, you will make your contract, loosing 3no ♥ tricks. Can you do better - of course you can, you just need to look at the hands in a different way. 

You should notice that you have all the top trumps across the two hands, and that your opponents have helped you by playing the top two hearts to start off the hand (your opponents cannot over ruff you!!). You can get to dummy by either playing two rounds of ♣, ruffing the second round, or by playing a small ♦ to the A. If you now lead say J♥, then North is in the worst possible situation. North can cover it, get it trumped and so promote the 10 ♥, or they can duck it, and declarer should ruff it (this is the safest way).  Then declarer should repeat the same exercise, thereby converting all the trumps in your hand into winners. Dependent on what has been played, you can return to dummy by ruffing something, and then you can clear the trumps and claim the rest of the tricks. You now have lost the opening lead and no more tricks.

So 4♠ +2 should be the top result, as I think that 6♠ is not biddable (would East ever be that willing to bid anywhere near?). 

We are all very guilty of looking at results, and wondering how some people get to certain contracts. This is one way, and there are many, but the most unachievable results of all, are as a result of penalties (revokes etc), which you can never replicate.   

As has been reported to you all (we hope), our Monday Morning has had to change from a "Stepping Stones session", to an ordinary session. Originally, these type of sessions were set up to try & give all of us newbies, a gentler route into the world of Bridge. From here, we were all supposed to progress to playing in other sessions that are provided for, by the Club. However, what has happened instead is that, you, our members have voted with your feet, by continually turning up to this session, and largely, not moving on to other sessions provided by the Club. We do realise that this could be because this is the only suitable time for yourselves, but we are constrained by regulations, which means that we cannot continue in this way.

So, what we have decided to do, is to accommodate everyone, by leaving the session time alone, and just simply adjusting the type of session that is played. Henceforth, the Monday Morning session, will be a typical graded session, with MP's (Master Points) & NGS (National Grading System) applied to it. We hope that you find little or no difference in what is being played, but you will eventually notice the MP's & NGS appearing in your records.There will still be a host available, but there will be NO advice given at all. All other aspects of the Club will remain the same, and you can & should move on to trying to play in other sessions provided by the Club, a lot of which are hosted. (A host means that you can turn up as a single person & always have someone to play with). Do not be apprehensive about making this move, our members are a nice friendly assorted group of people from an assortment of backgrounds, who will help you settle in to a different environment.

Please also remember that we have a new session (Bridge + Cake) starting on 9th May at 11.00 a.m., which is designed to be an entry into the world of Bridge, played in a slow paced manner, and could be the right place for you.

Some time ago, the decision was taken to scrap all the cup & shield competitions in our Club. This was replaced by an "Honours Board" which has regularly been updated on our notice board. The "Honours Board" is not a physical item, but in fact is a list which covers the last twenty odd years, and is on this web-site. Please look at the "MENU" under "CLUB HISTORY" and you will find it there. The notice board in the Club, shows the overall winners and monthly progress in these endeavours.

The results are now out for the previous twelve months (2023 - 2024), and you can view the winners there. The qualification for these, is that you first of all must achieve good results throughout the year, whilst playing in more than two sessions on average per month for the prescribed singular competition. There are no prizes to win, only the honour of trying your best, Any single winners of these competitions, must have played at least one of these sessions without there regular partner, if not more.

So now the new competition begins for the 2024/2025 season. You can keep up to date with this, by looking on the "MENU" under "INFORMATION", then under "Links to Bridge Organisations" and click on "Pianola". Then use your own personal "Log in" and click on "Competitions". Then click on the competition you wish to look at.

Good luck everyone for the upcoming year...................

Do not forget that the club does run teams events, on a reasonably regular basis. These occur predominately on a Monday evening (once a month) or sometimes on a Thursday evening (once every three months).

Please look out for these nights, which also appear on the "MENU" under "CALENDAR".

The next teams night is on Monday 13th May. Please sign up on the notice board......... The next one on a Thursday, is on Thursday 6th June.

We plan to put out a regular pattern of teams events in the New Year, every 4 weeks on a Monday, and a Thursday teams event once every 3 months.

We are at this moment unsure as to what type of evening session will appear on Monday 6th May, Please watch this space for developments.................. 

The next committee meeting of Wakefield Bridge Club is going to be TBA (after the AGM). If there is anything that you think might need raising at this meeting, please ask one of the committee members to bring it up on your behalf. The names and photographs of the committee members are on one of the notice board in the big Bridge room, so that they cannot hide!

The committee members act on behalf of YOU the members, and to help keep the Club in a financially stable condition, amongst other considerations.

In the past, on this web-site, we have talked about an increase in monies paid to the Club, by you - the members. Please be aware that there is a proposal to increase the table monies by £0.10 per session, which will be raised at the AGM.

Is there any more we can do on other matters? Tell us please, and you never know what may happen!

The next meeting  will be the AGM, which will take place sometime on Monday 29th April at 7.00 p.m. In the run up to this occasion, there will be an opportunity for you to put yourself forward to stand for election to the next committee of Wakefield Bridge Club (watch out for the nominations sheet to appear on the notice board). This could be your chance to change or influence, the direction that the Bridge Club goes in the future, so please do not spurn the opportunity to perhaps, make a difference. The choice is yours..............     

Also on the notice board is a sheet for your apologies for absence for the AGM. Please take the time & trouble to let us know that you will not be there before the meeting - THANK YOU.

We are pleased to announce that the next Swiss Pairs Event is going to take place on Saturday 11th May starting at 1.00 p.m. There will be refreshments available as well, all for the cost of £5.00 per head. The event is designed to be all finished by 6.00 p.m.after the prize giving has been completed. If you wish to take part, please put you & your partners names on the notice board......................... 

The latest Fun Day at Wakefield, was on 6th January 2024, and raised over £1500.  

Thanks to all involved in the planning/running of these events, no matter how large or small. We are talking about what to do with the monies raised, and have decided on a selection of items, which will help in the future. 

It has been decided to replace the current Refrigerator with a Fridge/Freezer, replace the signage in the Club, purchase a microphone for use with all events in our Club, and also to acquire some more small tables. 

The next Fun Day is on Saturday June 8th 2024, with the food of Pie & Mushy Peas, at a cost of £20.00 per person - a signing up list is up on the notice board along with a reserves list.

We suggest that you sign up quickly, as the last one was full in a very short amount of time!! 

Donations of raffle & hamper prizes are required. Can you help?

You Talk - We Listen, and Act.

At the August committee meeting, we addressed some concerns regarding sitting out, which again will be reviewed at the AGM in April 2024. So, in April, any sit-outs will all be North/South. We hope that you always can have a choice of direction to sit in, and that it is not a decision based upon availability, but on personal preference (providing that you arrive early). Please also remember that North /South positions should also be left for the less able members of our Club. What is your opinion?

 This is still only a suggestion, & will be decided upon with you at the AGM. Does this matter to you? I have heard nothing to demonstrate anything other than making these recommendations permanent. Do you agree?  

The Spring Sims Pairs charity event, was successfully run in 2024, with the winners being Allan Clarke & Peter Wallace.

Future dates for the British (Seasonal) Sims Pairs events are (there is no guarantee that Wakefield Bridge Club will be hosting any of these) :-

1.  Summer on 25th July
2.  Autumn on 10th October
3. Winter on 18th January

Watch this space for further details..................

The EBU's big event in 2024  is Bridge - It's a Big Deal. The details are that it is taking place W/C 9/9/2024, and it is a big fund raiser for Cancer UK. I also know that it wants to include everybody in the country that plays Bridge, whether that is on your own kitchen table, in an unaffiliated club or social setting, school or university etc, all the way up to Clubs like our own. It also is looking to recruit new people into the clubs as well. As far as I am aware this is for the full week, with Bridge Clubs up & down the country able to dip into this when they can. Details of this national event can be found on the EBU web-site, which you can access from this web-site by clicking on "INFORMATION" in the "MENU" and then on "Links to Bridge Organisations".

We will be hopefully doing our bit on Saturday 14th September, with a special one - off event.

Watch this space for developments..................

It is always a pleasure to report good news & here is another feather to put in our collective caps.

On Saturday 30th March, Barry Copley & John Dalton took part in the EBU - Northern Easter Congress at Harrogate, in the nine high Swiss Pairs competition. Much above their expectations, they managed to win the competition.

Small acorns possibly, but it further promotes Wakefield Bridge Club's reputation as a force to be reckoned with, coming so soon after Richard & Adrian's success. You can read more about these results on the YCBA web-site, with accompanying photographs - if you dare!!!

On the 18th April, we had three teams entered, to take part in the Affiliated Clubs Teams event at our Club venue. This was an event, originally provided for committee members of each Club that was a member of the YCBA, but has now stretched its inclusion to other significant members of each Club. The competition was very strong indeed, and the results are now in for the three Wakefield teams that took part. The team of "Bridge Belles" came an excellent second, but the other two teams of "Wakefield Braves" & "The Unlucky Wakefield", well those horses are still running.

We have two teams (that I am aware of), entering the Leeds Swiss Pairs competition on Sunday 12th May, and one team entering the Northern Midweek Congress in August. Is there any more pairs out there willing to step up and take the challenge..................

Just a wonder - is there any traction in a Club Bridge Holiday for say 2025 or 2026?

A lot of Bridge Clubs organise their own 2 - 3 day break, whether this is mid-week or on a weekend. Looking at what other Bridge Clubs have done, when they first started, they did so by going to a venue, which was not so far away (maybe the Yorkshire coast in our case). Then they could re-assess their ideas to possibly a break abroad, if there was the demand. I would suggest that we should think about starting small, so as to discover the pitfalls & problems first. I don't suggest that this will suit everyone, but it would be nice to know what you all think about this.

It would of course have to be out of season, as this is when we could find accommodation easier to find. 

Please let me know what you think......................... 

We fielded four teams in the YCBA (Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association) 2023/2024 Winter League. There were seven divisions, each comprising of eight teams. 

The results are in for the seventh & last round of matches, which were :-

• In Division 3, Wakefield A beat Shelley A 11 - 9. They have finished 5th in division 3 with 3 W, 3 L & 1 D.
• In Division 5, Wakefield B lost to Ripon 0 - 20. They have finished 2nd in division 5 with 5 W & 2 L & are promoted.
• In Division 7, Wakefield C beat Bradford D 14 - 6. They have finished 5th in division 7 with 3 W & 4 L.
• In Division 7, Wakefield D beat Sheffield C 13 - 7.Les  They have finished 1st in division 7 with 7 W & are promoted as champions. 

The provisional dates are out for the 2024 / 2025 season, which starts in October - these are shown on our "CALENDAR", please look in the "MENU". Please note that all leagues are subject to the number of entries received that wish to play, which can alter from previous years.

If you require more information regarding the YCBA leagues, please look under "INFORMATION" in the "MENU", and go to "Links to Bridge Organisations". Then look under "Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association" and then find "Leagues".

Please find below some of the members of the victorious Wakefield D Team - from left to right :-

Standing - John Dalton, Liz Clarke, Les Lammas, Barry Copley & Jonathan Poznansky.

Seated - Anne Haith, Pat Sellwood, Beverley Barrows & Janet Walker.

You all may be aware, that not only have we been recently renewing some of the visible items in our Club, we have also been renewing / upgrading some items that you might not be aware of, and did not know where available.

You will have seen that the bidding boxes have been given a good wash, and the bidding cards have been replaced. (I am sure that you remember all the initial sliding bids!!!). But did you know that there are left handed bidding boxes available at the Club. The right handed bidding cards boxes, are all in Red or Green bidding boxes, whereas the left handed bidding cards are in Black or Yellow bidding boxes. There are a couple of the left handed bidding boxes available on the shelves next to the computer station in the Club House. There are some more of each hand of bidding boxes, these are kept in the storage room, if required. Whilst we are on the subject of bidding boxes, if you come across a bidding box with an individual (or more) card missing from it, please do NOT try and sort this out yourself. Please make the TD aware of the problem first PLEASE. We need to be aware of a problem, so that we can rectify it, for everyone's benefit. Do not just simply swap it with another spare bidding box. All the bidding boxes were recently checked, and we were disappointed to find that two of the bidding boxes had cards missing from them. They had both been placed on two separate usually unused tables. Please help us to help you all..............

Also, we have available three card holders for those of you who may struggle holding the playing cards. These are usually available in the storage room - if you would like to use one, all you have to do is ask...............

A new development, which has been undergoing trials, is the positioning of the table numbers on the sides of the bidding boxes. These are designed to be seen from the aisle down the middle of the room, which we normally use as the main thoroughfare in the Club. We believe that this should make them instantly visible for everyone - much better than ending up underneath a bidding box (which is useless!!!). These are held onto the bidding box by magnets, so if they come adrift, they are easily put back together again.

There are other ideas that we, your committee have, to make things nicer & easier to play Bridge at Wakefield. Please watch this space.........   

The card game of Bridge is played in just about every country all around the world, with no bars on colour, creed or any other factors. It should be primarily played for "FUN & ENJOYMENT". Having said that, we cannot deny that this is not an easy game to learn.

Most of us, when we look into joining a Bridge Club, are not likely to join at the same time as anyone we know. This is not unusual. Please look upon this as a chance to become acquainted with the friendly members of our Club, that you have yet to meet.

Having said that, help is at hand. Amongst the many members of our Club, there are teachers, helpers & others, who would like to help you learn this great game (please look for teaching lessons under "INFORMATION" in the "MENU".

Do not worry if you know next to nothing about the game of Bridge. With their help, you can gain the knowledge to help you navigate your way to learn the game of Bridge. We would suggest that people who are new to the game of Bridge, or may have played the game in the past & have forgotten how to play or what to bid etc, start with attending Teaching sessions, before attempting to play in any of our playing sessions.

When you first attend a playing session (whether coming from Teaching sessions or not), your normal starting point would be playing in a Monday Morning session. Here there are lots of other people learning the game, with a smattering of experienced players to help you along. It is normal to feel nervous and apprehensive, so do not worry, as we have all been there the first time we arrived. If you get stuck and do not know what to do - help is at hand, and you can ask for help (WE MEAN THIS). Also, do not worry about making any mistakes - you are human & learning the game. We all learn the most about anything in life when we make mistakes and get things wrong. We are not here to criticise & belittle you, we are here make this a FUN & ENJOYMENT opportunity. This is not a game which you can learn everything about in a fixed amount of time. This is a game which you never stop learning about, no matter how long you have played or how experienced you are. All things evolve with time, and this is the same with Bridge. We currently have bidding boxes, bridgemates & dealing machines, amongst many others - all things that 50 years ago were not even thought about!  

With practice & continuing to go to the playing sessions on a REGULAR basis, it does become easier. Remember, you are important to the Bridge Club. You are the future of Wakefield Bridge Club, whether that be as a partner, an opponent or a team member, as we need all of these to play the game.

The world is your oyster as far as your progression can be in the big, big world of Bridge. Representatives of County, Regional, National & International teams all come initially from Bridge Clubs. How far do you wish to aspire..............  

The phrase "Barking up the wrong tree" actually has an American origin. It first appeared printed in the book "Westward Ho! A Tale" by J K Paulding, published in 1832. He was not only a writer, but also rose to be United States Secretary of the Navy in the administration of President James Madison.

It's meaning is the allusion of hunting dogs barking at the base of a particular tree, when in fact their quarry had climbed that tree, crossed to another close by tree at a high level, and so escaped the dogs.

We normally would see this as making a mistaken or false assumption of something that you are trying to achieve. We commonly come across this in Bridge, firstly, where we think that certain cards are held by our partner, whereas, they are in fact held by declarer. How many times have you ended up leading a suit into declarer's Ace & Queen of that suit or some such bad combination of cards, forcing our partner into playing a high honour card. Or worse still, secondly by continuously leading the wrong suit, and not the suit which would harvest tricks for ourselves. In both cases, these can actually cost us tricks.

Can we overcome this? It is very hard, because usually when we get an idea in our head, we normally follow it to its conclusion. Good luck to everyone in avoiding this situation.