YCBA NEWS

July 2017

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 1

YORKSHIRE ASSOCIATION YCBA NEWS Issue 11 (Previously YCBA Bulletin)

July 2017

View from the Chair! (In place of Editor’s notes)

The appointment of David Guild as our regional development officer represents an important move for the county and indeed the EBU. As a joint funded pilot exercise, success will ultimately be measured on an increase number of members through marketing and advertising, so please utilise him if you think your club could benefit.

Encouraging new players through teaching is also another aspect, so please, if you run classes ensure that they are on the ‘learnbridgeyorkshire’ website.

I would also like to welcome Settle bridge club to the YCBA family and hope they benefit from being part of a large organisation.

Members meetings are about you and listening to your views. To this end we will again be holding masterclasses for the improving club player (new) and top division players of the Yorkshire league. Also, we will be running workshops on the new laws and Bridge score. Please watch the website or indeed the ‘news’ for dates.

My thanks go out to everyone at club and county level who have contributed to the organisation, administration and teaching of bridge throughout Yorkshire, both now and in the future. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Nick Woolven

Copy Wanted Great Northern Swiss Pairs

Please send details of results, 30 September - 01 October 2017 successes, achievements for Organised by YCBA on behalf of EBU inclusion in English Bridge to: National Green Point event Hilton Hotel, Leeds - Robin Jepson Tel: 0113 269 5334 Twelve 7 matches - [email protected] Start time: 30 September 1.30 pm Contributions to the Bulletin from 01 October 11.15 am members are also encouraged Great Northern Improvers Swiss Pairs and welcomed by the editor - 01 October 11.15 am Please: fee per player £75.00  reports on events (Improvers £19.00)  articles  letters/emails Includes hot two course supper on the  news, views and opinions Saturday and hot two course buffet lunch on Sunday between sessions David Waxman, Entries to: S V Davies [[email protected]] 07710 263452 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH (Tel: [email protected] 01274 598408) - Cheques payable to YCBA Competition forms and news are You may also pay by bank transfer to sort also posted on the YCBA website, code 16-23-37 account number 00225326 www.ycba.co.uk Quote GNSP 17 and email Stuart confirming entry Next Edition October2017

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 2

Recent YCBA/Local/National Events Winners and Successes

March - (late additions)

Scottish Bridge Union - Women's Pairs - winner Pearl Murphy YCBA Golf Clubs Plate - Keighley - Cheryl Brown, Stephen Brown, Paul Davies & Sheila Lewis

April

Scarborough Congress - see next page Yorkshire Cup - Frank White, Witold Dudek, Maureen Jones & Philip Taylor (Doncaster) Bradford Swiss Pairs - Patrick Trevanion & Stephen Crossland Lady Milne international home nations women's teams - Fiona Brown member of England’s winning team Waddington Shield - YCBA premier team event - Townsend (Tony McNiff, Sarah Teshome, Bill Townsend & Richard Winter) Nelson Rose Bowl - Agnes Baxter, Jill Foggitt, Lesley Bridson & Catherine Thompson

May

YCBA Mixed Pairs - Stuart Davies & Carole Kelly

YCBA Individual - Peter Wallace Leeds Swiss Pairs - Pauline Cooper & Richard Hilton Northern Counties Improvers Pairs - York heat winners - Jane Kirk& Helen McCormac; Chris Irvin & Arnie Mander - 2nd overall - when Manchester heat results integrated

Scottish Bridge Union Overseas Congress - Swiss Pairs - winners - Janet and Ted Latham - Swiss Teams Sandy Davies & Carole Kelly who also won Women’s Pairs Castle Swiss Pairs - Fiona Brown & Hugh McGann Retford Swiss Teams - Keith Cornish, Sandy Davies, Graham Jepson & Dominic Rayner

June

YCBA Congress - see page 4 Yorkshire Trophy - Cowan (Stephen Berson, Melvyn Cohen, Oliver Cowan & Mike Levi) John Gerrard Simultaneous Pairs - Roy Garthwaite & Heather Hobson (Huddersfield) Simultaneous Pairs Victor Ludorum 2016-2017 - Frank Littlewood Malton Swiss Teams - Pauline Cooper, Peter Franks, Richard Hilton & David Lewis

Hubert Phillips Bowl - Fiona Brown & Hugh McGann members of winning team Peter Littlewood Pairs - Ian Johns & Geoff Newman

Report from the Treasurer YCBA

Based on the Accounts presented to the AGM held on the 3rd June 2017

In presenting the Accounts I report another successful year financially for the YCBA making a profit of over £6000. The Congresses, which have been outsourced by the EBU, are proving successful - with the addition of the EBU Spring Congress, making a total of four run by our

Tournament and Congress Committee. There was no Easter Congress in the 2016/2017 financial year as it fell into the year 2017/2018, when there will be two.

Our profits in the coming year are set to be ploughed back into supporting our Clubs with their membership and development plans for the game. This will be implemented by the addition of a

Regional Development Officer, funded by ourselves and supported by the EBU with finance for publicity materials.

Significant purchases have been made to upgrade our equipment with additional and replacement computers, Bridgemates and cards. Our Balance Sheet is pleasingly healthy.

Lesley Millet YCBA Treasurer

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 3

Accolades from Clubs May Myers - We believe that the YCBA’s oldest member is May Myers, a regular player at Olicana Bridge Club. In May 2017 the Club gave May a lovely party to celebrate her 99th birthday. On May 09 this year May became 100 years old, an event marked by a family party attended by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bradford. It was a double celebration with her granddaughter who was 50 during the same week. Many congratulations and best wishes to May

Mike Crook - In April Mike celebrated 50 years' membership of Doncaster Bridge Club. Mike is an excellent bridge player. Last year he topped the Club`s Ladder rankings and this year he has already won a series of Club and YCBA qualifier competitions. He enjoys the camaraderie within the club, is very modest about his ability and provides advice to less experienced players when asked. To recognise his commitment and loyalty, the Club has awarded Mike Doncaster Honorary Membership.

Congress Results

Scarborough Congress April 2017

Mixed Pairs: John Turner Trophy - Alistair & Gill Copeland

Ladies Pairs: Isobel Laughton Rose Bowl - Agnes Baxter & Janet Latham Men’s Pairs: Ethel Wiseman Trophy - Peter Baxter & Ted Latham Flitch Shield - Peter & Margaret Savage Championship Pairs: Ronnie Langrick Trophy - Peter Franks & Paula Conner

Consolation Final: Betts Bramley Cup - Peter & Agnes Baxter Non Expert Cup - Irene Boothman & Rose Marston Leading Scarborough Pair: Keith Pell Trophy - Richard Hilton & Pauline Cooper Teams Championship: Hilda Langrick Salver - David Lewis & Martin Carlile, Steve Roswald & Mel Wilder

Victor Ludorum: Muriel Everett Trophy - Richard Hilton

As a result of a price increase for the 2018 Scarborough Congress, the organising committee has withdrawn the Congress from the Downe Arms and is seeking an alternative venue.

YCBA Congress June 2017

Improvers Pairs - Sheila Dodd & Ralph Thompson

Improvers’ Teams - Lynda & Bob Partridge, Pauline Stout & Rowena White Mixed Pairs - & Ollie Burgess Men’s Pairs - Paul Brereton & Phil Godfrey

Women’s Pairs - Babs Matthews & Joyce White

Championship Pairs: Moortown Cup - Jason Hackett & Adrian Kenworthy Consolation Pairs: York Mount Group Trophy - Tom Cohen & Nick Woolven Chairman’s Plate - Irving & Joy Blakey Championship Teams: Fell-Vincent Trophy - Jason Hackett & Chris Owen and Tom Cohen & Nick Woolven Consolation Teams: John Colley Trophy - Alan Jarvis & Suzy Lawson and Roz Bavin & John Fitzgerald Scarborough Trophy - Liz Commins & David Stevenson and Stuart Matthews & Mark Weeks

The dates for the 2018 Congress are 01 June to 03 June - venue Cairn Hotel, Harrogate

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 4

Pachabo Cup 1956 - A wrong righted - partially

In January 2016, YCBA NEWS contained an article written by David Wilson, Chairman of Hull and East Riding CBA pointing out that a Hull team’s success in the 1956 Pachabo remained unrecognised.

It transpires that a Yorkshire Post article written by Harold Franklin in 1956 confirms that the Hull team did win that year, a fact also indicated in the 1956 Contract Bridge journal. However, this differs from the trophy and EBU AGM minutes.

The EBU Archive webpages still lists the winners erroneously though adds a footnote pointing out that a team captained by John Colley won the event. His son David Colley along with Martin Dickinson and Eric Pudsey completed the team.

Sadly all of the four players involved are now deceased.

Are You A Lapsed Bridge Teacher?

Bridge play in Yorkshire, like the rest of bridge in the UK, is in gradual decline. No matter how successful a Bridge Club is in winning trophies, it is purely the extent of new blood coming in to the Club that determines its ultimate continuance. Many Clubs have taken this on board over the last five years and in 2016 we have seen more new player registrations overall than 2015 due to more teaching taking place.

There is a long way to go. We now see substantial gaps in bridge club coverage across our County as we continue to lose smaller clubs due to failure to sufficiently replenish their members.

In response, YCBA, part supported through EBU funding, is generating a Yorkshire-wide New Membership Campaign this Autumn. Our objective is to produce far more students for bridge courses this year. And this is where we need your help.

We are going to need more teachers; particularly where an enquiry comes from a location beyond present teaching clubs’ reach.

So if you are a lapsed Bridge teacher and you are interested in running a formal student course starting this September/October please send me your contact information. We will ensure that a teacher has minimum risk and will be remunerated for teaching in such locations.

Please send your contact details to me at [email protected] and entitle your email “Bridge Teacher”. The brief information that we need is: Your name, contact telephone number and your home postcode (first half only). David Guild YCBA Regional Development Officer

Dave Robinson Hints – Answer on page 5

Playing teams you West hold 10xxx xxx x 1097xx –

Teams the bidding starts (both vul)

N E S W 1C 3H 4H P 5C P 7C ?

It would be surprising if this was not doing down possibly 2 down. Are you going to exact the maximum penalty by doubling or is it possible your clubs can all be picked up?

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 5

A Sudoneck Lead

One more hand submitted by, Les Brown, Huddersfield Bridge Club - and former YCBA Bulletin member . This hand is from the final of the 1992 Knockout Teams at the Toronto NABC. You are West and hold: S AJ74 H J7 D KJ95 C QJ9 The bidding was:

South West North East P 1D (1) 1S P (1) Precision - could be short in 2C P 3H (2) P diamonds. 3NT P P P (2) Only 4 hearts, 5 or 6 spades.

What would you lead? Ron Sukoneck reasoned that South had long clubs. (He hadn’t supported either major.) Communication between the N -S hands was going to be in diamonds and he wanted to cut that communication. So he led a diamond. Perhaps North had just 2 diamonds and South had the ace. So he chose the king! He achieved a Merrimac at trick one! The full layout:

S KQ653 H AK54 D Q4 C K6 S AJ74 S 1098 H J7 H Q109862 D KJ95 D 62 C QJ9 C 73 S 2 H 3 D A10873 C A10854 2

Peter Boyd needed to concede a club before the suit could be established but he had no way to get back to his hand because of the lead. He ducked trick one having played the queen from dummy. Sukoneck continued with the DJ. Boyd won the trick and cashed the D10 but the D9 didn’t fall. He could make 2 clubs, 3 diamonds and 2 hearts, but because Sukoneck ducked when Boyd played a spade towards dummy, he could make only one spade trick.

Dave Robinson hints - Answer

7C was going one down but when I held these cards in a teams event had I doubled they may have sought refuge in 7NT which was making as incidentally was 7D played by North. I was glad I was disciplined

A seminar with Michael Byrne

Leeds Bridge Club Trust Stonegate Rd, Leeds LS17 6EL On Sunday 17 September 2017 10 am to 1 pm Entrance fee £10 including coffee and biscuits

To reserve your place, please email [email protected]

Target Group: improving club players Focus: Card play

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 6

Slamming to victory (Forget the statistics, look at the Bridge)

The ‘Waddington ‘’Four Ace ‘’ Shield’ (the Shield) is the YCBA’s teams of four premiere event. For the benefit of bridge historians the Shield was presented by the’ ‘’Directors of John Waddington Limited’’ in 1935 and on the ‘’Shield’’ it says the ‘’ Contract Bridge Team Championship of Yorkshire’’. The first Winners were B.M. Marks, Dr J.E. Israel, Dr J. Niman and N.J Marks. The most prolific winner of the competition is Rita Oldroyd (11 times winner) and former Ladies European Champion (partnering in the 1970’s) and a close second is expert National player Giles Foster a 10 times winner. Both Rita and Giles are former members of Bradford Bridge Club and often played together.

The final this year was played on the 24th April 2017 between the holders Hobson and the Townsend Team both twice winners in the last five years. Team HOBSON (Roy Garthwaite, Heather Hobson and Pearl and Denis Murphy). Team TOWNSEND (Richard Winter, Sarah Teshome, Tony McNiff and Bill Townsend).

Due to better slam bidding the TOWNSEND team were ahead after 8 boards by a small margin and remained so at the end of the match.

SLAM HAND 1 - DIAMONDS ARE A GIRLS BEST FRIEND.

Team TOWNSEND bid the following hand to a Vulnerable grand slam in the first 8 boards which gained 16 imps.

AK72 NS Vul AK763 Dealer N K76 2

54 32 AQJ854 A43

North East South West Richard Winter Sarah Teshome

1H Pass 2D Pass 1 2S1 Pass 3D Pass 2 Ace or singleton or 4C2 Pass 4D3 Pass 3 Cue bid Ace or King of diamonds 4NT4 Pass 5S5 Pass 4 Roman Key card Blackwood. 7D Pass Pass Pass 5 Two aces and Q

An one heart from Richard brought the completely normal response of two diamonds from Sarah. Richard bid 2 spades forcing to game hoping he could support diamonds at his next bid. Sarah,’ a girl’ still looking for more diamonds bid 3 diamonds and Richard could imagine a grand slam and thus made a clue bid of 4 clubs. Sarah continued by showing the Ace of diamonds and the rest as stated.

Interestingly at the other table Team the Murphy’s playing a forcing 1NT response led to the sequence 1H 1NT, 2S, 3NT by SOUTH with surprisingly diamonds never been bid!

Richard Winter

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 7

YCBA Organised Events (Fuller details via YCBA website)

Swiss Pairs Play Without the Experts All Players must be NGS Jack or below at the time of entering Sunday 23 July 2017 1.00 pm York Bridge Club, 153-154 Holgate Road, York YO24 4DQ Entry fee: £30 per pair, including a light tea Playing 42 boards 7 x 6 board matches Closing date 14 July 2016 Contact: Georgina Wooler, [email protected] M: 07932530730

The Yorkshire Flitch A two-session mixed pairs event for married couples

Sunday 16th July 2017 - 1.00 pm Doncaster Bridge Club 35 Bennetthorpe, Doncaster, DN2 6AA (01302 556422)

Entry fee £36 per pair (including substantial buffet between sessions).

Enquiries & entries to: Geoff Kenyon,

6 Windle Road, Hexthorpe, Doncaster, DN4 0HG Tel: 01302 311093 Email [email protected] Cheques payable to Doncaster Bridge Club Entry forms available via website

www.bridgewebs.com/doncaster

Yorkshire Golf Clubs Trophy Knock-out Teams of Four Competition Entries should be sent to: Alastair Davidson [[email protected]] 39 Almsford Ave, Harrogate HG2 8HE

Tel: 01423 872754 or 07743 646436 by 01 September, with the fee of £24 per team. Please make cheques payable to YCBA and enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope for a copy of the draw

The Waddington Shield The county knockout teams-of-four green-pointed championship. Entries should be sent to: Stuart Davies [[email protected]] 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH, Tel: 01274 598408 Entry fee £36.00 per team Closing date: 1st October Cheques should be made payable to YCBA or bank transfer to sort code 16-23-37 account number 00225326 Please quote reference WS17 and e-mail Stuart Davies giving players' names and EBU numbers

Yorkshire League 2017/2018

There will be 85 teams - 4 more than last season. Doncaster, Huddersfield, Ripon and Wetherby have entered an additional team. There will be 9 divisions of 8 teams with 13 in Division 10. 85 is a difficult number to manage. It is impossible for Division 10 to be all-play-all so Doncaster F will only play 6 matches. An average of their Victory Points will be their score for “match 7”. Fixture dates: 29 October, 12 November, 03 December, 07 January, 28 January, 11February and 04 March

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 8

EBU Congresses (Fuller details via EBU website: Entries to EBU Competitions Dept)

Scarborough Summer Congress Scarborough Spa Complex 27 - 30 July

Thursday 27 July 7.15 pm Pre-Congress Pairs Friday 28 July 2.00 pm Multiple Teams qualifier; 7.30 pm Finals Saturday 29 July 2.00 pm Stratified Swiss Pairs (4 matches); 8.00 pm (3 matches) Sunday 30 July Stratified Swiss Pairs (5 matches)

Entry fees: Full Congress £106.00; Multiple teams £38.00; Stratified Swiss Pairs £66.00 Pre-CongressPairs £12.00 Closing date 19 July All events except Pre-Congress Pairs Green pointed

Northern Midweek Congress Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate, HG1 2SR 22 - 24 August

Tuesday 22 August 7.30 pm: Championship Pairs - session 1 Wednesday 23 August 2.00 pm: Championship Pairs - session 2 Wednesday 23 August 7.30 pm: Championship Pairs - session 3 Thursday 24 August 11.00 am - 6.30 pm Swiss Teams (7 matches)

Entry fees Full Congress £65.00; Championship Pairs £44.00; Swiss Teams £30.00 Closing date 12 August Please note change of venue from that originally planned.

Forthcoming Events - Summary

09 July Waddington Cup Final 16 July YCBA Flitch Doncaster - see page 8 23 July Play without the experts York BC – see page 8 27 - 30 July EBU Summer Congress - Scarborough Spa - see above 22 - 24 August EBU Midweek Congress – Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate - see above 01 September - YCBA Golf Clubs - Closing date - see page 8 03 September - Huddersfield Rose Bowl 17 September - Garforth Swiss Teams 30 September/01 October - Great Northern Swiss Pairs - see page 1 01 October - Waddington Shield - Closing date - see page 8 29 October - Yorkshire League 1

Changes in Laws

Every 10 years the considers changes to the Laws of Bridge. New Laws are being introduced this year and the EBU is implementing them on 01 August, with the Summer Meeting the first congress to use them. Affiliated Clubs are asked to adopt the new Laws by the end of September at the latest.

The English Bridge Education and Development team will be running a series of seminars aimed at updating County and Club TDs on the changes and how it will affect club players. YCBA will run one of these courses along with a seminar on using EBUScore, the EBU’s free scoring program. Dates and venues will be confirmed on the website in due course.

YCBA NEWS July 2017 page 9