QBA Bulletin - Oct -Dec 2014 - Queensland Bridge Association

T
HE
QBA B
ULLETIN
4
Published by the Queensland Bridge AssociationOctober-December 2014 Volume 40 No
www.qldbridge.com Email: [email protected]
From the
President
Keith
McDonald
O
N behalf of the QBA I wish
everyone a very merry Christmas
and a happy and successful 2015.
In 2014 we have promoted Youth
Bridge and Novice Bridge. Paul
Brake has been very active in helping
organise Youth Fun Days; seven were
held in 2014. Youth Bridge Week will
be held in Canberra in January 2015.
School Bridge is being promoted with
promising results. Our Novice Coordinator, Mick Fawcett, never misses
a chance to push events for novices.
There were 19 events between June
22 and the end of 2014 for either
novices exclusively or with a novice
grade. Mick has a feedback page
on the QBA web site. The QBA is
committed to the promotion of bridge
in Queensland, and will assist clubs
with marketing in their region.
This year will see the retirement of two
of our longest serving officers. Joan
McPheat has done an outstanding
job as State Masterpoint Secretary
for well over 25 years. Marion Cooke
has dealt more bridge boards for the
QBA and clubs than I think she would
like to see in print. Both women will
be difficult to replace and the QBA
records the great debt we owe for
their services.
Queensland has 8,000 players
thanks to the hard workers at all
clubs. I acknowledge the support of
the QBA sponsors, all listed on our
web site, and the wonderful support
of the Jupiters Community Fund.
The fund provides valuable funds for
equipment and facilities.
I know 2015 will be another great
year for the QBA with so many
contributing to our success.
I hope to see you all at the 2015
Gold Coast Congress.
■
2015
Gold Coast
Congress
February 21 - 28
Contents
From the President........................................................................................................... 1
QBA Open Pairs by Richard Wallis.............................................................................. 1
So You Think You're a Fast Player? by Matthew McManus.................................... 3
Cuppaidge's Column by George Cuppaidge............................................................... 6
Novices by Mick Fawcett................................................................................................. 7
25 Years Ago by Paul Lavings......................................................................................... 8
Teachers' Corner by Joan Butts...................................................................................10
Directors' Corner by Jan Peach....................................................................................12
The QBA Bulletin
QBA Open Pairs
Richard
Wallis
A
N encouraging, but still low
49 pairs entered for the Open
Pairs this year, which necessitated
a 2-session qualifying on the
Saturday, followed by a 2-session
final on Sunday. All of the fancied
pairs made the final, and it was
back to square 1 for the 8-tables of
the Final, Plate and Consolation on
Sunday morning.
Therese Tully and I started off very
slowly, being in last place after the
first 2 matches out of 15. There
was a mild recovery up to match 9,
before going into free-fall over the
afternoon to drop out of the top half.
Our troubles started again in match
10 against Neville Francis and
Magnus Moren, and continued in the
next match against Nathan Van Jole
and Andy Hung.
Francis/Moren and van Jole/Hung
had a close battle all day, clearing
out from the field about the halfway
mark. Francis/Moren had a modest
lead with 1 match to play, but after
a below average final match, they
thought they had handed the title to
Van Jole/Hung. However the final
result for Van Jole/Hung was not
good enough to overhaul them, so
the lead was unchanged, with Tony
Hutton and Malcolm Carter in third
place.
The additional pairs brought down to
Brisbane by the QBA via the Zonal
subsidies adds another element of
interest to this event, and gives the
other zones exposure to a higher
standard of bridge.
October - December 2014
2
M 1
Bd 2
Dlr E
Vul NS
♠J1042
♥K8
♦Q105
♣A854
♠63
♥A965
♦7632
♣J93
♠A85
N
♥Q3
WE
♦AKJ984
S
♣76
♠KQ97
♥J10742
♦—
♣KQ102
W N E S
1DX
1S2HX 3H
All pass
On board 2 in the first match we
had no place to go for a good score
after South made a take-out double
based on his good shape.
Therese could rebid 3D over North’s
free-bid of 2H, but instead chose
to show 3 spades with a supportdouble, and with no source of tricks
after her double I elected to pass
over South’s raise to 3H.
Dummy was a disappointment to
us when Therese led the DK, and
declarer had no trouble coming to 10
tricks for –170.
This initially looked like a possible
pick-up to us as game had been
missed by NS, but in reality, we had
missed an easy 3NT,
We could not win on the hand, as
even if we had got to 3NT, after
the heart raise, NS would likely
sacrifice in 4H, and that would
come home for 10 tricks, possibly
even doubled.
It is highly unlikely that we would
have thought to go to 5D over 4H
instead of doubling, and since many
EW pairs played the hand in 3NT for
+400, we were screwed.
M2
♠K108752
Bd 6
♥53
Dlr E
♦852
Vul EW
♣Q2
♠AJ9
♠4
N
♥K
♥Q42
WE
♦A109
♦KQ743
S
♣KJ9764
♣A1085
♠Q63
♥AQ109876
♦J6
♣3
W N E S
4C P
1D3H
5C All pass
The vulnerability was in South’s
favour and she took full advantage
to cramp our bidding which caused
us to miss an easy slam.
My first thought was to bid 3NT and
hope Therese could help with the
heart stop, but that would be silly on
many layouts, so I bid what was in
front of me after all.
When Therese raised, I gave thought
to bidding slam, but wimped out and
passed, making an easy 12 tricks for
+620, but only 21%.
Even 3NT, making 12 tricks would
have been a good score, but 6NT
would have been too pushy, even
though successful.
Rather than putting all of my eggs
in one basket and keep 3NT in play,
what I should have done was make
a negative double, intending to pass
over 3NT by Therese, or else bid
4C over 3S or 4D, and then we may
have got to slam.
Brisbane Bridge Centre
104 Frederick St, Annerley. Ph: 3392 7933
[email protected] - www.bbc.bridgeaustralia.org
Play Sessions Tuesday
9.30 am Duplicate
7.30 pm Duplicate
Wednesday10.00 am Duplicate
Saturday
1.00 pm Duplicate
Coaching Sessions &Monday 9.30 am
Beginners’ Classes Tuesday 7.30 pm
Friday
10.00 am
Enquiries for coaching & beginners’ classes: 3392 7933
The QBA Bulletin
M2
♠KQ1063
Bd 8
♥87
Dlr W
♦10842
Vul None ♣Q7
♠82
♠AJ975
N
♥Q10632
♥
—
WE
♦73
♦AJ5
S
♣J864
♣K10852
♠4
♥AKJ954
♦KQ96
♣A3
W N E S
1SX
P 1NT2C 4H
P!P P
This board was the last of a bad set
that sent us to the bottom of the field.
Therese showed both of her suits,
but when North show her spade
values with a 1NT response to
South’s take-out double, South
made a bizarre leap to 4H, although
it would seem that spade values by
North do not help her cause.
I was fairly certain that 4H was not
going to make, but wrongly thought
that it would still be a good score
undoubled, especially if I did not
give away the heart position with a
double.
Holding length in hearts, I should
have led the ♣4, which would have
likely led to a 3-trick defeat, but
instead unwisely led the ♠8, which
Therese assumed was a singleton,
and her spade return allowed South
an entry to dummy and a club
discard.
Declarer did not take advantage of
the hearts in dummy and still finished
2 off, for +100, but only 21% to us.
QBA Events
Individual
December 21 - QCBC
Senior Teams
February 7-8 - Sunshine Coast
Mixed Teams
March 14-15 - Noosa
Selection Trials to be held
March/April 2015
Details on the website
October - December 2014
3
M5
Bd 18
Dlr E
Vul NS
♠K8543
♥1042
♦J9
♣QJ5
♠AQJ
♥76
♦A
♣AK107642
♠102
N
♥AKQ8
WE
♦K8753
S
♣83
♠876
♥J953
♦Q10642
♣9
M7
♠J6
Bd 25
♥A83
Dlr N
♦KJ106
Vul EW
♣J862
♠AQ93
♠72
N
♥954
♥Q1076
WE
♦AQ983 S
♦52
♣7
♣K9543
♠K10854
♥KJ2
♦74
♣AQ10
W N E S
W N E S
1DP
1S2C2D P
P
3C
X All pass
P P 1S
P 1NT!P
P
2D
X
All pass
I had great cause to be worried
when Therese rebid her clubs over
East’s 2D, a contract that I was fairly
confident of defeating.
West was even more unhappy with
the double of 3C than I was, and gave
much thought to bidding 3D instead
of passing the double, but eventually
passed in hope, and was temporarily
relieved when dummy tracked.
East led the top 2 hearts and
switched to the ♦5, which Therese
won in hand to cash out the top
trumps, and concede a trump and a
spade for 9 tricks and +670.
2D by East was an awful bid, and
deserved anything that came its
way, but maybe East thought he
was jammed into a corner. Having
got away with the bad bid when
Therese rebid 3C, he dug a big hole
for himself by coming again with a
double, and West had nowhere to
go but down!
West made a fatal mistake by
balancing back into the auction when
we had not found a fit and stopped
in 1NT.
We only play a 1NT response to a
major suit opening bid as almost
forcing, and definitely not forcing by
a passed hand, so West was putting
her neck on the block by balancing
with 2D after the 1NT response got
passed back to her.
West’s spade holding would suggest
keeping out of it as by bidding 1NT,
Therese would have 2 spades at
most, and maybe none.
As it turns out, with almost every
card right for NS, 3NT is cold, but
that is only +400, so to get above
average, 2D would have to be only 1
off for +200 for NS.
However, the very card positions
that made 3NT easy for NS, worked
against West in 2DX, and she
finished 3 off for +800 to us. This
Our Major Sponsor
Stores: Australia Fair, Browns Plains, Cairns
Central, Caloundra, Capalaba, Carindale,
Chermside, Garden City, Helensvale, Hervey
Bay, Indooroopilly, Ipswich, Keperra,
Logan Hyperdome, Mackay (Canelands),
Morayfield, North Lakes, Pacific Fair,
Redbank Plaza, Robina, Rockhampton,
Springfield, Strathpine, Sunshine Plaza,
Toowoomba (Clifford Gardens & Grand
Central), Townsville (Stocklands & Willows),
Victoria Point, TweedCity & Wynnum Plaza.
Now in W.A.: Carousel, Galleria, Innaloo,
Midland, Perth City & Whitfords (Gloss
Head office: 41 Bulcock St, Caloundra 4551
Ph: 07 5437 0666 Fax: 07 5437 0966
Email: [email protected]
The QBA Bulletin
was only worth 71% to us, so must
have been duplicated a few times at
other tables.
■
The full article is on the website
So You Think You’re
a Fast Player?
Try this quick quiz…
The major complaint that directors
have to deal with is slow play
(although air-conditioning does
come a close second). Whether
it’s because there’s no time to play
all the boards, whether it’s players
waiting for a table to finish so they
can move there or because most of
the players are hanging around for
tables to finish play so the director
can make the draw for the next
round, slow play is the main cause
of discontent for most players. So,
if you are brave enough to take
it, here is a quiz to see if you are
one of those players who cause
dissatisfaction - are you ready to
start?
Q 1. Are you ready to start?
One of the very obvious things that
I observe is that players who are
notorious for their slow play are also
typically those who, when the round
or match is starting, are making a
cup of tea, chatting with friends,
arguing with their partner or team
mates - anything but being ready
to commence play. If you do have
a reputation as a slow player, how
about trying the effect of sitting at
the table before the director hands
out the boards, all set to start play
immediately? Those extra couple of
minutes will make a difference.
Q 2. Are you carrying too much
weight?
No, I am not being personal, but like
a racehorse which is handicapped
to slow it down by having to carry
additional weight, a lot of slow
players add to the delay by what
they have to transport when they
get up to move to the next table.
A coat or jumper, a bag, a book or
magazine, a score book, a pen, a
glass of water or cup of tea, and
various other paraphernalia. Why
not try the effect of travelling light?
Put as much as you can away in
a corner before the start of the
session.
October - December 2014
4
Q 3. Are you guilty of 'scoring on
the green'?
Golfers will know that one of the
big no-nos is 'scoring on the green'.
That is, filling in your scorecard
immediately after putting out, rather
than moving off the green so that the
group following can hit up. Bridge
has its own version of this. It can
be the players who are running late
filling in personal scorecards before
moving on. But there are other
instances. Looking at the travelling
score sheet to see what others have
done, or inspecting the Bridgemate
to see your percentage on the board
is a privilege, not a right. If you
are running late and other players
are waiting to come to the table,
you have lost that entitlement.
The director, if he is on the ball
and able to do so, should take
responsibility for entering the score
on the traveller/Bridgemate, so that
EW can move on and NS can start
play in the next round. (Of course,
playing directors are unlikely to be
in a position to do this – one of the
reasons why it is even more difficult
for playing directors to keep a track
on slow play.) Similarly, spending too
much time poring over the results at
the end of a hand, and engaging in
lengthy post mortems with partner, is
a significant cause of slow play.
Furthermore, there can be similar
problems during the play of the
hand. Some easy directions: if you
are on opening lead, NEVER fill in
your personal scoresheet until after
you have made the lead. If you are
dummy, ALWAYS put your cards
down on the table immediately after
the opening lead is faced. If play is
being delayed by having to enter
the data in the Bridgemate, try this
procedure: after dummy’s hand
goes down, give the Bridgemate to
dummy, who can then enter the board
number, the contract, the declarer
and (if recorded) the opening lead,
before handing the unit back to North
or South. At the end of the hand, it
is then a simple matter of entering
the number of tricks and having the
score confirmed by the opponents.
Finally, at the end of the hand, after
the number of tricks is agreed, the
very first thing you should do is to
put the cards back into the board.
The QBA Bulletin
If the director does need to move
the board on, it will greatly speed
things up.
Q 4. Do you feel bad/remorseful
when the director says “take an
average”?
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve
been told, “It wasn’t our fault”, I
wouldn’t be directing, I’d be living
in the lap of luxury on the Riviera!
There are two possibilities: one - it
really wasn’t your fault. In that case,
it will be a very rare occurrence
for the director to say, “take an
average”. As it is so uncommon,
it will hardly make a difference to
you, and you will understand that
what the director is doing is for
the benefit of the game, keeping it
moving and making things better
for everyone. However, if it is
happening to you a lot, you need to
ask the question, “why?”
The standard amount of time
allowed per board is about 7
minutes. That means, each player
has about 2 minutes per hand
to consider their bids and plays.
(The reason it doesn’t quite add
up is that dummy doesn’t need
any thinking time during the play
period.) Of course, occasionally
there will be particularly difficult
problems when you may need
to take extra time. That is not
an issue. However, if you are
consistently taking more than your
fair share, that is a big problem.
Apart from being discourteous to
the opponents - and any one who
has to wait for you to finish - it is a
significant breach of the proprieties
of the game. In tournament chess,
a player who exceeds the time limit
automatically loses the match. The
penalties usually imposed in bridge
(on the rare occasions that they
are implemented) are usually of far
less significance - often just getting
average minus on a board.
Experienced directors know who
the slow players are. Apart from
having to consistently hurry them
up, directors regularly receive
complaints about having to play
against “so and so, who is so
slow”. When the same names
keep coming up, the pattern and
the truth is pretty well established.
When these players react with
comments like “we weren’t slow” or
“it wasn’t me”, either they are being
disingenuous, or are unacceptably
unaware of their behaviour. In
either case, clearly something
needs to change for the good of
the game and the enjoyment of all.
Q 5. Are we done yet?
The fact that all the boards
have been played is not a good
indication that play has been
timely. The biggest grumbles that
the opponents of slow players
have involve being pressured to
rush through the last couple of
boards because of the amount of
time that has been used up earlier.
A far better test of whether you
are slow is to monitor where you
are midway through the round.
When the director says, “we have
reached the half way point, you
should have finished x boards”,
have you completed at least half
your boards? If the answer to this
is “no” more than 25% of the time,
you cannot keep blaming your
opponents - you are a slow player.
How did you go? I expect you
passed. But maybe you may know
of someone else for whom this
article might be useful? Your partner perhaps? Remember that saying, “It’s not me, it’s my partner”,
is not really an excuse. Bridge is a
partnership game. If your partner is
to blame for making the game less
pleasant for others, then at some
point you have to take responsibility as well.
 Matthew McManus
Originally published in the
NSWBA ebulletin.
State News
Winners of the Open Pairs
Neville Francis and Magnus Moren
Winners of the Senior Pairs
Richard and Helen McLauchlan
GNOT Queensland Representatives
are published on the website
Congratulations to the following
clubs for successful applications for
Government Funding
Arana, Cairns and Northern Suburbs.
October - December 2014
5
Bridge Travel
The best hand of my life was a
fringe benefit of a visit to Ofuna
Bridge Center near Tokyo.
Auction
N
E
At favourable vulnerability with IMPs
scoring, as dealer how do you bid
these gems?
P
4♠
P*
P*
♠ -, ♥ AKQJT82, ♦ AKQ964, ♣ -
Trevor
Strickland
One of the fringe benefits of being
a bridge player is that when you
travel the world you can usually find
other bridge players.
You will be warmly welcomed at
bridge clubs at Mudgeeraba,
Malanda, Margaret River, Mumbai,
Mt Manganui, Marrakesh, Munich,
Milan, Maui, Manhattan.
When you plan your next travel
adventure, why not make Bridge a
feature?
With a few minutes web surfing it is
usually possible to locate local
bridge club contact details and
session times.
For Australia a useful starting point
is the webpage of the state bridge
association which will guide you to
local clubs. (There is a link to other
state associations on the QBA
webpage.)
For overseas clubs start with the
World Bridge Federation's Zonal
Organisation webpage:
The full hand:
Dlr: W Vul: N/S
♠AJ76
♥95
♦3
♣AK9832
♠♥AKQJT82
♦AKQ964
♣♠KQT932
♥♦J
2♠
P
P
W
2♣
3♥
7♦
P
* Hesitation. (rough translation)
What are these crazy Aussies up
to? They bid grandslam and I have
two Aces! Do I double?
♠854
♥7642
♦T8752
♣Q
♣JT7654
** Hesitation. What is my crazy
partner up to? Do I accept the
invitation to be declarer in 7♦ with
my magnificent 2-count or pass the
buck to the crazy bidder?
opening lead: ♣A
(13 tricks claimed)
Play
Note that even at unfavourable
vulnerability, 7♠ is a cheap sacrifice
for N/S.
7♣ would have made on a ♥ lead!
2015 Bridge Holidays
Web:
www.qbatravel.com
Email:
[email protected]
Phone: 0439 743823
Norfolk Island
7 nights
21 – 28 March
from $1190*
Sydney to Singapore
17 nights 11 - 28 June
from $2490*
www.worldbridge.org/geographic-zones.aspx
Navigate to one of 71 national
bridge federations and then to local
bridge clubs.
Hong Kong to Brisbane
21 nights 17 Nov - 8 Dec
from $2490*
If you need help locating a bridge
session, email me at:
[email protected]
Cross-fertilisation of ideas is another
fringe benefit.
Kenmore Bridge Club has copied
the design of side tables at a
Japanese bridge club.
2♦
P
7♥**
S
90th Birthday of Bridge
San Francisco & Panama Canal
(+ optional Everglades & Florida Keys)
28 September – 23 October
24 nights Norwegian Pearl
from $3450*
Web:
www.joanbuttsbridge.com/holidays
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0413 772 650
Melbourne Long Weekend
3 nights
30 April – 3 May
from $750*
6
Cuppaidge’s
Column
♠QJ7
♥A964
♦KQ76
♣A3
♠AK82
♥ —
♦J1043
♣QJ982
W N E S
George
Cuppaidge
Are You Serious?
I
F you are serious about bridge,
you must be able to incorporate
relay into some of your sequences.
Garozzo does, why shouldn’t you?
Fundamental to most systems is
opening 1NT to show a balanced
hand in a certain point range. That
is a good start, the distribution is
limited but there can be a huge
difference between one balanced
hand and another. Stayman 2C is
in fact a relay, but to get full value,
you must be able to continue your
enquiry. You must be able to do so
in the face of opposition bidding as
well.
To play that the cheapest bid over
the Stayman reply is a further
shape enquiry usurps a relatively
unimportant bid and gives enormous
power in terms of finding out all you
want to know. This is a simple frame
work.
Over a 2H reply and a 2S relay, the
replies are.
• 2NT I have four spades
• 3C I have four clubs
• 3D I have four diamonds
• 3H I have no other suit, so I am
3-4-3-3 shape. (or if you must,
some 3-5-3-2)
When the initial reply is 2S, denying
four hearts, the relay is 2NT and the
replies are identical.
Over a 2D reply and a 2H relay,
these are the responses.
• 2S Clubs only, 3-3-3-4 or some
2-3-3-5
• 2NT Diamonds only
• 3C 4-4-3-2
• 3D 4-4-2-3
This example hand demonstrates
how simply the concept extends to
coping with interference.
The QBA Bulletin
1NTP 2C 2H
X1P 2S2P
3D3
P
5D All pass
1)West’s double of 2H says, “I
have four hearts, possibly four
spades.” You could keep it very
simple and play pass shows no
four-card major. Alternatively and
recommended, pass shows the
suit below, diamonds only, 2NT
shows both minors and 3C shows
clubs only.
2) To pass may be right, but it is rarely
right to defend a two-level partscore when your opponents have
a nine-card fit. So East relays.
3)The suits come out, upwards
in steps, so 2NT shows four
spades, 3C shows four clubs and
here 3D shows four diamonds.
It is important to appreciate that
over further intervention, pass is
the first step-spades and double
or redouble is the second-clubs.
4)Slam is most unlikely but 5D
looks a good shot. And it is. 3NT
is hopeless.
Could you possibly bid this hand
without calling in aid relay?
There is another important matter,
“Drop Dead Stayman” as it is so
delightfully termed in America.
There are essentially two variations,
one where you pass anything,
another where you can escape to
a major over 2D. It is a valuable
treatment but relay is compatible
only with the first variant. The
ideal hand for it is 4-4-5-0 but with
shapes like 4-3-5-1, or 4-4-4-1 it
is the percentage action. You may
get too high over interference but
at least you will get to your best fit.
The reassuring factor is, you know,
they don’t. Must you disclose the
possibility? Your partner doesn’t so
why should your opponents? But it
is a “nice question.”
How Would You Do It?
The best line does not really stand
out here. Three possible lines
are considered below, I would
be delighted to hear if a reader
considers one to be demonstrably
superior.
Dlr S
♠43
♥A8654
♦5
♣AQJ64
♠K7
♠1086
N
♥J10
♥Q97
WE
♦ Q1062 S
♦AK973
♣K1087
♣52
♠AQJ952
♥K32
♦J4
♣93
W N E S
1S
P 1NT12D 2S
3D
4S
All pass
1)This was my bid. I know many
would prefer to start bidding the
hand. I belong to the, easier to
handle school, two over one
creates a game-force. Over suit
intervention I pass, being quite
certain a negative double (with
forcing free-bids) will only cause
confusion. Playing non-forcing
free-bids, a minimum bid in hearts
is easy over suit intervention.
Over 1NT, the top-heavy natural
non-forcing 2H is preferable to
double. It is not hard to construct
a hand where you make 4H and
they make 1NT.
West led a diamond to East’s ♦K and
East returned a trump.
My partner’s line was successful but
I am by no means sure it was the
best. Superficially, the spade finesse
looks bad value because it costs you
a trick if it loses and one comes back,
you do not get a diamond ruff. But
there are other things to consider,
including the trump suit itself, and
you will gain a tempo.
Declarer won in hand with her ♠A,
ruffed her diamond and led a heart
to her ♥K. Her ♠J was a good card,
but the ♠K was taken on her left.
West returned a heart, but almost
certainly would have returned a club
had he not held the ♣K. Declarer
must finesse and will be lucky to
survive if it loses. In fact a heart came
back. Declarer won it in dummy and
played a third heart, luckily for her
won on her right. Declarer ruffed
October - December 2014
7
the diamond continuation, drew the
trump and claimed. What do you
think of the line?
These are my thoughts. A trump
back is almost mandatory wherever
the ♠K is. With 18 points missing
there is room for either black king
to be in either hand. You can play
for and make with them both wrong,
but you will need either luck or help.
Consider your line in that case. (Your
line may involve playing the ♣Q off
dummy to preserve entries, after you
have grabbed your ♠A and ruffed
your diamond.) Simplicity appeals
to me. Play for one king to be right.
When the spade finesse loses and a
trump comes back, draw the trump
and take the club finesse. Return
to a high heart and repeat it, cash
the ace and ruff one to establish the
thirteener. You can dispose of your
heart and diamond losers.
I direct readers’ attention to re-edited
versions of two items of mine on the
QBA Articles page. One is my Jorj
Club system which I see as perfection in bidding, the other is an update
on the valuable Wolff Sign-off.
[email protected]
Novices
Michael
Fawcett
A Teams of Three Event on
the Horizon
C
HRISTMAS parties will be in
full swing shortly and the party
dress-ups should be at the ready.
However as we come towards
the end of another exciting year of
bridge there is just one more very
important event to consider. At the
time of publication of this edition,
there will be only a few more days
to enter the QBA Teams of Three, to
be held at QCBC on the December
14. This event is for players with
up to 250 masterpoints, however
even if you’re a player with very few
masterpoints, this event is for you.
You can enter as a team of three,
a pair or individually and you will
be allocated a team along with an
expert captain who will guide and
advise you to play better bridge.
Previous teams of three events have
had various sections and so there is
nothing to fear as you will be playing
against others of a similar ranking.
This is a very popular event with the
novice players indeed.
An Eventful Bridge Year
This year has been an eventful year
of bridge for me. I have entered local
congresses and also found myself
playing as far North as Hervey Bay,
as far South as Sydney. A particular
highlight for me was the trip to
Hervey Bay where I came across
fellow bridge players away from the
bridge table while whale-watching
Manager's Travels
I
T'S a quiet time this period because
the work for the Gold Coast
Congress increases and I need
to stay in the office on weekends,
and also I went to England for a
short period to see family and had a
fabulous time. I did manage to play in
the Gold Coast Graded Teams with
Ray and Hari and Cheryl however
not much more than this.
At the end of November we assist
with the running of the GNOT and
this is not a small job; however, it is
nice to for me to see all the zones
and meet all the players. I would like
to take this opportunity in wishing
every reader a merry Christmas and
Happy New Year.
Next year is a big travelling year it's up to Cairns in June, across to
Alice Springs in September and then
later that month, over to Hamilton
for the New Zealand Nationals, so I
will have much to whinge about the
travelling in later editions.
 Kim Ellaway
The QBA Bulletin
20th Barrier Reef Congress
Hilton Hotel, Cairns
June 5 – 8, 2015
Chief Director: Sean Mullamphy
An ABF Gold Point Event
Swiss Teams (Open and Restricted)
Butler Swiss Pairs (Open, Restricted and Novice)
Tournament Organiser:
E-Mail:
Web:
William van Bakel 0414 430 145
[email protected]
www.qldbridge.com/brc
October - December 2014
8
and dining in a local restaurant.
Recently, I entered the Sunshine
Coast Bridge Club Novice Pairs
congress and at just over an hour
away from Brisbane is an enjoyable
Sunday morning drive, which also
provided a last minute chance to fine
tune some bidding sequences with
my partner. Wherever the congress,
I have played against players of
varying levels of experience and
rankings, however I have always
enjoyed each event to the full. I
have met lots of players who I now
see regularly at congresses and I
am looking forward to catching up
with them next year. I am especially
encouraged by the fact that at every
congress I have played in this year
there has been a number of players
who are experiencing their first
congress. It is absolutely brilliant
to see and I hope they continue to
enter many congresses in the future.
The QBA Gold Coast Congress
The end of February always brings
the Gold Coast Congress (GCC) and
with it a range of events for novice
players, either in pairs or teams. I will
be playing in the three day novice
pairs event because I always want to
experience the biggest pairs event I
can, to my ability, at the biggest event
on the bridge calendar. There is also
a selection of rookie and novice
1-day events through the week
where regular or first time congress
players can enjoy and take in the
awesome atmosphere of playing
in a great hall of bridge players. As
always, rookies and novices will only
be playing against players of similar
ranking, but there is the chance you
will rub shoulders or bump into some
of the world’s top bridge players, and
you will always see someone you
know from your local bridge club.
A full list of coming events for players
of all ranks, including novices, can
be found on the QBA website at
www.qldbridge.com.
Questions
If any novices have questions
or concerns, please feel free to
contact me at novicecoordinator@
qldbridge.com or via the Novice tab
on the QBA website.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a
Happy and Prosperous New Year. ■
The QBA Bulletin
25 Years Ago
Qld Open Teams
HE magnificent new clubcooms
at Toowong hosted their first
QBA event over the weekend of 2~3
September. The turnout was poor
however, a paltry ten teams which
reduced the event to a round-robin.
Swiss events are great fun, and you
need to take out the key matches to
win, and there are always plenty of
them.
This hand from the first round
created problems all round.
T
Dlr E
Vul NS
♠J9
♥AK7
♦87543
♣AKQ
♠86
♥8542
♦AKJ109
♣65
♠AKQ7
N
♥QJ
WE
♦2
S
♣J108742
♠105432
♥10963
♦Q6
♣93
W N E S
1C
P
1D P 1S P
2H1P 3C P
?
1) 4th suit, game forcing
What would you bid? Richard Wallis
opted for 3NT. AKQ in partner's
rebid suit should help to set it up.
North led the ♦A, and South did not
dump her queen, but worse was to
follow. North now led the ♦J, and
Wallis's ghastly 3NT made for no
swing. Apparently similar things
were happening all round the room.
In the end the LAVINGS team won
ahead of COOKE.
The event was well run by the
Toowong Club and Reg Busch, our
excellent director. And thank you for
the hand records.
It was a pleasant surprise to play
against the LYNN team from
Lismore, who very obviously
enjoyed the weekend. With NSW
clubs like Ballina, Byron Bay,
Brunswick, Lismore, Murwillumbah
and Tweed only 2½ odd hours from
Brisbane, but 10 hours from Sydney,
there is no reason we should not
see many other such teams in our
championships.
A special thanks to club tournament
director Judy Nothdurft who cleaned
up after everyone, and to Peter
Schouten who manned the bar the
entire weekend.
 Paul Lavings
Sanctuary Cove
Our inaugural Congress was a huge
success, with a full field contesting
the Swiss Pairs event. In fact we had
to close entries to the Open divisions
over a week early, with many pairs
missing out - a good omen for next
year.
Our Director Chris Snook did a great
job overseeing a large field in two
rooms and Convenor Sheryl Haslam
supervised the Novice Section
as well as assisting Chris. Many
players were also complimentary
about our caddy Jamie Crowe who
did a great job considering she had
never been in a bridge room before.
Many thanks to our major sponsor
MGD Wealth and all our prize donors.
Also thanks to all the members who
participated and particularly those
who helped out on the day with
setup and lunch service.
Joan Butts donated some bridge
books which were given to the most
improved players in the Novice
Section, Stanley Law/Rosemary
Rodger and Yuko Nakamura/Nicki
Sleeman.
Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay held a very successful
Novice Pairs congress on August
17. Even though there were only
12 tables, every player thoroughly
enjoyed themselves. Players came
from Toowoomba, Noosa, Gympie,
Bundaberg and Brisbane as well as
Hervey Bay and Maryborough.
As per usual, the event was very well
organised and catered for by Hervey
Bay. We introduced a theme this year
to try and encourage more novice
players to attend. “Come up a day
early and go whale-watching on the
beautiful calm waters of Hervey Bay
on Saturday and then enjoy a game
of bridge on the Sunday.” Several
players did this and had a great time.
October - December 2014
9
In the final countdown, QBA Novice
Pairs Co-ordinator, Mick Fawcett
and Lyn Tracey took out first place. It
was hotly contested right up until the
last round where a number of pairs
could have won.
Redlands
 Les Bonnick
Redlands
Beenleigh Logan Bridge Club
were invited to join Redlands for a
Melbourne Cup day with a game of
bridge, lunch, sweeps, parades and
watching the race on the big TV.
Eight of our members attended and
had a very enjoyable day thanks to
Redlands.
Margaret Franklin, Di Arnold, Mary Simon (all from Beenleigh) and
Poona Gounder (Redlands)
Sunshine Coast
NEW YEARS
EVE TEAMS
Wednesday Dec 31
$60 per team
Theme: Hats or Hair
QCBC OPEN &
NOVICE PAIRS
Sunday Jan 11
$30 per player
Director: Alan Gibson
Novices <100 MPs as
at 30/9/2014
SCBC Novice Pairs winners: Bob and Christine Thomas and runners-up
Brett Middelberg and Ron Thurairetnam
Gold Coast
BRISBANE
ZONE GNOT
TEAMS
Friday 7pm, Jan
30, Feb 6 & 13
$120 per team (no
table fees)
All enquires and entries to QCBC:
3391 3241 - qcbc1@optusnet.
com.au Details on the website:
www.qcbc.org.au
The QBA Bulletin
GCBC Graded Teams 'A' Grade winners: Pele Rankin, Fred Whitaker,
Paula McLeish and David McLeish
October - December 2014
10
Teachers'
Corner
Joan
Butts
ABF Continuing Professional
Development Day (CPD)
T
HIRTY teachers, mostly those
interested
in
Accreditation,
attended this 6-hour course at
Toowong on Nov 23, which covered
Modern Bidding Methods, and had
as its slogan, “Sometimes we bid a
lot with a little, at other times, a little
with a lot”. For anyone interested
in viewing the content of the day, I
have recently added a 45- minute
podcast/video to the ABF and my
own website.
We examined the roles of Opener,
Responder, Intervener and Advancer
in turn, and played some great deals
that matched the topics. The material
was given to me and the ABF by
The QBA Bulletin
Audrey Grant, who likes to think of
herself as “an expert in simplicity”. I
endorse and have always followed
this approach for students, because
it’s an educational truism that no one
can move to the next step if they do
not have the basics well understood.
Teachers sometimes “force feed”
their students, like the geese that
are fattened to become pâté de fois
gras(!), and do not spend enough time
concentrating on the fundamentals,
always trying to add new material that
only results in confusion.
Teachers came from interstate
as well as country and northern
Queensland. Congratulations to
Sandra Mulcahy on two counts: firstly
for becoming Queensland’s first
Accredited teacher in the new ABF
Scheme, and also for organizing the
event. This included a great working
lunch, where we all made our own
sandwiches, and then got back to
the task at hand! Sandra is a new
teacher, trying her hand at methods
which streamline bridge learning.
A great approach is the one that
Toowong has decided to take with
their students and the education
Sandra Mulcahy
process in general. 10 Toowong
representatives attended the CPD,
constituting a team approach (Team
Toowong!) whereby people similarly
trained will ensure a consistent
approach to Help with Play sessions
and some lessons at the club.
Developing good judgement at the
table is the name of the game, and
being brave enough to back that
October - December 2014
11
judgement when deciding whether
to, and what to, open, is winning
strategy. Ideas like this have been
around forever, but sometimes are
not emphasized these days.
For example, in third position, when
two players have passed, one of
whom is your partner, we know it’s
OK to open with a point or two less
than in first or second position. But…
always open a good suit, even if it’s
only four cards (in a major). Your
side may not win the auction, so your
bid is lead-directing. Much better to
open 1♠ on this hand than 1♣.
♠ AKQ10 ♥ 62 ♦ 753 ♣ Q642
Bidding goes P P and you open
1♠, the next hand bids 2♥ and the
opponents reach 4♥. Your partner is
on lead, and here’s the whole hand.
Dlr N
♠85
♥Q4
♦10984
♣J10953
♠J93
♠7642
♥AKJ85 N
♥10973
WE
♦AQJ6 S
♦K2
♣7
♣AK8
♠AKQ10
♥62
♦753
♣Q642
In West's 4♥ contract, if North leads
the ♠8, South will win the ♠Q, ♠K,
and then the ♠A. Best card next is
the ♠10, which will allow North to
promote the ♥Q, and the contract
will be defeated. North is likely to
lead a club rather than a spade if
South opens 1♣, and now 4♥ will
make. ■
Current President, Di Hodges
the club now stands. The purchase
price was $35,000 and money was
raised for the land and building
through debentures, guarantors and
a $20,000 loan. Some members
mortgaged their homes to assist.
1973 the new club rooms were
officially opened by the President of
the Queensland Bridge Association,
James O’Sullivan. In 1989, the club's
25th anniversary was celebrated.
Over the years, the club has
gone from strength to strength.
Continuous renovations to club
rooms took place including solar
panels on the roof, reverse cycle
air conditioning, new carpets and
furniture. A new entrance ramp
with automatic doors provides easy
access to people with disabilities.
A stunning new foyer displays club
memorabilia and framed montages
of members’ photos throughout the
years.
The club celebrated its 50th birthday
on 12th October with a gala occasion
including invited guests from the
community, long-time players and
current members. The day started
at 9.30 am with bridge play followed
at 11.00 am with announcements
and introductions to special guests.
Flowers were presented to a longtime member of 40 years, Elizabeth
Hartnell, who still plays a great
game of bridge. A champagne lunch
was served, including of course,
a big birthday cake. Bridge play
commenced again at 1.00pm and
continued until 3.30 pm followed by
a cocktail party.
■
QBA Mailing List
If you wish to be put on the mailing
list for news which is sent out about
once a month, please email the
manager.
[email protected]
Surfers Paradise
Gold Coast Bridge Club
Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
The first official bridge club in
Queensland was established as
far back as 1934 and the first ever
bridge club on the Gold Coast was
founded in October 1964 - The Gold
Coast Bridge Club. It was officially
opened on 26th November 1964
by the President of the Queensland
Bridge Federation, Dr. Don Neill.
There were then 70 members.
In March 1972 the Board approved
the purchase of two blocks of land
on the Gold Coast Highway where
The QBA Bulletin
Surfers Graded Teams winners: Eileen li, Janeen Solomon,
Watson Zhou and Charlie Lu
October - December 2014
12
Directors'
Corner
T
HE QBA Director Discussion
Group is now hosted by Google
Groups and not Topica. The easiest
way to join is to go to the Director
page at qldbridge.com and click
the link. Alternatively email me at
[email protected] and I
will send you an invitation to join.
There will be a director get together
during the Gold Coast Congress so
keep an eye out for the details closer
to the time and do come and say,
“Hello”.
When asked to explain partner’s
call, a player provides everything
the call means to him, not just its
name. In the situation 2C (P) 2D
where 2C is strong artificial and 2D
is an artificial response, I am hearing
2D described as “waiting” without
players apparently realising that
“waiting” and “negative” responses
are different animals.
2D as a negative response denies
some number of high card points,
often eight. A 2D negative response
might show 0-7 hcp.
I’ve turned to Bridge Guys for a
definition of 2D as a waiting bid.
“This waiting bid does not describe
any strength held by the responder,
nor does it impart any descriptive
information regarding the diamond
holding. The automatic two diamonds
response, owing to the partnership
understanding, does not provide any
information to the opener.”
I’ve been asked to dispel some
myths circulating around supervised
play tables.
1. Players may not put a hand (one
with fingers) on the table.
Not True. Nothing in the laws of
bridge stops a player simply resting
a hand on the table. What dummy
should not do, is deliberately hold a
hand on the table to help declarer
remember that the lead is from the
dummy. Dummy may try to prevent
an irregularity by declarer. For example, if declarer looks about to lead
from his own hand instead of from the
dummy, dummy might say, “From the
table,” or even tap the table to get declarer’s attention quickly.
The QBA Bulletin
2. Failing to announce is as serious
as failing to alert.
Not so. While one should follow
correct procedure, announcements
are made to try to stop opponents
creating unauthorised information
by asking how many points in a
1NT opening (when they hold some
points) or how many clubs for a
1C opening (when they have a
club suit).
There’s rarely an ongoing problem as
players retain their absolute right to
ask at their turns. On the other hand,
failure to alert may cause problems
should opponents be damaged by
misinformation.
3. A player may not open 3S with 12
points, overcall with 6 points, open at
the one level with 8 points.
Yes he may. It is a fallacy to think
that the opponents must assess their
hands as we would. Providing there
are no secret understandings, players
may make any manner of overbids,
underbids, mistakes and poor
choices or simply have agreements
that we might consider unbelievable.
4. East-West may not turn over
bidding slips or move boards.
Not true. North is usually responsible
for maintaining correct procedure at
the table but there is nothing to say
that he must do all the chores himself.
Tables usually move more quickly if
the chores are shared but faced with
a parochial North, it may be more
peaceful if EW are less helpful.
Jan Peach
Director Accreditation.
Coming Events
Dec 14
Dec 21
Jan 4
Jan 11
Jan 18
Jan 23-26
Jan 25
Jan 26
Feb 1
Feb 7-8
Feb 8
Feb 14-15
Feb 15
Feb 20-28
Mar 7-8
Mar 8
Mar 14-15
Mar 15
Mar 21-22
Mar 21-22
Mar 28
Mar 28-29
Mar 29
QBA Teams of 3 - QCBC
QBA Individual
Gold Coast Teams with Restricted Section
(<300mps)
QCBC Imp Pairs (Open and Novice) Northern Suburbs Teams
Townsville Australia Day Congress
Kenmore Open and Novice Pairs
Kenmore Open and Novice Teams
Toowong Imp Pairs
QBA Senior Teams - Sunshine Coast
Warwick Swiss Pairs
Bundaberg Swiss Pairs
Arana Teams
QBA Gold Coast Congress
QBA Open Selection Trials
Toowong Novice Imp Pairs
QBA Mixed Teams - Noosa
Dalby Swiss Pairs
QBA Open Selection Trials
Rockhampton Imp Pairs (21) and Teams (22)
Surfers Paradise Novice Pairs
QBA Open Selection Trials
Toowoomba Imp Pairs
QBA
Email: manager@
qldbridge.com
Phone:07 3351 8602
Mobile: 0412 064 903
Fax: 07 3103 4799
Website: www. qldbridge.com
D E A D
MARCH 9 (noon)
Contributions to:
33 Royal Pde
Ashgrove 4060
Ph: 07 3366 1292
Email: psquire@
lindabackceramics.com
L I N E
October - December 2014