There were 7 pairs in competition Monday night for our Kingsville Club’s Junior Fund Championship Game.

Winners were: Lou Thurston and Mary Tryer, first; Renee Gross and Betty Nielsen, second; and Bev Gresham and Jeanne Nevill, third.

I made two bad mistakes on Board 24 Monday night against the pair of Libby Boeye and Tom Hays.

It’s not a good idea to make ANY mistakes against this pair.

After missing the perfectly sane contract of 4 spades because of my bad bidding, my partner and I landed in a three no trump contract.

Tom, sitting East, made the opening lead of the jack of hearts from his interior sequence.

As many times as I mutter to myself, “Hold Up! Hold Up! Hold Up! Hold Up! etc., etc.”, I am still too undisciplined to make a hold -up play when needed.

I was declarer (North) on this deal and grabbed the first heart trick, sealing my fate.

Many times it is simply good declarer technique to DUCK the first and sometimes, with different combinations, to duck even the second trick led by the opponents.

The “duck” is declarer’s best effort to cut the communications between the opponents’ hands.

The hold-up play certainly works well with this deal, since West has only two hearts and East doesn’t have the ace of diamonds. (see diagram.)

Soooo, terrible bidding was compounded by bad declarer play and down I went in a cold contract.

The moral to this story—when in doubt, think of AFLACK.

I might add, talking to oneself can cause strange looks from those within hearing distance. (Let’s hope others can’t hear what bridge players mutter to themselves!).

Be sure to join us for our next game on Monday, November 9, in the Woman’s Club building.

Call 592-2374 for partners. And, don’t forget to visit our Kingsville Club and Unit 187 web site at http://d16acbl.org/U187/ Kingsville/kingsville.html.