Author Archives: Julian Foster

A matchpoint double

This hand is taken from a recent duplicate pairs session and shows how the vulnerability can make such a huge difference at that scoring format. South opened 1♣ and West overcalled 1♠. Although some might frown at overcalling with only … Continue reading

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Best way to play 3NT?

This hand is taken from the SBC Harmony Park Swiss Pairs congress played on 14 February 2026 (match 4). Every pair except one played 3NT by South – most commonly after a simple auction 1NT (15-17) 3NT. Every West led … Continue reading

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Double fits again making lots of tricks!

This hand came up in a recent online club duplicate session. The auction started normally but then livened up somewhat! South opened the normal 1♠ and West overcalled 2♦. North raised to 2♠ (more on that below) and East bid … Continue reading

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Aggressive bidding pays off again!

This hand comes from the Fixed Income Solutions One Day swiss pairs held as part of the Summer Festival of Bridge in Canberra on Fri Jan 16th. It was a 6 round butler imp swiss pairs (a form of scoring … Continue reading

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Defence again. Count your tricks again!

This is another hand from a New Zealand teams event. After a pass from South West opens 1♠. North has a clear takeout double and East will raise to 2♠. South passes and it’s back to West. 4♠ is clear … Continue reading

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