If your only knowledge of Abbey Walker is from occasional references in Bridge Magazines, then you might think she is "merely" a talented young Bridge player with movie star looks. The reality is that Abbey is a tremendous ambassador for the game, from whom we can all learn. You see, Abbey never forgets that the reason we play Bridge is for enjoyment - her priority is to ensure that everybody at the table has a good time. And Abbey's impressive successes in competitive Bridge, at every level, demonstrate that you can be a friendly opponent and partner without diminishing your will to win.

Abbey started her Bridge career at the age of 12: "Dad taught me to play. Basically that's why I started playing, as he thought it would suit me and I thought it would be nice for us to play together." At first she didn't like it (!), but then she became fascinated by the game and hasn't looked back since.

After obtaining a Mathematics degree from Oxford University, Abbey has taken up a career in financial services.

Anyway, let's look at a couple of hands.

Firstly, suppose you are on lead after the following auction.

Given that 2§ is a Crowhurst-like asking bid, and 3§ shows 17-19 points with clubs, what would you choose to lead from this fairly unpromising collection?:

While you're thinking about that, take a look at this other hand:

The bidding goes:

Abbey found a confident double, only to write down -990 (4ª doubled +1) two minutes later. "Partner didn't have an ideal hand", she said. It was something like:

Returning to the first hand, have you chosen your lead against 3NT yet?:

Abbey led ©J, which is the only way to defeat the contract:

Declarer covered, but Abbey unblocked ©9 under ©A on the next round, allowing East to cash 5 hearts.