There has been one other major influence on my Bridge-playing life, who has received little mention to date: charismatic Pakistani-born Zia Mahmood.

Although Zia is qualified to play for the USA, and therefore only available for the occasional game, we did win the Cap Gemini in 2000 and 2001. I felt confident the second time, because I saw a car on the way to the airport with the number-plate CAP 2! Less than a month later, I almost lost my life in a hill-walking accident in the Lake District which I alluded to earlier.

Britain’s most prestigious invitational event (since the demise of the Sunday Times/Macallan), the Lederer Memorial Trophy, has also been kind to Zia and I. As part of the “All Stars” (team of four), we won in five successive years from 1998 to 2002.

This deal from the 1998 Lederer won me the Best Defended Hand of the Year, although in truth I thought it barely worth all the accolades it received. West, Zia, led the king of clubs against the Six Spade slam. Declarer won the ace, and led a diamond to the king. I was the ace, and it was crunch time.