MONTREALT • BULLETIN 1 • Tuesday August 4 • editor: Christina Lund Madsen [email protected] Back in the Alt Routine This headline I have shamelessly stolen from Martin Cantor, BBO-commentator and writer in this bulletin. Because he is so right. Everything is running smoothly, results are up as soon as last table has finished, players are all at their best behaviour and top bridge capacity. Last Major Alt-winner, Gupta, has taken the lead after three solid wins, among them beating his wife in the opening match. Rumours say she will not file a police report, but he will be sleeping on the couch throughout the event. PRE-BULLETIN In second we findTHE TBD, ALTa young, talented team,Monday, and May 11, in2020 third Lombard, winners of the editor: Christina Lund Madsen MontreAlt Qualification. In fact none of the [email protected] are to be found among the bot- tom six teams.INVITATIONAL Let us see if they can keep it up.logistics: WeRosalind Hengeveld wish all of you a great fight today. MAY 11-15, 2020 big data: Joyce Tito online bridge events organized by bid72, bridge24 & netbridge.online All players should enter BBO 10 Today’s Schedule minutesTHE before ALT the beginning INVITATIONAL of a Tuesday August 4 match. TD Denis DobrinMAY 11-15,will instruct 2020 you where to sit. All players must 10:00 EDT/16:00 CET Match 4 (14 boards) online bridge events organized by bid72, bridge24 & netbridge.online have their name in their BBO-profile. 12:30 EDT/18:30 CET Match 5 (14 boards) Private isn't allowed for the sake of 15:00 EDT/21:00 CET Match 6 (14 boards) opponents and kibitzers. sign up for the newsletter - 1 - Leaderboard All results on Bridgeresults.org If there are questions in case of inte- Follow us on rest in promotional matters (such as Facebook sponsoring the ALT) please contact Jan van den Hoek +31620726253 or Click the link [email protected] - 2 - Joe Grue and Brad Moss Draw Round 4 BRIDGERESULTS.ORG - 3 - Victim of the Day Mustafa Cem Tokay by Christina Lund Madsen Where do you come from, where do you live, my excercise stuff, small basketball court what is your job, do you have any educa- and a pool, I try to keep myself fit and play tion, boy/girlfriend, children (that you know a lot of online bridge. about)? What interests/hobbies do you have outside - I was born in Turkey, Istanbul. Now I live of bridge? in New York. Because of the pandemic I am in my summer house in Bodrum on - Not much. I am a boring person besides the west coast of Turkey. I play full time bridge. I love music, I like to go to concerts, bridge, that’s my job. Waiting for the right I like to travel all around the world. time to go back to New York. My new hobbie during the pandemic is I studied chemical engineering. I don’t excercising. have any children. I love to go to soccer games but not pos- sible anymore, and I am a big shopper. Give us the highlights of your bridge life. How did you begin to play, how did you Which country is closest to your heart and progress, where are you now? why? - Bridge is my passion. I started to play - Always Italy. All my friends are there and when I was 9 and until today I only played it is the most beautiful country ever with bridge all my life. I remember many good the best food, best climate. And my second results. Many good tournaments. Now we favorite is Manhattan, New York, where I all miss the Nationals and other strong now live. events in Europe. I began when I was 9 years old cause my What is your worst habit? father was playing and my mum forced me to take bridge lessons. But I think I was - Shopping. ☺ pretty young to understand the game that age. When I became 18 I started again. How would your ex-girlfriends describe you And it became everything. I studied a lot, in three words? read a lot, played a lot. Then I met Alfredo Versace and my other - Charming , aloof and generous. Italian friends. This was a new challenge Maybe not all of them. ☺ for me and gave me a chance to improve my game. Now I know I play good. ☺ Do you have anywhere without tattoos that you would like to tell us about? How has your life been during corona? - No, all my tattoos are visible. ☺ Maybe - My life is ok during corona. I moved to the next one will be in some different part Bodrum, I have a huge garden here, I have of my body. - 4 - Mustafa Cem Tokay Max Rotaru’s question for you: Does Besiktas still have a soccer team and if not, what happens to all those supporters who tattooed the eagle on their arm? - Hello Max, yes, we still exist. We com- municate online with each other. We are waiting for chaos days to come back in soccer. ☺ From which tournament do you have the best memories? - Christina, you know the answer, I think. Copenhagen 2015 we had a great time. Great food and we won, what can be better? When in your life were you most happy? - I am happy when I play bridge, so let’s say all my life. If I come back to this world, I will play bridge again. Who would you like to partner, kiss, kill between your teammates Alfredo Versace, Which time of your life did you struggle the Antonio Sementa and Agustin Madala? most? - I partner Alfredo cause he knows how to - Well, it’s something continuous, once make the best out of his partners. you play bridge you should struggle to I kill Sementa cause he is too hard and improve. Now it is better for me, let’s say mad at the table. easier, but in previous years I struggled to I kiss Agustin because of his magically learn this game. made contracts. If you could change something about your 15. Who should be the next victim in the past, what would it be? bulletin? Tell us something you would like to know about this person. I had a beautiful life and still have. Really can’t remember anything in my past that I - Alfredo can be a good victim. My ques- would like to change specifically. tion for him is which game he thinks he is Now we know we should be more careful better at, Barbu or Bridge. about our health and maybe I should be more careful in the past about my health. - 5 - Nine Men's Morris By Mark Horton Nine Men's Morris is one of the games Closed Room which the computer has 'solved' in that with best play on both sides it must end in WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH a draw. That is never going to be the situ- Brenner Gower Villas Boas Apteker ation in bridge, as these two deals from — — — 1♦ the first round of the MontreALT aptly Pass 1♠ Pass 2♦ illustrate: Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT Board 3. Dealer South. EW Vul. All Pass ♠ A J 8 3 ♥ 8 6 West led the ♣3 and East won with the ♦ A J 5 jack and switched to the ♥Q. Declarer won ♣ K 8 6 4 with the ace and went after the diamonds, ♠ K 6 2 ♠ 10 9 5 4 losing the second round to West's queen. ♥ 5 4 3 ♥ Q J 10 7 When West returned the ♣2 declarer ♦ Q 6 2 ♦ 9 4 again played low from dummy (no doubt ♣ A 9 3 2 ♣ Q J 7 thinking that no-one leads from ace to ♠ Q 7 four against 3NT) and East won with the ♥ A K 9 2 queen and played the ♥J. Declarer ducked ♦ K 10 8 7 3 that, but East switched to a club West's ace ♣ 10 5 representing the setting trick and a gain of 11 IMPs. Open Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Fredin Ventin Gottlieb Pacareu Gary — — — 1♦ Gottlieb Pass 1♠ Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass West led the ♥5 and declarer took East's ten with the king, played a diamond to the ace and ran the jack to West's queen. He won the heart continuation, played the ♠Q, covered by the king and ace and cashed three diamonds. East pitched the ♥Q on the fourth round, so declarer took four tricks in the heart suit! With the ♣A onside he recorded +460. - 6 - Diego Brenner Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul. ♠ 10 9 3 ♥ A Q 7 ♦ A K Q 7 5 ♣ K 8 ♠ K Q 8 6 5 ♠ A J 7 2 ♥ K 5 ♥ 10 9 8 4 3 ♦ 8 2 ♦ 3 ♣ Q 9 5 2 ♣ 6 4 3 ♠ 4 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ J 10 9 6 4 ♣ A J 10 7 Open Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Fredin Ventin Gottlieb Pacareu WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Pass 1♣* Pass 1♠* Brenner Gower Villas Boas Apteker Dble* 2♠* Dble 3♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass 4♦ Pass 5♣ Dble All Pass All Pass What do you think West's double was 1♣ 2+♣, can have 5♦ asking for? Absent any agreement the 1♠ Transfer to 1NT answer is somewhere between a spade Dble Spades and your shortest suit/major. It might 2♠ Strong with clubs or 18-19 with a ♠ stopper make a good question on the bridge edi- tion of Pointless.