Daily Bulletin Editor: Mark Horton / Co-Ordinator : Jean-Paul Meyer / Journalists: David Bird, John Carruthers, Jos Jacob,b, Fernando Lema, Brent Manley, Micke Melander, Barry Rigal, Ram Soffer, Ron Tacchi / Lay-out Editor : Francescacesc Canali Photographer : Arianna Testa SATURDAY, JUNE 17 2017 THE QUEEN AND KING OF EUROPE ISSUE No 8 CLICK TO NAVIGATE A view of the Bridge p. 2 Championship Diary p. 3 One Step from Perfection? p. 4 Mixed Pairs Final (a) p. 5 Mixed Pairs Final (b) p. 8 The Balancing Act p. 11 Justyna Zmuda & Michal Klukowski It was twenty years ago p. 12 There was an incredible climax to European Open MixedMixed PPaPairsirs ChChampionship.ampionsh Mixed Pairs Final (c) p. 13 With two deals to play Poland's Justyna Zmuda & Michal Klukowski appeared to be too far behind Germany's Roy Welland and Sabine Auken but they closed Mixed Pairs Final (d) p. 16 to within just 0.70 and then clinched a thrilling victory on the final deal to finish just Bingo! p. 18 1.25 ahead. China's Jian Wang & Junjie Hu took the last place on the podium. Mixed Pairs Final (e) p. 19 The EBL Cup went to the Netherland's Rob Helle & Ed Hoogenkamp. Double Trouble p. 23 ImportantI changeh of f playing l i scheduleh d l 23-24 2323 24 June J There will Be Blood p. 25 The two-day Open Pairs event Friday June 23 and Saturday June 24 will be La Pagina Italiana p. 26 replaced by two separate one-day events: [ A match-pointed Open Pairs on Friday June 23. Results p. 27 [ An IMP Open Pairs in memory of A-M Torlontano on Saturday June 24. TODAY'S SCHEDULE Both events are free of charge for players from the Open, Women and Senior Pairs Medal events. New players are welcome and pay an entry fee of O/W/S Teams Qualifying (2/2) EUR 35 per player and event. 10.30 - 12.00 Round 6 Registration for each event separately is compulsory and must be made on- 12.15 - 13.45 Round 7 line at the EBL Website, eurobridge.org, under "Microsite" ==> "Registration" 13.45 - 14.45 Lunch break latest 22:00 the night prior to the start of the respective event. 14.45 - 16.15 Round 8 16.30 - 18.00 Round 9 Pairs entering an event must complete it. Drop-outs prior to the finish will be 18.15 - 19.45 Round 10 sanctioned. Tortona (AL) - 0131.813636 8TH EUROPEAN OPEN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Montecatini, Italy Mixed Pairs, 2nd: Sabine Auken & Roy Welland EBL Cup Winners: Ed Hoogenkamp & Rob Helle A VIEW OF THE BRIDGE The EBL have appointed David Bird, Bill Jacobs, Larry Cohen, Graham Osborne, Mark Horton and Roland Wald to act as BBO commentators. They may be joined from time to time by Jon Cooke and Stephen Kennedy. These are the assignments for the second day of the Championships: Open Teams Qualifying - Saturday 17 June Swiss 1 BBO1 Roland Wald - Mark Horton Swiss 1 BBO2 Bill Jacobs - David Bird Swiss 2 BBO1 Roland Wald - Bill Jacobs Swiss 2 BBO2 Stephen Kennedy - Mark Horton Swiss 3 BBO1 Stephen Kennedy - David Bird Swiss 4 BBO1 Larry Cohen - Roland Wald Swiss 5 BBO1 Larry Cohen - Roland Wald 2 GO TO PAGE: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100 11 122 13 1144 15 1166 17 118 19 220 21 222 23 224 25 26 REESSUULLTTSS 8TH EUROPEAN OPEN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Montecatini, Italy CHAMPIONSHIP DIARY Mark Horton The English Bridge Union has announced that a One of the players participating in the EBL Cup report prepared by the European Court of Justice has dropped into the Bulletin office to report an interesting concluded that contract bridge should be considered a deal. When he opened his personal score card he was sport for VAT purposes. amazed to discover it contained a five of clubs and This is a non-binding recommendation, but if confirmed immediately took it to the duplicating team. So far they later this year, the EBU would no longer need to charge have dealt 50,000 boards in an attempt to find the deck VAT on entry fees to its competitions, and would receive that is now a card short. a rebate on VAT which it had previously paid. This will have huge benefits, as it will allow them to 2ND EUROPEAN invest further in the game, and make entries to EBU competitions cheaper, thus allowing more people to BRIDGE enjoy playing bridge, and enabling more to experience the social and mental benefits that playing bridge offers. WINTER The final judgement is expected in the autumn. Advocate General Maciej Szpunar gave his opinion GAMES that for the purposes of the VAT exemption a definition of ‘sport’ had different components, key among which W IN 18 T 0 E 2 R ES was that it was intended to be understood as “training G A M of mental or physical fitness in a way that is generally beneficial to the health and well-being of citizens”. He recognised that bridge met this criteria and also that the International Olympic Committee was one of a number of organisations which “expressly include mental sports or endorse activities without a physical element”, concluding that this implies that they be “generally regarded as similar to established sports”. EBU Chairman, Jeremy Dhondy, welcomed the MONACO, Advocate General’s report, saying: HOTEL FAIRMONT “I am delighted at this decision made today which I 17 - 23 FEBRUARY, 2018 F É O D C EUROPEAN É A R N A T O I O M very much hope will be upheld by the judges who heard N TITLES & MEDALS E BRID G the case. It is a vindication of our view that bridge should 150,000 € GUARANTEED 30+ Prizes be regarded as a sport with all the advantages that brings 7 Days of competition, 300+ Boards to play Face the best Champions Playing rooms overlooking the sea both for bridge as a game and also for our members Hotel fares largely negotiated with Le Fairmont and prospective members. We want our game to play Information: www.wintergames.bridgemonaco.com /EUROPEANWINTERGAMES WINTERGAMESMONACO WINTERGAMES2018 its full part as an activity to promote social inclusion and welcome the judgement of the European Court.” GO TO PAGE: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100 11 122 13 1144 15 3 1166 17 118 19 220 21 222 23 224 25 26 REESSUULLTTSS 8TH EUROPEAN OPEN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS Montecatini, Italy ONE STEP FROM PERFECTION? Barry Rigal Round 8 board 17 Declarer overruffed and led the ]K to pin the jack. (rotated 180 degrees) West ruffed the fifth diamond but declarer could discard dummy’s club loser and ruff one club in dummy and Cedric Lorenzini was at the helm in a delicate slam pitch the other on the established ]9. and proved himself more than equal to the task In the post mortem however, it was determined that after West's heart lead the slam could be made against Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul. any defence on a different sequence of play (with [ 10 6 4 2 a twist). Instead of leading a low heart at trick five, ] K 10 9 5 3 declarer does better by leading the heart king. When { 5 4 East covers with the ace, South ruffs with the queen } 6 4 or jack, (preserving the nine in his hand). Next, the [ K 8 5 [ 7 spade ace is cashed and the fourth diamond follows, ] J 6 4 ] A Q 8 7 2 giving LHO a choice of poisons in this ending: { J 9 2 { Q 8 3 } Q 10 9 2 } K J 8 5 [ 10 6 [ A Q J 9 3 ] 10 5 3 ] — { — { A K 10 7 6 } 6 4 } A 7 3 [ K 8 [ — ] J ] 8 7 2 West North East South { — { — Simonsen Zochowska Nyheim Lorenzini } Q 10 9 2 } K J 8 5 — — — 1[ [ J 9 Pass 3[ Dble 4}* ] — Pass 4]* Dble Rdbl* { 10 7 Pass 4[ Pass 4NT* } A 7 3 Pass 5}* Pass 6[ All Pass (a) If West ruffs in with the 8, South overruffs in dummy, ruffs a heart back to hand and plays 4} Cue bid the last diamond, pitching a club from dummy. 4] Cue bid If West still holds the [K, South Rdbl First round ] control cashes the }A, ruffs a club and 4NT RKCB discards a club on the established 5} 0 key cards ]10 to make the contract. (b) If West ruffs with the king Lorenzini received a low heart and returns the spade eight (best), lead and put up the ten, covered declarer plays the [10 from with the queen and ruffed. dummy and underplays it with He played three rounds of the [9 to remain on the table. At diamonds, crossed to hand with trick nine South ruffs a heart and a heart ruff, took the [A, and claims when the jack makes an led a fourth diamond. West appearance on his left. (c) If West ruffed in, and that was fatal. pitches a club or the heart jack, (Pitching a heart now and again South throws a club from dummy on the fifth diamond would have and leads the fifth diamond. At worked better – declarer ruffs a this point the defense is helpless club to dummy and advances since declarer can either score his the ]K, which East must duck Cedric Lorenzini trumps separately or set up the to set the slam). heart 10 if necessary.