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The 2009 Tasmanian Restricted Pairs Championship wiill be held on the 12th July.
This event is restricted to players below the rank of National Master.
It will be played simultaneously in Launceston (at Tamar Club rooms), Hobart, and Devonport. The Launceston heat will be directed by Norma Smith.
This is a great opportunity for improving players to gain Red Master Points, and maybe a State title.
Entry fee for Launceston section will be $20 per pair, a mere $5 per player per session. This is a considerable saving on the normal cost of $34 per pair for a TBA Championship 2-session event.
Bidding systems are restricted to Green & Blue systems (No complicated Red systems or Brown Sticker Conventions are permitted).
Further details or on the official TBA entry form. A shorter version of the entry form is available here.
Closing date for entries is Monday 6th July.


Following the success of Sandra's and Andrew's beginners classes, Wednesday night will continue to be a beginners' night.
There will be supervised play each Wednesday evening, at 7:00.
We hope that Sandra & Andrew will direct these sessions, when they are available to do so, but on other evenings there will be an experienced player to direct.
We look forward to seeing many improvers at these sessions, and hope that many of them will want to progress to regular club Bridge, & eventually to representative Bridge.
The sessions will continue as long as they are supported.
You do not have to have attended the beginners' classes to come on Wednesdays, but you should note that emphasis will be on the simple system taught by Andrew & Sandra.

This was a hand from a recent club night. (Board 25, Thusday 19th March).

Consider how you would play these hands in 6 Hearts.

	♠ Q ♥ Q J 10 7 ♦ A K 9 8 4 3 2 ♣ 7
	♠ A 7 5 3 ♥ K 9 8 6 3 ♦ J ♣ A 10 5

At the club, I wasn't faced with the problem. Our bidding sequence made it very hard for us to find the heart fit, and we didn't! I played in 5 Diamonds, one off. So I apologize if this sounds patronising. (Yes, we have amended our bidding methods since!)

My reaction on seeing dummy was, "Woops! We have missed six Hearts!". I was amazed when the scores were announced. Everyone (except us) played in Hearts, but most had trouble making 4, let alone 6. The full range of scores was: 6H 3 off once, 5H 1 off once, 4H making twice, 4H one off 3 times, 4H 2 off once, and 5D 1 off once. As I expected, the Double Dummy analysis says N or S can make 12 tricks in Hearts.

This seems like a reasonable plan for the play:

• Win the opening lead. (unless, obviously, it is the HA).
• Play the DA.
• Ruff a low Diamond. Ruff with the K (or 9 or 8 or 6, it doesn't matter which, as long as it isn't the 3). If you are over-ruffed you want it to be with the Ace, not the 4 or 5. You will need to unblock the K at some stage, by ruffing with it, so it might as well be now.
• Play a trump to the Q. If the Ace wins, you win the return, either by ruffing or with SA or CA.
• If you are in hand now, play another trump to J. If you are in dummy, ruff another Diamond.
• Now the third round of trumps, won by 10 in dummy, will clear the trumps (unless they were 4-0, in which case you are in trouble. The DK will drop the last D (unless they were 5-0,; that's trouble too) and you can run the remaining Diamonds.
• You make your contract through 2 Heart tricks, a Club or Spade ruff, 2 Diamond ruffs, CA, SA, and 5 Diamond tricks, losing only to HA.

Here is the full hand.

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