A day in the life of . . . Colin Simpson’s Top Tip

Even if a contract seems impossible Colin Simpson to make, don’t ever give up! This is a lesson I learnt the hard way, playing high-stakes bridge. On the In the last decade, Colin Simpson has amassed a record number of wins at national deal below, I was able to put it to and international events. He has represented England in three European Champion - good use: ships and a , and reached the semi-finals at the 2000 Olympiad. ♠ A Q 10 4 ♥ A K 3 2 USUALLY my day starts at around 7.30am. though I might have an occasional game ♦ I like pottering around in the morning – at the local duplicate club with my wife. ♣ A 10 7 6 5 one of the luxuries of being retired. Usually we do what most people do: watch ♠ K J 7 ♠ 9 8 6 5 2 Life was not so relaxed in my working tele vision if we stay in, go out for meals (I ♥ Q 9 8 N ♥ 7 6 5 4 W E days. I joined the London Metro politan do enjoy good food), or go to the cinema. ♦ J 10 8 7 6 5 S ♦ Void Police in 1971, after spending a few years One film we saw not long ago is the latest ♣ Q ♣ K J 9 8 at various Scottish universities where I did Indiana Jones and I must say I was a bit ♠ 3 ♥ J 10 not learn much apart from playing bridge. dis appointed: Harrison Ford would cut ♦ In 1973, I moved to Special Branch, where I a fine figure of a man as a bridge player, but A K Q 9 4 3 2 ♣ 4 3 2 worked for almost thirty years as a detec tive as an action hero h e looks rather past it. in counter-terrorism, an activity that often One great interest I share with my wife I was South, playing in 5♦ – a in volved personal danger. is travelling. We have contract that had seemed eminently In 1982 I was assigned been as far away as reasonable when dummy came down. to protect the Israeli China, Peru and the I won West’s lead of the club queen, ambassador in London, a Ga la pagos Islands, and cashed dummy’s ace of spades, ruffed duty that led to my be - have recently come back a spade and led the ace of diamonds to get the (very!) bad news. com ing the only poli ce - from a won derful trip to Nevertheless, I carried on. A heart man ever to shoot a Egypt which inclu ded a to dummy was followed by a spade terrorist on English soil. short cruise on the Nile , then another heart to dummy On that occasion, I was as well as a balloon and a heart ruff gave this position: shot at, but lucky not to trip over the Valley of be hit. The ambassador the Kings. Readjusting ♠ Q ♥ 3

was not so lucky, and was s to every day life has not i d i ♦ — m seriously wounded. i proved easy!

n ♣ o 10 7 6 r e

When I was working, J Still, I look for ward to ♠ ♠

o — 9 i g free time was short and r my next com mit ment: ♥ N ♥ o

i — 5

G W E

I played almost exclu si - : re pre sent ing England in ♦ ♦ o J 10 8 7 6 S — t o

h ♣ ♣ vely for P the Seniors at the Mind — K J 9 high stakes. A rare foray Sports Games in Bei jing ♠ — into duplicate was competing in the World (article next month) . There will be some ♥ — ♦ K Q 9 Pairs with Martin Hoffman in 1982. We team practice sessions for this, and I will ♣ reached the final, but it was only after I also be honing our with 4 3 retired in 2000 that I started entering trials David Price over the internet. Not that our I led a club. West had to ruff and and forming regular partnerships – first system is very complicated: four-card return a diamond, so I won and re - with Gunnar Hallberg and now with David majors, strong no- and weak twos. peated the process for a very grati - Price. I am proud that my inter national Complex bidding systems, in my view, rely fying result – especially since the deal record with both of them is at least 0.5 on memory rather than judgment, and occurred in a £50 Chicago game. IMP positive on every . can there fore decrease the effectiveness of As I said in my tip . . . never give up! Even though I now have more time for other aspects of one’s game. It all saps playing bridge, I don’t overdo it. I always your brain power, just like spending half have lunch with my wife, Juliana, and play an hour trying to think of a way to eke out rubber bridge twice a week in the after - an over trick in a routine contract. The Hacketts’ noon at TGR’s near Marble Arch. Another My philosophy – no doubt the result of couple of after noons a week are spent play - having always been a rubber and teams bridge column in the ing golf, and that’s about all the exercise I player – is to play simple hands quickly, Sunday Express has moved get these days. The times when I played and conserve my energy for the really on-line to rugby (at univer sity and later for the police) difficult deals. My partners may not are long gone! always approve of the outcome, but at www.express.co.uk Unless I am taking part in a tourna - least they’ll still be awake at the end of the ment, I never play bridge in the evening, session . . . r

50 English Bridge October 2008 www.ebu.co.uk