Seven tables and the winners were Sandra and Mairin, runners up Jim and Irene with third spot going to Dowell and Slammer Stu, Tom and Nick fourth! A very well done them!

Meanwhile the live No Fears is on every Thursday 6:45 at the Carlton. Anybody who does the double, that is... winning the Tuesday BBO No Fears and then the Thursday live No Fears in the same week will receive a 'jackot' prize🍾🍾🥂! 

BBO master points are awarded to those finishing in the top places. You get a number next to your username which goes up as you pick up more points. Please let me know if you would like a couple of No Fears pens, they have conductive nozzles great to use on touch screens📱.

Board eleven was an excellent slam but only two pairs bid to the six level. The general rule i advise, is that a strong hand opposite a strong hand is a suggestion that there is a slam and this hand was a good example.

The key to finding it, is east's initial response to west's 1♦ opener. With seven likely heart tricks and ♦K outside the hand may prove hard to describe, so i quite like an initial jump shift response of 2♥  to get across the playing strength. West also has a strong hand and now slam should become apparent.

In the illustrated auction Andy D elected to show the strong heart suit by a direct leap to 4♥. John S accurately read the action and proceeded to ask for aces with 4NT.  Andy showed one and 6♥ reached. Meanwhile Jackie and David were the only other pair to bid slam when Jackie upgraded the west hand with a jump rebid of 2NT (18-19pts), after south overcalled 1♠. No stopping David now and he too bid 6♥. Nicely done those two pairs.

For the second week in a row board 23 set an awkward problem . At most tables south opened a sound weak two in in hearts and west with the extreme 6-5 in the minors had a decision as to what action to take. A couple made a take out double and one ended playing 4♠, not a success in the seven card fit. Meanwhile a couple even passed to await further developments. Unfortunately for them none was forth coming and 2♥ became the final contract. In fact no E/W pairs found their way to the good 5♣ contract with many defending heart part scores, a comfortable make for N/S.

It was only third placed John P who was on the right track and he overcalled 2NT (thinking this was the unusual variety showing the minors). Andy correctly interpreted the bid as a strong and natural,  indicating 15-18 points with a stop in hearts. Andy now showed his five card spade suit and too ended  in 4S. 

The solution is for John P is to overcall 4NT. This is not asking east how many aces but a variant of the unusual 2NT overcall and indicates extreme distribution and length in both minors. East with longer clubs can convert to 5♣. Eleven tricks are there provided declarer ruffs the third round of diamonds, thereby establishing the suit before drawing trumps.

 Note: John would have been correct in his action had south opened at the one level but after a two level pre-empt the bid becomes natural.