Bridge | 9 February 2017

It’s so hard not to whinge when you’ve had bad luck at bridge — it’s just one of those things you’ve got to get off your chest. One thing’s for sure, though, if you’re going to be a moaning Minnie, pick an example that proves your point, not one that betrays the limits of your skill.
 
I made that mistake the other day. Sally Brock and I had failed to qualify for the Lady Milne (and, by the way, many congratulations to Fiona Brown and Helen Erichsen, who won the trials). Of course, I made the usual quota of mistakes, but we both felt we’d been unlucky. On the last round, I was the only person to get a problematic lead against 6♠ — and it seemed typical of the whole weekend. Later, I told the brilliant Tom Paske about the hand:
 
(See diagram)
 
The ♦7 was led. This took out one of dummy’s entries: any other lead, and I could simply establish clubs.