Tuesday 19 th February 2019 Page 1 Friday 15 th February – Saturday 23 rd February 2019 Tuesday 19 th February Bulletin Editor: Andy Hung Co-Editors: Brent Manley, Liam Milne, David Stern Contributions to [email protected]or 0425-101-094 2019 PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIPS WINNERS Winners of the Bobby Richman Open Pairs Championship: Stephen Fischer and Therese Demarco Winners of the Intermediate Pairs Championship: Kinga Hajmasi and Andrew Michl Winners of the Senior Pairs Championship: Tony Marinos - Peter Grant (photo in tomorrow’s bulletin)
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Bulletin Editor: Andy Hung Co-Editors: Brent Manley, Liam ... · Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 1 Friday 15th February – Saturday 23rd February 2019 Tuesday 19th February Bulletin
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Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 1
Friday 15th February – Saturday 23rd February 2019 Tuesday 19th February
Bulletin Editor: Andy Hung Co-Editors: Brent Manley, Liam Milne, David Stern
Winners of the Restricted Pairs Championship: Neil Williams and Peter Fitzmaurice (sponsored by Vanessa Brown)
Winners of the Novice Pairs Championship: Martin Brown and Gail Mckenzie
Winners of the Monday Butler Open Swiss Pairs:
N/S: Matthew Thomson - Hugh McGann
Winners of the Monday Butler Open Swiss Pairs: E/W: Greg Lee - Alan Currie
Winners of the Monday Butler 0-500 Swiss Pairs:
Margaret Azar and Sonja Ramsund
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 3
OPEN PAIRS FINAL ROUND THREE Liam Milne
Overnight, Therese Demarco and Stephen Fischer led the championship final just ahead of Michael Whibley and Matthew Brown. A fair way behind were Bill Hirst and Phil Gue, followed by Karen and Andrew Creet and Ron Klinger-Matthew Mullamphy.
Dealer: North [ J 6 2 West North East South Vul: N-S ] 7 2 Whibley Klinger Brown Mullamphy
Brd 5 { 10 6 5 4 Pass Pass 1NT } 10 8 7 4 Double 2} Pass Pass [ A K 8 7 5 3 [ Q 9 Double All Pass ] A 10 9 ] K J 8 5 { A 2 { 9 7 3 Makeable Contracts } 6 3 } Q 9 5 2 4 - 4 - NT [ 10 4 4 - 4 - [ ] Q 6 4 3 3 - 3 - ] { K Q J 8 - 1 - 1 { } A K J 1 - 2 - }
Whibley-Brown found a penalty here which no one else did despite a near universal 1NT opening from South. The first double was values, 2} showed clubs and another and the second double was takeout. Brown got off to the best lead of the [Q and was soon writing down +500 E/W for two down and 100% of the matchpoints. Most Wests overcalled over 1NT to show their long suit, but I like Whibley’s approach at this vulnerability: doubling then bidding 2[ isn’t a bad description of the hand, and you might catch the opponents for a penalty.
Dealer: West [ K J 10 8 3 2 West North East South Vul: None ] 10 5 Fischer H McAlister Demarco D McAlister
Par here was 6[ and most N/S pairs in the championship final bid the slam, sometimes after North opened a weak two. Fischer-Demarco had other ideas as you can see in the auction above. Diana McAlister was close to raising to 6[ and probably should have, but her somewhat conservative view put E/W in a good position. Both sides missed small points in the play: after a club lead, declarer decided that opener was more likely to have spade shortage and started with a spade to the king. After a second round of trumps to the ace, he had to cross back with a third round of trumps in order to lead a heart up. If Demarco had ducked this, declarer could only make eleven tricks, but she flew with the ]A and that was twelve tricks.
Declarer should probably not have put themselves in this position – if East did have [Q97, her shape was likely balanced and the 5} bid became a less likely proposition with such a hand, so declarer might have foreseen the position and started with the [A (or alternatively after winning [K, led a heart up). Likewise, Demarco probably could have worked out to duck the ]A. If declarer had a singleton heart, Fischer would have a four-card major (not so fashionable in some circles). Even if declarer did have a singleton heart, they would then have at least four diamonds and Demarco’s {Q might bring in a trick to compensate for losing her ace. Nevertheless, the pressure bidding got the job done and +480 N/S was worth 85% for the leaders.
TABLE COUNT
TO THE END OF PLAY SUNDAY NIGHT 2221
(Last Year 2018: 2183, and in 2017: 2060)
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 4
Dealer: North [ 10 6 West North East South Vul: E-W ] Q J 10 8 6 5 3 Fischer H McAlister Demarco D McAlister
On the next board it was very difficult to get to the cold grand slam in diamonds, spade or notrumps after a 3] or 4] opening and required both partnership agreements plus good judgement. Fischer-Demarco dealt with the barrage the best they could, Fischer transferring to spades before showing his diamonds. Demarco concluded the auction with an excellent practical choice of 6NT. In the final, 6[ was only worth 54% while 6NT scored 85%. Only Chris Dibley-Michael Seldon found the grand slam and were rightly rewarded with all the matchpoints – nicely done.
Dealer: West [ A West North East South Vul: E-W ] 9 6 Brd 16 { A 10 4 3 2 } Q 8 6 4 3 [ Q 9 7 6 4 [ K 8 ] 5 4 ] A K Q 10 8 7 3 2 { --- { 7 6 Makeable Contracts } A K 10 7 5 2 } 9 - - - - NT [ J 10 5 3 2 1 - 1 - [ ] J 6 - 6 - ] { K Q J 9 8 5 - 5 - 5 { } J 2 - 2 - }
This deal generated quite a few competitive decisions around the room. In the A Final five N/S pairs declared diamonds at various levels, always doubled and all scoring above average. At the other nine tables, East played hearts from the four level all the way up to the seven level (no, that one didn’t make). It’s not immediately obvious how one should make twelve tricks in hearts on the lead of the }J, but the winning play is to lead a spade from dummy at an early point – when North plays their ace perforce, dump that [K! Now any return yields the rest of the tricks with the extra entry to dummy.
Nabil Edgtton in the B Final found a way to generate a distraction and buy the hand in 5{x:
Edgtton’s inventive 5} psyche didn’t fool Reynolds, but Appleton should have smelt a rat, I think. The highly unusual auction suggested that Edgtton knew what he was doing. 5{x should have made for a top board but a slight inaccuracy in the play led to one down but still 65% for N/S.
Midway through the final session it was still close between Demarco-Fischer and Whibley-Brown, but some other contenders were starting to emerge. Livesey-Gill were hovering around third place while Ashton-Hans were storming up the rankings to vie for the podium.
The Oasis on Broadbeach Shopping Centre
West North East South Reynolds McAllister Appleton Edgtton 1[ 2NTminors 4] 5}(!) Double Pass Pass 5{ Pass Pass Double All Pass
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 5
The following deal brought home almost all the matchpoints for Sophie Ashton:
Dealer: East [ 7 5 3 2 West North East South Vul: N-S ] A 8 6 L Gosschalk Hans W Gosschalk Ashton
Loes Gosschalk led the }K and Ashton won and returned the suit, East showing an even number of clubs. Judging by her reaction I think West accidentally pulled the wrong card at trick two when she played low, and Ashton used the unexpected entry of the }10 to take a spade finesse, West pitching a diamond. Declarer could tentatively place West on 0=2=7=4 based on the trick one signal and the auction (if West had fewer diamonds East might have supported to 3{).
Ashton continued with a club ruff in dummy and another spade up. East split their honours so Ashton won and played a third round of trumps around to East who returned a diamond. There were a few winning lines now and Ashton found one of them, ruffing the diamond return (leaving the {A intact), drawing East’s last trump with her own last trump, and in the five-card ending where she had all hearts, playing a heart to the ace and a low heart back ducked around to West’s king. West had pitched their fourth club on one of the earlier trumps and had only diamonds left, so the {A won the next trick and Ashton’s hearts were all high for a beautiful +650 N/S and a 92% board.
Going into the last round, the scores on the overhead display were:
1 DEMARCO-FISCHER 1149
2 ASHTON-HANS 1138
3 LIVESEY-GILL 1115
4 WHIBLEY-BROWN 1114
Third and fourth place played each other in the last round and it was possible for either pair to have a big round and overtake both of the leading pairs, but in practice neither did. Livesey-Gill had an above average round and held onto third, while Whibley-Brown’s below average round dropped them to fifth as Hirst-Gue scored well to overtake them.
Demarco-Fischer and Ashton-Hans were both seated N/S for the last three boards. On board 25, Fischer made a tight 3NT for 73%; so did Hans at his table. On board 26, both N/S pairs pushed to 4[x in a pre-emptive auction holding a ten-card fit. E/W would probably make 4] if they played it from the right side, but in practice many E/W pairs struggled to go plus: both leading pairs scored 31%, so no difference in the margin.
With nine matchpoints still separating the two pairs, the 2019 Bobby Richman Open Pairs Championship would come down to the final board:
Dealer: South [ A K 7 3 West North East South Vul: None ] 10 9 8 7 6 Cleaver Demarco McLeod Fischer
In the Precision auction above, Demarco showed both majors with her double and Fischer, with an eye on the vulnerability, threw in an annoying 2] bid. I was surprised both by Demarco’s 3] raise but even more by
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 6
Cleaver’s decision to bid 4{. There didn’t seem much there that he hadn’t told his partner; besides, wouldn’t you rather give 3NT a shot opposite what sounded like a decent hand? McLeod, unsure if 4{ was forcing (and holding a reasonable fit in any case) tried game. Demarco led two top spades and gave her partner a ruff, plus there was still a club loser to come: N/S +100.
This looked like a pretty solid score, but would it be enough to hold on for the win? Against Ashton-Hans, E/W bid to 3NT played by East. The only lead to beat this contract was a spade, but Ashton chose a low club: -430, and the title to Demarco-Fischer. Even if Ashton had led the [Q, 3NT would be only two down and the margin would be the same nine matchpoints as it had been at the start of the round. After Demarco-Fischer’s excellent result on the last board, they were uncatchable.
Both Therese Demarco and Stephen Fischer have won national championships before, but I believe I am correct in saying this will be the most notable achievement of their bridge careers up to this point. Having followed them around for large parts of the final, it was clear to me that their aggressive approach to bidding (frequently bidding one more for the road) was instrumental in their success here. Numerous times the opponents were headed for a good result until either Demarco or Fischer bid to the five-level and gave them a problem. Needless to say, the opponents didn’t always get these problems right.
Congratulations to both the winners and to Sophie Ashton-Sartaj Hans who had a massive game in the final session to climb from ninth place to almost catch the leaders. “It’s not over ‘til it’s over” is a saying with widespread applicability to bridge, and the 2019 Bobby Richman Open Pairs was no exception.
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE
FOR THE ADMIN TEAM
The Gold Coast Congress is world-renowned for welcoming its players and making them feel at home. An example of what this experience feels like comes from JoAnn Sprung, an American visitor who played here last year. An excerpt from her post on Bridge Winners: “This tournament is definitely the best. From the welcoming party for foreign players to the final banquet it is a testament to great planning, combined with a terrific directing staff and nice players.”
We are delighted to report another example of the hospitality that our stellar staff consistently demonstrate.
“On Sunday, I found myself in need of medical attention a few minutes before session time. I asked at the desk if anyone would be kind enough to get me an appointment at the medical centre on Monday. Within five minutes, the Gold Coast Congress doctor was there, gave me a very professional consultation and check-up and wrote a prescription. While I went in to play, one of the admin staff went across the road and filled the script, which was then delivered to me at the bridge table along with a chilled bottle of water.
We all expect and indeed receive a high standard of help from the Congress staff, but this went way above and beyond. A big thank you from a grateful (and recovering) bridge player.”
We’re always gratified and never surprised to receive such stories. Another well done to our wonderful team who always make things go smoothly for us, the players.
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 7
Zephyr Education Inc is the charity the Gold Coast Congress and Qld Bridge Association are supporting again in 2019. A huge thank you to the many bridge players who continue to support Zephyr financially and in myriad other ways.
Zephyr provides the full educational needs of children affected by domestic violence in 77 Qld shelters and associated organisations, all 7 of those shelters in Tasmania and 3 at present in Western Australia.
Zephyr is completely run by volunteers and no one is reimbursed for personal expenses - let alone paid a wage. No rent is paid for premises and overheads are minimal, so virtually all money donated by you is spent helping these vulnerable children fit in and be given the opportunity of a full education.
From 1 November 2018 to 31 January 2019 Zephyr approved requests to assist 1043 children from Prep to Year 12 as well as 2 young adults starting TAFE.
Collections will be held Monday and Wednesday before play and after lunch so please give generously to this very practical and worthwhile charity. Carmel martin is available to answer any questions you may have.
ALL FUNDS RAISED THROUGH DONATIONS OR RAFFLE TICKETS SALES
GO TO ZEPHYR EDUCATION INC
HELPING CHILDREN AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GET BACK TO SCHOOL
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 8
NEW ZEALAND PLAYERS RALLY TO WIN INTERMEDIATE PAIRS FINAL A Brent Manley
Kinga Hajmasi and Andrew Michl, the leaders in the Intermediate Pairs Final A going into the third and final session, had their ups and downs against some tough opponents, but they came through in the clutch on the final two rounds to win the event by about 3 matchpoints. Second place went to Keith Blinco and Eric Baker.
The Auckland pair have been playing together about five years. Hajmasi is originally from Hungary, Michl from Germany. She arrived in the country 16 years ago planning to stay only for a short time, but she met her future husband – also a Hungarian – and ended up staying. She did not play bridge before arriving in New Zealand, and she met Michl at a bridge club in Auckland.
Hajmasi and Michl were leading after two sessions, and, pointing to her baby bump (she is due in May), Hajmasi said she thought it might be because she was working with “a brain and a half.”
In the final session, the winners started slowly, scoring only about average for the first rounds and following that with a below-average set.
The results began to improve in the third set, when they scored 88% as defenders when the declarer in a 4[ contract scored only 11 tricks when just about every pair who played the deal took 12 tricks, some of them getting to the slam.
This board, from round 4, produced another good result for the winners.
Dealer: East [ A Q 10 5 West North East South Vul: Both ] K 9 Hajmasi Michl
Hajmasi’s 3} asked about five-card majors. Michl’s 3{ indicated no five-card major but at least one four-card major. Hajmasi’s bid of 3] indicated she had four spades.
West led a low club, taken in hand by Michl, who played a spade to dummy’s 10 at trick two and returned to hand with a club for another spade finesse. He played a low diamond to his ace and tried a heart to dummy’s 9, but East won with the ]Q. Michl ended with 11 tricks for 69% of the matchpoints.
In the seventh round, Hajmasi and Michl scored 65% and 73%, respectively, on the first two boards, but they got a zero thanks to a daring bid by Hans van Weeren, a player from Sydney.
Dealer: North [ A K 8 4 2 West North East South Vul: N-S ] 7 Hajmasi Michl
Not many players would consider bidding on the West hand, but Van Weeren was right there with his lead-directing 3} bid. His partner, Chris Nettle, led his doubleton club against the spade game and, after ruffing the third round of clubs, cashed the ]A for one down and all the matchpoints.
Going into the penultimate round, Hajmasi and Michl still had a comfortable lead, and they took advantage of missteps by the opponents on the final six deals to put more distance between themselves and the field.
On the first board of the eighth round, an opposing declarer in a good 3[ contract managed only eight tricks, giving Hajmasi and Michl 85% of the matchpoints. It got worse for the opponents when they had a misunderstanding in the bidding and landed in an awkward 3{ contract that went three down for minus 300.
The winners started the final round with this deal:
Dealer: North [ A J 4 West North East South Vul: E-W ] Q 7 6 Michl Hajmasi
Michl started with the {5, which went to the 8, queen and ace. Declarer played a heart to dummy’s queen, returned to hand with the ]A and continued with the ]K and ]J. The [K was followed by a low spade to dummy’s jack and Hajmasi’s queen. She returned her diamond and Michl won the king, cashed the {10 and knocked out declarer’s last diamond stopper with the 7. When South led a low club from hand, dummy was down to the singleton [A and the }K 9.
After winning with the }A, Michl played another diamond, forcing declarer to choose between the two black honours. When South called for the [A, Michl could exit with a spade to Hajmasi for two down, plus 100 and all the matchpoints.
On the penultimate board, the pressure was on Hajmasi to get to 10 tricks in a 4] contract. Going down would have cost a lot of matchpoints.
Dealer: East [ K J 10 7 5 4 2 West North East South Vul: Both ] 6 5 4 Michl Hajmasi
South led the [A and when North followed with the 10, he correctly deduced that North wanted a diamond shift. He cashed the {A and gave his partner a ruff, but that was it for defensive tricks. When North played the [K at trick four, Hajmasi ruffed in dummy and followed with the top hearts. Double dummy, she could have played a club to hand and another to dummy, trying to ruff out the queen if it didn’t drop under the ace. In practice, she called for dummy’s }J and let it run when North played low. She was soon claiming plus 620 for a 69% score.
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 10
On the final deal, Michl made a daring bid that paid off handsomely.
Dealer: South [ A K 7 3 West North East South Vul: None ] 10 9 8 7 6 Michl Hajmasi
Michl said after the game that his singleton club did not worry him because he felt sure that, on the auction, he would get a heart lead. He was right and he quickly cashed his nine top winners for plus 400 and 81% of the matchpoints. The winners’ average on the final three boards was an impressive 83.3%.
One of the younger players at the 2019 Gold Coast Congress?
Come to the 4th Annual Youth Bridge Fun Night at the Gold Coast Congress
♣ FREE entry
♣ FREE food
♣ CASH prizes
♣ GREAT youth director (Laura Ginnan)
Date: Wednesday 20 February 2019.
Time: 7pm (food), 7.30pm to 9:30pm (bridge). Note: Congress bridge finishes that day at 6.30pm
Venue: Gold Coast Bridge Club (1.2km, or 15 minutes walk, north of the GC Convention Centre).
Format: Some standard bridge, some "party" bridge
Age Limit: Youth & youth-ish players (up to 35 years) are welcome.
Interested? Please contact Jessica Brake on 0414 134 888 or [email protected]
Sometimes every option looks bad. But some options might be better than others.
Sitting West with no one vulnerable, you pick up these cards:
[ 2 ] K10852 { A635 } KJ93
You and your partner have an aggressive auction to push the opponents into slam:
Against 6[, you decide to lead the ]5 from your partnership’s suit. Dummy follows with the ♥9, partner covers with the ]J and declarer wins the ]A.
At trick two, declarer puts the {Q on the table. As you win the {A, partner follows with the {7. Playing reverse count, your partner’s card is consistent with both singleton {7 and doubleton {10-7. You are now faced with an awkward choice of plays. How do you reward partner’s aggressive bidding to beat this contract?
A heart seems unlikely to be right. Given that partner holds at least five hearts for his athletic leap to the five level, a heart will either be a ruff in dummy or a ruff and discard. Declarer will then be in the dummy to cash a diamond if partner holds the {10.
A spade will stop any such ruff, but might pick up partner’s trump holding. A diamond will work just fine if partner’s {7 was singleton. If not, declarer will get a discard plus a dummy entry to take a possible trump finesse. A club will be excellent if partner turns up with the ace, passive if partner has the queen, and will cost a trick if partner has nothing in the suit.
It seems to come down to whether we think declarer or partner has the singleton diamond. Declarer might have passed 6{ with {Q-10, but then again partner might not have found this 5] bid without a shortage somewhere.
Declarer’s bidding strongly suggests most of the high cards, including solid spades and the }A. If declarer has the last diamond, the only play to beat him will be to give partner his ruff before declarer draws trumps and claims. The downsides of the diamond play are limited: given declarer’s likely solid trump suit, either the [9 or a heart ruff are likely to get declarer over to dummy to cash a diamond if he needs a trick there. Visions of a trump finesse are likely a mirage.
The full deal:
At the table, West switched to trumps after winning the {A hoping that declarer had a singleton diamond. Declarer quickly collected the rest. Full marks to declarer for putting maximum pressure on the defence; drawing trumps first would have made it easier for West to duck the {A on the first round.
When this hand was played at a weekend congress, 7 tables played in 6[ of which 4 made it. 3 tables found 6{, making each time (only beatable on a club lead from East). The remaining 19 tables played in game. Amazingly, two tables went down in 4[! Indeed, if you returned a diamond at trick three, partner ruffs and plays a trump holding declarer to nine tricks.
Point to remember: when everything looks bad, weigh up the possible cost of each play. Some plays might work out less badly when they are wrong compared to other possibilities which will immediately destroy all chances.
Dlr: North [ 9 Vul: Nil ] 9
{ K J 9 8 5 4 2 You (W) } 7 6 5 4
[ 2 N ] K 10 8 5 2
W
E
{ A 6 3 } K J 9 3 S
West North East South Pass Pass 2}1 2] Pass 5]2 5[ Pass 6{3 Pass 6[ Pass Pass Pass
1 Strong 2 Pre-emptive 3 Hard to judge
Dlr: North [ 9 Vul: Nil ] 9
{ K J 9 8 5 4 2 You (W) } 7 6 5 4
[ 2 N [ 7 6 5 4 ] K 10 8 5 2
W
E ] Q J 7 6 3
{ A 6 3 { 7 } K J 9 3 S } 10 8 2
[ A K Q J 10 8 3 ] A 4 { Q 10 } A Q
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 13
“Excellent and outstanding!” “Brilliant and Enjoyable”
Friday 4th – Sunday 13th October 2019 (9.5 Days 9 Nights)
After the great success of this holiday in 2016/17/18, Andy Hung once again invites you to enjoy a fantastic Bridge Holiday in Russia’s St. Petersburg, also known as the “Venice of the North”. This action-packed holiday includes lots of private tours (bus, walk, and boat) around St. Petersburg, visits to museums (i.e. The Hermitage), and of course, let’s not forget the bridge!
Nine nights at the 4-star Hotel Holiday Inn
Hotel transfers on the starting/finishing day
All bridge activities; professional seminars with a full set of notes, duplicate sessions, and hand analysis and discussion
All breakfasts (fully cooked + continental) and dinners (Russian cuisine!) with non-alcoholic drinks (except for one night where you are free to roam around)
Many fantastic tours with our own private English-speaking tour guide
(Not included: Airfare, visa, personal items)
♣Professional bridge seminars with Andy ♣Topics include: Card Play Technique, Beating More
Contracts on Defence, and Winning Competitive Bidding Battles! (All new topics)
♣For all standards of player (everyone is welcome!)
Monday 6th – Saturday 11th May 2019 (6 Days 5 Nights)
Andy Hung invites you to a relaxing getaway Bridge Holiday at the Ivory Palms Resort in Noosaville. There will be four fantastic lessons covering the dilemmas that we face on a regular basis at the bridge table! Other than bridge, there will be plenty of time to enjoy the warm temperatures and relax by the pool, go on a nature walk, or indulge in Noosa’s great restaurants!
Five nights at the Ivory Palms Resort
All bridge activities; professional seminars with a full set of notes, duplicate sessions, and hand analysis and discussion
All meals including breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinners (except for one dinner where you are free!); from Monday lunch on arrival, to Saturday lunch (including wine and prize giving) prior to departure (Your only expense will be the one dinner, drinks with dinner and personal items)
Farewell drinks with Friday lunch
♣Professional bridge seminars with Andy ♣Topic focus: Mastering Defence ➢ Identifying the Correct Card to play in 3rd Seat ➢ How to Plan the Defence Better at Trick 1 ➢ Signalling: Giving the Right Signals and Plan!
This conversation was overheard at a big tournament in the USA. First player: “I don’t like the way you played Board 17. You shouldn’t have pitched a club.” Second player: “But you played Board 17.” First player: “Yes, and there was no way to make it.”
Readers of yesterday’s column may think the waterfront has been covered on 1NT openings. Not even close.
How many have you discussed the following situation?
In virtually every instance, the double of 2} is lead directing, indicating a strong holding in clubs.
You have options here: redouble, Pass, 2{, 2] or 2[. What are the implications of these choices? Will your partner know what you intend if you pass 2}? Does it mean you are happy with that contract? Does it mean that you have no four-card major? If so, what would it mean if you bid 2{? If you have agreements about these points, you will be ahead of many pairs, and not just the new players.
Some experts agree that a pass of 2} doubled shows a club stopper. If North wishes to continue with Stayman, he redoubles. If you have that agreement, direct bids of 2{, 2] and 2[ carry their usual meanings but deny a club stopper.
You are, of course, free to forge any agreements with which you and your partner are comfortable. It’s cliché but it’s true: Even a bad agreement is better than no agreement.
Here’s another situation: You open 1NT and partner bids at the three level. Have you discussed what these bids mean?
Some play that a jump to three of a minor shows a six-card suit missing one high honour but with little additional strength in the hand. If opener has the missing card (often an ace), he can try for 3NT, knowing that he has a great chance for six tricks from responder’s hand.
A jump to three of a major is often used to show 5-5 or better in the majors with invitational or game-forcing values (respectively, 3] and 3[). This is not necessarily best, but it is a possibility. Three-level bids can also be used to show shortness with 4-4-4-1, 5-4-3-1 or 5-4-4-0 shape. A discussion can help you and partner decide which method is easiest to remember and most likely to come up more than once a year.
Try this one: Partner opens 1NT (15-17) and you hold
[K Q J 8 7 6 ]K 4 {6 2 }Q 7 4.
What’s the problem, you say? Just bid 2] and follow with 4[. You know you have at least an eight-card fit. It’s a no-brainer.
Wait a minute: You were actually dealt [K Q J 8 7 6 ]A K 4 {6 2 }Q 7
Now what? Do you transfer and bid 4[ and find partner with [A 10 4 ]Q 5 3 {A Q }K J 10 8 5?
Barring a club ruff, partner is cold for 6[, but you can’t ask for aces because you have two suits in which the opponents might cash the first two tricks. It makes no sense to have to bid the same way with the two hands.
Many partnerships agree that transferring to the major at the two level and bidding four shows slam interest. With a hand that does not inspire you to consider slam, just transfer at the four level and pass (bid 4], a transfer to spades).
Incidentally, have you discussed how to ask for aces (or key cards) after partner opens 1NT and you bid Stayman or transfer? Many pairs use Gerber (4}) to ask for aces or key cards after partner opens 1NT or 2NT. A sequence such as 1NT – 2}; 2] – 4NT is not asking for key cards for hearts. It is inviting partner to bid a slam with a choice of 6[ or 6NT if he is on the top of the range for his 1NT opener.
West North East South Partner You
1NT Pass 2} Double ?
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 15
FANCY DRESS – WEDNESDAY TEAMS SESSIONS PRIZES FOR THE BEST DRESSED GROUP IN THE “SAND to SEA” THEME
We encourage all players to dress in keeping with the Gold Coast Annual Theme for Wednesday Teams Sessions. The theme is “Sand to Sea” – make of it what you will! The photography will occur all day on Wednesday 20th February! Collect your entry form at the Admin desk and take it to your photographer at the Northern (Brisbane) end of the Foyer. The Parade starting at 2.30 will commence from here. Prizes will be available for some combination of groups, pairs or individuals.
Vugraph Operators Needed
We are looking for BBO Vugraph Operators for the Open and Senior Teams Finals. If interested, please see Kim or Ray Ellaway at the office.
Gay Tully (right), who has been the GCC Hospitality Hostess for nine (or more) years, is handing over the torch to Sue Ziegenfuss (left)
Congratulations to QLDer Pele Rankin (and her partner Stephen Fischer, who just won the Bobby Richman Open Pairs) who have been selected to represent the Australian Mixed Team!
The team members are: Jodi Tutty – David Beauchamp – Renee Cooper – Ben Thompson – Pele Rankin – Stephen Fischer – Peter Hollands (NPC)
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 16
THE KLINGER QUIZ Ron Klinger
Swiss Pairs: Dealer South, Both vulnerable.
What would you lead as West on the following auction?
Swiss Pairs Dealer: South Vul: Both
West West North East South [ 8 6 1[ ] A J Pass 2[ Pass 4[ { Q J 5 3 Pass Pass Pass
} A 8 7 6 3 Contract: 4[ by South What would you lead?
Solution: OFF YOU GO
From the final of a State Team Selection event (diagram on the left).
West found the best lead of a trump. When West got back on lead with a heart, a second trump was continued. Now South could only score one ruff in dummy and had to lose three hearts and a club for one down.
When you have no clear strong lead, a trump is often best as a passive lead as long as dummy has raised declarer’s suit and there is no evidence of a long suit in dummy. North’s 2[ bid showed support and gave no hint of length in another suit.
West has no attractive lead elsewhere and there is no compelling reason to make an attacking lead. Indeed, it could be downright
dangerous to lead a heart, a diamond or a club. Hence the trump lead is best.
The datum was N/S 390. The other results were 4[ by S +620 (four times) and 3[ +170. It is strange that so many declarers made game. Even if a trump is not led, there is time enough to switch to spades on winning the first round of hearts. A second trump when in with the second heart is equally effective in dispatching 4[.
Of two evils, choose to be the lesser
BRIDGE HOLIDAYS WITH SUZIE AND RON KLINGER IN 2019 Friday 2nd August, to Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort – Moreton Island, off Brisbane, Friday 9th August 2019 includes Whale Watch cruise and Island Tour.
Sunday 17th November to Norfolk Island includes Welcome Dinner, Clifftop Breakfast, Island Tour, Sunday 24th November 2019 Beachside Barbecue, Outdoor Fish Fry Dinner and Farewell Dinner.
TELEPHONE: (02) 9958-5589 OR 0411-229-705 EMAIL: [email protected] Brochures available on request – HOLIDAY BRIDGE, P.O. BOX 140, NORTHBRIDGE NSW 1560
Dealer: East [ K 4 2 Vul: Both ] 3 2 { A 7 6 4 2 } Q 5 2 [ 8 6 [ 9 7 ] A J ] K 10 5 4 { Q J 5 3 { K 10 8 } A 8 7 6 3 } K J 9 4 [ A Q J 10 5 3 ] Q 9 8 7 6 { 9 } 10
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 17
OPEN PAIRS FINALS – OVERALL RESULTS Rank Open Final A Ave Rank Open Final B Ave
1 Therese Demarco - Stephen Fischer 57.03 1 Michael Yuen - Robert Todd 55.87
2 Sophie Ashton - Sartaj Hans 55.37 2 Will Jenner-O'Shea - Mike Doecke 55.63
3 Peter Livesey - Peter Gill 54.96 3 Joachim Haffer - Marshall Lewis 55.03
4 Bill Hirst - Phil Gue 54.72 4 Nabil Edgtton - John Mcallister 54.29
5 Michael Whibley - Matthew Brown 54.32 5 Eva Samuel - Maxim Henbest 54.01
6 Justin Williams - Nathan Van Jole 53.88 6 Giselle Mundell - Matt Smith 53.54
7 Ron Klinger - Matt Mullamphy 53.16 7 Peter Buchen - George Smolanko 52.94
8 James Coutts - Ellena Moskovsky 52.01 8 Julie Atkinson - Patrick Carter 52.02
9 Ben Thompson - David Beauchamp 51.80 9 Andrew Peake - Elizabeth Adams 51.97
10 Karen Creet - Andrew Creet 51.41 10 Tony Nunn - Mathew Vadas 51.80
11 Marianne Bookallil - Jodi Tutty 50.79 11 Paul Dalley - Anthony Burke 51.44
12 Norman Selway - Kay Preddy 50.46 12 Kitty Muntz - Leigh Gold 50.49
13 Hugh Mcalister - Diana Mcalister 50.42 13 Rose Moore - Renee Cooper 50.27
14 Murat Genc - John Patterson 49.59 14 Jeanette Reitzer - Michael Courtney 49.74
15 Barry Jones - Jenny Millington 49.39 15 Nicoleta Giura - Nick Hughes 48.98
16 Maurits Van Der Vlugt - Andre Korenhof 48.57 16 Ervin Otvosi - Ashley Bach 48.74
17 Wubbo De Boer - Agnes Snellers 48.00 17 Jet Liu - Jun Lei 48.70
18 Martin Doran - Paul Hooykaas 47.95 18 Aidan Dorrell - Jacob Tarszisz 48.46
19 Jan Cormack - Stephen Lester 47.93 19 Peter Evans - Tony Treloar 48.39
20 Willem Gosschalk - Loes Gosschalk 47.87 20 John Skipper - Jane Skipper 48.32
21 Wayne Smith - Paul Mcgrath 47.80 21 Duncan Badley - Paula Boughey 48.13
22 Pauline Gumby - Warren Lazer 47.60 22 Barry Rawicki - Simon Rose 48.08
23 Kim Frazer - Jamie Ebery 47.48 23 Judy Mott - Avril Zets 47.69
24 Kate Davies - Mindy Wu 47.31 24 Jane Beeby - Michael Wilkinson 47.65
25 Chris Dibley - Michael Seldon 46.37 25 Jessica Brake - Jamie Thompson 47.56
26 Kim Morrison - Chris Hughes 45.26 26 Brad Johnston - Peter Hall 46.13
27 Judy Hocking - Kevin Lange 44.99 27 David Appleton - Peter Reynolds 45.13
28 Debbie Mcleod - Brian Cleaver 44.05 28 Jonathan Free - Linda Coli 39.01
Rank Open Final C Avg Rank Open Final D Ave
1 Nicky Strasser - George Bilski 57.73 1 Marlene Watts - Michael Prescott 57.52
2 Watson Zhou - Charlie Lu 57.11 2 Herman Yuan - Andrew Liu 56.92
3 Jason Hackett - John Sansom 56.85 3 Blair Fisher - Liz Fisher 55.47
4 Zolly Nagy - David Middleton 55.12 4 Teri Smoot - Ti Davis 54.95
5 Gary Foidl - Anthony Hopkins 54.72 5 Michael Johnstone - Paula Gregory 54.39
6 Anne Brenner - David Caprera 53.94 6 Pauline Evans - Jay Faranda 54.04
7 Michael Johnson - Michael Simes 53.65 7 Richard Bowley - Simon Cope 53.66
Rank Open Final E Ave Rank Open Final F Ave
1 George Sun - Alice Young 59.77 1 Julian Foster - David Weston 57.26
2 Julie Sheridan - Karen Martelletti 57.20 2 Neville Francis - Magnus Moren 55.27
3 Jenny Thompson - Eva Caplan 55.79 3 Tony Hutton - Malcolm Carter 53.99
4 Owen Camp - Anisia Shami 54.04 4 Paul Weaver - Terry Bodycote 53.94
5 Kuldip Bedi - Helen Milward 53.46 5 Siegfried Konig - Terry O'Dempsey 52.66
19th February 20th February 21st February 22nd February 23rd February
GOLD COAST CONGRESS 2019Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 30
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
SOLUTION TO YESTERDAY’S CHESS PROBLEM
1. Ne7+ Kh8 2. Rf8#
SOLUTION TO YESTERDAY’S SUDOKU [TOUGH]
TODAY’S CHESS PROBLEM
White to move and draw
TODAY’S SUDOKU [HARD]
Solutions in the next bulletin issue
Tuesday 19th February 2019 Page 31
MONDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Winning Team of the Trivia Night: Stephen Fischer, Christine Gibbons, Kim Morrison, Julian Foster, Michael Wilkinson, Jenna Gibbons, Kieran Dyke, Renee Cooper
Trivia Hosts: Peter Evans, Dominque Treloar, Tony Treloar