Tuesday, 18 January 2000 Jean Paul Meyer, Co-ordinator • , Editor Brent Manley & ,Assistant Editors Issue: 11 Stelios Hatzidakis, Layout Editor Book your Seat Now! It is hard to believe, but the semifinals of the Orbis and Orbis are providing the same level of excite- Orbis World Championship ment as the quarterfinals.All four matches have ebbed and flowed, With one round to go in the Round-Robin of the Orbis World and there is no reason why that pattern should not continue today. Computer Bridge Championship, the French WBridge5 is leading the field with 83 out of a possible 120 VPs. The other scores are GIB (US, 81), Micro Bridge9 (Japan, 73), Bridge Buff (Canada, Orbis Bermuda Bowl 68), Q+Plus Bridge (Germany, 62), Blue Chip Bridge (Great In the struggle between the North American teams, USA 2 Britain, 48), Bridge Baron (US, 43) Meadowlark Bridge (US, 22). made the first move, winning the second session by 24 IMPs. After today's final Round-Robin match, the top four perform- However USA I hit back hard in the third session, taking it 54-1. ers will go on to the semifinals.Thirty-eight boards will be played They gained another 3 IMPs in the final session of the day, to lead in the semifinal matches, with the IMP-results of the 10 boards by 29 IMPs. played against the same opponent in the Round-Robin being fully At the end of the first session in the other semifinal, Brazil led carried over. by 0.3 of an IMP! Then it was Norway by 5.7, then 3.7 before Brazil became the first to get a little daylight, winning the last ses- sion 43-19 to lead by 20.3 IMPs. Victory Banquet Orbis Venice Cup Friday 21 January 2000 USA I won the first three sessions to open up a lead of 65 IMPs. Denmark began a charge at the start of the closing ses- The Victory Banquet desk will open today 18 January at sion of the day and more than halved the margin. USA I hit back, 12 noon. It will be located next to the Hospitality desk.. but the Danes still picked up 23 IMPs to trail by a manageable All the Captains of the Bermuda Bowl,Venice Cup, Seniors 42 IMPs going into the remaining two sessions. Exhibition and Transnational teams are requested to come to The Netherlands made a fantastic start to the second ses- the Victory Banquet desk as soon as possible to advise us of the requirements of their teams. sion, picking up three huge swings in a row, going on to gain 36 IMPs. Austria fought back and by the close of play had reduced Those eligible for complimentary tickets are players and the margin to just 9.3 IMPs. captains with their spouses, of the Bermuda Bowl,Venice Cup, and Seniors Exhibition teams. Also eligible are the Transnational Teams players. Others, including the spouses of Transnational Teams players, may purchase tickets for $100 Orbis World Transnational Teams Championship (inclusive of wines). After six rounds, the Great Britain squad comprising Jeremy Dhondy, Alan Kay, Peter Goodman and Mike Pownall are Dress: Black Tie Preferred leading the star-studded field. ! Attention s.v.p. ! Prize Giving Airport Transportation Forms MUST be handed in to the Transport Desk by 4 p.m. (16.00 hrs) Thursday 20th January. The prize-giving ceremony will begin promptly at 19.00 in the Taxis are pre-ordered and pre-paid. If your name is not regis- Auditorium.We request that everybody be seated by 18.50. tered on the list, you will NOT be guaranteed transport. The teams who are to receive medals will be assigned seats. The above applies only to Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup par- The Ceremony will be followed by dinner and dancing in the Atlantic ticipants; all others must make their own arrangements. Room (the playing area). 2 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

ORBIS BERMUDA BOWL - SEMI FINALS

Carry Over 1st Session 2nd Session 3rd Session 4th Session 5th Session 6th Session Total 10.30 13.20 1 Brazil Norway 1.3 - 0 15 - 16 20 - 26 19 - 17 43 - 19 98.3 - 78 2 USA 1 USA 2 0 - 3 27 - 27 31 - 55 54 - 1 25 - 22 137 - 108 ORBIS VENICE CUP - SEMI FINALS

Carry Over 1st Session 2nd Session 3rd Session 4th Session 5th Session 6th Session Total 10.30 13.20 3 USA 1 Denmark 16 - 0 27 - 17 27 - 24 53 - 17 30 - 53 153 - 111 4 Austria The Netherlands 8.7 - 0 32 - 30 33 - 69 45 - 31 30 - 28 148.7 - 158 Orbis World Transnational Open Teams Championship Results after 6 rounds VuGraph Matches

Team’s Name Country VPs Team’s Name Country VPs Tuesday 18 January 2000 1 DHONDY J. GBR 120 39 BIZER L. RUS 90.5 2KATZ R. USA 117 40 FRIEDMAN USA 90 3 GULLBERG SWE 115 41 QUINN J. USA 90 4 MIHOV V. BUL 111 42CONVEREY ZAF 89 5 SIMPSON USA 111 43 DOUGLAS BDA 88 6 MELTZER USA 111 44 ASH M. GBR 88 7 BAZE G. USA 109 45 ESPINOSA ARG 87 8 KLAR R. USA 108 46 GERARD J. USA 87 Orbis Venice Cup 9 HACKETT P. GBR 108 47 RICCIARELI ITA 86 10 MILNER USA 108 48 RAND R. USA 86 10.40 - Session 5 11 O'ROURKE USA 107 49 REDRUPP CAN 86 Austria v The Netherlands 12REIPLINGER FRA 104 50 RASMUSSEN USA 86 13 MELLSTROM SWE 103 51 HICKS K. CAN 85 14 LES AMOILS ZAF 103 52BARRETT J. USA 85 13.30 - Session 6 15 ZAKRZEWSKI POL 102 53 SAMUEL R. USA 83 16 MUNAWAK IDN 102 54 FOLDES M. ISR 83 to be decided 17 SCHIESSER GER 101 55 REVILL C. CAN 83 18 Ms EKEBLAD USA 101 56 CONTERNO PER 82 19 HENNINGS USA 100 57 BLACSTOCK NZL 81 20 ROHAN K ISR 99 58 KRZYSZTOF POL 78 World Transnational 21 SILVER J. USA 99 59 LEVINE M. USA 77 Open Teams Championship 22 HALLEN SWE 97 60 JASSEM K. POL 75 23 DE FALCO ITA 97 61 MARKOWICZ USA 74 Playing Schedule 24 SOUSTER W. BDA 97 62KIRSH D. CAN 74 25 TERRANEO AUT 96 63 ROGERS R. USA 73 Tuesday 18th 14.00 - 15.25 Round 7 26 CORNELL M. NZL 96 64 SCOTT W. AUS 73 15.45 - 17.10 Round 8 17.30 - 18.55 Round 9 27 SOSLER G. USA 95 65 MOSES N. AUS 73 19.15 - 20.40 Round 10 28 AUKEN J. USA 95 66 SURIYA C. THA 72 29 BRACHMAN USA 95 67 KIRILENKO RUS 72 30 ZIMMERMAN FRA 95 68 NEHMERT B. GER 72 31 SHUGART R. USA 94 69 WARSHAUER USA 70 32JABBOUR USA 94 70 ACHTENBERG SWI 67 33 TORNAY G. USA 94 71 HAMAOUI VEN 66 34 HAGA M. NOR 93 72BOJOH L. IDN 66 The Annual General Meeting will be 35 RINALDI ITA 93 73 ROSEN E. VEN 63 on Wednesday 19th January at 9 a.m. in 36 ROUDINESCO FRA 92 74 HANRATTY IRE 62 the NEPTUNE CLUB (lobby level). 37 KOUMETZ FRA 92 75 WOOD USA 55 The Annual Awards will be present- 38 JAGNIEWSKI POL 91 76 GRAY A. ZAF 47 ed at 10 a.m. BERMUDA Tuesday, 18 January 2000 3

Orbis World Transnational Open Teams Championship ANSWERS TO QUIZ List of Participants By Alan Truscott

1 ESPINOSA, SAFRA C, HARDEMAN A-M, SERRAS ARG/BEL 1. Oldest player in the Bermuda Bowl: 2MOSES N, BROCKWELL J,ASHWORTH J, MOTTRAM J,WESTWOOD W AUSJessel Rothfield,Australia, 82. 3 SCOTT W, MOSES K, LUSK D, SOLOMON R, BAGCHI K, BROWNE AUS/NZL 4 TERRANEO,TERRANEO T,WERNLE S, SIMON B, KRIFNER G AUT 2. Youngest players in the Bermuda Bowl: 5 SOUSTER W, EGINTON S, BURN SU, HART M, REID F BDA/JAM/GBR Boye Brogeland, Norway, 26. (he will be 6 DOUGLAS, HARVEY I-C, PETTY V, SMOLSKI R BDA 27 on Jan 26. Jerry Stamatov of Bulgaria 7 MIHOV V, KARAIVANOV K, NANEV I, STAMATOV, POPOV,TRENDAFILOV BUL is 3 months older). 8 HICKS K, BRITTEN B, CARRUTHERS J, DEAVES D CAN 9 KIRSH D, KIRSH E, BEAUREGARD P,BEAUREGARD CAN 3. Oldest player in the Venice Trophy: Ella 10 REDRUPP,PAULSSON S, SCHOCK C, SCHOCK V CAN Grace, Hong Kong, 81. 11 REVILL C, HEICKLEN J, MUTLU U, JACOBUS CAN/USA 12KOUMETZ,VELUT J,AWAD M,AWAD G FRA 4. Youngest player in the Venice Trophy: 13 REIPLINGER, QUANTIN J-C, CRONIER P,CHEMLA P,LEVY A, DAMIANI J FRA Abbey Walker, Great Britain, 23. 14 ROUDINESCO, DELMOULY C,ADAD P,AUJALEU M,WILKOSZ, SZENBERG S FRA/POL 5. Tallest player in the Bermuda Bowl: 15 ZIMMERMAN, MOUIEL H, PERRON M, SAPORTA P,MORETTI R/COLIN J-L FRA/GBR Norbert Bocchi, Italy, 1.96 metres. 16 ASH M, MCPHEE S,VOLHEJN V, FORT T GBR/CZE 17 DHONDY J, KAY A, GOODMAN P,POWNALL M, DHONDY W, SHARPLES A GBR (Near miss: Seamus Browne, Australia, 18 HACKETT P,HACKETT JA, HACKETT JU,ARMSTRONG J, MAVROMICHALIS, LAIR M GBR/USA 1.95 metres). 19 NEHMERT B, STAWOWY B/FARWIG K, RAUSCHEID,YVEN M, REPS K GER/CAN 6. Bermuda Bowl or Venice Cup team with 20 SCHIESSER, MARTENS K, KNAP A, ZAREMBA A, SUNDELIN P GER/POL/SPA/SWE no player born in the country:Australia: 21 BOJOH L, MANDOLANG, PONTOH S-S, KUHU LASUT,TEDJO S, STOFIAN E IDN (2 New Zealanders; 2 Americans; 22 MUNAWAK, JAICUL, KARWUR,TOBING, PANELEWEN IDN 1 Scot; 1 Indian). 23 HANRATTY, DOWLING S, O'LUBAIGH S, MCCORMACK J IRE 24 FOLDES M, CARAY J, MEEHAN P,O'FARELL R ISR/IRE/USA 25 ROHAN K, BARRATA F, RAND N, ROMIK P,NOVAK J, SENIOR N ISR/AUT/BUL Winning : John Wignall, New 26 DE FALCO, FERRARO G, DUBOIN G, BOCCHI N, FAILLA G,ATTANASIO D ITA Zealand. 5 correct, but had Browne instead 27 RICCIARELI, GIGLI G, LATESSA A, ROMANIN G, MARUUGI A, BARONI F ITA of Bocchi. 28 RINALDI, D'AVOSSA M, MALLARDI M, BIONDO B, INTONTI R, DI BELLO S ITA 29 HAGA M, GRIME P,THUROCZY F, SUNDENG C NOR 30 BLACSTOCK, BLACKHAM E, CORNELL V, NEWTON S,WILKINSON J,YULE K NZL 31 CORNELL M, CROMBIE D, JACOB T, MACE B, NEWEL P,REID M NZL 32CONTERNO,VELARDE C,AROSEMENA T, CONTERNO E, ELIAS-LAROSA E, CONTERNO A PER Limerick Competition 33 JAGNIEWSKI, BREWIAK G, CIECHOMSKI J, POLETYLO J,WOJCICK M,TURCZYNOWICZ J POL 34 JASSEM K, KOWALSKI A, KWIECIEN M, PSZCZOLA J, ROMANSKI J,TUSZYNSKI P POL Update 35 KRZYSZTOF,WITOLD T, JERZY R,ALEKSANDER J POL 36 ZAKRZEWSKI, OLANSKI W, LESNIEWSKI M, SZYMANOWSKI M/PUCZYNSKI M, CHMURSKI B POL Today we feature three limericks 37 BIZER L, SEMENOV I,AVDEEV E, GLADYSH E RUS with a bridge theme, firstly from Seamus 38 KIRILENKO, PORTNOY P,ZHAMK M, KOUSTAROV S RUS Dowling, secondly Ray Lee and lastly 39 GULLBERG, LAMBARDI P,LUCENA C,ANDERSSON L, NILSLAND M SWE/ARG Sidney Lazard. 40 HALLEN,VENTURA P,JOURDAIN P,DENNISON M, BERGLUND S-E, LUND P SWE/GBR 41 MELLSTROM, STROMBERG, NYSTROM F, NILSSON U, GUNNELL B SWE There was a young girl from Bermuda 42ACHTENBERG, BIGAT H,YALMAN A,YALMAN SWI 43 SURIYA C, SURIYA A, SILABHUSISDHI, NIMITYONGSKU THA All the bridge players in town so amused her 44 AUKEN J,WOLFF B, MORSE D, ZHONG FU,AUKEN S,VON ARNIM D USA/DEN/CHN/GER She made a blind date 45 BARRETT J, HOFFMAN A-S, HAYASHI J, BOBORIKIAN A, McGOWAN L USA With Meckwell quite late 46 BAZE G,WHITMAN M, GRABEL R,WITTES J, COMPTON C USA When they both came it really confused her 47 BRACHMAN M,WOLD E, PASSEL M, SEAMON M, GRECO E, HAMPSON G USA 48 FRIEDMAN, LERNER L,TERZIAN T, MILIKAN C USA There was a young girl from Bermuda 49 GERARD J, NUDELMAN B,ANDERSON V, POLISNER J USA/BRA Whose team-mates refused to include her 50 HENNINGS, HENNINGS D, RODNEY D, RODNEY A USA When she plays, they have found 51 MELTZER,WEICHSEL P,SONTAG A, ZMUDZINSKI A, BALICKI C USA/POL 52JABBOUR, FRANCIS D/FISHER J, PALMER B, DEAS L, EYTHORSDOTTIR USA They get blitzed every round 53 KATZ R, MITTLEMAN G, GARNER S,WEINSTEIN H USA/CAN So to bench her is really far shrewder 54 KLAR R, BATES R, BAREN B, MOLSON M USA/CAN 55 LEVINE M, JABBOUR Z, HAMILTON F, FISHER A, EISENBERG B,ARNOLD R USA There was a young girl from Bermuda 56 MARKOWICZ, MELMAN V, NIRAN W, SELIGMAN S, KLUKOWSKI, RAMER R USA/NTH/ISR/POL Who was wooed by a dude from Barbuda 57 O'ROURKE, CHEEK C, LARSEN K, SMITH R, MILLER B USA Till she trumped his ace twice 58 MILNER, LEVIN B, JACOBUS M, MOSS B, GITELMAN F USA/CAN And abided no vice 59 WOOD, SMITH G, COOK C,WAKEFIELD J,WAY M, JOHNSON J USA/BDA The dude who had wooed her eschewed her 60 Ms EKEBLAD, EKEBLAD, SUTHERLIN J, LEV S, MOHAN J USA 61 QUINN J, BROWNSTEIN S, GOLDBERG C, PETTIS B, LEVY D,TINTNER L USA 62RAND R, LINHART J, OWENS G, OWENS C,WHITE ED, COLKER R USA Please keep sending your fine 63 RASMUSSEN, MILLER P,DAEHR C, JUNG S, KEEN E, GAMBRILL C USA/GER/CAN/BDA efforts to the Bulletin Room. If your 64 ROGERS R, PICUS C,TAUSSIG J, HALL C, COMPTON D, KASLE B USA/BDA effort has not yet appeared, fear not, I 65 SAMUEL R, SAMUEL S, LARA M-J, CAPUCHO M USA/POR still have a large selection which will be 66 SHUGART R, FERGUSON, ROBSON A, FORRESTER T USA published daily. 67 SILVER J, KASLE G, ONSTOTT J, BEATTY S USA 68 SIMPSON, BENNETT H, ROBISON J, HAYDEN G, COLEMAN J, SHUMAN M USA 69 SOSLER G, SCHULLE K, BURATTI A, LANZAROTTI M, LAURIA L,VERSACE A USA/ITA 70 TORNAY G, ROBERTS J,TRUSCOTT D/TRUSCOTT A, COHEN R, SHAPIRO M USA 71 WARSHAUER, RETEK G, RETEK M,VARE O,WIGNAL J, MORSE J USA/CAN 72HAMAOUI, ZIGHELBOIM O, SLIMAK P,BIRNBAUM S, BERNAZZI M, BUDKHEDI D VEN Attention 73 ROSEN E,TAGLIAVA M,VAISBERG T, CABEZAS A, BELLINI G, BELLINI S VEN 74 CONVEREY, GOWER C, HAMMAN P,MODLIN M ZAF/USA Closed room and other maches 75 GRAY A,ASHBERG J, NICK H, RICE V ZAF begin at 10.30, 13.20, 16.10 and 21.00. 76 LES AMOILS, EBER N, CHU W, COPE T ZAF 4 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Orbis Venice Cup - QF Session 6 Germany v Austria By Tony Gordon (GB)

Having led virtually throughout the match, Open Room In both rooms, West's 1{ opening bid was passed round to South. In the Open Room, Austria took a healthy-looking lead of 42 IMPs West North East South into the final session.They then proceeded to Smederevac started with 2{ and then jumped to Rauscheid Erhart Nehmert Smederevac open the door to Germany,but Germany were 4[ over Erhart's 2].That ended the auction and ultimately unable to take advantage of the sit- 1NT she made all thirteen tricks for +710 to Austria. uation. Pass Pass 5{ All Pass In the Closed Room, von Arnim, possibly disillu- 2-IMP gains to Germany on each of the sioned by seeing Weigkricht mistime the play on Nehmert took the direct route to 5{ over the previous and still make 6[, simply first two boards reduced the margin to 38 Jovanka Smederevac's opening 1NT and made IMPs, then: jumped to 4[. She also made all thirteen tricks. eleven tricks for +600 to Germany. Austria led by 10 IMPs at this point, but Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. Closed Room Germany had a chance to get back on terms on board 13 when Austria missed a vulnerable West North East South [ Q 10 5 2 4[. However, Germany also stayed out of Weigkricht Auken Fischer v.Arnim ]Q 10 game, which was perhaps just as well consider- 1] ing that they made two tricks less than Austria. { A 10 9 4 Pass Pass 2] Dble One last chance remained: } Q 8 5 2[ Pass 3{ All Pass [ 6 4 3 [ A J 9 7 Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul. N Doris Fischer's 3{ was 100% forcing, but ] A J 8 7 5 4 3 ] 9 [ 10 6 W E Terry Weigkricht viewed to pass; +150 to { 8 { J 7 3 Austria but 10 IMPs to Germany, now only ] Q J 9 8 5 } K 9S } J 7 6 4 2 6 IMPs behind. { A 9 3 2 }J 5 [K 8 Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. ] K 6 2 [ A J 7 5 4N [ 8 3 { K Q 6 5 2 [ J 6 5 ] 6 4 3 2] K 10 ] 9 4 3 W E } A 10 3 { 8 { K Q J 4 { J 4 3 } 7 S 4 2} A K Q 8 6 In the Closed Room and } K J 10 8 [ K Q 9 2 played in 3NT on the [ 10 8 7N [ A 9 3 ]A 7 ] Q J 5 ] A K 10 7 North/South cards and made an overtrick W E { 10 7 6 5 after a heart lead; +430 to Germany. { Q 10 8 6 { K 9 7 2 } 10 9 3 } A Q 3S } 7 6 Closed Room Open Room [ K Q 4 2 West North East South West North East South ] 8 6 2 Weigkricht Auken Fischer v.Arnim {A 5 Rauscheid Erhart Nehmert Smederevac 1} Pass } 9 5 4 2 1NT 1{ 1] 2} Pass 2[ Pass 3} All Pass Dble Redble 2} Pass In the Closed Room, Fischer opened 1] as East (1NT would have shown 15-17) and Pass Dble Pass Pass passed Weigkricht's rather heavy 1NT After the strong 1} opening and 1{ nega- 2] Pass Pass Dble response. Auken led the [J (!) and Weigkricht tive, the Austrians came to rest in 3}. Von Arnim led the }9 and Fischer won and played All Pass ducked the first two rounds of the suit. Von Arnim now found the club switch that would the {K. Auken took her Ace and continued trumps and Fischer won and ruffed her losing Andrea Rauscheid's double of 1NT have ensured the defeat of 3NT, but 1NT was impregnable.Weigkricht rose with the }A and diamond in dummy.The [A followed by the [J showed a one-suited hand and Pony would have worked well at this point as it Nehmert's 2} over 's redouble played a diamond to the King and Ace. She made seven tricks for +90 to Austria. keeps North out of the lead, but declarer not should have delivered a somewhat better suit. unnaturally played a heart to her King. Austria doubled this and Rauscheid's retreat to In the Open Room, Nehmert's 1NT range was 14-16 so she opened 1NT and was raised However, the third round of hearts from 2], but after a spade lead to the nine and King North now promoted South's }10 to the set- the contract could not be defeated; +670 and to game. Spades were led and continued and Smederevac cleared the suit. If Nehmert could ting trick; +50 to Germany. a massive 15 IMPs to Germany. guess who held the {J, Germany would take Open Room A part-score swing on the next board the lead; however, she immediately ran the {9 brought Germany another 6 IMPs, then: and was one down. 5 IMPs to Austria,who now West North East South Rauscheid Erhart Nehmert Smederevac Board 7. Dealer South.All Vul. had a little breathing space. 1} Pass Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. [ J 10 9 7 1[ Pass 2{ Pass ] J 3 2 [ 10 9 8 2[ Pass 3NT All Pass {J 4 ] A K 10 7 Germany were more aggressive in the { Q 10 6 2 } 8 6 3 2 other room and reached 3NT and Smederevac }J 5 [ Q 8 6 5 4 [ A 2 led the [2. Double dummy, Nehmert can make N [5 3N [J 6 her contract by inserting the [J at trick one ] 10 9 7 5 4 ] – ] Q J 8 ] 9 6 2 and not covering North's eventual ]Q switch. W E W E { 8 2{ A { A K J 8 7Q 5 { 9 4 3 10 However, that was9 an unlikely scenario, and in7 6 5 S } 4 } A K Q J } Q 4S } 10 9 6 3 2 practice she went one down after rising with [K 3 the [A at trick one. [ A K Q 7 4 2 Time had run out for Germany; although ] A K Q 8 6 ] 5 4 3 they had won the final session by 38-7 IMPs, {K 3 {– Austria had won the match by 177-166 IMPs and } 10 9 7 5 } A K 8 7 would face the Netherlands in the semi final. BERMUDA Tuesday, 18 January 2000 5

Stumble without a fall Avoiding Promotion by David Lusk (Australia) by Neil Cohen, USA

The Vugraph audience was impressed force with the top spade. At this point, West This hand was mentioned in Friday's Daily when the Indonesian declarer in the West seat must assume that North started with five News in the report on Denmark v Canada in scrambled home in 4] against Poland on this spades or the contract is doomed. Once South the Orbis Venice Cup. board in Round 14. has blocked the suit,West will do best by dis- The hand warrants some examination in carding a diamond, winning the next trick and Board 14. Dealer East. Love All areas of technique in both bidding and play. drawing trumps. [ A Q 10 8 6 4 3 4] is clearly inferior to 5{, with at least In fact, West showed us how to play the one pair reaching 6{, making. North/South can hand if South had been alert enough to ]7 put the slam under maximum pressure if South unblock the spade suit. Under those circum- { 6 4 3 refuses the first heart trick, especially if North stances, West must the third round of }8 4 leads the queen of hearts.The contract is cold spades and may as well play his remaining [ –N [ K J 7 2 on any lead, and West's heart pips are far too trumps even though he is one behind.The end- ] 9 8 6 4 3 ] Q 10 5 strong for South. (Editor. 4] is comfortable ing was like this: W E enough but gets fairly scary on continued { K 7 2{ 10 } A K Q J 3S } 10 7 6 5 2 spade leads.) [J [9 5 ]– Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul. ] A K J 2 {9 2 { A Q J 9 8 5 [ J 10 7 6 4 } K 10 9 ]Q }9 [–N [– { 9 6 2 ]– ]– At one table, Reus, North, played Four W E } K 10 9 3 { A K Q 7 5 { 10 4 3 Spades doubled after the auction. [ 8N [ A 9 5 2 }8S }A Q J ] K J 9 8 4 West2] 10 North East South W E [– Pass 1{ { A K Q 7 5 { 10 4 3 ]7 S 2} 4[ Dble All Pass } 8 } A Q J 5 2 {J 8 [ K Q 3 } 7 6 4 East led a club to the jack, and West shift- ] A 7 6 5 3 ed to a heart to the jack. (That was a mistake. {J 8 West can afford a maximum of two rounds The winning defence is to force the dummy by } 7 6 4 of diamonds before risking the club . If playing a second club. Editor) Now, declarer not, South will the third round and enlist played a spade to the ace and ruffed a club, and West took the first spade in dummy, South North's cooperation in throwing declarer in East eventually came to three trump tricks for playing the three, and led the ten of hearts, dummy with the jack or queen of clubs. Once down one. Getting to hand with the trump ace running it to North's queen. North correctly West takes the club finesse (forced if South in effect wastes the spade nine, a valuable spot. persisted with spades, forcing declarer for the has defended perfectly), then he can take the Better is: first time. third diamond from dummy and South will Cash three hearts, discarding diamonds, West got a rude shock on the second have to concede the last two clubs to dummy and the diamond ace. Now, ruff a red card with round of trumps, won by South for a further if the third round of diamonds is ruffed. the spade 8 (It also works to ruff with the ten or queen! Editor) i. If E doesn't overruff, ruff a club low and Can Write and Play pass the spade nine. East must win, or else is When the Press Team met the Rosenblum West North East South limited to two trump tricks. Now, though, declarer can win any lead in hand and shut out World Champions in the Orbis Transnational, Versace Ventura Lauria Jourdain you can be sure the journalists were looking East's spade seven. for good copy.The best deal was a push: 1{ 3} 3{ 3[ ii. If East overruffs, neither black suit return Pass 4[ All Pass is helpful. On a club lead, say, declarer ruffs and Dealer West; N/S Vul again passes the spade nine. Again, East must At the table where Buratti passed the North capture, and it is an easy matter for declarer to cards, Lanzarotti bravely came in with Three [ J 8 2 draw trumps. Spades on the South cards. It was slightly easier ] J 10 7 In line i, if declarer doesn't cash out the red {– for Jourdain at the other table where his partner had made a weak jump which neverthe- suits, East can stick declarer in dummy after } K Q J 9 8 3 2 less had to be sound at the vulnerability. capturing the spade nine. Now, East gets a [ Q 10 4N [ 9 7 The play did not take long at either table. trump promotion. ] A 9 8 5 ] K 6 4 West led the ace of diamonds. Both Lanzarotti W E { A Q J 10 9 { K 8 7 6 5 and Jourdain ruffed in dummy and at once } 4S } 10 6 5 played a low trump from both hands. The defenders cashed their two heart tricks but Bermuda shorts [ A K 6 5 3 declarer was now able to draw trumps and run 'Researchers have discovered that ] Q 3 2 the clubs to claim the game. chocolate produces some of the same { 4 3 2 The journalists won by 9-2 IMPs, 17-13VP. reactions in the brain as marijuana. The }A 7 researchers also discovered other simi- Attention! larities between the two, but can't West North East South remember what they are.' Hallen Buratti Dennison Lanzarotti If you have informed Hospitality of your Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show, travel plans and then change them, you must August 22 1{ Pass 3{ 3[ inform Penny Harvey in Room 412 immediately. Pass 4[ All Pass 6 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Orbis Venice Cup - SF Session 1 USA I v Denmark

USA1 took a 16 IMP carry-forward advan- West North East South Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. tage into the first set of their Orbis Venice Cup Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller semi-final against Denmark. They nearly dou- [ 9 8 6 bled that advantage on the first board of the Pass 1} ]4 2 match. 1] 3NT All Pass { Q J 10 8 5 Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. } Q J 9 West North East South [ A K 10 3 2[ Q 7 5 [ J 8 7 3 2 N Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin ] K Q J ] A 10 9 8 5 3 ] A K 7 4 W E Pass 1} { 6 4 3 { 7 {A } 7 5S } A 6 3 } 9 8 2 Pass 1] Pass 1[ Pass 2{ Pass 2NT [J 4 [5N [A 10 9 ]7 6 ] 3 ] J 10 9 8 5 2 Pass 3{ Pass 3NT W E Pass 4] Pass 5} { A K 9 2 { K Q 10 6 5 4 { 8 } K 10 8 4 2 } A Q 7 6 5S } K 10 3 Pass 5{ All Pass West North East South [ K Q 6 4 The One Heart overcall led to a very Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller ]Q 6 quick and simple auction on vugraph. { J 9 7 3 2 Mancuso led a heart and Shawn Quinn won Pass 1] 2} }J 4 and switched to a spade. Kalkerup proceed- 2[ 3} 3[ Pass ed to get the diamonds wrong but then had West North East South Pass 4] 4[ Pass ten tricks; +630. All Pass Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Dorte Cilleborg did not overcall. Left to 1[ Pass 3[ themselves, Meyers/Montin went off on a pos- Tough to reach the good slam and nobody 4NT Pass 5} All Pass sible slam hunt and ended up in Five managed it in either series. Quinn followed a Diamonds. When declarer misguessed the fairly obscure looking line, after a diamond lead Four spades should be defeated, so Five trump suit, she was down one; -100 and 12 and club switch, to hold herself to 11 tricks for Clubs was a phantom save. However, with no IMPs back to Denmark. +650. double, the normal action by East/West was not going to cost very much. Kirsten Steen-Møller Board 7. Dealer South.All Vul. West North East South led the king of spades and Renee Mancuso won Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin [ A 7 5 her ace and played a diamond to the king and Pass 1] Pass ]2 ace. Bettina Kalkerup cashed a top heart then 1[ Pass 2] Dble reverted to spades.Mancuso played on crossruff { K J 9 7 4 4] 5{ Dble All Pass lines, making all her trumps separately, plus the }J 10 queen of diamonds when Kalkerup chose not to [ K J 10N [ Q 9 6 4 3 2 I prefer Montin's pass on the first round to ruff.That was just one down for -50. ] 10 7 5 Steen-Møller 's 3overcall on that anaemic2] 6 club W E West North East South {3 {Q 6 2 suit. Montin came in next time with a take-out double, which got both minors into the game Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin } Q 10 8 5S } 9 7 2 [8 and enabled her side to reach the Five 1[ Pass 3[ Diamond save.That cost 500 but was worth 4 4NT Pass 5} Pass ] A J 9 8 4 IMPs to USA1. Pass Dble All Pass { A J 10 7 } A J 6 Board 10. Dealer East.All Vul. The auction was almost identical to that in the other room, the only difference being that West North East South [ A Q 9 Jill Meyers added a double of the final contract. Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller ] K 8 7 Randi Montin led a trump. Trine Bilde won in 1] { 10 8 4 hand and led a diamond to the king and ace. Pass 2{ Pass 3[ } A Q 9 2 Back came a second trump. Bilde won in dummy Pass 4} Pass 4{ [ 7 5N [ 10 6 4 2 and tried to cash the diamond queen. When ] A 10 5 ] J 4 that got ruffed she had only six club tricks and Pass 4NT Pass 5{ W E Pass 5] Pass 6{ { J 9 7 { K Q 5 the ace of spades; -800 and 13 IMPs to USA1. S Denmark bounced right back on the next deal. All Pass } K J 7 6 5 } 10 8 4 3 [ K J 8 3 Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul. ] Q 9 6 3 2 [ K Q 5 West North East South { A 6 3 2 ] K Q 8 5 3 Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin }– { A 8 7 3 1] West North East South }Q Pass 2{ Pass 3[ Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller [ J 8 6N [ 10 4 3 Pass 4NT Pass 5{ ] A J 10 Pass 5]6 Pass2] 6{ 9 4 Pass 1] W E { 6 5 { Q 4 2 All Pass Pass 2} Pass 2{ } 10 7 4S } A J 6 3 2 Pass 2[ Pass 3[ [ A 9 7 2 Both North/South pairs bid efficiently to Pass 4{ Pass 5{ the good slam (as indeed did everyone else in Pass 6NT All Pass ]7 both series) via a Three Spade splinter and { K J 10 9 RKCB. Both declarers made exactly for +1370 You may not like Steen-Møller's opening } K 9 8 5 and a push. bid, but that is a matter of personal style and BERMUDA Tuesday, 18 January 2000 7 was not the cause of this disaster. Remember good, but unsuccessful, chances even on that that the Danes have had health problems in lead. Both Norths led the king of clubs. their camp and that Kalkerup and Steen-Møller Declarer tried three rounds of hearts for a were not supposed to be playing together here club discard but had to go one down when in Bermuda. Clearly, Steen-Møller intended her North could ruff in with the nine of diamonds. Three Spade bid to merely bid out her pattern, When the nine of diamonds appeared, declar- while Kalkerup took it as showing a strong er took the club pitch anyway, hoping that the hand. trump king would now be singleton. Note that Six No Trump was hopeless, of course, but Meyers had to lead into declarer's known Kalkerup gave it her best shot. She won the sidesuit to defeat the slam. spade lead in hand and led a heart to the queen and ace. Back came a heart. She won Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. and cleared the suit and won the spade return. [ 10 8 5 2 Mancuso pitched a diamond on the third heart. Kalkerup ran her major-suit winners and exit- ] A 7 6 5 ed with ace and another diamond.That got her {A 5 a club lead into the ace, queen for her tenth } Q 10 2 trick; -200. [ A 6 4N [ K J 9 7 3 ] J 10 4 ] 9 West North East South W E Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin { K 9 6 { J 10 8 4 2 } 8 7 6 3S } K 9 Pass Pass [Q Pass 1NT Pass 2} ] K Q 8 3 2 Pass 2{ Pass 3[ { Q 7 3 Pass 4] All Pass Trine Bilde, Denmark } A J 5 4 Montin did not open the South hand. West North East South had the only remaining trump and would have When Meyers opened One No Trump, Montin Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller been able to cash two diamond tricks. Now, used a Smolen sequence to show five hearts however, she could do no better than lead a and four spades, and Meyers opted to play the Pass Pass Pass 1] club to the king.When that lost, she could only 5-3 heart fit. Bilde led the king of diamonds and Pass 2} 2NT Pass make her winning trump; three down for -500 the defense had two hearts and two diamond 4} Dble 4{ Pass but 4 IMPs to USA1. winners for down one - only 3 IMPs to USA1. Pass Dble 4[ Pass Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul. Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul. Pass Dble All Pass West North East South [ 7 4 3 [ Q 8 7 5 Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin ]4 ]J 3 { A 10 6 2 Pass Pass 2[ Dble {9 3 } K 9 7 6 2 } K Q 9 8 5 3[ 4] All Pass [ 9N [ A K 10 6 5 [ 6N [ A K J 3 2 The third-seat weak two opening looks pretty ] A K 8 7 5 3 2] Q 6 ] A K Q ] 10 6 normal these days and it led to North/South W E W E { – { K J 8 7 5 4 { Q J 8 declaring the normal5 contract. Four Hearts2{ A } A J 8 5 37 S } – 6 4 } J S 7 made3 an overtrick when West2} A was squeezed in 4 [ Q J 8 2 the minors in the endgame; +650. [ 10 9 4 ] J 10 9 On vugraph, Mancuso did not open the ] 9 8 7 5 4 2 East hand. Kalkerup's Two Club response to { Q 9 3 {K 10 the opening bid was Drury, showing at least } Q 10 4 } 10 6 three-card heart support. Now Mancuso over- West North East South called Two No Trump, which she intended to West North East South show any two-suiter. Quinn, however, Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller explained that she thought she was being 1[ Pass Pass asked to bid a and duly jumped to 2] Pass 3{ Pass 1{ Pass 1[ Pass Four Clubs. It does seem that Two No Trump 3] Pass 4] All Pass 1NT Pass 2{ Pass should be specific as Two Hearts is available for a spade/minor hand. Mancuso tried four West North East South 3{ Pass 3[ Pass Diamonds and, when that got doubled, guessed Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin 3NT Pass 4{ Pass to run to Four Spades. Her series of actions 1{ Pass 5} Pass 6{ All Pass looks odd, but the final contract was a perfect- ly good one, given that the opposition was cold 1] Pass 1[ Pass West North East South for game. 2} Pass 2[ Pass Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Steen-Møller led her trump against Four 3] Pass 4] All Pass Pass Spades Doubled, not the best start for the 1{ Pass 1[ Pass defense. Mancuso won in hand and passed the Both pairs stopped safely in game for a flat board. 2} Pass 2] Pass jack of diamonds. Kalkerup thought a moment then ducked her ace. Seeing an impending dia- Around the room, five pairs played in game 2NT Pass 3{ Pass mond ruff, Mancuso drew two rounds of and all were held to 450.Three Wests declared 3NT Pass 4} Pass trumps now, ending in hand. She repeated the Six Hearts and all made 1010. Three world 4] Pass 4NT Pass diamond finesse and Kalkerup won and led a champions all put their fingers on the ace of 5} Pass 6{ All Pass low heart. Steen-Møller won and continued diamonds , and that was that! hearts, forcing declarer to ruff. Mancuso led a The first set ended with USA1 having Both East/Wests reached the good Six diamond to the king and Kalkerup did well, dis- gained 10 IMPs to extend their lead to 26 Diamonds. It makes on a non-club lead and has carding. Had she ruffed, Mancuso would have overall. 8 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Orbis Bermuda Bowl SF - Session 2 USA 1 v USA 2 Successful debut Jeff Wolfson has played a lot of high-level The auction seems odd, but in Precision, a Board 4. Dealer West. Both Vul bridge, winning three major championships in 1{ opener often has longer clubs. Lew Stansby the U.S., but before Monday he had never led a trump, and Eric Rodwell could do no bet- [10 played on VuGraph in a world championship.As ter than down one.This result, of course, was ] A K 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 luck would have it, he was declarer in the first not known until later in the session. It turned {K board played. He made his contract with an out to be icing on the cake in a very good set } 10 3 overtrick, gaining 5 IMPs in the process and for USA 2. [ A K 3N [ J 8 5 4 2 helping his squad – USA 2 – to a 27-IMP lead One of the early gains for USA 2 occurred ] 10 3 ] – after two sets. W E on this deal. { 9 6 2{ A Q J 10 8 This was Wolfson's debut board. S Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul } K 9 7 4 2} Q J 6 Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul [ Q 9 7 6 [ J 10 9 3 [7 5 ]Q J ]A 8 ] K Q 6 { 7 5 4 3 { K J 5 { Q 10 9 5 } A 8 5 } 8 7 6 2 } J 9 5 4 West North East South [ A 8 2[ Q [ A [ K Q 6 4 2 N Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel N ] 5 3 ] A J 8 7 ] K Q 7 5 ] 10 6 4 W E Pass 4} (1) Dble 4] W E { A J 6 4 2{ K 8 3 { A 10 9 7 6 { Q 4 4[ Pass Pass 5] S } A 7 3S } K Q 10 8 2 } J 10 4 } Q 9 3 Dble All Pass [ 8 7 5 [ K J 10 9 6 4 3 (1) Usually 8+ tricks in hearts. ] J 9 3 2 ] 10 9 4 2 { 8 3 2 {7 East-West had three tricks coming, and } A K 5 }6 they scored up plus 200. At the other table, Hamman opened a natural 4], doubled by West North East South West North East South Silverman.Wolfson may have been reluctant to Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway bid a three-card spade suit or to go to the five level. His decision to pass cost his team 14 Pass 3[ Pass Pass Dble Pass IMPs. Hamman had 10 top tricks and easily 1{ Pass 1[ Pass scored up plus 790. 1NT All Pass 3NT All Pass A gentle nudge by Silverman pushed Hamman and Soloway one level too high on The final two boards of the set are played Soloway's decision to open 3[ gave this deal, resulting in another gain for USA 2. first so that there will be comparisons for the Wolfson a shot at a nine-trick game, which he VuGraph audience. duly bid after Neil Silverman's double. Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul Bob Hamman got off to the lead of the }8, Hamman led a spade, ducked twice by [ K 6 3 2 taken by Paul Soloway with the king as Wolfson Wolfson.Soloway had no possible entry even if ] K 7 5 played the 10, assuring an entry to dummy in he established his spade suit, so he switched to clubs in case it was needed. Had Soloway the ]9, Hamman played the king, Wolfson { K Q 10 9 played two more rounds of clubs, Wolfson ducked and won the heart continuation with }9 6 might have found himself scrambling to sort the jack. There were no problems in the play [ J 9 8 4N [ 10 out his tricks. Soloway, however, switched to and Wolfson ended with 10 tricks. ] 8 6 2] A Q 10 4 the ]J in case Hamman had a more substantial W E West North East South { J 8 4 3 { 5 2 holding in that suit than he actually held. } Q 8S } A J 10 7 3 2 Wolfson put up the ]K and Hamman won Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel [ A Q 7 5 the ace, returning the ]8 to dummy's 10. 4[ ] J 9 3 Wolfson then played a spade to his ace and a Pass Pass Dble All Pass low diamond from hand. Hamman went up { A 7 6 with the {K and played the [J. At that point, Chip Martel's opening of 4[ made it more } K 5 4 Wolfson was in position to take the rest of the difficult for East-West, who settled for the West North East South tricks. He could discard both his clubs on the penalty. Rodwell led the ]5 and eventually got Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel high spades, unblock the {Q and play a heart to a heart ruff to go with two heart tricks, the his 7, claiming 10 tricks when Hamman's {J fell. trump ace and two minor-suit winners for plus Pass 2} (1) Pass Instead, Wolfson played a heart to the 7, 500. It was still a 4-IMP loss. Pass Dble Pass 2[ cashed the ]Q and played a diamond to the The next deal was good for a swing to All Pass queen in dummy. He then played a low club USA 1. (1) from dummy. Soloway hopped up with the ace Precision: limited, with 6+ clubs. and returned the suit, assuring that Hamman Game in spades seems a very good would get a spade trick in the end. Plus 120 Marathon Preparation prospect, but the bad trump split limits North- turned out to be a 5-IMP gain because at the South to nine tricks. Martel and Stansby did other table: Bridge is a sport, they say, and Mike very well not to get too high. Pownall of the Dhondy team has proved it. West North East South Preparing for the Transnationals yesterday West North East South Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel (Sunday), instead of bidding a few hands or Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway Pass reading through the system, he took part in Pass 1} Dble 1{ Pass 1[ Pass the Bermuda Half Marathon. His time? Two Pass 2} 3} 3[ hours 4 minutes. 2} All Pass Pass 4[ All Pass BERMUDA Tuesday, 18 January 2000 9

With a chance for an invitational sequence, Martel ducked this, and when Stansby got in Soloway might have judged that his square shape with the {K, he pushed another heart through When will a Bridge program was a minus, but Soloway and Hamman simply for plus 50 to USA 2. Meckstroth makes the don't miss games – and Silverman's 3} bid gave contract if he plays low on the second round win the Bermuda Bowl his opponents less room to maneuver.When the of hearts. Martel can win cheaply with the 9 By David Levy dust settled, it was another gain for USA 2. and establish the suit, but he has no entry. More IMPs went the way of USA 2 on this West North East South David Levy is President of the International Computer deal. Chess Association and CEO of Mind Sports Organisation Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. Worldwide (www.msoworld.com) Pass It is fascinating to watch the play of the programs [ Q 9 8 6 1{ Pass 1] Pass competing in the Orbis World Computer Bridge Championship and to attempt to compare their stan- ]J 6 2} Pass 2[ (1) Pass dard of play with those of the strongest chess playing { Q J 7 4 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass programs. Being involved in the organisation of most of the computer chess tournaments of the past 30 } 10 9 7 (1) . years, I was able to monitor the progress of chess [ K 7 4N [ 10 5 3 programming from the days when the top program ] A K 10 7 3 ] Q 9 8 5 4 Steering the contract to the West hand was playing at very weak club player level up to the W E {A 3 {K 10 6 turned out to be a pivotal move for Silverman. 1997 triumph of IBM's "Deep Blue" program over S Hamman started with the [2 and it was easy Garry Kasparov. My feeling from watching today's play } Q 6 3 } 5 2 for Wolfson to haul in 10 tricks via two in Bermuda and from talking to some of the bridge [ A J 2 in diamonds.That was 10 more IMPs to USA 2. cognoscenti in the tournament room is that, in pure ]2 Silverman made another good move on the strength terms, the best bridge programs today are next deal that helped his team to more IMPs. 15 years or more behind the best chess programs. By { 9 8 5 2 this I mean that it is at least 15 years since the } A K J 8 4 Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. strongest chess programs played at an equivalent West North East South level. But this bare comparison requires a consider- able measure of qualification. Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel [K 8 Firstly, it must be said, the achievements of the Pass Pass 1} ] J 10 9 bridge programmers here in Bermuda are, in many ways, much more impressive than those of their chess 1] Dble 3] All Pass { A 7 5 2 } 10 8 7 4 counterparts of the early-to-mid 1980s. By 1980, con- siderably more programmer time and other comput- With the }10 lead and looking at dummy, [5N [A 2 ing resources had already been invested in computer it wasn't tough for Martel to switch to spades ] A K 4 chess than the world3 of bridge programming2] has Qseen 7 5 W E after winning the opening club lead. That was { K 10 6 4 { Q J 9 8 3 to date. There was already a wealth of published material on chess programming available in learned enough to hold Rodwell to nine tricks. } 9 5 3S } K 6 2 Soloway had to deal with a much more difficult journals - similar publications on bridge programming situation. [ Q J 10 9 7 6 4 3 are, today, notable by their absence. In addition, the ]8 6 current state of bridge programming should be West North East South viewed in the context of today's hardware, which is {– Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway far, far more powerful in terms of speed and memory } A Q J capacity than were the chess playing computers of the Pass Pass 1{ mid-80s. This allows today's bridge programmers to Dble 2{ 2] 3} West North East South employ database techniques in a way that was not Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel possible for chess programmers 15 years ago. 4] All Pass Computerized bidding methods based on storing 1] Pass 2NT (1) 4[ huge databases of bidding sequences seem to be pro- Soloway led the }K, and Hamman fol- All Pass ducing high-quality bidding much of the time. But lowed with the 7.There was still time to defeat once a database sequence comes to an end, the 4], but a spade switch was necessary at trick (1) Game-forcing heart raise. unfortunate program is forced to "think" for itself two. It didn't happen. Soloway, unable to read and, at the moment, they are not yet capable of doing the }7, continued with the }A. Silverman Who can blame Meckstroth and Rodwell – so at Bermuda Bowl level.This appears to be the sin- racked up plus 620 and a 10-IMP gain. one an opener, the other making a strong bid gle most important weakness in today's leading bridge – for not saving against Martel's 4[? It certain- programs. Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul. ly isn't obvious, and they didn't know about The holding of regular computer bridge tourna- their double fit. Martel lost two hearts and a ments is itself a major contributing factor in the rate [ 10 8 6 2 of improvement of bridge programs. Each year, the spade for plus 620. ] K 4 2 programmers arrive proudly (or apprehensively) with West North East South their latest version, only to discover some hitherto { K 9 3 unknown bugs and weaknesses that appear for the } 10 9 3 Wolfson Hamman Silverman Soloway very first time during the tournament.These bugs and [ A 4 3 [ K Q J Pass Pass 2{ 4[ weaknesses, together with various new ideas that are N revealed in discussion between the programmers, ] 10 ] Q J 8 7 5{ 5[ All Pass W E provide the impetus for the next round of program { A J 10 4 2{ 8 improvements.The7 programmers return to their lab- } K 7 5 4S } A J 8 2 Silverman had more than one usually does oratories, continue their programs' development, and for a weak 2{ bid – and he was a trump short appear again the following year.This was how chess [ 9 7 5 as well – but he was in third seat, taking advan- programs improved throughout the period from the ] A 9 6 5 3 tage of the vulnerability.Silverman's bid made it first computer chess championship (1970) up to 1997 { Q 6 5 easy for Wolfson to take the save.The defend- when Kasparov was forced to admit defeat. Until quite recently, bridge champions used to }Q 6 ers would have had to be careful to defeat the laugh at the mistakes of the strongest programs. Now West North East South contract even one trick. North gets in only they come to watch. Soon they will come to learn. with the trump ace and a club switch is a must. The leading programmers, quite naturally, expect it to Rodwell Stansby Meckstroth Martel South, in turn, must cash out or declarer can be only a matter of 3 years or so before their pro- Pass get two club losers away on hearts. grams are able to play at World Championship level. 1{ Pass 1] Pass In any case, Hamman took the push, bid- While I do not believe that it will be quite as easy as ding one more.Wolfson quickly cashed his top the programmers think, I do expect to see a comput- 2} Pass 3NT All Pass er program winning a match against the World hearts, exiting with a trump. Plus 100 was good Champions within the next decade. Bridge is surely Martel led the ]3 (attitude), won by for a 12-IMP gain for USA 2, who finished with no more difficult to program than chess – given ade- Stansby with the king. Back came the ]4, and a 55-31 advantage in the set and a 27-IMP lead quate resources the task is well within the bounds of Meckstroth erred by putting up the queen. in the match. those programmers competing here in Bermuda. 10 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Two flat boards Rosenberg defeats Vugraph Despite the Austria-Germany match finish- contract. Looking at all hands, it seems silly to By Barnet Shenkin ing close, the penultimate sixteen boards hap- win with the Ace of hearts at this stage, but I QF. Set 6. Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul. pened to decide the match.The Austrians man- think Smederevac was put on a guess and she aged to increase their lead to 42 IMPs, but there was unlucky.The point is, that she should have [A 3 were many lost opportunities for both sides. ducked, had declarer had the actual hand, but ] K 10 7 5 4 she should have taken with the Ace if East’s dis- { A J 7 Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul tribution had been 1-2-6-4.The way to find the } Q 4 3 [ Q 7 5 3 correct defense would have been for South to [ 10 N 4 2[ K J 9 8 6 ] A 10 9 throw a club on the second diamond, showing ] J 9 6 3 2] Q her length in the suit, but unfortunately these W E {8 { 10 8 6 2{ K 9 3 were not the signals North/South were playing. S } A Q 7 6 2 Then Smederevac would have known that } J } A K 5 2 [ Q 7 5 [AN [K 6 declarer had three hearts originally and would ] Q 8 4 ] K 6 5 2 have found the right play. ]A 8 W E { Q 5 4 { A K 7 6 4 3 { Q J 10 9 2 Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul } K J 3S } 10 4 } 10 9 8 7 6 [ J 10 9 8 4 2 [ K Q 9 Michael Rosenberg declared Two Hearts on the ] J 7 3 ] A Q J lead of the club ace. Now a low club was led by East {5 { 9 6 4 3 2 and ruffed by West, who played a spade.At this point } 9 8 5 }8 6 declarer studied the position for some time. The commentators suggested he should win the spade [ 10 6N [ 8 7 3 2 In the closed room the bidding went: ] 10 9 ace 2]and 7return a spade to East's king.5 Now if East 3 W E won, cashed a club and played another spade, declar- West North East South { 10 { A K Q J 8 5 S er would be able to win in dummy and play black Weigkricht Auken Fisher Von Arnim } A J 10 winners9 through West, eliminating5 one of his3 losers. 2} – 1[ Pass 3[ [ A J 5 4 However, when East wins the spade king he would Dble Pass 4] All Pass ] K 8 6 4 cash the king and now exit with the heart queen. {7 [– As the cards were lying, the only thing } K Q 7 4 Weigkricht had to do, was to play the trumps ] K 10 7 5 avoiding South by playing low to the King, and In the open room, the Austrian North { A J 7 a low back, covering South's card to bring her South reached 4[, played from the length. }– contract home. West led the 10 of diamonds and switched to [–N [J 9 8 It was different in the open room: Ace and another club, East pitching a heart and ] J 9 6 ] – ruffing.When a top diamond was played next, W E West North East South { 10 8 6 2{ K 9 3 declarer ruffed high, but somehow lost the }–S }5 Rauscheid Smederevac Nehmert Erhart count of the hand and tried to cash three 1[ Pass 3[ hearts after only two rounds of trumps, which [Q ]8 4{ Pass 5{ All Pass resulted in one off. At the other table,South for Germany played { Q 5 4 Smederevac started with a low spade to the in 4[ as well, after Weigkricht as West had } 10 9 six, eight and Ace. A low dimond to dummy's opened a with the West hand and Fisher When declarer leads a black winner,West can Queen extracted the opposition trumps and had managed to double a 4} bid by North. ruff in and the defense will still come to a diamond Rauscheid discarded a heart on the King of Terry Weigkricht led the ten of diamonds and a heart. In fact, this was exactly the way the spades, Erhart playing the ten.A diamond to the and when she scored her trick, played a club defense went when Martel and Stansby were Ace followed, both defenders throwing spades back, underleading the Ace. Her partner ruffed, defending the same contract for down one. and when a small heart was played Smederevac but now South was deprived of two club tricks However, Rosenberg, at trick four led a heart to went up with the Ace, and declarer had three and had to concede one down. Nicely defend- dummy and passed the heart eight. Now he was heart tricks, which allowed her to make her ed for a flat board. able to put East in with a club to leave this position: [3 Great Sportsmanship by Michal Kwiecien ] K 10 7 This is what happened in Round 13 from first trick and a club return went to the queen { A J 7 the match between France and Poland. and ace. The defense took their three heart }– tricks and exited with a spade to the jack. Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul. [ 10N [ K J 9 Declarer went for his ninth trick in clubs but ]J 9 ]– [ 5 4 3 had to give up this line when North discarded. W E ] K 5 3 { 10 8 6 2{ K 9 3 So declarer took the king of clubs and started S { K 10 7 6 5 2 to cash his spades. On the third spade, }– }5 }3 Christian Mari, South, played the }2 instead of [Q 7 ]– [ J 9N [ A K Q 8 7 the [2.The defender corrected his mistake but ] A 8 6now the }2 was a penalty2] card 10 to be played at 4 { Q 5 4 W E { A J 9 3 { 8 the first legal opportunity, so now the contract } 10 9 } 9 7 4S } K Q 10 8 5 was at declarer's mercy by immediately playing East cashed the spade king and played a club and [ 10 6 2 the }10. However, Michal did not like to win west was given Hobson's choice of either giving up ] Q J 9 7 this way and so he played a fourth round of his trump trick or discarding and losing the defensive {Q 4 spades, allowing South to discard his }2. diamond trick. So declarer could not be prevented That was a genuine gesture of sportsman- } A J 6 2 from making his contract. So the single dummy play- ship. Some could think it was too much but we er defeated the commentators playing with open The contract was Three No Trump by appreciate it, especially in such an important cards in the vugraph room and the resultant swing of East. On the lead of the ]J, the ace took the match. 4 IMPs was exactly the margin of victory. BERMUDA Tuesday, 18 January 2000 11

Appeal Case 4

Appeal 4 Director: called at the end of the play, by was not a matter for the committee.The same West who considered she had been misin- applied in the case of South's 4] bid. Committee: Robert Wolff (Chair), Grattan formed by South, so that she had taken her However, there appeared to be no doubt Endicott (scribe), Joan Gerard, Anton Maas, partner's bid to be for minor suits. The that the partnership agreement was to play no Jean-Paul Meyer. Director concluded that West had misinforma- higher than the three level on this sequence if Venice Cup, Round Robin (round 18), Board 11. tion and was entitled to redress. With Laws opponents did not intervene. East had correct 40C and 75A in mind the Director adjusted information; that she judged to bid 3NT natu- Dealer: South Love all. the score to 4] by North, N/S +420. rally was her judgement of her best action on Players North:Way the basis of this correct information. Neither South: Johnson (Bermuda) The Players: In committee there was dif- was there any clear evidence that West had East: Cimon ficulty establishing exactly what had been said been misinformed, having introduced the name West: Saltsman (Canada) by South. This player told the committee that '' into the discussion herself, and hav- she had described her own bid as in (a) above; ing been referred to the [ further she had passed her convention card to where it was stated that the opening bid was 5 ] A 9 6 3 West and had said 'it is on the card'.West had to 9 HCP. (Additionally, the Director thought said to South 'is it like Flannery?' and South had he recalled having seen a written explanation { A K J 10 7 3 assented to this, but West, by her own under- which included the word 'weak' but the pad } 9 6 2 standing of Flannery, had then assumed the had disappeared.) The exact words used by [ A 10 9 5 4N [ K J 3 2 hand to be stronger than was the N/S agree- South in relation to the 3] bid were not estab- ] 5 4 ] Q 7 ment.West did not find the bid mentioned on lished, but it was the committee's unanimous W E { Q 5 4the front of the card and2{ 9did not pursue fur- 8view that West had not protected herself prior } 5 4S } A K Q J 10 ther the invitation to study the card. East had to her final bid by further enquiry of opponent, [ Q 8 7 6 been told by North that South was not and by not asking opponent to indicate where ] K J 10 8 2 expected to bid again, so that she treated the on the convention card she could find infor- bidding as pre-emptive.West was told by South mation about the calls. She could also have {6 that 3] was 'better than 2] with 3 or 4 cards established quite easily that South would have } 8 7 3 in the suit'. West also contended that South passed out in 3], given the opportunity.West's West North East South had added 'and a good hand', tending to con- call was therefore a matter of her own judge- firm her belief that the opposition bidding was ment, and having taken her life into her own 2{ (a) constructive. South did not agree that she had hands she was entitled to no other outcome. (b) (c) Pass 3] 3NT 4] used these words, and upon enquiry affirmed The deposit was returned; the table score 5{ Dble All Pass that had East passed 3], she also would have of N/S +1700 was restored. (a) Weak, 5/4 or 5/5 in the majors. passed. (b) 'I do not expect my partner to bid again' Footnote: a discerning member of the (c) Over a weak sequence by opponents this is The committee: Was somewhat sur- committee remarked that had the hand been natural, if opponents are bidding construc- prised by North's willingness to stop short of passed out in 3], one would be left wondering tively, this is for minor suits. game, but allowed that her bridge judgement whether the Director would have been called. When things go Right by Larry Cohen No, this is not an article about the Comfortable chairs. Side tables to put things on. Quiet. Easy to get thrilling quarterfinal comebacks of the water, coffee, tea (remember what you'd have to do for water in USA teams. It's all about this very spe- Lille?). Restrooms nearby and plentiful. cial Orbis Bermuda Bowl and Orbis 4) VuGraph. A joy. Large comfortable arena with wonderful audio Venice Cup. and visual set-up. Five large screens displaying all the action and In past World Championship ‘tourna- information. Great job keeping the audience up-to-date on all the ment reports,’ I have always been quick matches.There must be so many people behind-the-scenes coordi- to criticize the organizers when they nating the show (all the results from every match are updated con- mess up. Journalists are still complain- stantly – and I must say,quite accurately).The coordination between ing about all the things that went wrong commentator and camera operators is also excellent with appro- in Lille. priate zoom-ins to see what the players are writing to explain their Bermuda is a different story.Here are bids.The reward for all of this hard work? Let's just say that it made just some of the wonderful things that me proud to be a bridge player when I saw the packed (spectators are right: standing in the back) VuGraph theatre during the weekend of the 1) The Site. Bermuda is beautiful. Everywhere you look are stunning quarterfinal matches. views of the ocean – blue and green in every direction. Other than 5) Overall organization.Wonderful job.There are volunteers,WBF a day or two, the weather has been spectacular – 70's (21°C) and staff, and directors everywhere. All the little details seem to have sunny day after day. been carefully arranged. The scheduling, scoring, supplies, system- 2) The Hotel. First class. Large comfortable guest rooms with all the desks, staff all are functioning smoothly. Sometimes when things go amenities. Many restaurants all under one roof and prompt room right we take it for granted. service. Most importantly, the playing site is under the same roof – quite the opposite of Lille and other past championships. Yes, it's a On top of all this, we were lucky to have a competitive Round bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. Robin which went down to the wire, and some quarterfinal matches 3) The Playing area. As good as it gets. Large comfortable (well, a that were as dramatic as any matches in recent World Championship few problems with the climate control/temperature) and well lit history. My thanks and admiration to all of the many many people that rooms. Lots of space between the tables. Good functioning screens. I know are behind the scenes making this tournament so successful. 12 Issue: 11 ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Open Room Nerve Bermuda Bowl by Alisdair Forbes On competitive partscores the opening In the replay Erhart/Terraneo climbed to lead can be critical. 4[, but played by North.This was the full deal: You hold these cards as dealer: [ A Q 9 3 [K 6 ]K Q ] A 10 6 4 2 { 10 7 4 3 2 {K 8 }A 8 } K 10 4 3 [K 6N [J 8 7 ] A 10 6 4 2] 9 8 5 3 The bidding unfolds: W E {K 8 {A 6 5 West North East South } K 10 4 3S } 9 5 2 1] Dble 2] 2[ [ 10 5 4 2 Pass Pass 3] Pass ]J 7 Pass 3[ All Pass { Q J 9 } Q J 7 6 What do you lead? During Austria v Great Britain (Orbis Heather Dhondy (East) for Great Britain Venice Cup, Round 7) I was sitting behind Terri led a high heart to Liz McGowan's ace. With Weigkricht, and she took some time to con- control in every suit McGowan put North in sider her lead. Perhaps the ace of hearts to with a heart. Erhardt tried a low diamond to have a look at dummy? the jack, McGowan won her king, played back No, she finally tabled the king of diamonds a diamond to the ace and ruffed the third dia- to find her partner, Doris Fischer, making an mond with the king of spades. encouraging .At trick two she cashed the She had to play a black suit now, so Erhardt ace of hearts and then played her second dia- made the same eight tricks for +100 to Great Copies of this definitive record of the mond. Fischer took the ace with a flourish and Britain and 2 IMPs. world's greatest Championship, written the six of diamonds was on the table in less It is worth noting that Fischer/Weigkricht by Henry Francis & Brian Senior, are on than a split second. Weigkricht ruffed, and in played all 380 boards in the Round-Robin, the sale at the Island Embroidery stand in the due course the jack of spades provided the only pair to do so.Will they have the stamina lobby, priced $25.00. setting trick. to win the Venice Cup? INVESTING IS OUR STRONG SUIT A daily column on investing by Orbis Investment Management Limited

You may meet a senior representative from Orbis Investment Management Limited at the hotel.To make an appointment please contact the hospitality desk or call the Churchill Suite, room phone: 7554.

The costs of investing Just like any other service, there are costs associated with mutual funds. Understanding a fund's fees and expenses is an important goal for any investor. Commissions and Selling Costs A front end load is another name for a sales commission. Load funds charge this commission – either when the initial investment is made or when they are redeemed – in order to cover the cost of compensation to brokers or other sales people. The Orbis funds have no load, so you do not pay a commission to buy, sell or switch between funds, and all the money you invest goes to work for you right away. Transaction Costs Some funds are subject to a transaction cost. This aims to pass on to transacting investors an estimate of the expenses associated with sub- scriptions or redemptions and results in a bid/ offer spread for purchases and sales of fund shares. In the interests of simplicity and in line with the global trend towards single pricing, there is no bid/offer spread for the Orbis funds, so all purchases and sales of shares of the Orbis funds are priced at the net asset value per share of the respective fund on the dealing day. Management Fees The fund manager charges a fee for the day-to-day management of the investment portfolio. This management fee is charged directly to the fund. Most fund managers charge a fee that is a fixed percentage of the net assets of the fund and thus are entitled to the same fee whether the fund per- forms well or poorly. The fees for the Orbis equity funds are performance based and are designed to align the Manager's inter- ests with those of investors in the funds.The fee ranges between 0.5% and 2.5% per annum of the net assets of each equi- ty fund. Fees are accrued weekly and the level of fee, within this range, is based each week on the extent to which the fund's returns before fees have either exceeded or fallen behind those of that fund's specific benchmark index. Thus the fee is directly related to the return achieved on the Fund compared with that of its benchmark. The Fund's published performance includes the effect of this fee. ORBIS Administration Costs The fund pays brokerage fees and commissions on portfolio transactions, as well as taxes directly attributable to the fund. The fund may also pay daily operating expenses, i.e., legal, auditing and administrative expenses.