Author Archives: Julian Foster

Playing a combined 28 points in a partscore is not a good idea!

This is another hand from the Sydney Bridge Club Christmas party which caught my eye because a large proportion of the East West field played in 3♦ despite holding a combined 28 points. Let’s see what might have gone wrong. … Continue reading

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Penalty at the 1 level

 This hand is taken from a recent matchpoint pairs congress in New Zealand.Penalties at low levels are often some of the most satisfying but you don’t often see large penalties at the 1 level. Let’s first consider the bidding. As … Continue reading

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Ruffing finesse and inferences from the lead

  This hand is again taken from the Sydney Bridge Club Christmas party – this time the afternoon session. It shows some inferences that can be made from the opening lead and also an alternative to a “normal” finesse. The … Continue reading

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When not to lead shortage

  This hand comes from the Sydney Bridge Club Christmas Party (morning session) played on Dec 3rd – with a virtually full room of 32 tables. 16 more played the afternoon session as well. From next week until the end … Continue reading

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Which fit to play in – and how not to claim!

This hand is another one taken from the Wollstonecraft matchpoint pairs congress played on 16th November 2025. Sometimes your side is lucky enough to have two fits and you need to decide which to play in. Board 23 here was … Continue reading

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