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The EBU members’ magazine E JUNE 2015 – Issue No. 259 N G L I S H B R I D Big Changes for G the Summer Meeting E – read about it on page 31 English Bridge INSIDE GUIDE © All rights reserved From the Chairman 5 n Pairs Tactics 6-7 n ENGLISH BRIDGE is published every two months by the Bridge Fiction 8-9 n ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION Heather’s Hints 10-11 n Broadfields, Bicester Road, Prize Leads Quiz Questions 13 n Aylesbury HP19 8AZ Bridge Tips 15 n ( 01296 317200 Fax: 01296 317220 Bridge with a Twist 16-17 n [email protected] Traps for the Unwary 18-19 n Web site: www.ebu.co.uk Great Bridge Disasters 20-21 n ________________ Your Questions Answered 22-23 n Editor: Elena Jeronimidis Obituary – Sandy Constable 23 23 Erleigh Road, Reading RG1 5LR Bridge News 24-25 n ( 0118 926 2602 [email protected] Basic Cardplay 26-27 n ________________ Obituary – Liz Philips 27 Editorial Board Best Behaviour at Bridge 28-29 n Jeremy Dhondy (Chairman), EBU News and Diary 31-32 n Barry Capal, Elena Jeronimidis, Peter Stockdale Bidding Quiz Test Hands 33 n ________________ Letters to the Editor 35 n Advertising Manager Caption Competition 36 n Chris Danby at Danby Advertising Club Bidding Quiz Test Hands 36 n Fir Trees, Hall Road, Hainford, Norwich NR10 3LX Y Bidding Quiz Answers 37-39 n ( / Fax 01603 898678 Around and About 40-42 n [email protected] Big Win in China 43 n ________________ Advanced Defence 44-45 n Printing: Wyndeham Group Top Table 47 n ________________ Prize Leads Quiz Answers 48-49 n English Bridge is also published online Suit Combinations 50-51 n in the Members’ Area at www.ebu.co.uk 2015 Lady Milne 52 n Ask Gordon 53 n EBED News 55 n ARTICLES County News 56-61 n Club Bidding Quiz Answers 62 n IN ENGLISH BRIDGE ARE COLOUR CODED ONLINE EXTRA Common Misconceptions page 65 n Instruction EBU News Bridge Club Live Fun page 66 n County Local Results pages 67-71 n n n In Memoriam page 72 Features Laws & Ethics Reports MEET OUR AUTHORS click n n n Click the ‘link’ icon in the title and you link will be taken to the writer’s biography www.ebu.co.uk June 2015 English Bridge 3 4 English Bridge June 2015 www.ebu.co.uk From the Chairman Winds of Change click by Jeremy Dhondy link THERE has been much said in the media recently Eastbourne from next year. We will have to learn to about whether bridge is or is not a sport with those stop calling it the ‘Brighton Congress’. In August 2016 who comment having very definite views. Winning we will have our 50th Summer Meeting at the Winter the right to judicial review in the matter of whether Gardens in Eastbourne. One reason for mentioning it Sport England should regard bridge as a sport is a step now is that we will be offering some incentives for the in the right direction. Most heartening has been the 2016 event. You can read more on pages 30-31. The uplift in publicity for bridge: lots of column inches as venue will cost less, thus removing some of the well as radio and TV. You can read more on pages upward pressures on entry fees; parking is guaranteed 24-25. Whether you would call bridge a sport, a mind at £2 per day (some local hotels have it for less than sport, a game, or anything else, its reputation will rise this), and hotels are, generally, cheaper than at if we succeed in our action, and you can help by Brighton. Gordon Rainsford, our Chief TD, has writing to your MP and local paper to keep up the visited the venue a couple of times to ensure we can good work. Ask them why the International Olympic run all the events we do at Brighton so the pro - Committee regard bridge as a sport, why other EU gramme should be similar and include the Seniors countries do, and why the UK does not. If, for and the Really Easy events. This represents an exciting example, coverage in the media and acceptance by change and we very much hope that players will like Sport England are achieved, then it may follow that a the new venue and, of course, visit the old venue one programme to increase the number of schools last time this August. I hope to see you there. involved in bridge and minibridge will be easier to achieve with all the good consequences that will have. Cup of Friendship Summer Meeting In 1993 a match started between the EBU and the CBAI (the Irish Bridge Association) alternately hosted In 1960 Harold MacMillan made a speech about the in Eire and England. It was a friendly and started the winds of change. He was talking about a whole process of getting the Republic back into the Camrose continent. For the EBU some things which have been after a gap of more than fifty years. This finally held sacred for a long time are going to change. In happened in 1998 but the event continued without 1967 a Summer Congress was held for the first time at the international component and the most recent Brighton. August 2015 will be the 49th Congress. match was held at Stamford Bridge Club in April (see Although the congress has been at the Metropole for page 42) with club, county and officials’ teams. Apart much of its life, it did have a few years at the Exhib - from being a friendly event, superbly hosted, it gave ition Centre up the road (and one year in Torquay). me a chance to see the new club premises which were My best memory of those years is nothing to do with built from scratch and opened in late 2011. The bridge but with the TV in the centre showing Devon building is every thing you might want in a club and Malcolm in 1994 get the best analysis by an English the com mittee which runs it (most of whom were also fast bowler in the twentieth century (9-57 against actively involved in the project to build it) have South Africa to save you looking). provided what every club might aspire to: excellent The event has seen a drop in numbers in recent premises, abun dant free parking, catering, good use of years and a reason for this is perhaps that Brighton is technology, a teaching programme, and duplicates an expensive place. The council are not friendly to car and other events to help newcomers feel comfortable parkers and hotels are expensive. Brighton on a week - as well as the traditional programme of events. end evening can lack charm. We held a survey about Recently the club acquired its 500th member. Thank other possibilities last year and as a result are going to you, Stamford, for an excellent weekend. r www.ebu.co.uk June 2015 English Bridge 5 Pairs Tactics Lead an Ace vs a Suit Slam click by Andrew Robson link ZIA Mahmood calls this ‘Ross’s Rule’, after West North East South California’s Hugh Ross, a match-point specialist. At 1´ teams and/or rubber you have to consider very Pass 4´ Pass 6´ carefully whether as a defender to lead an un - All Pass supported ace vs a suit slam; you may set up declarer’s king and lose a second trick in the suit. Lead your tA and you’ll make it. Declarer will wrap Arguably leading an unsupported ace makes up the remaining twelve tricks in double-quick declarer slightly more likely to make his slam. time, but at least you get your ace. At pairs, however, it is normally fairly clear to lead Say instead you begin with the ™J. Declarer wins an ace vs a suit slam, for one simple reason: you will with the ace, draws trumps and plays out ®Q-A-K, not go to bed with it and let the opponents make an throwing a diamond from dummy. He ruffs a overtrick. At pairs, letting them make an overtrick fourth club, cashes the ™K, ruffs a third heart, then can be extremely costly. cashes the estab lished fifth club and discards Take this four-table duplicate, with your oppo - dummy’s tK. He ruffs his singleton diamond in nents having a slam: dummy and chalks up the lot. Rats. Your MPs HHHHH Table 1 6 ´ making 12 tricks -980 6 MPs Table 2 6NT making 12 tricks -990 3 MPs Is there ever an occasion at pairs where you should Table 3 6NT making 12 tricks -990 3 MPs not follow Ross’s Rule? Yes, there is. Say that from your Table 4 6 ´ making 13 tricks -1010 0 MPs hand (and/or the bidding) you are sure no other pair holding the opponents’ cards will bid slam. You then The defender who cashed his ace at Table 1, so have just one priority: to beat it. If, by failing to cash restricting declarer to twelve tricks in 6 ´, scored an your ace, declarer makes an over trick, then you have absolute top. The player at Table 4, who did not cash only earned yourself the same round zero you would his ace vs 6´ and never made it, scored an absolute have scored by cashing your ace and restricting bottom. declarer to twelve tricks. Because no one else is there.