Scottish Schools Minibridge 2026

This year I took 15 pupils with me to Edinburgh, to join challengers from George Heriots and Stockbridge Primary. My pupils were in P7, S1 and S2, so ranging in age from 10-13 years old. Last year our top pair finished 3rd East-West, could they do better this year?

(Read my 2025 report and I also have a 2016 report)

Due to tighter school restrictions about staffing, I wasn't allowed to take all the pupils on my own. Step forward janitor Andy Tierney, who not only offered to accompany us but also provided a minibus, saving the effort of two trains and a bus.

We arrived in good time and drew cards for seating. An adult accompanied each table. I was very impressed by what I saw on the first two boards.

Love all N deal ♠ A 8 5 ♥ Q J 5 4 ♦ 9 2 ♣ K T 9 3 ♠ J 6 2 ♥ A K 2 ♦ K T 5 ♣ A J 6 2

In Minibridge each player first counts their points to determine the declarer, who then chooses the contract. Here with 16 opposite 10 our South, Catriona, chose 3NT. 

West lead the Jack of Diamonds. Declarer won this with her Queen. Let's be generous and assume that at this point declarer counted her tricks. Assuming she did, she would have found 1 + 4 + 1 + 2 = only 8 tricks. Need to find one more.

Declarer took her Heart tricks, then turned to Clubs. She played the King of Clubs then took a finesse, leading to her Jack of Clubs. This lost to West's Queen, but the defence could only two three more Diamonds and declarer had made her ninth trick, getting a third one out of Clubs. Well played!

Making 3NT= was worth 80%. The top score was 3NT+2ne . Otable played 4H-1, and the rest languished in a part score.

NS vul E deal ♠ T 4 2 ♥ 9 3 2 ♦ K Q 9 2 ♣ A K 3 ♠ A K 7 ♥ A K T 8 6 4 ♦ T 5 ♣ 5 2

On the next deal our declarer Evita wisely chose 4H, and correctly drew trumps and remembered that her 9 of Diamonds was a winner. 4H+2 was worth 90%, tying with or beating most pairs who bid game.

If I could somehow teach two things to all novice declarers, it would be to count tricks, and to count trumps. If you could do these two simple things you'd win the tournament easily.

For defenders I would start with just one thing. Don't lead unsupported honours, meaning don't lead a high card unless you have a whole block of high cards. Very often I saw defenders lead a stray King or Queen and give declarer gift after gift. 

Anyway, the standard was better this year than last year I think, and the organisation was excellent. The bridge club were extremely accommodating, and even turned the coffee machine back on after the tournament ended so I could have another cup. Fiona Robertson had all the boards and movement worked out, not an easy task when you don't know how many pupils are coming.

The final results are here: New Melville Bridge Club. 

Congratulations to our top pair, Hanlin and Noah, who went two better than last time and were the overall winners this year.

Hamilton Bridge Congress

I didn't attend this event but there were several Scottish Juniors there. I glanced through the results of Shiva & Artem, and one result caught my eye, a 6H-1. Typical overbidding I thought to myself, but perhaps they were a little unlucky. 

You can see that with South having both the missing Heart honours 6H is doomed, and duly went down one. 

However, there is a twist, as 6H was doubled by South. It's a very poor double, as it converts +50 to +100 and so makes virtually no difference to the matchpoint score. The danger is that the double alerts both East and West that Hearts are breaking badly, and gives them a chance to correct to 6NT.

6NT was played on the majority of tables, and usually made 12 tricks. I think declarer should start by playing Hearts, low to the Ten. When North shows out on the second round of Hearts, you are forced to switch to Diamonds and Clubs. They work out very nicely, and you finish with 4+1+4+3 = 12 tricks. 

So doubling 6H could have been costly, but South got away with it here.

The pairs tournament was one by Angus MacDonald and Peter Hodgson, who have both helped out with Junior tournaments in the past. Hutchesons's coach Peter Clarke and Scotland U26 star Prajwal finished fourth. 

We await the results of the teams. Update - the team did not win the teams, and were much closer to the bottom than the top. But from what I hear, they all had a great time. Results here

 

High School of Glasgow Pairs Championship

The school bridge club has a good group of final year S6 pupils and younger S3 pupils - enough to have a short pairs championship. We had three tables playing ten boards, along with a couple of younger groups playing Minibridge.

There were lots of well bid and played boards, including two in a row where every table made 3NT. 

Our more experienced pairs ran into trouble when they overbid to failing games, or just got unlucky with good contracts bid against them. That paved the way for Michael and Eunice to win the event, followed by Sam and Elliot.

Here is one where the winning pair got a bad result which turned out to be a good result:

At every table North opened 2S. Then things diverged. Michael and Eunice got to 4S by North, down five! Losing 500 vulnerable wasn't too bad in the end.

On her table Isla bid the East hand to 3NT and quickly claimed 10 tricks. Niamh and Rachel may have recognised the hand, they played it as part of the HSOG Junior Christmas Party in 2021! They won that event (see here).

The final board proved expensive for some:

Eunice played 4S from the West seat. To make it you need a bit of luck - trumps 3-2, Diamond 3-3, and the defence to not lead trumps. Only out of those three things happened and so she finished down one. On another table Artem played 4Sx-1, doubled by North.

On the final table both sides bid Hearts and in the end Sam played 3Hx from the South seat. This could fail with repeated Spade leads as you lose trump control, but made today for a great score. 

2026 HSOG Pairs champions (in shirts)