Stamford Bridge Club’s coffee morning for charity was a success

Last time I mentioned that we would be having our annual charity morning on Friday, September 29, writes Marcus Witt, of Stamford Bridge Club.

The morning went well and our thanks go to Sue Westcott, organiser, and Cliff Orme, bridge session director, and to all the other club members who made the event a success. Thanks are also due to all those who took part in the bridge, bought raffle tickets, made donations and baked cakes.

The recipient for the money raised was Stamford Diversity Group who will use it to fund a voucher scheme with Harrison and Dunn for Ukrainian refugees living in the Stamford area. With Harrison & Dunn match-funding at the rate of £1 for every £4 donated, the morning yielded £1,000, a small contribution to help people who have been cruelly uprooted from their homeland.

Town councillors and SDG volunteers Amanda Wheeler (also a member of the bridge club) and Yvette Díaz-Muñoz came along and gave a short talk on the work of SDG and were a welcome addition to those present. Gill Webb was the lucky winner of the main raffle prize – a champagne tea for two, generously donated by the Haycock Manor Hotel, Wansford.

Hand of the Week

Today’s hand occurred at one of our recent Monday afternoon sessions. The spade small slam was reached at six of the 12 tables but only three declarers managed to make 12 tricks (and only one who reached slam). The slam is excellent and will make whenever trumps are 2-1, a chance of some 78% (five spades, three hearts, two diamonds and two clubs). But trumps are 3-0 and there appears to be a club loser to go with the spade loser. Declarer draws two rounds of trumps before cashing the red suit winners. The intention is to throw East in with the master trump and for that hand to give the twelfth trick with a ruff and discard. One extra thing needs doing – cash the two clubs so East has none remaining. Now play a third spade. Yes, we’re in luck. East was dealt a doubleton club and the forced red suit return allows declarer to ruff in one hand (it doesn’t matter which) and to discard the club loser from the other. As this is an operation of extraction, such hands sometimes have the moniker “Dentist’s Coup” attached to them.

Tip

Look out for these chances to endplay an opponent. They are often there. But have to be spotted.