Happy New Year everyone and hopefully later on this year we will be able to meet up again and both have social functions and play bridge other than on line. 
However certainly for next few months we are still on line. I had hoped not to have to bother you all with another newsletter after the extra one in Christmas week but we have some more information for you all!
All the previous weekly sessions are going to continue until further notice including Wednesday evening at 6.45 pm but Nicole tells me this will now be covered by the monthly subscription fees £35 which many of us pay. This does need people to join in so now you don’t need BBO dollars please think about taking part. 
The big news is a new session on Saturday morning  on 2nd and 4th Saturdays on Real Bridge  where you can see and chat to your partner and opponents. These sessions are included in the monthly subscription or you can pay £5 for an individual game as usual.
In January this will be on 9th and 23rd January at 10 am. We will play 12 boards. You do not log on to BBO for it instead you need to book in for it by clicking here and filling in booking form. 

http://www.nicoleanncook.com/boards

You need to do this by Friday early afternoon  and as the form says Nicole will send you a link before 8pm on Friday evening. 

Many of you have tried this and we have been asked to run sessions so please support it! 

The only other happening to note is the AGM being held by Zoom on Thursday 21 January at 5.30 pm . The link and papers for it will be sent out to RAC members nearer the time. 

Keep safe everyone

Best wishes from Sally ( RAC member on Pall Mall Bridge Committee) 

This years Cotton Cup final was played on 14 Dec 

The less well known to us pairing of Jeremy Bard and Robert Woodbridge put in a particularly strong showing to beat several established partnerships on their way to the finals - Colin and Howard, and Michael Bailey and David Manooch in the semis. Jeremy and Robert have played occasionally at both clubhouses but certainly the pairing was this years X factor.

Pitted against them in the finals was Lester Pereira and Pralab Barua, a pair with a fair bit of rubber bridge experience to fall back on. 

Experience and a good deal of Lady Luck ultimately prevailed in a match played in great spirit, with Lester and Pralab lifting the trophy. 

No doubt we will encounter Jeremy and Robert more often, as we have done on BBO, and hope to see more of them when the regular bridge resumes at Pall Mall.

The RAC was pleased to register its first ever victory against the MCC. Maybe the secret to the RAC success was to play at a neutral venue (BBO) or might it be that the team remained sober! In the past we have been unable to benefit from the Pall Mall Home advantage and at Lord’s we have been undone by the treacherous slope...

The RAC team was captained by Lester who was partnered by Robin and making up their foursome were Michael Bailey and David Mannooch. The other half of the team was Marina and Terry and Isabelle and Tony. The two halves of the team compared scores via text at the half way stage after the first two innings to find the RAC were 31 Imps up. Runs on the board help and although the MCC rallied in the 3rd and 4th innings  it was only to reduce the final margin of victory to 29 Imps. We are grateful to our good friends at the MCC who have agreed that we organise these bilateral friendlies once a quarter during the current period of social distancing. We look forward to our next match with the MCC and live in hope that it may even be in person.

Lester Pereira

I am not sure what Ros and Bob Bowman would have thought about  a virtual Championship Pairs event in their names but if they were looking down on us on Sunday they would have smiled at the outcome. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let us congratulate Malcolm Bricknell and Peter Hardyman for coming top of the list on 59.5%. I have not retained detailed records but I would guess that this is possibly the lowest ever score to win the RAC annual Pairs Championship. As my partner and I vied for bottom place in the field of 40 pairs I can personally testify to some serious competitive playing throughout. There are a number of recognised star bridge players in the RAC, most of whom competed on Sunday, stars recognisable from the many many  cup and plaques, which they have won in recent years. None of them finished higher than halfway! So let us praise those members who did, starting with John Craggs and Pascale Hakim who came a close second on 58.6%, Andrea Geser and her partner Malcolm McIvor who came 6^th on 55%, Martin Langdon and David Wilson 9^th on 53%, John Kemball and Chris Morris 10^th on 53% and Sally and Paul Found 15th on 51%. An excellent turnout and no high tea. A few prizes to distribute which Howard Salter is organising and Sally will no doubt share with us in her next bridge news bulletin.

Michael Bailey 

Many members today prefer to have the top three suit bids available as “weak” leaving 2C as the all - purpose game force. Unfortunately, they tend not to agree the criteria accurately or the responses. They use the 2D relay too freely and this often leaves them at the3 level yet to make a natural bid. It is for this reason that Benjamin developed his two bids differentiating between the Acol 8 playing tricks (2C) and the 23 point + (2D). The key question if you are playing the all - purpose bid is, game force or not? If so, what are the parameters for 2C. B36 of the Championship pairs produced a fair quota of chaos! Five different contracts. Look first at the South hand only. West deals at Game All.

This Day saw four RAC teams join 26 more at 1015 am for this annual Hurlingham event. Six x 6 board matches 20 VP for a maximum win. Imp scoring. The winners from Roehampton got off to a flyer scoring 85% from the first four and despite two marginal losing score draws could not be caught.

My team Marina, Terry, Isabelle. Tony after a 62% start at the same stage were lying 8^th. A couple of heavy fingers (no undos) by us were costly but they doubled me in an easy  4S+ 2 to return the favour later. The fireworks were reserved for the pen ultimate board. We were EW Vulnerable, South deals and passes.    

Tony.        S.AQ                        S.K                Isabelle

                 H.Q107                   H. AK8542

                 D.AQ1087              D9

                 C.985                      C.AKJ104

We bid 1D – 1H – 1NT (12-14) – 3C (two suiter, game force) 3H – 4NT – 5S (Key card, two +QH) – 6H. On the lead of 6C Isabelle know that 12 tricks were now secure, relaxed and played immediately to the QH discovering JXXX in South. Quick to point out her own error she knew that the routine safety play of AH from the double honour would yield all 13.

The small slam was bid just 6 times and 7H three times once doubled and of course made! Our opponents also bid 7H in R2 and on the same lead missed the safety play. +1530 and gave us 19 VP and 3^RD place. The final triumph came from Michael and David M who bid the Grand (should not, against the odds) on a spade lead Michael got the safety play and admitting to sweating, the club Finesse.

Well organised as always by the hospitable H.club. There was one warning halfway through about ethical conduct, but I know no more.