Bedfordshire Bridge Association BULLETIN No.232 April 2010 In this issue: Editorial..........................2 Your letters...............2-3 Quiz .................................3 Cuban Trip......................4 Pay to Play......................7 1-level Responses .........8 Bridge Maxims............ 10 AGM ‘Pull-out’.........11-14 Captain’s Slam............. 15 Grading System.......... 16 Bedford Congress...... 18 Defence Question...... 19 Recent Results........... 20 Christine Clarke ......... 21 Bridge Break? ............ 22 Challenge Results...... 24 Bulletin Editor: Peter Scott 21 Salters Way Dunstable LU6 1BT Tel: 01582 668488 or 07956 820530 Email: [email protected] Editorial Welcome to April’s edition. Let’s hope we have seen the last of the Your Letters snow and cold winds. Just a couple of letters received! I am sure Dear Editor, many of you have things on your mind that you would like to share Thank you very much for the ‘new with others. Why not put pen to look’ Bulletin. I thought the paper (or fingers to keyboards) and colourful presentation, lively and send in something for the next interesting content a great issue? There was an amazing entry improvement on the usual County to the Christmas Challenge scoring magazine. ( I have been a member 100% (see back page) as well as of three other counties.) some other very good entries. I If we wish to entice new players to hope you find the quiz on page 3 join the BBA, I think this approach challenging, but most of all I hope can only help our cause. you enjoy reading this Bulletin. Well done, Remember, without your contributions there is no magazine! Viv Barton Ed Professional EBU teacher and Club Director Bridging The Future (a response to Colin O’Hara’s letter in December’s Bulletin) I agree, Colin, we must encourage others to play bridge. However, David and I have been there, done that in introducing the game to family members, friends and acquaintances including free lessons to people residing in our locality; to The gentlemen’s room at the local no avail as far as venturing into the bridge club club scene is concerned. 2 Perhaps there is another way of opportunity to reach out to the showcasing the game? In Middleton public at large and I close with the Hall, Central Milton Keynes, last immortal words of Delia Smith: year two exhibitions were held, “Where are you? Let’s be having which in my opinion, would serve as you!” a suitable platform. It would Anne Gilling require a table for promotional material with someone to answer New Members queries and a card table, four chairs and four people at play. From Louise Smith—BBA Membership Secretary If sufficient people were prepared We would like to welcome the to give say, an hour or so at a time, following new members who have it could be done on a rota basis. I joined since the last Bulletin: have already made tentative Quentin Stephens enquiries. The first one is to be th Wendy Coleman held on 11/12 May at a total cost th Paul Goddard of £200. The second on 26 Returning Nadia Walsh October is a one day LINKMK (Health & Social Care) at minimal cost (about £30). Bridge Quiz It must be noted that LINK is a countrywide organisation, therefore such exhibitions could/should be Contract is 6NTX targeted by clubs, counties and the by South. ♥ EBU. My recommendation is that West leads Q this year ‘we’ concentrate on the How would you play 26 th October exhibition ( half term the contract after week) and set the wheels in motion N West doubled, sooner rather than later as time having already seems to evaporate. S doubled 6 ♥ on the previous round? MKBC has already been allocated a Clue: Slightly space but we need help and easier than guidance from others including previous quizzes! promotional material from the EBU to facilitate this venture. This is an Answer on page 17 3 By David Harris - President of the BBA As a member of had become one the Executive of the Committee of the Caribbean's main European Bridge centres for ship- League and also its building. For a General Counsel, I brief time from am expected to 1762-63 Cuba was attend meetings in under British unusual and control before occasionally exotic being swapped for locations. In November I was Florida with Spain. Today Cuba is a required to travel to Cuba for some sprawling metropolis of 2 million meetings. The Bridge Association inhabitants. The old centre of in Cuba is soon to become a Havana is a UNESCO World Federation recognised by the Heritage site and has an interesting World Bridge Federation and mix of Baroque and neoclassical admitted to membership. Following monuments, and a homogeneous the attendance last summer of ensemble of private houses with Enma Castro of Cuba at the arcades, balconies, wrought-iron European Open Teams gates and internal courtyards. Championship, the Presidential Sadly it has suffered severe Council was invited to visit Cuba on neglect and many of these the occasion of its 9 th International wonderful features are now in Bridge Festival. Six members of danger of collapse. Nevertheless the Board duly set out from various the propensity of 1950 American locations in Europe and flew across cars still provide a wonderful sense the Atlantic to the Caribbean and of nostalgia within this depressed arrived in Havana. city. Havana was founded in 1519 by the Playing cards for money was banned Spanish. By the 17th century, it in Cuba following the revolution and 4 that effectively ended playing significant subsidies from the bridge in Cuba. In 2001 a bridge Soviet Union until its collapse in organizer identified Cuba as a good 1991/2. Fidel Castro was President location to stage bridge of Cuba until February 2008 when tournaments and with the he was succeeded by his brother assistance of Enma Castro, a Raul. younger sister of Fidel and Raul, persuaded the government to allow So there we were in Havana a Bridge Festival to be held on the attending alongside a Bridge island. This year the 9th Cuban Festival for our meetings, only to International Bridge Festival was discover that they really needed an held starting in Havana and then extra team to avoid a 3-way moving mid-week to an all-inclusive in the qualifying rounds resort at Varadero. of the team event. What could we Cuba has been a Communist state do? We since the Revolution of 1959 which were overthrew Fulgencio Batista, the there at US backed General who became their invitation and they needed our President and Dictator and whose assistance. We had no regular evil and corrupt rule was roundly partnerships but the least we could criticised by JFK in an interview he do was to make up the numbers. gave in October 1963. The leader And so we drew straws for partners of the revolution was Fidel Castro. which resulted in an Eyetie playing His second in command was an with a Turk, a Frog playing with a Argentine Marxist revolutionary by Polak and me (the Roast Beef) the name of Ernesto Che Guevara. having to play with the Bubble and Che achieved iconic status following Squeak. his execution by CIA assisted forces in 1967 in Bolivia where Che Play got under way and at the end was inciting further revolutionary of the eleven qualifying rounds our forces. Che’s famous image still team found itself in the top four emblazons many posters and T- and therefore having to play in the shirts throughout the world. semi-finals and then meeting a good Diplomatic relations between the Turkish team in the final. Well USA and Cuba have been severely after 48 boards we were all square strained since the Bay of Pigs but in the 4 extra boards our fiasco in 1962 and there still exists opponents bid a thin but making a trade embargo. Cuba thrived slam and we lost by 4 imps. reasonably well as a result of 5 On Board 29 in the Final, team N E S W mates sitting N/S bid the hand 1♦ P 1♠ P below to an excellent 7 ♦ (95% 3♣ P 3♥ P grand slam). Sadly the 4-0 off-side 4♠ End trump break meant 16imps out rather than 13 imps in. At the other table the bidding was: Dealer North N E S W Game All 1♦ P 1♠ P 3♣ P 3♦ P 3♠ P 4♣ P 6♦ End N W E Diamonds broke 4-1 but with the S singleton being the Q ♦ declarer was not troubled. 6 ♦ was not a great contract but it was a making one and generated a sufficient margin for our opposition to win 11-7. It was great to have the opportunity to visit Havana and sample one or two mohitos and the The first of the extra 4 boards in odd pina colada. Being forced to the Final produced the following play some bridge was one of those deal: crosses that we just have to learn Love All to bear. It was particularly Dealer North interesting to meet Enma Castro and ask her about her memories of North South Che Guevara: “He was extremely ♠ AJ5 ♠ K10832 good looking, very exciting to be ♥ Void ♥ A1096 with and you know the rest”. ♦ AKJ92 ♦ 1074 ♣ QJ1086 ♣ K I was North and the bidding at our table proceeded as follows:- 6 Photo on page 4 (from the left) Gianarrigo Rona (President of the EBL and President Elect of the WBF) Radek Kielbasinski (President of the Polish Bridge Union) Panos Gerantopulos (Secretary of the EBL) Enma Castro David Harris (President of Bedfordshire Bridge Association) Yves Aubry (President of the French Bridge Federation) Sevinc Atay (EBL Executive Member) YOUR MEMBERSHIP UNDER PAY TO PLAY (P2P) UNIVERSAL MEMBERSHIP As we are sure you are aware, P2P came into effect on 1 st April 2010.