Patrick Jourdain is one of those people who can be found at every major championship. He is usually a member of the Bulletin staff, but here he is appearing in the role of a player. His squad had an excellent first day, winning all five matches, including a victory over the No 1 seed in their group.

It will be a change for Patrick to find himself featured in the Bulletin as the perpetrator of a fine play rather than as a reporter of one!

Dealer West. EW Game ª A 6 3 © K 4 2 ¨ 6 4 2 ¨ K Q 4 2 ª K 10 5 ª J 2 © 9 7 6 3 © A J 8 ¨ A 10 5 ¨ K Q J 9 ¨ 10 6 5 ¨ J 9 8 7 ª Q 9 8 7 4 © Q 10 5 ¨ 8 7 3 ¨ A 3 West North East South Ratcliff Jourdain Pass 1¨ 1¨ 1ª 2¨ 2ª All Pass

West opened the defence by underleading his ¨A. East won with the jack and returned the ¨9 to partner's ace. Thinking East had overcalled on a five-card suit and worried that declarer might be about to discard a loser on the third round of clubs, West switched to the ©9. East took the ace and cashed the ¨K before returning the ©8. Declarer was now faced with the problem of how to avoid the loss of two trump tricks.

He won the heart with dummy's king and ran the ª6. West took the trick with the ten and exited with a heart. Reasoning that East, having overcalled on a four-card suit, was more likely to be 2-3-4-4, declarer advanced the ªQ from hand. This collected the trump suit for no further loser and +110.

In the other room North came to rest in 1NT, a contract that failed by one trick when declarer tackled the spade suit by playing low to the queen. So the 'Welsh Chagas' earned 4IMPs for his team.

In passing it occurs to us that if East makes the strange looking play of the ªJ on the first round of the suit declarer may go wrong, playing him for ªJ10. Not perhaps as difficult as it looks when you know your only hope of further tricks lies in the trump suit.