Editorial Cardiff CF14 6NW WALES UK (44) 29 2062 8839 We Laud the Election of Gianarrigo Rona As the Next World Bridge Federation [email protected] President
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THE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE PRESS ASSOCIATION Editor: John Carruthers This Bulletin is published monthly and circulated to around 400 members of the International Bridge Press Association comprising the world’s leading journalists, authors and editors of news, b books and articles about contract bridge, with an estimated readership of some 200 million people BULLETIN who enjoy the most widely played of all card games. www.ibpa.com [email protected] No. 538 Year 2009 Date November 10 President: PATRICK D JOURDAIN 8 Felin Wen, Rhiwbina Editorial Cardiff CF14 6NW WALES UK (44) 29 2062 8839 We laud the election of Gianarrigo Rona as the next World Bridge Federation [email protected] President. Rona was elected by the Executive Council of the WBF at their Chairman: meetings in São Paulo, Brazil during the 2009 World Championships. He will PER E JANNERSTEN Banergatan 15 take office at the end of 2010, after Josè Damiani’s swansong, the 2010 World SE-752 37 Uppsala, SWEDEN Championships in Philadelphia. “I am honoured,” Rona said, “It is not an easy (46) 18 52 13 00 [email protected] task to follow the giants before me.” Executive Vice-President: JAN TOBIAS van CLEEFF Rona is a retired lawyer who lives in Milan and has a long record of bridge Prinsegracht 28a administration, first in the Italian Bridge Federation, and latterly in the European 2512 GA The Hague, NETHERLANDS Bridge League, where he has served as President since 1999. One of Rona’s (31) 70 360 5902 [email protected] toughest tasks will be to reduce the antipathy of some members of the American Organizational Vice-President & Contract Bridge League’s Board of Directors toward the World Bridge Bulletin Production Manager: Federation. If anyone can do that, Rona can - there is no bridge administrator DILIP GIDWANI 401 Mariden, 16th Road Bandra West with more poise, confidence and class than Gianarrigo Rona. Mumbai 400 050 INDIA (91) 22 98205 47150 Fax: 22 26002241 Rona was behind the introduction of the European Open Championships, [email protected] modelled on the Rosenblum and World Open Pairs and affectionately referred Secretary: to as “The Ronablum” in recognition of their chief advocate. IBPA members MAUREEN DENNISON 148 Thornbury Road, Osterley may recall David Stern’s blistering letter to the editor regarding the running of Isleworth TW7 4QE, ENGLAND UK those first Open Europeans in Menton in 2003, comparing them very (44) 20 8560 3788 Fax: 20 8568 3553 [email protected] unfavourably with tournaments in Australia, and Gianarrigo Rona’s humble Treasurer: response, taking full responsibility. What IBPA members may not be aware of MARIO DIX was Rona’s private response to Stern – he invited Stern as his guest to the Flat 1, 41 Tigne Seafront Sliema SLM15 MALTA next European Open Championships in Tenerife so that Stern could witness (356) 9949 3167; 2132 2433 Tel/Fax first-hand the improvements that were made. There are not many bridge [email protected] administrators with that kind of class and ability to mend fences. We shall Membership Secretary: JEREMY DHONDY continue to be in good hands after Josè Damiani’s retirement to concentrate 50 Great North Way on the International Mind Sports Association, of which he is also President. (An London NW4 1HS, UK (44) 20 8203 2119 interview with Gianarrigo Rona by Marek Wojcicki will appear next month.) [email protected] Not so laudable has been the decision of some NBOs not to support or fund Honorary General Counsel: WILLIAM J PENCHARZ their teams to senior championships, for example the Ernesto d’Orsi Senior 50 Broadway, Westminster Bowl in Brazil this fall. To say that England benefitted from the decision of the London SW1H 0BL ENGLAND (44) 207 222 7000 Dutch team not to incur the cost, at their own expense, of travel to Brazil, [email protected] would be an understatement. Although the English team (albeit with some Awards Secretary: different personnel) failed to qualify for the World Championship by finishing BARRY J RIGAL Apt 8E, 22 West 26th Street, seventh at the European Championship, when the Netherlands withdrew, New York NY 10010, USA England, as next in line, was in. They made the most of their chances, winning (1) 212 366 4799 the gold medal convincingly after some hair-raising moments earlier in the [email protected] Sponsored Members’ Secretary: knockout round. Why does the Nederlandse Bridge Bond, and there may be IRENA CHODOROWSKA UI Sewastopolska 3m41 (Continued on page 9...) 02-758 Warsaw, POLAND (48) 842 5054 Address all IBPA Bulletin correspondence to: JOHN CARRUTHERS [email protected] 65 Tiago Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M4B 2A2, CANADA Presidents Emeritii: Tel: +1 416-752-7034 TOMMY SANDSMARK (NORWAY) HENRY FRANCIS (USA) email: [email protected] 1 Marek Wojcicki, Przemysl, Poland So, declarer decided to play for the squeeze. He simply cashed all his spades. West had to keep the diamond The second European Bridge League Small Federations king to guard that suit, thus had to discard two hearts. Championship took place prior to the Vilnius Cup in Declarer cashed the ace and king of hearts, making the late September. Twelve teams would compete for the contract. trophy first won by Bulgaria in 2007 in Monte Carlo. For these purposes, a small federation is defined as TOO CLEVER having 500 or fewer members. Playing on Vugraph, one is sometimes tempted to show SQUEEZE OR FINESSE? that one is a capable player. Let’s look at the following board from the seventh round of the event, played on In the third-round match between Cyprus and Slovakia BBO Vugraph: we saw a good example of fine card reading: Board 19. Dealer South. EW Vul. Board 23. Dealer South. Both Vul. [ A Q 10 9 [ A K Q 9 7 3 ]A J 6 ]8 7 {J 8 5 { 10 5 3 }Q J 7 } 10 8 [8 7 3 [— [ 4 [ 10 6 5 2 ] 10 5 3 ] K Q 9 7 4 2 ] Q 9 6 2 ] 10 4 { A 10 9 { K 7 6 4 { K Q 9 6 4 { 7 2 } K 9 4 3 } 6 5 2 } K J 3 } A Q 6 5 4 [ K J 6 5 4 2 [J 8 ]8 ] A K J 5 3 {Q 3 2 {A J 8 } A 10 8 }9 7 2 West North East South West North East South Butina Karpov Mikic Laanemae Henc Christofides Lohay Georgiades ———1 [ ———1 ] Pass 4 [ Pass Pass 2 {(?) 3 [ Pass 4 [ Pass Pass Pass Pass West led a spade. Declarer cashed the heart ace, ruffed East led a diamond, ducked to his partner’s queen. After a heart, crossed to the table with another spade and two rounds of clubs, a second diamond was played. ruffed the last heart. Now a spade to the dummy and Declarer had to rise with the ace and was at the the queen of clubs – small, small… West also ducked! crossroads. He could either play for the finesse in hearts, assuming that East had the queen, or for the squeeze in Declarer next played the jack of clubs, but this time put hearts and diamonds, assuming the heart queen in the the ace on it. He was right - the percentage for the West hand. finesse is only 50%. He now had a 100% line. Laanemae played a third round of clubs. West took his king, but There were two keys: one was the two-diamond was forced to play a diamond, so declarer lost only two overcall. As East had shown up with the ace-queen of diamonds and a club, making the contract. clubs, it was improbable that West would overcall vulnerable with only king-queen to five diamonds and If West wins first club trick and returns the suit, declarer the king-jack in clubs. The other indicator was that, after must lose three diamond tricks. drawing trumps, it appeared that West had started with CARD READING 1=4=5=3 distribution. If that were the case, there was no need to finesse hearts – either East’s queen would In the semifinals and the final there was a lot of very drop under the ace-king, or West would be squeezed good bridge. I would like to present two examples of down to a doubleton heart as well. my favourite theme – declarer’s card reading. Both are 2 from the Lithuania – Estonia match. The first is really East led the eight of clubs. West took the trick with the spectacular: ace and played two of diamonds (third/fifth). Vainikonis put up the king and played a heart – East following with Board 8. Dealer West. Neither Vul. the two. What now? [Q ] Q J 10 6 Vainikos assessed that, for his vulnerable overcall, East, {J 8 3 with maximum six HCP in spades and diamonds, must } K Q J 8 4 have more than one heart honour. With only the king – [ A 8 7 [ K J 10 9 3 nine HCP and poor diamonds, without the ace-king- ] 8 7 4 3 ] 9 jack, Levenko would not have overcalled. { A { K Q 10 7 6 5 How right he was! The jack was played from dummy } 10 7 6 5 2 } 3 and took the trick – West followed with the ten. Look [ 6 5 4 2 at the complete deal: ] A K 5 2 [A 8 5 {9 4 2 ]5 4 3 }A 9 {K J West North East South } K J 10 9 6 Tyla Levenko Saulis Sester [ J 9 7 2 [ K 6 Pass 1 { 1 [ Double1 ] 10 ] K Q 6 2 1 NT2 2 ] 3 { 4 ] { 6 3 2 { Q 10 9 8 7 4 4 [ Pass Pass 5 ] } A Q 7 5 3 } 8 Pass Pass Pass [ Q 10 4 3 1.