YORKSHIRE CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION
YCBA NEWS Issue 2 (Previously YCBA Bulletin Issue)
November 2015
Editors’ Notes
The most radical changes introduced in the last edition in September related to the method of distribution and circulation of the re-named Bulletin.
This seemed to have proceeded satisfactorily with no negative feedback - at least so far. In forwarding YCBA News to Club Secretaries it had to be recognised that each club has its own individual circumstances and the importance of flexibility in managing the next step of the process.
Much will depend upon the size of club and the facilities available. At least two clubs circulated the publication electronically to their members which sounded like a wonderful idea but I realise that this is unlikely to be common practice.
Below there is a request for contributions and I stress the need here – my intention of publishing every two months can only be met adequately if members help me with items to include in future issues. A big thank you is given to this month’s contributors.
YCBA’s reputation as top class Congress organisers continues to grow. The recent Great Northern Swiss Pairs was highly successful with a great atmosphere and the hotel was superb. Numbers were up on 2014 and many e-mail compliments have been received. One player remarked that it was the best run Congress of the year. Sarah Teshome & Tom Cohen and Alan Hayward & Tom Copeland high finishing positions added to the YCBA feeling of accomplishment.
This edition is circulated immediately after the first round of Yorkshire League matches. The Yorkshire League is, of course, a source of such great enjoyment to so many players across a range of ability levels. Could it be that it has the second largest number of participants in a single event in the country behind the National Inter Clubs Knockout competition? Quite remarkable!
Once again my gratitude to Lesley Blanchard must be recorded – she has been a great help in producing this edition by covering my technical ineptitude.
David Waxman November 2015
Copy Wanted Special 80th Anniversary Celebratory Event and 1st YCBA Members’ Meeting Please send details of results, successes, Saturday 28 November 2015 achievements for inclusion in the YCBA See also YCBA website and page 6 News and English Bridge to Robin Jepson, Tel: 0113 269 5334, 10.30 Complimentary Brunch on arrival [email protected] 11.00 Members Meeting Welcome by Chairman Contributions to the Bulletin from members National and County Affairs Update are also encouraged and welcomed by the Breakout Sessions: youth, editor: competitions, membership drive, exchange of ideas for running reports on events clubs, charitable status articles 12.45 Coffee Break letters/emails 13.00 Bridge Mini-session 1 other news views and opinions 14.30 Afternoon Tea
15.15 Bridge Mini-session 2 David Waxman, 07710 263452 [email protected] 17.00 Presentation of Trophy
Fee Bridge inc Afternoon tea - £10.00 Competition forms and news are also posted on the YCBA website, Venue The Bridge Inn, Walshford, near Wetherby LS 22 5HS Tel: 01937 580115 www.ycba.co.uk
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 1
Winners of Recent YCBA/Local/National Events
August
Olicana Invitational Swiss Teams – Stuart Davies, George Bak, Gill Copeland & Steve Blackburn.
September
Crockfords Cup Final (see below) Brian Senior and Sandra Penfold
Isle of Man Congress - Swiss Pairs Stuart Davies & Paul Belsten - Swiss Teams James Thrower Rob Myers & two others
Huddersfield Rosebowl - Angela Booth, Peter Radley, Denis Murphy, & Kevin Hawkins
EBU Guernsey Congress – Swiss Pairs – Rob Myers and partner
YCBA Kath Grimoldby Simultaneous Pairs - Tom Copeland & Alan Jarvis - Leeds BC
Garforth Swiss Teams - Richard Hilton, Pauline Cooper, Richard Pike & Pete Waterman
Derbyshire CBA 1 Day Events - Swiss Pairs Graham Jepson & David Musson - Swiss Teams Tom Gisborne, Sandy Davies, Baz Caygill & David Waxman
October
EBU/YCBA Great Northern Swiss Pairs Improvers - Joan & Brian Eager
EBU British Autumn Sim Pairs (Monday) - Jack & Simon Stocken (at Wetherby BC)
EBU Overseas Congress Rhodes - Swiss Pairs Tom Gisborne & Sandy Davies; Open Pairs Denis & Pearl Murphy; Pivot Teams Tom Gisborne & Sandy Davies and two others;
Really Easy Bridge Afternoon - part of EBU Autumn Congress - Overall winners Andrew Pearson & Kathy Pearson playing in Bradford heat 1 of 9 held across country (97 participants)
EBU Autumn Congress - Satellite Pairs - Sarah Teshome & James Thrower
2015 What a year!
2015 has been a great year for Yorkshire in terms of national successes. As previously reported the spring Phil Godfrey and James Thrower won the National Pairs; followed up with similar success for Graham Jepson and Dave Robinson in the Corwen Trophy.
Now in late summer another major national title was won by YCBA members with Sandra Penfold and Brian Senior victorious in the Crockfords Cup Final - England's premier teams event. Alex Hydes, ex-Yorkshire, was another team member - Nevena Senior made up the successful quartet.
Not Quite Successes (but highly creditable nevertheless)
Fiona Brown’s Bronze medal for England's Women's team in the Venice Cup at the World Championships in Chennai most certainly deserves a highly honorable mention.
In the NICKO Plate Final Leeds A (Robin Jepson, Alan Brosgill, Martin Edge & Nick Woolven) lost to Gosport A – see also P7. Another near miss is Susan MacKellar & Anthony Abraham’s 2nd place in the Tuesday session of the EBU British Autumn Simultaneous Pairs (Wensleydale BC).
Sarah Teshome & Tom Cohen and Alan Hayward & Tom Copeland finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Great Northern Swiss Pairs - more commendable near misses.
Dave Robinson Hints
Dave Robinson a leading Sheffield based Yorkshire player has agreed to provide a regular everyday situation as a problem for each YCBA News - together with advice in the form of a tip. This is the first:
What would you bid teams at favourable vulnerability after 1D P P ?
Holding x Qxxxx Qxx . KJxx Dave’s answer at bottom of page 7
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 2
Forthcoming Events - Fuller details of all events are available on the YCBA website via the Events link
Yorkshire Schools Cup Bridge (teams of four) and MiniBridge 14th November 11:00 am to 3:00 pm York Bridge Centre – Free entry - Partners or team-mates can be found – lunch provided
Contact Mark Bratley [[email protected]] or 07764 763874
YCBA Stratified Pairs - 29th November – 1.00pm York Bridge Club £40.00 per pair including food Grade 1 National Masters and above, Grade 2 Star masters and above but below National Masters, Grade 3 Advanced Masters and below, including unranked players
Enquiries and entries to Stuart Davies ([email protected]) 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH 01274 598408
Yorkshire Mixed Pivot Teams - 20th December 1.00 pm Bradford Bridge Club Entry fee £80 per team including food - Each team must include at least one man and at least one woman
Enquiries & entries to: Stuart Davies [[email protected]] 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH (Tel: 01274 598408)
Yorkshire League fixtures matches 2 and 3 – 15 November & 06 December
Really Easy Afternoon - part of the EBU Year End Congress Friday 27th December 2015 2.00 pm Bradford Bridge Club Entry fee £16 per pair. It may be able to accommodate individual players. Contact Georgina Wooler [[email protected]] 07962530730 or EBU Events Dept.
Early Notice
Yorkshire Cup Final - 31 January 1:00pm Leeds Bridge Club Doncaster Swiss Pairs - 07 February 1.00 pm Doncaster Bridge Club Margery Cartwright Simultaneous Pairs - 11 February Participating clubs EBU Spring Congress 19 - 21 February - The Old Swan, Harrogate Yorkshire League fixtures matches 4 and 5 - 04 January, 25 January
Dave Robinson’s Bonus Tip
For this edition Dave Robinson has kindly offered an extra tip Ed
When you are declarer do you always follow suit with your lowest card? Here’s a full deal from a National Inter Club knock out quarter final which my team lost by 4 IMPs
K654 KQJ42 10 .K63
Q1073 A92 A986 753 Q973 K654 .10 .972
J8 10 AJ82 .AQJ854
South played in 3NT having shown long clubs. I led 3S and Richard Pike won the Ace and returned the 4D. Declarer could not afford to play the Ace and played the 2 Judging that declarer had 4 diamonds I found the winning defence of QS
Dave’s Tip
If declarer had played 8 of diamonds I may well have continued diamonds and the contract would have been made.
So don’t always follow with your lowest card as declarer: consider how you can scramble the opponents’ signals.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 3
Island Congresses
While local and regional Congresses have diminished in number over the years (the YCBA Congress remains one of that stands out as an on-going success) three islands of the UK coast sustain retain popular annual events. These are all green pointed, Guernsey and Jersey under the auspices of the EBU with the Isle of Man having its own Manx Union. A number of YCBA players are regular attendees, and, over the years, have been often very successful at all three.
Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey
Janet Latham describes Gill Copeland calls the Congress Heather Hobson writes of her Guernsey as always being one “a small, friendly, competitive on-going enjoyment of the of Ted's (husband) and her great Weekend in a special place” Jersey Congress: favourite destinations. Early in September the Manx Having been brought up on an
Flights from most British Bridge Union run a congress in island (Isle of Man) it is a airports take about an hour Douglas for 3 days - a small- wonderful experience to go to and ferries from Poole and scale, relaxed and very friendly Jersey for the annual Bridge green-pointed event. Congress in late April. Portsmouth three hours
Guernsey's coastal scenery is This year there were 19 tables Travelling there is easy with stunning and easily accessible competing in the Swiss Pairs reasonably priced flights from with well-marked paths. event and 16 in the Swiss Teams. Leeds/Bradford, East There are also Mixed Pairs and Midlands, Manchester and The near-by islands of Herm Open Pairs events. The standard Liverpool. Also crossing the and Sark can also be visited is very mixed. Channel by sea from Poole or as regular boats leave each The venue is the Palace Hotel on Portsmouth is quite popular. day from the capital, St Peter Port. Douglas Promenade and most A short distance from St Helier, years the weather seems to be the capital, is the Westhill The lovely small island, Lithou, glorious. Concessionary rates for Country Hotel, family owned can also be reached by B&B are available for 3 nights and and welcoming with good food walking over a rocky causeway there is a good choice of and pleasant areas for bridge when the tide allows restaurants in Douglas. as wellas extensive grounds
Excellent restaurants within and a large fish pond. You can take a ferry with or easy reach of the Congress without car from Heysham or a There are wonderful walks and hotel are plentiful, many of shorter Sea-Cat crossing on from interesting places to visit with which serve Early Bird menus Liverpool. If you book early museums, war memorials, which fits in well with the cheap flights are available from harbours and beaches. Jersey bridge timings. most airports (not Leeds/ Wldlife Park, founded in 1959
The Guernsey Congress lasts Bradford). by Gerald Durrell, is a
10 days with Swiss Pairs the Participants often stay on for a highlight. Seeing endangered first weekend and Swiss teams few days to explore the beautiful species living in natural the second. island. The roads are very quiet; surroundings can occupy a
the island is a magnet for whole day of entertainment Midweek there are daily events and learning. covering Pivot Teams, Men’s, transport enthusiasts with buses, Women’s Mixed and Open electric trams, steam trains and A car is useful but there is a Pairs as well as two day horse trams all in daily use. good bus service centred on St
Senior Pairs and Senior Life moves at a slower pace on Helier and a courtesy bus from Multiple Teams competitions. the hotel to there. the island and there are excellent
The Congress takes place in museums, fabulous countryside The weather at the end of April mid-September. and coast as well as interesting is mild and pleasant. A highly castles, Laxey Wheel, the Wildlife recommended relaxing break As with the Jersey Congress Park, Mooragh Park and other with bridge thrown in. participation in Guernsey can attractions. be for the full Congress or part The first weekend is Swiss of it. Further information can be Pairs, the second Swiss obtained from Liz Kelly, 07624 Teams.
Janet together with Ted, 429341, [email protected] Midweek events entail Multiple Agnes and Peter Baxter came or by visiting teams, various pairs sessions nd 2 in all three team events at http://www.bridgewebs.com/manx/ and specific two-day Senior the 2015 Congress - Ed Pairs and Teams tournaments.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 4
Members Meeting and memories of YCBA Council
The first YCBA Members Meeting* will be held on Saturday 28 November prior to an afternoon of Bridge** offered to celebrate YCBA’s 80th anniversary. Outline details are provided on page 1, fuller information is on the YCBA website or available through Club Secretaries. The Members Meeting replaces the Council established as long ago as 1936. Basically, it has to be acknowledged that over recent years the Council has lost much of its prior influence and turnouts have been really quite low.
Thus, the Members Meeting, which, as it sounds, is open to all YCBA members, represents an attempt to revive and revitalise interest in general meetings. The Council was constituted of a set number of delegates from each affiliated club based on membership numbers.
Those of us with long memories will recall some very feisty Council meetings, at the Griffin Hotel in Leeds, at a time when its influence on County developments was much stronger. Decisions made at Council had real impact, meetings were lengthy and numbers of delegates attending substantial.
I was a Hull and East Riding CBA delegate in the 70’s and early 80’s. My sense was of meetings dominated by some rather intimidating figures (Eric Milnes spoke with such immense authority) and my being fairly fearful of making a contribution. Eventually around 1981 or 1982 I gathered my courage and proposed a motion which was carried much to my delight. This was the integration of the three totally distinct A, B and C Yorkshire League competitions into a single competition with multiple divisions involving all teams with promotion and relegation. Previously A teams played for the Morning Telegraph/Star Cup, B teams for The Green ‘Un Cup and 3rd teams and below the Sheffield Shield.
The proposal led to a considerable debate before final agreement and Philip Mason offered to sort the detail. Thirty plus years he still produces the fixture lists!! My motivation was two-fold and proved partly ironic. Obviously I considered the idea sound but also thought that Sheffield B was so superior to other B teams at the time that it was not much of a competition for them and fairly depressing for other B teams. The irony was that 3 or 4 years later I was playing for Sheffield B. I remain proud that my nervously presented idea led to a truly excellent competition with such high levels of participation.
* Brunch orders to Julia Staniforth 01302 772493 or [email protected] ** Bridge entries to Stuart Davies 01274 598408 or [email protected] - £10 per player David Waxman
Northern Bridge League (NBL) 2015
The NBL takes place over four Saturdays between August and October with divisional winners going on to a national final for the champions of the various similar regional events held across the country. After the fourth and final round of matches held on 10 October Yorkshire teams finished as follows:
A Division Yorkshire 1 - 2/6; Yorkshire 2 - 5/6 (Champions Manchester 1)
B Division Yorkshire - 4/8 (Champions Lancashire)
C Division Yorkshire South East (S/E) – Champions; Yorkshire North West - 5/7
In terms of individual rounds Yorkshire 1 won round 2 while Yorkshire SE won rounds 1, 3 and 4. Yorkshire pairs scoring overall “best” on particular days were Graham Jepson & Frank Littlewood (round 1) and Rod Hose & Mary Whyms (round 3).
While Manchester dominate the A Division – winning 10 of the 11 years that the League has existed, Yorkshire SE have emerged as a great strength in the C Division having also won in 2007and 2014.
29 different players have represented Yorkshire SE in 2015. Namely: - Madge Allison, Emma Bentley, David Beresford Lesley Blanchard, Barbara Boaler, Bob Brown, Paul Camm, James Carpenter, Baz Caygill, Richard Draycott, Nick Dyer, Janet Easter, Stuart Fletcher, Glyn Foley, Richard Gilbert, Rod Hose, Stuart Kay, Mike Perry, Christine Quigley, Julia Staniforth, Roger Taylor, Dennis Thompson, Ann Wall, Toby Wall, David Ward, Robin Warner & Mary Whyms. Congratulations go to Yorkshire South East once again. Perhaps Emma Bentley deserves a special mention given that she represented Yorkshire at the age of 18 playing in the round 3 winning team.
It’s a Family Affair
The YCBA Simultaneous Pairs seems to be set up nicely for one Bridge playing family. The notoriously hard to win event, given the high entry numbers, has seen all three members of the Copeland family finish in top spot. Tom’s recent success (with Alan Jarvis) matches his mother Gill’s earlier victory partnering Steve Blackburn and father Alistair’s previous triumph in harness with Tony Kingham. Incidentally it is Alan’s 2nd win having already won a Sims partnering Becky Dickinson.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 5
Judicial Review rules in favour of Sport England
The Yorkshire Post visited Leeds BC to research an article on the High Court’s rejection of the EBU bid for Bridge to be recognised as a sport. The hearing was an attempt to overturn Sport England’s refusal to recognise Bridge as a sport as it does not involve “physical activity”. Ron Millett, of Director and Leeds BC member told the Yorkshire Post, that it was "only a matter of time" before bridge would be recognised as a sport.
The hearing’s purpose was to give a ruling as whether Sport England officials had “erred in law” in not classifying bridge as sport. Mr Justice Dove indicated that Sport England policy used a definition of sport which included the words “physical activity” and dismissed the English Bridge Union’s bid for a “judicial review”.
The EBU is considering an appeal as it believes that Sport England acts unlawfully defining sport as requiring ‘physical activity’ when model aircraft flying, archery and darts, for instance, are all recognised - yet do not entail vigorous physical activity.
Ron Millett stresses that the argument is not about funding - but seeks to give Bridge the recognition it deserves. Bridge is a recognised sport in many European countries, including Poland, Netherlands, France and Belgium and may be included in the 2020 Olympic Games.
The link to the full article is on the YCBA website (News) and it is pleasing to hear that the Yorkshire Post plans more features about Bridge promising to return to Leeds BC.
NICKO Plate Adventure
The EBU’s National Inter-Club Knockout, or NICKO, has a large entry. Matches in early rounds are only 24 boards. There is a Plate competition for first round losers, so an extra chance for a decent cup run.
The adventure of the Leeds A team (Alan Brosgill, Martin Edge, Nick Woolven and myself) in the 2014-15 NICKO began last autumn with a first round exit from the main competition. After a couple of Plate matches played locally, we were on our travels with journeys into the red rose county for away matches against Brierfield and Southport. This took us to the quarter-final played in Derby against an Oxford team, and the semi-final in Solihull where we disposed of a Bristol squad. Nearly a year after our first match, we were in the final, again played in Solihull against Gosport, and we lost this by 25 IMPs.
Here is a hand from the final, where the winners missed an opportunity. I have changed one of the spot cards to make the play rather more interesting.
West East Dealer North.
AQJ1087 932 NS vulnerable J752 K93 Contract 4 by West Q10 J2 . 4 .AQ872
As West, you open 2. You would expect this kind of hand for a weak two fourth in hand. In any other table position it would be 1. Even so, East’s raise to game is ambitious to say the least. Still, the defence help you by leading a low heart. You correctly play low from dummy, and South takes the ace and then cashes the ace and king of diamonds before playing a trump. Over to you - should you finesse or not? With four cards missing, a finesse for the king is the percentage play. Is South trying to fool you by leading a low spade from a holding such as Kx? In practice declarer did finesse, but on this occasion it is clearly right to go up with the ace. Why?
As so often, there is a clue in the auction. South passed, and has already shown up with two aces and a king. With another king, he would have opened the bidding. So North has both missing kings, and the only hope is that the spade king is singleton. Which it was! After this, you only need the clubs to break 4-3. There are just enough entries into the East hand to finesse in clubs, ruff the second round, complete drawing trumps ending in dummy with the nine, ruff another club, cross to dummy again with the king of hearts and discard the heart losers on the established ace and eight of clubs.
Robin Jepson
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 6
EBU Overseas Holidays
Page 4 contains profiles of three popular Congresses at UK island locations. Here Roy Garthwaite, a long standing YCBA member who regularly contributes articles to English Bridge based on EBU Overseas Holidays offers an overview of this relatively recent development. He writes:
The EBU organises Overseas Congresses each Spring and Autumn. The hotel must be booked via Bridge Overseas who arrange transport from and to the airport but flights with a few extra days if desired are booked with the airline individually.
The chief T.D. is David Jones assisted by his wife, Marilyn, and Neil Morley. Peter Jordan the congress organiser deals with all non-bridge problems. His first job is to ensure that the boards etc. have arrived at the port; his second is to assure suspicious customs officials that they will not explode and to obtain their release.
Bridge consists of three sessions of Championship Pairs and three of Championship Teams together with various midweek pivot teams, ladies', men's and mixed pairs' events. All mornings are available for sightseeing and at least one full day. The Bridge Overseas representative arranges optional excursions. Whilst most go as a pair, singles are catered for. The officials and their wives are always available to partner anyone who is without partner. Non bridge players are welcome; one man goes bird watching whilst his wife plays bridge.
The Congress is a holiday with bridge as distinct from being a bridge congress. Obviously one plays to win but gamesmanship or aggressive behaviour towards opponents or partner will not be tolerated. Proof of the popularity of these events is that many players have attended most of these congresses since inception.
Finally, book early. The recent Rhodes congress was fully booked several months in advance. The next is Pathos in Cyprus in February
“STOP PRESS” Yorkshire League Announcements
Two announcements have been circulated by the Management Board concerning the operation of Division 1 of the Yorkshire League for the season 2014-2015. Firstly:
“Bradford A has withdrawn from the Yorkshire League due to personal and unforeseen reasons relating to a number of the team. The 1st division will be reduced to 7 teams playing 6 matches each having a bye when they are due to play Bradford A. At the end of the season, only one team from each of the divisions will be relegated with two being promoted.”
This was then reinforced with:
“There is concern around the division that on “bye” days, teams will select their A team to play for their B team and so on. This is not permitted, and the following must be observed:
When a club’s A team has a bye, the club must “select” 8 people who would reasonably be expected to play for their A team, who may not be selected for any other team. These players obviously do not need to be actually available.
In the event of a last minute emergency, any of these players may replace a selected player or players in a lower team, with the replaced players becoming part of the A team selection. The spirit of the competition dictates that this would really only involve replacement of B team players.”
Dave Robinson Hints – the answer
My team mate in the Brighton Teams bid 1H and was then embarrassed when the opponents got to an unbeatable 4 spades.
If he had asked himself why partner had not overcalled one spade or doubled or bid 1NT he would surely have passed.
TIP: always be wary of "protecting" in the pass out seat unless you have some length in the Majors
YCBA NEWS November 2015 – page 7