TGR’s Bridge Club in Paddington is the daily home to those of us who want to play bridge but cannot always adhere to the times of local duplicates. There is a game every afternoon and from time to time there is also an evening Goulash game; any contract at the one level (or passed out) is redealt in some form of 5-3-5 combination. This makes for very distributional hands which often end in slam either bid to make or as a ‘save’. A couple of weeks ago I picked up, first in hand, the following:

♠A K Q J 10 9 8 7 5 4 3 2 and a singleton ♦A! I opened 7♠and obv made it. This is the most humongous hand anyone has ever seen at rubber bridge (or anywhere else for that matter) and the fact my suit was Spades meant I couldn’t be outbid.

All of which has nothing at all to do with today’s hand but I just had to share. This is Bobby Levin (South) and Steve Weinstein,  playing a pushy 4♠against top class opposition in the semi-final of the Vanderbild Cup in Memphis.

North’s raise to game was tough but worth a try at Teams.

West led ♦Ace and continued with the King. Looking at his ♥9 and with Q 10 8 7 in dummy a heart switch looked dangerous so he continued with ♣8 to partner’s King and declarer’s… Queen. This unblock was essential as he could finesse West’s ♣J, pitch his pesky ♥5 on the high club and crucially remain in dummy to run the ♠10 and claim ten tricks. Who said ‘the more I practise the luckier I get’? Maybe Bobby Levin.