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Bermuda Embraces a Handful of Aces!

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Bermuda Embraces a Handful of Aces! BERMUDA EMBRACES A HANDFUL OF ACES! With us this week for the first time is Hall of Famer Gail Greenberg, a six-time World Champion and author of several bridge classics. She is here with partner, Jeff Hand, and their Bridge Sprees group, and they have both kindly agreed to sit on the Prophet’s Panel TODAY, so don’t miss that event. Well, it may be too early to say, but it looks very much as if Gail is already giving the Bermuda Regional a big thumbs - up! Another Hall of Fame member, Eddie Wold, has an unusual claim to bridge greatness: amongst his many other sparking achievements in the game, he is one of the few to have won a gold medal for a) an open event (the World Transnational Teams in Paris), b) a seniors' event (World Championships in Bali), and c) a women’s event (non-playing captain of the US Olympiad team in 1996). “So, to make my trophy cabinet complete,” he gently jests, “all I need is one of those Bermuda Regional Section Top mugs.” Although he has played bridge in Bermuda several times before, we are honoured that he and his partner, Bob Morris, have chosen to return this year. And return in clouds of glory they certainly did, winning, with their team mates, the Round Robin Event on Sunday. Some calling card! When A.C.B.L Board member Sharon Fairchild (L) first visited our Regional, she was A.C.B.L. President and was so impressed with the tournament that she promised to return often. And she has certainly proved a woman of her word as, along with husband Stan, . she has returned almost every January since. Bermuda welcomes them both back again in 2018 and thanks them for their continued and fantastic support. Yet another A.C.B.L past President who is visiting this week is Phyllis Harmon, who was here as President in 2014. Phyllis confesses that the Bermuda Tournament has always been one of her favourites, which is quite a coincidence, as she has always been one of our Tournament’ s favourites too! There are no higher aces than these four in any pack, and the Bermuda Regional is delighted and proud to be holding them this week. Contents Mini Bridge Winners 2 Bermuda, Bridge and the Bond Connection 3 Expert Lecture 3 Past Hands – Yesterday’s Best 4 The Backhander – Yesterday’s Best 5 1 Results 6-13 Profit from the Prophet 14 The Bermuda regional 2019 15 The Sharpe Edge - Today's Notices 16 SALAD DAYS AND GLORY PLAYS! Interest in the game of bridge continues to grow steadily in the Island’s High Schools, thanks, in no small part, to the unflagging efforts of local player John Burville and his ever-growing team of willing helpers from the established bridge community. On Sunday, John ran his second inter-school mini bridge event in the Gardenia Room for Bermudian players under 21 and who have never before played bridge at a bridge club or at an ACBL event. The event was extremely well attended with 28 entrants from four out of five of the Island’s High Schools and was followed by a special awards ceremony and prize-giving by Brian McNamara of AIG, a local insurance company which has agreed to sponsor John’s youth programme here for the next three years. Youth bridge has never seemed in safer hands! Overall winners of the event were Trent Harris and Alex Southern, pictured here with John (L) and Brian McNamara First N/S w ere Isiah Cabral and Tariq White First E/W were Keitalia Simons and Kaleyo James 2 BERMUDA, BRIDGE , AND THE LOMBARDINI & BARRETT BOND CONNECTION 24 CARAT During the Second World War, Canadian spymaster William Stephenson (that man called Intrepid) was based at the Hamilton Princess, the Fairmont's sister hotel, where he frequently met with Ian Fleming, also On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It is said that Fleming’s creation, James Bond, was modelled on Stephenson, (Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is ... William Stephenson"), who eventually retired and died here. Bond bridge boffins will recognize a celebrated hand used in the 007 film “Moonraker” against the dastardly villain Drax. Known popularly as the Duke of Cumberland Hand, it was a purportedly rigged hand Jade, Dr. Donna Lombardini and a keen student first dealt the son of King George 111 resulting in the Nuggets of wisdom were easy to find in the many loss of a $20,000 wager, no small potatoes in those interesting anecdotes told yesterday by this well- days. known double act. As immensely successful coaches THE HAND themselves, both Jade and Donna offered interesting insight into what it takes to get the most out of this 007 game of ours. And perhaps the most interesting ♠ lesson of all is that we never ever master bridge, we ♥ only learn to manage it, that the game is always ♦ Q8765432 difficult and sometimes terrifying to even the most Drax ♣ AQ1084 Meyer accomplished of us. ♠ AKQJ ♠ 65432 ♥ AKQJ ♥ 109872 That said, their advice was to work and train hard at ♦ AK ♦ J109 the game, especially in this age of internet when we ♣ KJ9 M ♣ can practise every day, but not to expect to play the ♠10987 perfect game every time. As Donna reminded us, ♥ 6543 “When you make a mistake, put it behind you – ♦ nobody died and there’s always another hand!” ♣76532 Doctor’s Orders! THE BIDDING We were also strongly advised to live by our agreed convention card and not to fudge on aspects of it Bond (N) Meyer (E) M (S) Drax (W) with partner. Finally, we were urged not to be 7♣ (!!) Pass Pass Double intimidated by players we might consider good – Redouble!!! Pass Pass Pass “Make them prove they’re better than you,” said Jade, “and perhaps you’ll find that, after all, they’re not!” THE PLAY Wise, winning words, indeed, from two championship coaches. Although 007 has only 8 points in his hand, there was no give and get by about his approach to the play. By neutralizing Drax’s trumps with a double finesse and promoting his diamonds, which he LISA’S LAUGH-IN somehow knew were forever, he established a legendary 13 tricks, fully justifying his licence to thrill. Overheard at a game in Missouri after a badly bungled board. “Hey, Partner, the Partnership "Umm, that hand has certainly shaken and stirred the Desk never told me when you living daylights out of me!" learned to play bridge. I mean, I know it was today, but what time today?” 3 PAST HANDS - YESTERDAY'S BEST by ROBERT TODD Another 12 IMPs for 3NT! Dealer: South Vul: N/S ♠ A643 ♥ 932 ♦ 96 ♣ 9842 ♠ JT98 ♠ 5 ♥ JT65 ♥ Q74 ♦ T7532 ♦ QJ84 ♣ -- ♣ AJT65 ♠ KQ72 ♥ AK8 ♦ AK ♣ KQ73 NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST P P 2. P 2 P 2NT P 3. X XX* P All 3NT Pass Bob Hamman’s Rule, “If 3NT is a possible contract for you to consider, you should probably choose it,” is true here again! On this hand, South shows a big balanced hand and after a lead-directing X of 3., South XX to suggest playing there. Now knowing about the large . fit, North judges that East must have long . to make a lead-directing double. North could search for a fit, but he knows that if . are breaking poorly then may be as well. Thus, North chooses 3NT, which turns out to be wise because 3.XX will likely not make! West could defeat 3NT with a lead, but the solid suit is too tempting, so the J is led. In 3NT, if split, then South needs only 1. trick to make 9 tricks; South needs 2. tricks if aren’t breaking. If South makes the natural play of going to the dummy with the A and leading up to the . honors (playing the .K or .Q), then he will go down because he will only win 1♣ trick. Instead, South carefully insures 2. tricks by winning the opening lead in hand and leading the .K a trick 2. South wins the return of the Q and leads a low . to the .9, losing to the .T. This creates a finessing position against East’s .J and when declarer regains the lead and tests the , he is rewarded for his forethought by needing his 2. tricks to make the contract! 3NT making 9 tricks, while 4 goes down at the other table. Another 12 IMPs for 3NT!! 4 THE BACKHANDER - YESTERDAY'S BEST by ROBERT TODD An Excellent Offer and a Stellar Choice Dealer: East Vul: E-W ♠ AK543 ♥ T ♦ AKJ3 ♣ A42 ♠ JT982 ♠ 6 ♥ J75 ♥ A32 ♦ T85 ♦ 962 ♣ Q7 ♣ T98653 ♠ Q7 ♥ KQ9864 ♦ Q74 ♣ KJ NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST P 1♥ P 1 P 2♥ P 3♦ P 3NT P All 5NT P 6♦ Pass Here is a hand from the Monday Evening Championship Pairs where North took a thoughtful action that bore fruit. After a good start to the auction that led to N/S reaching 3NT, North was not ready to throw in the towel. Instead of just jumping to 6NT, as happened at many tables, North made a good bid of 5NT – “pick a slam”! South, willing to play in either ♦ or if North had very strong holdings in those suits offered the cheaper of the two, and 6♦ became the final contract! 6♦ is a better contract than 6NT because it has the advantage of declarer being able to do some ruffing in the short side and still draw trump if they are 4-2, and if the ♦ are 3-3, declarer can draw trump and still be able to ruff a ♥ to establish dummy’s ♥ suit! On the actual lie of the cards East led the 6, which declarer won in hand and then led a ♥ towards the dummy.
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