The Bridge Zone

The Bridge Zone – Episode 409

Judge Julie will rejoin us next week to finish off the penalty card case
And we have two stonker questions coming in from a listener about Law 25A 1 and 25A 2
Join our public gallery when Law 25 is addressed by the Judge

Mr Jinn announces the results of the Jin Club tourneys
No East Coast Bays this week
JIN members feature at Waikato Area Pairs
Wellington had 30 Intermediate and 15 Junior pairs at their Congress
We expand the discussion on how to improve your performance at the table
Mr Jinn stays on for the entire BZ session this week

Are you free Mr Peacock?
We open a new service to our listeners If you are one of the bunch that want to refresh or revamp your system,
Send us your system card and we will review on the show
[email protected]
We are happy to glance over, so email them and we will get the iron out

And Jack James does it again, win number 11 is now down in ink and the record 9 week run is still on
We really must find Jack a Green Jacket and next week we share a new nick name for him
Jolly awesome Jack, he’s coming on the show soon folks

Some days are Diamond and some days are stone – a nice nod to a crew member is mentioned
Plus, Mike Ware – wins at Wellington Open Pairs with Martin Reid as well as the Open teams and yes the team name was Ware!!!
There are tips a plenty this week from The Gambler, something for everyone

See you at the tables
The BZ Crew

The Bridge Zone – Episode 408

Judge Julie has penalty cards in the dock today
Helpful hints for those that hear the plethora of options coming at you and things are no clearer
And did you know that these options can be repeated every time the offending partner is on lead or remains on lead whilst the penalty card is still on the table
It’s not a one-time thing and you can change your mind as well

Mr Jinn announces the results of the Jin Club tourneys
East Coast Bays slips in again and Mr Jinn visits Hibiscus Coast for the 1st time
JIN members are featuring at Restricted 8B tournaments, stepping onto the middle podium
Unbelievable at Hibiscus Coast 1st and 2nd places were a repeat from 2025
Mr Jinn drops a teaser question – How can we help members that do not have a lot of experience playing and joining in sessions that may be a stronger field than their capability? This is a pretty long-winded way of describing Mr Jinn’s question – verbal diarrhoea today
Join us next week as Mr Jinn has the name of the couple who took up NZBs challenge to play at every NZ Bridge Club
Ps – don’t forget the Teaching and Learning Committee brings to you next month
May Intermediate/Improver Lessons - $8 for one or both sessions
Sunday May 10th 4.00 – 6.00 pm Lesson 1 Declarer Play NT
Tuesday May 12th 7.00 – 9.00 pm Lesson 1 Repeated

Barry and Mereana announce again the fab run of Jack James this time at the Hamilton Restricted Pairs April 19th - can he continue the streak at Wellington this weekend
And we have an upgrade on pickle juice!!! Someone drank this concoction on Sunday - for $61.20 for a 12 pack you can have some too
It’s tip time – If you’re keen to improve because life at the table is like eating without a knife and fork, Barry shares some tips on how to improve your partnerships experiences
Plus, a bonus tip on something to think about before drawing trumps
See you at the tables
The BZ Crew

The Bridge Zone – Episode 407

Judge Julie helps clear up the alerting process in auctions
Outside opponents’ expectation of what a bid means the Judge helps clarify this situation
And reminds us that when a question is asked – a full explanation is required, not just the name of the convention e.g. Michaels which can have several meanings – the opponents want to know HOW your partnership plays it

Mr Jinn announces the results of the Jin Club tourneys
East Coast Bays has another mention
Pickle juice seems to be a phantom drink at lunch
JIN members are chasing tournament and the results sees 3+ tourneys booked out
Respect all Fear None – what a motto for the Jinnies

Ps – don’t forget the Teaching and Learning Committee brings to you
ONLINE LESSONS AND SUPPORTED PLAY 2026 in April
April Intermediate/Improver Lessons - $8 for one or both sessions
Sunday 19th 4pm – 6pm — Competitive Bidding when WE Overcall
Tuesday 21st 7pm – 9pm — Lesson 2 Repeated

Barry and Mereana talk about a green jacket as Jack James and Wayne Burrows grab another 2 tournament wins over the weekend
The chase is on in the players ranking stats for the most A’s
Barry’s tip - Be a good partner

See you at the tables
The BZ Crew

The Bridge Zone – Episode 406
The Bailiff clears up who is responsible for Dummy, if you think everyone is – listen to what the Bailiff says
We also chat about Dummy preventing an infraction and also when Dummy is required to be mute
There is some reference to short- and long-term memory as well
Mr Jinn announces the results of the Jin Club tourneys
East Coast Bays has another mention
Remuera Bowling and Bridge Club comes to life
Well done in taking 1st place in the Intermediate events - Jin Club members over Easter – Mark and Carolyn Buckley on Good Friday, Bill Leach and Bruce Hart Easter Saturday
And 3rd place overall on Monday to Tomas Freeman–Greene and Christina Hyde on Easter Monday
Thanks for the emails of support for The Jin Club segment, keep them flying in
Ps – don’t forget the Teaching and Learning Committee brings to you
ONLINE LESSONS AND SUPPORTED PLAY 2026
April Intermediate/Improver Lessons $8 for one or both sessions
Sunday 12th 4.00 – 6.00 pm Lesson 1 Competitive bidding when WE open
Tuesday 14th 7.00 – 9.00 pm Lesson 1 Repeated
Barry and Mereana talk about the Easter tournament thru the eyes of the Gambler
India here we come – or not..
Barry tips like Sadie the cleaning lady, have you ever seen him with a mop
Jack James and Wayne Burrows snag the double Pairs and Teams – what a winning streak they are having
Well done to Jeremey and Fraser their team mates

See you at the tables
The BZ Crew

The Bridge Zone – Episode 405

The Bailiff is up today and Barry shares an infraction he had while directing the other day
Opening bid made out of turn – was he right in accepting the bid that was made as a comparable call?
Bailiff takes us back to 1979 or was it 1980 and is playing the fundraiser event on Good Friday
And the Judge and Bailiff are playing the Auckland Easter Weekend Congress together

Mr Jinn announces the results of the Jin Club tourneys
Shout out to all Jinnies to register for the Good Friday online tournament - entries are low
East Coast Bay players are everywhere, making podiums and are top 5 on XClub
Good luck with the proposals to Warkworth and Auckland Northland Regions relating to the Jinnie grades

Barry and Mereana talk about scorers or the lack of scorers, Swiss pairs at Hamilton and how the lessons are going – are the numbers still up there and what are other clubs doing
Why do a good majority of players not like playing 1NT?
Regional Championships we will come back to these

See you at the tables
The BZ Crew