1. A tight 3NT for EW but it made at all eight tables.

2. Roughly 110 for all the NSs in two of either major. Thomson/Dawe were the only EW to make a plus, squeezing home in 3C.

3. A choice of games (3NT, 4H, 5C) for EW but I think all of them were coming home as the cards lie. Oxon’s EWs made games at every table but Claridge/Williams’s oppos didn’t reach game while the Talbots managed to beat 3NT when declarer found the no-play line rather than the easy make. 19 IMPs in.

4. 680ish for EW. 4S was safer than 3NT.

5. Despite the flimsy heart guard, 3NT proved to be a much better game for NS than 4H. In 3NT, South could hold up the HA until the 3rd round and there was no defence. Claridge/Williams duly collected 600. Thomson/Dawe might well have beaten 4S if they had not led diamonds, giving away a trick and a tempo. The Talbots, meanwhile, went three off in the same contract after a heart force.

McPhee/Lonsdale went three off in 3NT. Presumably, HA was taken too early? West had made a jump overcall in hearts so the 6-3 break must have been most likely. The Lintotts collected +300 in similar fashion but the crucial difference was that West had declined to bid hearts at all and so declarer could not anticipate the split.

6. EW have 23 points and no real fit yet most of the opposing cards lie well and those who stretched to 3NT managed to make it. The Lintotts and Thomson/Dawe did so for Oxon, as did the oppos of Claridge/Williams and Belton/Nicholas who were at least given a chance to beat it when declarer misguessed clubs. The Talbots’ oppos went all the way to a hopeless 5C. At the remaining ‘A’ team tables, the Derbys NSs bounced to 3H, shutting our boys out. Bennett/Noble managed to get this one off but Smith/Goldsmith conceded nine tricks.

7. EW have enough red suit winners to beat 1NT by two tricks and it wasn’t a particularly difficult defence to find. But Claridge/Williams and the Talbots were allowed to make +90.

At our table, Goldsmith opened just 2S. East overcalled 3C although I don’t think he’s strong enough. West tried 3H, presumably intended as forcing but East took a wise (or lucky?) view and passed. Trumps were 5-1 but clubs were 2-2 and South did not have enough spades to force declarer effectively, so it was only one off.

Against Claridge/Williams, North opened 2D (Multi). East passed and South upped the ante to 3S. Our man in the West seat now found a 4H call from somewhere. I don’t think he has enough shape or strength for such a call when partner has passed 2D. At any rate this went five off undoubled for –500. Thomson/Dawe took 4H two off.

South had 942 J10963 A106 Q6 — a hand I did not think worthy of bidding 3S over East’s 3C but the Lintotts took a rosier view of their NS cards and competed up to 4S (over 4C). EW pushed on to 5C and duly made it when the clubs broke.

I’m not entirely sure what happened at Bennett/Noble’s table. Although they "made" 5C, there had I believe been a key pause in the auction and the ruling was 100 to NS.

6H by West is not laydown but it’s certainly the best spot. All the Oxon EWs got there in some style except the Talbots. With a clear run at it (as most of the Acol pairs had), it’s not too hard but after a Precision 1C things got rather trickier intervention-wise. Not fair, eh folks?

Belton/ Nicholas bid 1H - 2NT - 3S - 4H - 4NT - 5D - 6H which seems to be quite a well-judged sequence — a good hand for not playing Baron.

Only two Derbys pairs bid the slam, against Noble/Bennett and Thomson/Dawe.

Goldsmith (N) opened 1H and reversed to 2S over the 2C response. I decided my hand was not worth a slam try (partner could not open 1C) and bid 4H (PFA). I don’t think partner has the necessary shape to go on at this point but he decided his controls merited a 5D cue. I accepted.

After a diamond lead, Goldsmith played SAK and ruffed the third round, the Queen appearing from West. He crossed to CK and led his last spade, ruffed with the Queen and over-ruffed by West. When West returned a trump, he took a very good view and finessed the nine. He drew trumps and claimed.

If West declines to over-ruff, is it bound to go down? I’m not sure. There may well still be sufficient entries left to negotiate a trump coup, ruffing the minors, if that’s not too double-dummy.

Was Goldsmith right to finesse H9? It seems to me that playing for the drop offers slightly better odds but he obviously read the vibrations well. Still, if you’re going to bid up, you have to play well.

Bennett (or Noble?) and Thomson also got a diamond lead against 6H but were unable to bring it home (no details). Claridge/Williams beat 6H and slam was not bid at the other four tables.

I opened a Precision club with the South cards and Goldsmith responded 1S. With a choice of a b or g, I opted for 2C (Alpha), figuring that partner was sure to respond 2D or 2H, after which I could go for gamma. But Goldsmith responded 2NT, showing a positive (presumably Jxxx) in clubs and 4+ controls. With 3NT the likeliest destination, none of the epsilons looked sensible, so I settled for a reasonably descriptive 3C.

Goldsmith bid 3S and I essayed 3NT. He cue-bid 4H and I owned up to something in spades by bidding 4S. Goldsmith passed this out although I feel he is far more worthy of a slam try on this hand than he was on the hand before. I have a minimum 16 and if you change my DKQ for the Ace we have a laydown grand.

Only one Oxon pair (the Lintotts, of course) and two Derbyshire pairs reached 6C. The Lintotts had the same first four bids as us but then South (Andrew?) opted for a gamma 3S and was rewarded with the news that North had six to two top honours. No problems now.

Williams/Claridge and the Talbots were the unlucky pairs to concede slam.

15. And when the Lintotts get going, there’s no stopping them:

6H needs the club finesse and trumps to be trouble-free so a little under 50%. It’s not easy to bid these monsters in any system (we started 1C - 1D - 3NT, not a common sequence). After 1C - 1D, Andrew found a 2H rebid with the South cards and then raised the response of 4H to 6H. A little lucky, but when you’ve got the oppos on the back foot ....

McPhee/Lonsdale had an uncontested auction and I can sympathise with the fact that they deemed the hand worth slam investigation and ended up going one down in 5S.

Bennett/Noble played hardball, with North overcalling 1S with 4C on the first round and after East had gone on to 4S, South doubled with Q10954 K543 K103 8. Maybe he expected a little more from partner’s big pre-empt? West and East must both have been tempted to redouble but they settled for +790.

But it’s here that you see the real benefits of the Lintotts’ slam bidding on the last two hands. A modest 3C overcall was their only contribution to the auction yet their oppos wandered all the way up to 6S. Doubling at this level proved a little more profitable.

 17. Enjoyable, so bear with me ....

I opened 1D with the East cards and South found a rather fatuous overcall of 2C which I’m sure he regretted later. Goldsmith stretched to 3H and I converted to 3NT with the usual Hoggish relish.

South led a club. I won immediately and led a diamond on which South did very well to play the Jack not the Ace. This went to Q and K, North pushing back his second club. I won and forced out South’s DA. North showed out on the third round of clubs.

As North has shown up with DK it seems unlikely that he will have SK as well so careful play is needed. I played off my top hearts, cashed D10 and won the 4th round of diamonds in hand. South threw a spade and then a reluctant club but there was nothing he could do. I exited with my last club and after two club winners he was forced to lead into my spade tenace. Of course, if he’d come down to a bare SK it’s easy for me to drop it, knowing he still has three clubs. A show-up squeeze?

Give South a third heart instead of a third spade and it’s more interesting. South must then bare his DK with extreme casualness on the third diamond and throw a club on the 4th. So I could have been unlucky.

There’s no defence to my line of play but Denis Talbot noted that "hand is cold if duck the first club". I don’t think so. South can switch to hearts. Declarer can’t duck the first round of that suit too (it would create five losers) so say he takes it; what does he do now? He has no obvious entry to hand. A spade finesse? South knocks out the other heart guard. I think the defence is always in the box seat whatever the continuation so I stand by my own line.

Although 3NT was a popular spot, I don’t have many details of the play. Noble/ Bennett’s oppos didn’t bid but South went in with DA at trick two, thereby blowing his side’s last chance. Belton/Nicholas did not fall into that trap (I don’t think) and were one of the two pairs out of seven to beat 3NT. The other non-makers were Thomson/Dawe — no details. Claridge/ Williams’s oppos stopped out.

18. An easy 3NT + 1 or 2 for EW. Claridge/ Williams lost an IMP or so in 2S* but McPhee/Lonsdale gained substantially when their oppos declined to bid game.

19. NS’s 3NT was about three down on a club lead and with West bidding clubs this was almost inevitable. Bennett/Noble did not find the club lead against 2NT and so lost –210. The Lintotts’ oppos also stopped short of game and made a plus. Claridge/Williams did well not to bid at all.

20. This time NS’s 3NT was unbreakable and a question of judgment. North held Q1098 AJ10 QJ2 QJ7 and opened 1D at our table. After a 2C response, what should North rebid? 2NT would show 12-13 and 3NT 14 pts, which was exactly what North bid at our table. South has K4 63 K106 A98652 and when North opened a more typical 1NT (12-14) had to decide what to do. Rich in controls and with extra club length, I’d’ve been inclined to try for game.

Claridge/Williams bid 1C - 2C - 2NT - 3C - Pass. McPhee/Lonsdale reached 3NT (unknown auction). Belton/Nicholas had to contend with a 2D overcall after the 1C opening. South tried 4C and West conveniently doubled — made on the nail. The Talbots bid 1D - 2C (NF) - Pass. Since I’ve never used an NF 2C response, I can’t speak for its merits. South is arguably too good not to force. The Lintotts and Thomson/Dawe gained when oppos stopped below game.

21. NS had no problems in 4H but half the ‘A’ team EWs rightly decided to save in 4S*. I did not excel in the play:

I was declarer from the East seat after South had doubled 4S with some alacrity. I made the obvious correct guess on the heart lead. NS cashed a heart, a diamond and two clubs before exiting in diamonds. What should I do?

The signs were that North had a singleton spade but it was far from clear. Should I lead a top spade from dummy and attempt to cross with a club ruff for a later trump finesse? Risky. Just play top spades from dummy, hoping for a 2-2 break (or singleton Jack)?

No, the club plays had suggested that South had at least one left and I crossed to hand with a club ruff. With clubs 3-3, a further entry to hand was not going to be possible and I figured that the odds favoured a first round finesse of the nine. Wrong! On reflection, I feel I should have started with a top spade from dummy with a view to a 2nd round finesse of the 9.

Bennett/Noble did better than me, conceding just 300 but McPhee/Lonsdale collected 500 and the ‘A’ team gained 9 IMPs.

22. East’s 3NT was routine on a spade lead (which I got) and it’s hard to see how the defence can make more than one club and three hearts on any lead. Not quite flat, however. Noble/Bennett got into a complex auction, reached an undiscussed 2NT bid and subsided in 3H with HK98543 opposite a void. That was –200. But McPhee/Lonsdale saved a few IMPs by saving at green in 2S* and losing only 500.

23. EW have 23 points and a 4-4 spade fit but the intermediates were poor and it was Oxon who were generally stretching to an unmakeable game. The only Oxon plus was Thomson/Dawe who made 2H.

24. A real bidding challenge number:

Goldsmith (W) opened 2D, standard Precision 4-4-0-5 or 4-4-1-4 with 11-15 points. 2NT asked and 3H said 4-4-1-4 with 12-13 points. Without further gadgets, I was more or less left to guess the contract and I picked a meagre 5D. If partner is missing top honours in spades and diamonds we can’t even make that. Poor judgement or poor system — I’m not sure.

But I was in good company. There were five games and three small slams. Bennett/Noble bid 1C - 1D - 1H - 1S - 2S - 3D - 3NT - 4D - 4S - 5C - 6C - 6D. I’m not sure if it was all entirely under control but well judged.

The Lintotts had the same problem as we did. The 2H opening equalled a Precision 2D and after the 2NT relay, 3C showed 4-4-1-4 and 11-13. East bid 5D. This is not a contract the Lintotts are at all comfortable with so naturally West converted to 6D. If you reverse East’s major suit holdings, it’s not a great idea but full marks for courage and judgement.

Williams/Claridge were unlucky again to be the one Oxon NS to concede slam.

25. A lucky 20 IMPs for the ‘A’ team. 4S was almost exactly 50%, depending on the position of SQ. Our two EWs bid and made it, theirs stopped out. To be fair, they say you should be in 50% vulnerable games at teams so perhaps virtue was rewarded! We would only have lost 12 IMPs if the finesse had failed.

The Talbots also got 620 and Belton/Nicholas were unlucky to miss out. Thomson/Dawe’s oppos also stopped short.

26. Another big diamond hand:

EW climbed to 5D at our table and it was just as well we found the heart lead. Declarer might have put North under pressure by crossing to dummy to lead trumps but he didn’t.

5D made nowhere. The only game made (3NT) was against the Lintotts. South led HK but switched to a spade when in with DK. All our EWs made +130. Bennett/Noble beat 5D. so the ‘A’ team had four pluses.

27. After I opened a strong club, EW were so keen to get in the way that they hurtled up to 4S* and corrected to 5D* which was, if anything, worse. We were grateful for +300 as there was no game on and not much happening at other tables. Belton/Nicholas and the Lintotts were +50, otherwise minus.

28. EW +420 was standard. The Lintotts’ bounced to 5C before oppos bid a suit so they more or less had to double. EW failed to find the heart lead or switch and so only got 200. Belton/Nicholas’s oppos saved in 5C after a much slower auction and our boys got the full 500.

29. Passed out at four tables and minus at the other four, two for EW and two for NS.

30. Eight contracts went down and as Oxon were defending at six tables, we came out with a few IMPs. Four of a major had zero chances for EW so those who bid it judged poorly.

31. Yet another possible slam our way:

I think the main reason why 6H was not bid at six tables was that North could find out about the club loser but was uncertain where his diamond loser was going to get parked. Dummy’s 4th spade turns out to be the critical card.

Our bidding went Pass (by me, S) - 1C - [1S intervention: 2 suits of the same rank] - 1NT (bal 8-11) - 2H (Alpha) etc but I can’t really blame partner for opting out.

The odd thing was that it was Thomson / Dawe not the Lintotts who successfully bid the slam. No auction, but well done to them. Bennett/Noble bid a simple 1H - 2NT (Inv with 4 hearts) - 4H - Pass. I’d have thought the North hand was worth a bit of a slam try.

Claridge/Williams were the unlucky Oxon pair to concede 6H.

32. Another possible slam our way:

6D is fair but not brilliant. Spade and diamond finesses worked and diamonds were 3-2 so the play presented few problems.

Goldsmith opened the North hand 1H — dead right too, in Precision at green. With 19 points I was going to take some stopping now and it went 1H - 2D - 2H - 3C - 3D - 4NT - 5H (2 Aces, no DQ) - 6D. I made all 13.

The Lintotts recovered admirably from the shock result on 31: Pass - 1C - 1H - 2D (Alpha) - 3C (honour to three, 4+ controls) - 6D. Lesser pairs would have felt there was space for more enquiries but South had heard enough. The other six NSs stopped in game so Oxon gained 22 IMPs.