The EBU Members' Magazine – October 2019 – Issue
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The EBU members’ magazine – October 2019 – Issue 285 English Bridge INSIDE GUIDE © All rights reserved From the Chairman 5 n ENGLISH BRIDGE ACOLytes – Sarah Bell 6 l is published every two months by the Heffalump Traps – Bakhshi’s questions 8 n ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION Club Bidding Quiz – Pottage’s questions 8 n Broadfields, Bicester Road, Basic Cardplay – Paul Bowyer 10 l Aylesbury HP19 8AZ Bridge Fiction – David Bird 12 n ( 01296 317200 Fax: 01296 317220 Sleuth’s Quiz – Ron Klinger 14 n [email protected] Crocs on Defence – Stephen Kennedy 16 l Web site: www.ebu.co.uk An October Squeeze – Andrew Robson 18 l ________________ Traps for the Unwary – Michael Byrne 20 l Editor: Lou Hobhouse Acol Unveiled – Chris Jagger 22 l Raggett House, Bowdens, Somerset, TA10 0DD Bridge with a Twist – Simon Cochemé 24 n ( 0790 5038575 Beat Today’s Experts – Bird’s questions 26 n [email protected] Heather’s Hints – Heather Dhondy 28 l ________________ Prize Leads Quiz – Mould’s questions 30 n Editorial Board Calendar and Competition News 32 n Jeremy Dhondy (Chairman), Bridge Tips – David Gold 34 l Lou Hobhouse, Gordon Rainsford, Samantha Kelly Add one thing . – Neil Rosen 36 l ________________ n Ask Robin – Robin Barker 38 n Advertising Manager Heffalump Traps – Bakhshi’s answers 40 Chris Danby at Danby Advertising Great Bridge Disasters – David Burn 42 n Fir Trees, Hall Road, Hainford, Beat Today’s Experts – Bird’s answers 44 n Norwich NR10 3LX Crossword, Caption Competition 47 n ( / Fax 01603 898678 August’s Leads Quiz – Mould’s answers 48 n [email protected] Summer Meeting results 50 n ________________ Membership Campaign – Tim Anderson 52 n Printer: Precision Colour Printing Letters to the Editor 54 n ________________ EBED News & Junior Bridge 57 n English Bridge is also published online Club Bidding Quiz – Pottage’s answers 62 n in the Members’ Area at www.ebu.co.uk ONLINE EXTRA Bridge Club Live 65 n ARTICLES IN ENGLISH BRIDGE Funbridge 66 n ARE COLOUR CODED Education: Bowyer’s extra quiz 67 n Tame Tricky Taxing Tough Rosen’s extra quiz 68 n Byrne’s extra quiz 69 n Blast from the Past – 1947 Quiz 70 n Poet’s Corner 73 n EBU News Quiz Features Laws & Ethics Reports n n n n n Obituary 73 n How to play bridge - humour 74 n www.ebu.co.uk October 2019 English Bridge 3 From the Chairman by Jeremy Dhondy click Steering the EBU link CHANGES many problems (not to mention costs) for them to First, an apology. Many readers found their August come to clubs or congresses so many players will magazine covered in endless plastic wrapping. Our never see or use them but they are popular with printers forgot to put an insert in to the magazine. those who play in trials and international events. I That would have left us both out of pocket and with always thought that they were introduced in the a justifiably unhappy advertiser. An arrangement early 1970s and one of the reasons was to eradicate was made whereby the plastic wrapping would be the small number of pairs who were keener to use slit open and re-taped before the magazine was their hands to signal what to lead than the sent. For many that did not happen and there was legitimate efforts of most of their opponents. an additional layer of plastic. Given our discussions However, Bridge Magazine in 1958 reports a ‘new to replace plastic wrapping we were not happy. As a device’ which is remarkably like the screen that result, we have taken some action. First we will be followed a decade and a half later. The article quotes changing printers. Second, we will be switching to a Sam Stayman as saying that they are not to prevent potato starch-based wrapper but not before we have cheating but to reduce the number of tell-tale used up our existing polywrap. This means by April hesitations which are ‘the bane of our game’ 2020 the new wrapping will be 100% compostable. Of course, there are nearly as many different VOLUNTEERS recycling schemes as there are local authorities but Clubs and counties report that it is more difficult we have sought and received assurances that the to recruit volunteers than it used to be. Many local wrapping will be disposable: clubs would be unable to continue were it not for D the army of people to direct, score, collect in a home compost heap; memberships, deal with the tea and coffee and 101 D in the green garden waste bin; other jobs. The job of the director can be a thankless D in the kitchen food waste caddy. one especially if he or she must deal with the aggressive behaviour of a few. Club committees can The wrapping is, of course, biodegradable and help by making clear their expectations of the ink on the label will be compostable. More news members, and by being supportive of their, mostly on all this when we run out of our polywrap. volunteer, directors. One way to assist is to offer to DEAR DIARY pay for a club director’s course. Most people do We gave notice in the August issue that from next their job with more authority if they are well year the diary will be ‘opt in’. It means anyone trained. Details of courses and availability can be qualifying for a diary will only be sent one if they found at www.ebedcio.org.uk/td-training. Still on opt for this to happen. Everyone has been the topic of volunteers, the manager of a club spoke automatically opted out unless you are one of the to me at the Summer Congress to say that her club early adopters who has already pressed the button. was very keen to increase the number of juniors You can opt in any time through ‘MyEBU’ or you playing and had organised some summer sessions. can ring and ask for it to be done. At some point in However, she found it difficult to recruit volunteers April next year we will have to decide how many to go into schools over the course of a year for the diaries to print so your early attention is follow up. EBED has put together a Youth Bridge appreciated. Handbook at https://tinyurl.com/y2xjfyck which HISTORY gives many helpful pointers but there may well be Screens are devices used at championships, trials more successful ideas out there which EBED or I and a few other high-level events. There are far too would be pleased to hear about. r www.ebu.co.uk October 2019 English Bridge 5 ACOLytes - Know the Basics by Sarah Bell click Responding to partner’s take-out doubles link ast issue we looked at take-out doubles and with a four-card suit, so after 1®-Dble-Pass I would said that doubling your opponent’s opening bid at the one level with 0-8 with a four- or five- Lbid for take-out shows tolerance for all of the card suit and on 0-9 with a four-card suit. unbid suits and something resembling an opening You might even occasionally have to bid a suit hand. This time we will look at the auction from the with only three cards in it: what else can you do in point of view of the doubler’s partner: what do your the example below? bids mean after partner has made a take-out double? Let’s use this auction as an example. You are ´ 7 6 3 Dealer West. sitting South: ™ J 8 3 W N E S t J 5 4 1® Dble Pass ? Dealer West. ® 9 6 3 2 W N E S 1® Dble Pass ? In this example you must bid a three-card suit. I would bid 1t for a couple of reasons. It conserves Your first option is to pass partner’s double. space and partner will not be excited by a major fit. Partner has said that they have a fair hand with If you have a hand that would like to invite shortage in clubs and support for the other suits, so partner to game you can make a single jump in ® 1 is likely to be a fair contract unless you have a your suit. If you jump in a major this promises a good hand with great clubs. This means that you four-card suit, but if you jump in a minor you ® can’t pass 1 just because you have a bad hand with should have five, as partner will often have three nothing to say. Partner has asked you to take the cards and occasionally only two in an unbid minor, contract out to something else, so with a bad hand but will always have three and usually four in an that is exactly what you should do. Passing the unbid major. Good hands with a four-card minor double says, ‘I think we are going to collect a penalty will often bid NT. Double jumps don’t really exist in from this, even though you don’t have many clubs, standard methods, so I would not make one unless partner’. I had explicitly agreed its meaning with my partner. In practice it is often better to try to bid your own With 8-10 points and a balanced hand and a stop game, such as 3NT, than to try to collect a penalty in opener’s suit, you can bid 1NT. Bidding 1NT at such a low level.