The AGM passed off peacefully enough and the only debate was whether the club should invest in Bridgemates (or similar technology). I said that I could not really see the benefit of them in a small (typically 8-table) friendly club where few are interested in the immediate result - after all the results are on the web the next morning. The hassle of setting up the system, securing the components in the church hall, and handling all the various competitions (and their handicap systems) seemed a little out of proportion to the benefits to me. However the committee will look at it during its next meetings.
Comments welcome on this.
There was then a shortened evening of bridge. I played with Penny and we bid the following hand to slam and then I had to make it.
On a heart or spade lead this is a classic 'technical' hand. Non-experts may like to consider how they would play 6♥ from the South hand on a trump lead and I'll post how to play it on any lead in the comments in a couple of days.
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We've had Bridgemates at Falkirk for a year now, and we feel it's been worth the investment.It was quite a big capital expense - bridgemates, laptop/printer, and the autodealer - although I believe it's possible to get lottery funding for capital expenditure...provided you apply in advance. Retrospective claims are not accepted.
The advantages are obvious:Instant scoring, hand records, movements easily checked, and easy access to travellers on website.
The main disadvantage is that someone has to take responsibility for everything!
Like Berwick, we don't have our own premesis, so someone has to have the autodealer at home, and bring the boards,laptop and bridgemates in every week- AND - there has to be enough technically competent members to operate the system.
We have a few more tables than Berwick, so we feel it's worth the effort.
I play sometimes at a small club called the West Coast Bridge Club. I only play there at night so not sure of the numbers they get during the day but even for a four table howell with a skip they use bridgemates.
It's good competition practice for when you go in BAWA competitions (Bridge Asn of WA) - although they've set theirs up a little bit differently.
For the director I imagine it is a big advantage because she can leave almost immediately. Most of the players are retired and keen not to stay around to discuss the hands. It means she is not on her own to lock up.
They have their own premises so they can leave everything there.
It's interesting that they've made that investment (along with bigger sturdier tables and well cushioned, comfortable chairs) while bigger clubs - who could maybe be more able to afford it - haven't.
On your hand... I'm assuming fair breaks. :) You need to make 6 heart tricks.
Win trump in hand, play ten diamonds and let it run.
Win return in hand.
Cross to ace spade. Ruff a spade.
Cross to ace diamond. Ruff a spade.
Cross to king club. Ruff a spade.
Cross to queen club.
Play ace of hearts, discard diamond.
Cross to winning clubs.
... of course a diamond return could be a bit tricky. :)
I will look forward to the real solution.
PlayInterestingly Jim Patrick, SBU News editor and frequent Bridge World contributor, sent me a hand that was almost identical to this one. He published it in Bridge World in January 2005.
On a major suit lead the hand looks like a classic dummy reversal. The plan should be to ruff three spades in the South hand. So on a spade lead, win the ace, ruff a spade and draw two trumps. On a heart lead, just draw two rounds of trumps.
If trumps are 3-2 then you can play the dummy reversal, entering dummy in the minors to ruff all the spades and you will have one entry left to get back and draw the last trump. You make 6 hearts, 4 clubs and the two pointed aces.
As a point of technique, you should cross in clubs twice before using the ♦A entry. This prevents a club discard if an opponent holds three spades and two clubs.
Jim's article discusses the merits of continuing the dummy reversal line even when trumps break 4-1, but on this hand you will be forced to forgo the dummy reversal and try to play the diamonds for two tricks.
An initial club lead removes a vital entry for the dummy reversal, so again you will have to play the diamonds for two tricks.
And, finally, a diamond lead you will run to the queen, only losing when the lead is a singleton.
I don't know about the bridgemates, but an auto dealer is a worthwhile investment. Particularly in clubs where there is a preponderance to older members (ie all of them...), they find it difficult to shuffle the boards well. It takes something like 7 riffle shuffles to give the boards a decent approximation of random or by my estimate, close to 100 overhand shuffles, and most clubs to not come close to this.
Truly random cards make a huge difference to the importanceof technique and the general interest of the boards.
Phil
Berwick invested in a duplimate (dealer) last year and everyone prefers it ... now.
Bridgemates can also be used for aggregate matches as well as match pointed. It saves all that adding up. One club recently introduced them for such events and found one pair who were regular winners in the past weren't performing as well. It seems they were only adding up their plus scores in aggregate and neglecting to "add" on their minus scores! I'm sure that'd never happen at Berwick though!
Thanks for the bridgemate comments. I've sent them on to the club committee, together with ballpark costs, for their consideration.
In this day and age would any club other than the very smallest not have an autodealer and bridgemates?
They are both as standard as bidding boxes.
Hi Paul :) After SA, S ruff, HKQ, discovering trumps 4-1, drawing trumps and relying on a diamond guess is unlikely to work because of outstanding spades.
Instead you might try a "Jim Patrick" dummy reversal: CK, S ruff, CQ, S ruff, CAJ, hoping that the player with 4 trumps has 4414
A tiny improvement is to use the diamond entry first.
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