In 2012, as hosts of the second weekend, Scotland will have two teams in the Camrose Trophy (Home International Series Open Teams) and the Selection Committee plans are now being prepared. Do you have any thoughts on the composition of the second team?
When England had two teams they took the decision to play a lot of different pairs, basing their selection on the butler performance in the Premier League and taking pairs from both divisions. England has a strength in depth, or at least a consistency, that none of the other home nations have and so this was a very reasonable approach for them.
For 2011, Wales has used its trials to generate two teams. With less strength in depth, they have a fairly clear first team and have compromised the second team so that they have a reasonable substitute pair in case someone from the first team cannot play in the second weekend (otherwise you could end up with pairs 1-3 and 4-6 playing the first weekend, then have pair 3 drop out from the second weekend and you have to bring pair 7 in to the top team).
Clearly, at least to me, the Welsh approach will be favoured by many in the SBU. Pairs trials give everyone a random chance and to finish in the middle of trials is achievable by many whatever their standard. It is unlikely to do much for Scottish bridge, in my opinion, but it will be as fair as any other trials format and no additional trial weekends would be needed.
The second team will be self-funding, so perhaps we should look at team trials. My opinion has always been that you should be able to chose your team mates if you are making a significant contribution to the costs of the event. Of course this would require additional trials.
More radical would be to 'sell' the team to the highest bidder. Use the opportunity to generate some funds for international play? Probably too radical for the conservatives up here!
The selectors could just select a second team. Either promoting pairs that they would like to invest in and see develop, or promote some of Scotland's better youngsters, or a combination. Don't forget that Norway won the European Team Championships by pairing their most promising junior players with their best seniors. We may not have a Brogeland or Helgemo to make this easier, but it is an interesting option.
If you have views then I'm sure the selectors would like to hear from you. Contact them at selection@scottishbridge.co.uk before mid-January. I'm sure that they'll also read any comments here.
Monday, 27 December 2010
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Bah! Humbug!
Merry Christmas to all my readers.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Xmas is cancelled
To be strictly accurate, the weather intervened again and the Berwick Bridge Club Xmas Party was cancelled, so no fun bridge this year.
As an inadequate replacement, I offered to run another Berwick BBO tournament and 44 brave Berwickers, Acol Club members and others played a 12-board individual Goulash tournament.
Goulash tournaments are an acquired taste but I think that most enjoyed it, if only for the novelty. They are not something I run very often but it was intended to put the 'fun' into the event.
Final result:
The tournament was a pleasure to direct. No TD calls, no runners and everyone played to time. Indeed the only moment of concern was the X-rated conversation between two of the players. It is sufficient to say that memories of thegarve's wonderful night with jam_butty have been shared with people who really did not want to know.
As an inadequate replacement, I offered to run another Berwick BBO tournament and 44 brave Berwickers, Acol Club members and others played a 12-board individual Goulash tournament.
Goulash tournaments are an acquired taste but I think that most enjoyed it, if only for the novelty. They are not something I run very often but it was intended to put the 'fun' into the event.
Final result:
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ros (rosa7) | 72.50% |
| 2 | Martin (hewibill) | 69.17% |
| 3 | Mike (windfield) | 67.92% |
The tournament was a pleasure to direct. No TD calls, no runners and everyone played to time. Indeed the only moment of concern was the X-rated conversation between two of the players. It is sufficient to say that memories of thegarve's wonderful night with jam_butty have been shared with people who really did not want to know.
Simple bidding
This is a very simple sequence that came up on BBO last night:
1♣ - 1♦
1♠ - 2♥1
2♠
1Fourth suit forcing
I was playing with friends and they seemed a little surprised at my certainty in what I (the opener) had shown. Naturally a lot depends on your basic system, your style within that system, and your agreements. So I'll discuss in the context of my methods and leave you to discuss it with your regular partner.
I was playing 5-card majors with a short club. In this system all balanced hands open notrump or 1♣, and my style is that balanced hands either open or rebid notrumps. So the auction shows:
1♣ - natural with clubs or a balanced hand outside the notrump range
.... 1♦ - natural, although a weak hand would tend to bid a 4-card major instead of diamonds (Walsh)
1♠ - natural with an unbalanced hand. In this auction it must show at least four spades and at least five clubs. If you held precisely 4-4 in the blacks, then you must be 4-1 in the red suits to be unbalanced: if you held four hearts then you would have rebid one heart and not one spade; and if you held four diamonds then you would raise rather than introduce a new suit. Therefore you must be at least 4-5.
.... 2♥ - fourth suit forcing, asking for more information. This means that the one diamond call was natural and is responder's longest suit.
2♠ - for me this is the 'bucket' call. It does not show five spades, but rather denies any more descriptive call. So it denies six clubs, diamond support, a heart stop for notrumps. Others define another call for the bucket, perhaps three clubs, to allow the two spade call to show 5-6 in the black suits (or 5-5 if you open these hands with one club).
I regard the one spade call as style and the two spade call as agreement. Understanding both with your partner is far more important than whether you agree with me. My feeling is that the 'balanced hands open or rebid notrumps' style is coming into vogue, which is another way of saying that it is a minority view currently.
Work out the style that fits your partnership best.
1♣ - 1♦
1♠ - 2♥1
2♠
1Fourth suit forcing
I was playing with friends and they seemed a little surprised at my certainty in what I (the opener) had shown. Naturally a lot depends on your basic system, your style within that system, and your agreements. So I'll discuss in the context of my methods and leave you to discuss it with your regular partner.
I was playing 5-card majors with a short club. In this system all balanced hands open notrump or 1♣, and my style is that balanced hands either open or rebid notrumps. So the auction shows:
1♣ - natural with clubs or a balanced hand outside the notrump range
.... 1♦ - natural, although a weak hand would tend to bid a 4-card major instead of diamonds (Walsh)
1♠ - natural with an unbalanced hand. In this auction it must show at least four spades and at least five clubs. If you held precisely 4-4 in the blacks, then you must be 4-1 in the red suits to be unbalanced: if you held four hearts then you would have rebid one heart and not one spade; and if you held four diamonds then you would raise rather than introduce a new suit. Therefore you must be at least 4-5.
.... 2♥ - fourth suit forcing, asking for more information. This means that the one diamond call was natural and is responder's longest suit.
2♠ - for me this is the 'bucket' call. It does not show five spades, but rather denies any more descriptive call. So it denies six clubs, diamond support, a heart stop for notrumps. Others define another call for the bucket, perhaps three clubs, to allow the two spade call to show 5-6 in the black suits (or 5-5 if you open these hands with one club).
I regard the one spade call as style and the two spade call as agreement. Understanding both with your partner is far more important than whether you agree with me. My feeling is that the 'balanced hands open or rebid notrumps' style is coming into vogue, which is another way of saying that it is a minority view currently.
Work out the style that fits your partnership best.
Monday, 20 December 2010
I can bid like an expert panel
Or so says australianbridge.com, the web site of Australia's national bridge magazine, as I am the overall winner of their online bidding forum for 2010.
I think this will come as a surprise to many people in Scotland who view my bidding with disdain. And disbelief. And perhaps will be wondering who must have been helping me. Or where was this person when I was at their table.
In truth, I've always been reasonable at bidding forums. A good question will always have at least three possible solutions, but I have a good understanding of the expert panel and successfully get my answers to match theirs. Not only have I frequently topped the table in the SBU News panel (although to be fair I've been bottom a few times too) but I always did well in the Bridge Magazine competition when I subscribed to that, including a second place in its annual competition.
My strategy is to do the problems in real time, as if they had come up at the table. Finding the right bid after thirty minutes of thinking is of little value except as an academic exercise. It is doing it right at the table that counts. To that end, perhaps bidding like an expert panel is not that great - I really should be aiming to bid like Jeff Meckstroth and match his mid-table score!
Online bidding forums are an excellent way for players of all standards to improve their judgement and see different bidding philosophies in action. The Australian forum publishes most of the comments and shows the choices of its expert panel and the public.
Why not give it a go in 2011?
I think this will come as a surprise to many people in Scotland who view my bidding with disdain. And disbelief. And perhaps will be wondering who must have been helping me. Or where was this person when I was at their table.
In truth, I've always been reasonable at bidding forums. A good question will always have at least three possible solutions, but I have a good understanding of the expert panel and successfully get my answers to match theirs. Not only have I frequently topped the table in the SBU News panel (although to be fair I've been bottom a few times too) but I always did well in the Bridge Magazine competition when I subscribed to that, including a second place in its annual competition.
My strategy is to do the problems in real time, as if they had come up at the table. Finding the right bid after thirty minutes of thinking is of little value except as an academic exercise. It is doing it right at the table that counts. To that end, perhaps bidding like an expert panel is not that great - I really should be aiming to bid like Jeff Meckstroth and match his mid-table score!
Online bidding forums are an excellent way for players of all standards to improve their judgement and see different bidding philosophies in action. The Australian forum publishes most of the comments and shows the choices of its expert panel and the public.
Why not give it a go in 2011?
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Young at heart
The 'young at heart' showed that experience prevails when it comes to beating the inclement weather as they completed their home international trials this weekend. Congratulations too for the director and website staff with the results published within hours of the trial finishing.
Unfortunately there is an appeal pending, but it would seem that the first two places are unlikely to be affected. I am extremely pleased to see that Alan, who was in our Rosenblum and Spingold teams, came top playing with Brian (who completed the double as he also finished top of the Open trial). Second were David and Roy, who were in the team two years ago.
Only the top two are guaranteed to be in the team and the Selection Committee, in conjunction with the players, will now pick the NPC and the third pair.
Unfortunately there is an appeal pending, but it would seem that the first two places are unlikely to be affected. I am extremely pleased to see that Alan, who was in our Rosenblum and Spingold teams, came top playing with Brian (who completed the double as he also finished top of the Open trial). Second were David and Roy, who were in the team two years ago.
Only the top two are guaranteed to be in the team and the Selection Committee, in conjunction with the players, will now pick the NPC and the third pair.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Where do we get the next Scotland team from?
The Scottish Open trials are over and the team for the first weekend of the Camrose Trophy has been picked.
Elsewhere it has been widely reported that Monaco has been importing talent, with major sponsor Zimmermann hiring Multon, Helgemo, Helness, Fantoni and Nunes and relocating them to the principality with the aim of playing in the 2012 European Team Championships and then on to the Bermuda Bowl.
In many other sports, such as football, it is not permitted for established international players to switch country. But, according to the European and World bridge federations, this is acceptable providing that the players establish Monaco as their bona fide residence for at least two years. The Europeans have been fairly strict on this in the recent past so I expect that Zimmermann will work hard to establish and certify their credentials.
There is much debate on the bridge forums on whether this is 'a good thing'. The question gets complicated by the professional aspect and the general disdain for sponsors who seek to 'buy' a world title. Although we have seen this within countries before, this is probably the first time that someone has 'taken over' a country and put different nationalities together. Is this acceptable?
Monaco is a small country, with a population of 33,000. Scotland is slightly larger with a population exceeding five million, although Monaco probably has a (very slightly) higher ranking bridgewise. Should we be encouraging the SBU to find a wealthy bridge-playing sponsor and then recruit two or three international pairs to represent the country? Would we mind seeing Scotland in the finals of the Bermuda Bowl even though only one or two were actually Scottish?
Or, to put it in terms that are more akin to the Monaco situation, would we like to see an ENGLISH sponsor bring some world-class pairs to Scotland and take over the country? I think I can hear the Aussie tones of Braveheart in the distance!
Fortunately it seems that Monaco is welcoming Zimmermann with open arms. But what if a hostile takeover occurred? You just have to look at some of the countries in the lower half of the European Championships to see that there must be a chance of this happening.
Of course Scotland has been exporting talent to other countries for quite some time, mainly because the market for professionals was larger inEngland London and abroad. Since none of them have come back it seems that they are settled abroad and most have represented their adopted countries. There seem to be few complaints about this, although with the increasing number of Scottish and Scandinavian players playing for England perhaps a bloodless coup has already occurred there.
Elsewhere it has been widely reported that Monaco has been importing talent, with major sponsor Zimmermann hiring Multon, Helgemo, Helness, Fantoni and Nunes and relocating them to the principality with the aim of playing in the 2012 European Team Championships and then on to the Bermuda Bowl.
In many other sports, such as football, it is not permitted for established international players to switch country. But, according to the European and World bridge federations, this is acceptable providing that the players establish Monaco as their bona fide residence for at least two years. The Europeans have been fairly strict on this in the recent past so I expect that Zimmermann will work hard to establish and certify their credentials.
There is much debate on the bridge forums on whether this is 'a good thing'. The question gets complicated by the professional aspect and the general disdain for sponsors who seek to 'buy' a world title. Although we have seen this within countries before, this is probably the first time that someone has 'taken over' a country and put different nationalities together. Is this acceptable?
Monaco is a small country, with a population of 33,000. Scotland is slightly larger with a population exceeding five million, although Monaco probably has a (very slightly) higher ranking bridgewise. Should we be encouraging the SBU to find a wealthy bridge-playing sponsor and then recruit two or three international pairs to represent the country? Would we mind seeing Scotland in the finals of the Bermuda Bowl even though only one or two were actually Scottish?
Or, to put it in terms that are more akin to the Monaco situation, would we like to see an ENGLISH sponsor bring some world-class pairs to Scotland and take over the country? I think I can hear the Aussie tones of Braveheart in the distance!
Fortunately it seems that Monaco is welcoming Zimmermann with open arms. But what if a hostile takeover occurred? You just have to look at some of the countries in the lower half of the European Championships to see that there must be a chance of this happening.
Of course Scotland has been exporting talent to other countries for quite some time, mainly because the market for professionals was larger in
We live in interesting times.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Fun bridge
It is that time of year. The Christmas party at the bridge club approaches and the threat of 'fun' bridge looms. Bridge is tough enough with your regular partner and now they expect you to play with some nincompoop who can barely follow suit, while the cheap wine gives you a headache as you try to recall the fun element of aces now being low!
Sorry, started with my script for Grumpy Old Men and Bridge. Just image Geoffrey Palmer narrating!
The Christmas party does offer many the chance to play with the local expert. Every bridge club has one, well at least one, and it should offer a learning opportunity. Try to find the expert who will let you play, not the one who will always bid three notrump and plays every hand. Watch what the expert does, how he bids, when he thinks and when he doesn't. The expert should make your life easier, making it obvious what he holds and what you need to lead.
In many countries, particular the USA, professional bridge players abound who will be this partner for a small sum of money. There are some in England, but for the rest just make a beeline for the player you like to get a free game with.
And it is supposed to be fun. So enjoy it!
Sorry, started with my script for Grumpy Old Men and Bridge. Just image Geoffrey Palmer narrating!
The Christmas party does offer many the chance to play with the local expert. Every bridge club has one, well at least one, and it should offer a learning opportunity. Try to find the expert who will let you play, not the one who will always bid three notrump and plays every hand. Watch what the expert does, how he bids, when he thinks and when he doesn't. The expert should make your life easier, making it obvious what he holds and what you need to lead.
In many countries, particular the USA, professional bridge players abound who will be this partner for a small sum of money. There are some in England, but for the rest just make a beeline for the player you like to get a free game with.
And it is supposed to be fun. So enjoy it!
Monday, 13 December 2010
Snow and Heat
With unseasonably early snow. the Scottish Borders were looking glorious as I drove across to Peebles for the Gold Cup Congress. The eastern side of Scotland has taken a battering over the past two weeks and it was a sudden warming on Thursday that made getting out of the house with a car possible. Last Monday there was a blanket of snow across the central belt (Glasgow - Edinburgh area) and I think everyone was very concerned about getting to the event safely. In the end it transpires that only six teams cancelled and the tournament was still full.
The roads, in not all the pathways, in Peebles were clear. The hotel however had been moved, lock, stock and barrel, into an invisible volcano that maintained a constant temperature that was sub-Saharan in nature. I don't know what it was costing but it made a surreal contrast to the black-ice covered drive.
The highlight of the Gold Cup Congress is the final stage of the Gold Cup. Occasionally there is a quarter-final match on the Friday, then both semifinals are played on the Saturday (broadcast on BBO) with the final on Sunday. However the organisers permitted one semifinal to be played in Coventry due to the inclement weather and the fact that both teams were local - Nick STEVENS won this by 6 imps (the third consecutive match in the tournament that they had won by less than 10 imps).
Robbed of one semifinal the organisers must have been pleased to see that the remaining one was an all-star affair featuring some of England's and Sweden's finest players combined with the bridge personality that is Zia Mahmood. The holders, ALLFREY (Allfrey, Robson, Forrester, Crouch), were probably slight favourites against GILLIS (Gillis, Burn, Hallberg, Sheehan, Zia, Björnlund) - a match of two partnerships against a team of individuals.
However the match was a bit of a damp squib as Gillis marched out to a good lead and controlled the match throughout. Allfrey even played the final set despite being 81 imps down.
In the final Gillis were heavy favourites against Stevens, who have an excellent record in the event despite being a no-pro team. Stevens was also down a man, one of the team disappearing on a cruise shortly after winning the quarter-final and not being available for the semifinal or final.
The tone of the final was set very early. On the penultimate board of the second stanza (of eight), the Stevens team bid a good slam that had no play, missed in the other room when Zia's eclectic 1NT opener meant that his partnership missed their best fit. A lucky gain for Gillis. Then, on the final board, Burn opened a nine-point one diamond when third in hand at unfavourable vulnerability - not only did this get the only lead to give declarer a problem, but it also caused declarer to misguess the hand when he played Burn to have all the missing points. Suddenly a small lead for Stevens had changed to a 19 imps lead for Gillis who just stormed ahead, winning after a concession before the final set.
We spent much of the late evening chatting with David Burn and Fredrik Björnlund, who were understandable pretty pleased to have won.
Meanwhile, back at our tables, I was played the teams with Jenny and the pairs with Sam. In the pairs we started well and were lying in a good position halfway through. Then the cards ran in a single direction for the next three matches and we were not in control of our destiny - of course we could have played better to gain more points that we actually did, but all hope of doing well evaporated and the final match was a pleasant affair against Martin and John with only Sam's reputation at stake (more details by private request only).
In the teams, we started well on Friday evening with two wins and a one imp loss. On Sunday afternoon we had three big wins and this continued with the first match of the final session. At this point, with two matches left, only three teams could realistically win it. We played Liz needing a big win to get ahead of them, but unfortunately we barely scored a victory point when we were on the wrong side of two slam swings. To be fair we deserved to be. They then played Les in the deciding final match and scraped home to win by one victory point. We won our final match comfortably to finish in third place.
As always it was a very enjoyable weekend. Thanks to Jenny and Sam for putting up with me, and Tim for taking care of the one I was not playing with. I thoroughly enjoyed the (room) parties on Saturday and Sunday, you know who you are.
The Gold Cup Congress is one of the highlights of the Scottish season. It is not the toughest bridge but many good players are there and it is certainly a higher standard than the summer and autumn events. Worth considering if you feel like a pre-Xmas tournament with good food, company and some bridge. Just bring good shoes and warm clothing to get there.
The roads, in not all the pathways, in Peebles were clear. The hotel however had been moved, lock, stock and barrel, into an invisible volcano that maintained a constant temperature that was sub-Saharan in nature. I don't know what it was costing but it made a surreal contrast to the black-ice covered drive.
The highlight of the Gold Cup Congress is the final stage of the Gold Cup. Occasionally there is a quarter-final match on the Friday, then both semifinals are played on the Saturday (broadcast on BBO) with the final on Sunday. However the organisers permitted one semifinal to be played in Coventry due to the inclement weather and the fact that both teams were local - Nick STEVENS won this by 6 imps (the third consecutive match in the tournament that they had won by less than 10 imps).
Robbed of one semifinal the organisers must have been pleased to see that the remaining one was an all-star affair featuring some of England's and Sweden's finest players combined with the bridge personality that is Zia Mahmood. The holders, ALLFREY (Allfrey, Robson, Forrester, Crouch), were probably slight favourites against GILLIS (Gillis, Burn, Hallberg, Sheehan, Zia, Björnlund) - a match of two partnerships against a team of individuals.
However the match was a bit of a damp squib as Gillis marched out to a good lead and controlled the match throughout. Allfrey even played the final set despite being 81 imps down.
In the final Gillis were heavy favourites against Stevens, who have an excellent record in the event despite being a no-pro team. Stevens was also down a man, one of the team disappearing on a cruise shortly after winning the quarter-final and not being available for the semifinal or final.
The tone of the final was set very early. On the penultimate board of the second stanza (of eight), the Stevens team bid a good slam that had no play, missed in the other room when Zia's eclectic 1NT opener meant that his partnership missed their best fit. A lucky gain for Gillis. Then, on the final board, Burn opened a nine-point one diamond when third in hand at unfavourable vulnerability - not only did this get the only lead to give declarer a problem, but it also caused declarer to misguess the hand when he played Burn to have all the missing points. Suddenly a small lead for Stevens had changed to a 19 imps lead for Gillis who just stormed ahead, winning after a concession before the final set.
We spent much of the late evening chatting with David Burn and Fredrik Björnlund, who were understandable pretty pleased to have won.
Meanwhile, back at our tables, I was played the teams with Jenny and the pairs with Sam. In the pairs we started well and were lying in a good position halfway through. Then the cards ran in a single direction for the next three matches and we were not in control of our destiny - of course we could have played better to gain more points that we actually did, but all hope of doing well evaporated and the final match was a pleasant affair against Martin and John with only Sam's reputation at stake (more details by private request only).
In the teams, we started well on Friday evening with two wins and a one imp loss. On Sunday afternoon we had three big wins and this continued with the first match of the final session. At this point, with two matches left, only three teams could realistically win it. We played Liz needing a big win to get ahead of them, but unfortunately we barely scored a victory point when we were on the wrong side of two slam swings. To be fair we deserved to be. They then played Les in the deciding final match and scraped home to win by one victory point. We won our final match comfortably to finish in third place.
As always it was a very enjoyable weekend. Thanks to Jenny and Sam for putting up with me, and Tim for taking care of the one I was not playing with. I thoroughly enjoyed the (room) parties on Saturday and Sunday, you know who you are.
The Gold Cup Congress is one of the highlights of the Scottish season. It is not the toughest bridge but many good players are there and it is certainly a higher standard than the summer and autumn events. Worth considering if you feel like a pre-Xmas tournament with good food, company and some bridge. Just bring good shoes and warm clothing to get there.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
End of the road
There were some permutations of results that would let us qualify for the knock-out stages of the InterCity League, but failing to get a maximum win meant that those hopes slipped away. The fact we lost by nine imps was not particularly relevant.
Phil and I started well and we were 21 imps after the first five boards. Then we bid these hands to six hearts:
Bidding after a two notrump opener is not easy for the most practised of pairs, so I adopted a pragmatic approach. As it happens six notrumps is the place to be and we were harshly punished when both red suits broke 5-0. They played in game at the other table.
The other poor board we had was when I played a three notrump contract with a line that would not stand up to much analysis. As a friend said afterwards, probably better not to analyse it then!
Phil had the most interesting decisions on the set:
Having belied his junior status by refusing to open a weak two bid, Phil then saw me open a weak two third in hand at favourable vulnerability. Do you stick with this or try spades?
Partner's double is not necessarily weak as this is the only way he can make a takeout double of hearts. What do you think is best?
Phil and I started well and we were 21 imps after the first five boards. Then we bid these hands to six hearts:
The other poor board we had was when I played a three notrump contract with a line that would not stand up to much analysis. As a friend said afterwards, probably better not to analyse it then!
Phil had the most interesting decisions on the set:
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Selection blog
Bill Whyte, Chairman of the SBU Selection Committee, has started a blog.
I'm not convinced that the SBU website is a natural blogging environment but it is good to see two of the SBU committees trying to publicise their work and take feedback (Scottish players are supposed to know that the Laws & Ethics Committee has a discussion forum there too).
With two Camrose teams needed for 2012 and the European Team Championships, there is a danger of the trials season not finishing in time unless it starts next month!
I'm sure Bill and the team would appreciate your views.
I'm not convinced that the SBU website is a natural blogging environment but it is good to see two of the SBU committees trying to publicise their work and take feedback (Scottish players are supposed to know that the Laws & Ethics Committee has a discussion forum there too).
With two Camrose teams needed for 2012 and the European Team Championships, there is a danger of the trials season not finishing in time unless it starts next month!
I'm sure Bill and the team would appreciate your views.
Lack of a break in the snow
With no break in the artic weather, there were twelve tables at the third BBO Berwick Pairs of the season. Numbers were swelled because I had the (bright) idea of inviting the Acol Club to participate. A number of the Berwick players can often be found in the Acol Club on BBO and there is a natural fit in terms of systems, standard and friendliness.
Frustratingly BBO were having a few problems, caused by their Internet provider rather than the platform itself. All the players initially thought it was their own connection and struggled to get back in (some emailed me, some phoned). But have a thought for the poor director who firstly got locked out too and then, on his return, saw that there were only 'red' (missing) players in his tournament! Everyone did manage to get back online within a couple of minutes and I only needed to extend the round by half a board, so no great damage.
Compared with most of the tournaments on BBO, these events are a joy to run. You don't get people running away after a bad board and there are few director calls. Last night all the calls were for unalerted conventional bids, or more precisely bids alerted late. I think this happens due to a lack of BBO technique - whichever client you use, just click the Alert button prior to clicking your call. Luckily no-one was actually damaged from the lack of alerts.
Final result:
Diana's second win in three attempts!
Frustratingly BBO were having a few problems, caused by their Internet provider rather than the platform itself. All the players initially thought it was their own connection and struggled to get back in (some emailed me, some phoned). But have a thought for the poor director who firstly got locked out too and then, on his return, saw that there were only 'red' (missing) players in his tournament! Everyone did manage to get back online within a couple of minutes and I only needed to extend the round by half a board, so no great damage.
Compared with most of the tournaments on BBO, these events are a joy to run. You don't get people running away after a bad board and there are few director calls. Last night all the calls were for unalerted conventional bids, or more precisely bids alerted late. I think this happens due to a lack of BBO technique - whichever client you use, just click the Alert button prior to clicking your call. Luckily no-one was actually damaged from the lack of alerts.
Final result:
| Place | Pair | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julia and Diana | 61.01% |
| 2 | Elaine and Bob | 60.41% |
| 3 | Rosemary and Michael | 59.74% |
| 4 | Nanning and Paul | 57.91% |
Diana's second win in three attempts!
Monday, 6 December 2010
Another chance
The Berwick club will be closed again tomorrow so I am running another friendly BBO tournament.
It starts at 19:30 GMT on Tuesday. It is open to all those I have marked as friends on BBO, all British players, and other invited guests. The tournament is aimed at intermediate and advanced players, although experts are welcome if playing with a less experienced partner.
Drop me a line on BBO (paulg) if you wish to participate and are a friend that I have yet to meet.
It starts at 19:30 GMT on Tuesday. It is open to all those I have marked as friends on BBO, all British players, and other invited guests. The tournament is aimed at intermediate and advanced players, although experts are welcome if playing with a less experienced partner.
Drop me a line on BBO (paulg) if you wish to participate and are a friend that I have yet to meet.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Snow break
The second BBO Berwick Pairs of the week had six tables including nine Berwick pairs, thanks mainly to George's efforts. If open the club would have expected nine tables so it shows how popular the online game is in the current weather.
The advantage of running a BBO tournament in such circumstances is that you can have a long event. Most BBO tourneys are just 8-boards, but we all settled in for a 21-board session. The winners were certainly pleased with the length as they scored 90% on the last round to finally overtake the long-time leaders.
Final result:
Unlike some real world competitions, there are no appeals pending.
The advantage of running a BBO tournament in such circumstances is that you can have a long event. Most BBO tourneys are just 8-boards, but we all settled in for a 21-board session. The winners were certainly pleased with the length as they scored 90% on the last round to finally overtake the long-time leaders.
Final result:
| Place | Pair | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ros and Diana | 62.38% |
| 2 | Tony and Penny | 59.05% |
| 3 | Marietta and Alan | 55.36% |
Unlike some real world competitions, there are no appeals pending.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Menaces
There has been a lot of snow here and the club is closed. So Diana arranged for a small online tournament on BBO and I played with Dave. He is used to the steadiness of Iain so it was probably a bit of shock playing with me, but we won comfortably so he can say he survived.
A squeeze where you have to transfer a menace is not common, so a real rarity when two of them turned up in this event.
After the heart finesses loses, I saw two legitimate lines. I could play for the singleton king of clubs or a minor-suit squeeze. Neither seemed good odds, but it seemed clear that the squeeze had to be the best hope.
Even so, the club finesse will need to work. Then there is a chance of squeezing either opponent and, in this case, taking the club finesse leaves East to guard both minors. I guess a purist might not consider this a transfer of the menace, since East always holds the long clubs and the club finesse is needed to set up the squeeze. But I'll settle for it!
At another table JP followed a similar line to also make the notrump slam.
An earlier hand was fascinating and led to a proper menace transfer.
Even looking at all four hands it is not easy to see the winning line. It seems that on a club lead you will lose a club, a trump, a second trump or trump promotion, the ace of diamonds and a heart trick.
But it turns out that the defence cannot make both the second trump and the heart trick.
The first test for declarer is on the lead. It would be wasteful to play the queen of clubs but people sometimes do it, here it would cost the contract. North wins and plays a second club. Declarer plays to the ace of spades and has to presume that the king is played from king-queen doubleton.
Now it is essential to cash the ace of diamonds. This prevents the opposition ducking a diamond at some point in the future and makes the queen of diamonds a threat.
Even though playing a small spade looks wrong, because when North has the doubleton king and queen there is a simple club ruff available, it is necessary to do it.
At this point North has a choice. She can lead a club for partner to ruff, or lead the jack of hearts to establish a heart trick. Unfortunately the Laws prohibit her from doing both simultaneously.
As you need the club ruff to stand any chance of breaking the contract, that is clearly what you should do. South cannot lead a heart back and so switches to the jack of diamonds. Unfortunately playing the queen of diamonds forces North to cover (this is why cashing the ace earlier is so important) and now South has control of the diamonds. The menace has now been transferred and South controls both red suits and is easily squeezed.
Truly an excellent hand and if Dave had actually played it as shown then he would be in the running for one of the best played hands of the year. But it is extremely difficult and he did get very close, in particular showing excellent technique by cashing the ace of diamonds at the right time.
The club will also be closed on Thursday and there will be another BBO tournament instead at 19:3020:00 GMT. It is open to all those I have marked as friends on BBO, all Scottish players, and other invited guests. Drop me a line on BBO (paulg) if you wish to participate and are a friend that I have yet to meet.
A squeeze where you have to transfer a menace is not common, so a real rarity when two of them turned up in this event.
Even so, the club finesse will need to work. Then there is a chance of squeezing either opponent and, in this case, taking the club finesse leaves East to guard both minors. I guess a purist might not consider this a transfer of the menace, since East always holds the long clubs and the club finesse is needed to set up the squeeze. But I'll settle for it!
At another table JP followed a similar line to also make the notrump slam.
An earlier hand was fascinating and led to a proper menace transfer.
But it turns out that the defence cannot make both the second trump and the heart trick.
The first test for declarer is on the lead. It would be wasteful to play the queen of clubs but people sometimes do it, here it would cost the contract. North wins and plays a second club. Declarer plays to the ace of spades and has to presume that the king is played from king-queen doubleton.
Now it is essential to cash the ace of diamonds. This prevents the opposition ducking a diamond at some point in the future and makes the queen of diamonds a threat.
Even though playing a small spade looks wrong, because when North has the doubleton king and queen there is a simple club ruff available, it is necessary to do it.
At this point North has a choice. She can lead a club for partner to ruff, or lead the jack of hearts to establish a heart trick. Unfortunately the Laws prohibit her from doing both simultaneously.
As you need the club ruff to stand any chance of breaking the contract, that is clearly what you should do. South cannot lead a heart back and so switches to the jack of diamonds. Unfortunately playing the queen of diamonds forces North to cover (this is why cashing the ace earlier is so important) and now South has control of the diamonds. The menace has now been transferred and South controls both red suits and is easily squeezed.
Truly an excellent hand and if Dave had actually played it as shown then he would be in the running for one of the best played hands of the year. But it is extremely difficult and he did get very close, in particular showing excellent technique by cashing the ace of diamonds at the right time.
The club will also be closed on Thursday and there will be another BBO tournament instead at 19:30
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