The Brighton Congress is the English Bridge Union’s biggest annual event, when, during two weeks in August, a large number of enthusiasts head down to the coast for a fortnight of sun, sand and bridge. A fairly substantial contingent from South Oxfordshire is included in the migration. It is inevitable, therefore, that members of local bridge clubs find themselves doing battle across unfamiliar green beige. The above deal found Alan Bryden and Peter Litchfield (North/South) from Abingdon playing against Geoff Nicholas and Peter Baxter (East/West) from Wallingford. North, playing five card majors, opened one club and South responded one heart. When North showed a good hand with heart support, South bid four hearts, the final contract. West led the five of clubs, taken by East’s king. (It does not help declarer if he takes this trick with the ace. When he returns to hand with a diamond and leads a small trump, West can rise with the ace of trumps and lead his last club to West’s king, thus obtaining a club ruff.) East returned the ten of clubs, taken by North’s ace. Fearing a club ruff, declarer played off the diamond king, then the ace and queen of diamonds, discarding the nine of clubs. He then led a small heart to the queen, which held the trick. Not having x-ray vision to tell him that the jack of hearts was doubleton and could now be eliminated by leading out the second top heart, declarer now tried to return to hand by leading a small spade, in order to lead a second low trump towards dummy. However, East went up with the ace of spades and led a club, covered by South. West now ruffed with the ACE of hearts and led back a diamond, promoting East’s jack of trumps as the setting trick.

Congratulations to Peter Baxter and Geoff Nicholas for a superb defence and commiserations to Alan Bryden and Peter Litchfield for playing five card majors. If North had opened one heart instead of one club, thus letting South bid the heart suit first, then East would have made the opening lead and could not have led clubs without conceding a second club trick to South. No disrespect to Alan and Peter’s bidding system. It was just an unfortunate lie of the cards.

Best performance in the Congress by a local pair was achieved by Mike Brown and Clive Keep, winners of the senior consolation pairs.

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