In this February issue 2009 Ed Schultz remembered Published bi-monthly by District 8, American Contract Bridge League District 8 Editor: Karen Walker, Champaign IL Charity Week 50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2009 (US News & World Report article) Solvers Forum 2008 Honor Roll Solvers Forum New column April problems Unit News Northwest IL Central IL Northern IN Greater St. Louis So. IL- Paducah Tournament calendar Tournament winners Fairview Hts IL Normal IL St. Louis Tournament ads Champaign IL REG. Saluki, Caseyville Peoria IL Elgin IL Kentucky Dam Effingham IL Back to page 1 (GN Teams) Welcome Printing tips Printable version (condensed content in Acrobat format) Download a free Acrobat reader Back to page 1 | Past issues | District 8 Homepage | Contact the editor In memory: Ed Schultz (1949-2009) District 8 players are mourning the loss of one of our leading and most popular players with the death of Thomas Edward (Ed) Schultz of Chesterfield MO. Ed passed away on Friday evening, January 30, ten days after his 60th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Beth Fay; his mother, Mary Margaret Schultz; brother Rick and sisters Mary and Margaret. Originally from Beardstown IL, Ed graduated from the University of Illinois and played on the Fighting Illini football team. He worked as a real estate agent in Springfield IL before moving to St. Louis, where he and Beth worked together as mortgage brokers. Ed was an avid fan of Fighting Illini sports and had been looking forward to a trip to Champaign for the Illinois vs. Iowa basketball game on February 1. He was especially proud of his collection of Illini posters and memorabilia, which filled his family room and memorialized his beloved Chief Illiniwek. Ed also had a great fondness for animals, his rose garden, good books (one of his favorite authors was Ayn Rand) and the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a long-time supporter and volunteer worker for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Wright home at Taliesin (Wisconsin) and the Dana- Thomas House in Springfield IL. After his friends and family, Ed's greatest love was the game of bridge. He was always ready to play anywhere, any time, and he earned numerous regional wins and overall places in national events. He played often in local clubs and tournaments with partners of all skill levels. He ended his career with around 7300 masterpoints, just a few hundred shy of Emerald Life Master status. Although he never won the national championship he aspired to, he was good enough to win one, and the title surely would have come if he had more opportunities. Ed endured many surgeries and treatment regimens during his illness, and through it all, he amazed everyone with his energy and upbeat attitude. In March 2007, four days after brain surgery, he played almost every day at the St. Louis NABC. A month before he died, he traveled to the Holiday Regional in Kansas City and won a four-session knockout teams with partner Tom Kniest. Two weeks later, he played in the sectional in St. Charles MO with his favorite partner, Mark Kessler, and placed second in the knockout teams. At the sectional, he was honored as the St. Louis 2008 Player of the Year for winning the most masterpoints at Unit tournaments. (See the photo and story in the Greater St. Louis Bridge News page in this issue.) Ed was a serious bridge competitor, but even in the highest level events, he always had fun at the table. All of Ed's partners have entertaining stories about his bridge exploits. Here's one, from a long-ago Chicago regional, that showcases Ed's skills in handling cards and people: Contract: A85 4H by South 987 Opening lead: J9742 4 Q5 Ed Me J64 10973 K65 32 65 Q1083 J9842 AK3 KQ2 AQJ104 AK 1076 Our opponent sitting South was an older lady who greeted us warmly when we came to her table. On this deal, she was declarer in 4H and Ed, West, led the 4. I won the K and returned the 2, ducked by declarer. Without a flicker of hesitation, Ed ducked, too, and dummy's 7 won the trick. Declarer then led dummy's Q, which I won with the A. I led my remaining heart and declarer, seeing an easy 11 tricks, took the "marked" finesse right into Ed's K. She became decidedly less friendly when Ed won the trick and led another heart, which took away her club ruff and her tenth trick. Totally flustered, she spent the rest of the play slapping her cards and glaring at Ed. When the hand was over, she turned to him and snapped, "How could you do that?", then proposed some "what-if-I-had-held ..." possibilities that would have made his play unsuccessful. Some players would have taken offense at her rudeness and perhaps retorted that she was done in by her own greed, but not Ed. He just gave her a shrug and a big smile and replied, "Well, then, I would have looked pretty silly, wouldn't I?" Incident over. It was that happy-go-lucky personality that endeared Ed to so many and brightened up every room he walked into. Our tournaments and club games will be a bit less lively -- and easier to win -- in his absence, but I have the strong feeling that "Fast Eddie" is still enjoying his favorite pastime. Somewhere, right now, he's probably playing his old Western Rabbit bidding system against the greats of the game and preempting his way to a heavenly championship. Congratulations, Eddie. -- Karen Walker District 8 Solvers Forum -- February 2009 by Kent Feiler, Harvard IL I'll be in St Augustine, Florida when this column comes out, so I thought I'd include some warm, soothing pictures for all of you that are freezing your District 8 whatchamacallits off in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northern Illinois, plus some of our geographically farther away but still chilly solvers in Canada, UK, Iceland, Denmark, and Eastern Europe. And a moment of silence for Santa's Toy Factory which, as we all know, broke through the thinning ice at the North Pole and is now located at the bottom of the Arctic ocean. Although depressed and desolate, Santa has declared himself as now clearly being the owner of the North Pole, and he'll be making a comeback by selling oil leases and becoming the Western toll booth for the Northwest Passage. Anyway... Sunrise Nice time to take a walk. If you run into one guy walking his dog in the other direction, the beach feels crowded. A good time to ponder the complexities of Problem 1. Action Score Votes % Solvers 1. IMPs, Both Vulnerable 2S 100 8 24 West North East South Pass 90 7 44 1 Pass 1 ? DBL 50 1 24 As South you hold: AQJT75 AKQ9 J4 J 4S 30 0 3 3S 10 0 3 What's your bid? 2H 10 0 3 That annoying East stole our suit. With such a good suit we probably still want to bid it, the question is, how? BAKER: 2S. BWS plays this as natural. DODD: 2S. Natural in BWS. Sure, 4H may be cold if North has something like 10- sixth and nothing else, but how in the name of heaven do we get there? MAYNE: 2S. Clear-cut. This is natural in any sensible system, and I can bid hearts next. SPEAR: 2S. If this is not natural, change my bid to pass, and I will bid spades naturally next time. Yup, it's natural, so bidding spades isn't a problem, at least not yet, but as Tom points out, the real problem is the heart suit. We have so many HCP, we could end up in 2S cold for 4H. NELSON: DBL. I held this hand and know the results, that's why I sent it in. Hmm...she knows the results in real life and now DBLs. Sounds like partner had hearts. But that isn't what happens to me when I make a bid like DBL. Bob Bernhard tells that sad story. BERNHARD: PASS. If I DBL and partner bids clubs, all spade bids thereafter will sound like cue bids. I'll get another chance, this auction is not over. PAVLICEK: PASS. I play 2S as natural, but that's likely to end the bidding, perhaps missing a cold 4H. After passing I hope to make a takeout double of clubs or diamonds to see if partner can bid hearts, and if not I can still bid spades naturally. I was hoping someone would tell us how they thought the auction would proceed after PASSing. Scoring 2S and Pass cleaned up most of the panelist votes. Solvers also voted for 4S which is a reasonable shot, 3S which would be taken in most expert circles as asking for a stopper, and 2H which would make it impossible to ever bid spades naturally. The Back Yard It's nice to sit on the deck and contemplate the beauty and majesty of the ocean, or maybe I was contemplating the beauty and majesty of Problem 2! Action Score Votes % Solvers 2. Matchpoints, Both Vulnerable 1NT 100 9 29 West North East South -- -- -- 1 2H 80 5 32 Pass 1 Pass ? 2C 50 2 35 2D 50 0 3 As South you hold: 92 843 AKQ2 AJ63 What's your bid? 4432 distribution and 14 HCP sounds like a perfect 1NT rebid. Of course we know that if we're declarer West is going to lead spades up to our anemic 92 and through whatever spade values partner has.