The EBU members’ magazine E October 2014 – Issue No. 255 N G L I S H B R I D G Bridge at the seaside E The EBU goes to Brighton English Bridge INSIDE GUIDE © All rights reserved From the Chairman 5 n Pairs Tactics 6-7 n ENGLISH BRIDGE is published every two months by the Bridge Fiction 8-9 n ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION Heather’s Hints 10-11 n Broadfields, Bicester Road, Bridge with a Twist 13-14 n Aylesbury HP19 8AZ Prize Leads Quiz Questions 15 n ( 01296 317200 Fax: 01296 317220 Bridge Tips N E W 17 n [email protected] Prize Leads Quiz Answers 18-19 n Web site: www.ebu.co.uk Great Bridge Disasters 20-21 n ________________ Caption Competition 21 n Editor: Elena Jeronimidis Traps for the Unwary 22-23 n 23 Erleigh Road, Reading RG1 5LR Brighton Report 24-26 ( 0118 926 2602 n [email protected] Ask Gordon 27-28 n ________________ Teach Your Grandchild Bridge 29 n Editorial Board Five-card Majors 30 n Jeremy Dhondy (Chairman), EBU News and Diary 31-32 n Barry Capal and Elena Jeronimidis Bidding Quiz Test Hands 33 n ________________ Letters to the Editor 35-36 n Advertising Manager Bidding Quiz Answers 37-39 n Chris Danby at Danby Advertising EBED News 40 Fir Trees, Hall Road, Hainford, n Norwich NR10 3LX Y The Junior Page 41 n ( / Fax 01603 898678 Stage 2 Conventions 42-43 n [email protected] Bridge in Literature 44-45 n ________________ Club Bidding Quiz Test Hands 45 n Printing: Wyndeham Group The Magic of Bridge 46-47 n ________________ Your Questions Answered 48-51 n English Bridge is also published online Around and About 52-53 n in the Members’ Area at www.ebu.co.uk Top Table 54 n County News 55-61 n Club Bidding Quiz Answers 62 n ARTICLES Front cover photo: Peter Stockdale IN ENGLISH BRIDGE ARE COLOUR CODED ONLINE EXTRA Rules & Maxims: Rule of 19 page 65 Instruction EBU News Five-Card Majors Part V pages 66-73 In Memoriam NEW page 74 n n N County Local Results EW pages 75-78 Features Laws & Ethics Reports MEET OUR AUTHORS click n n n Click the ‘link’ icon in the title and you will be taken to the writer’s biography link www.ebu.co.uk October 2014 English Bridge 3 4 English Bridge October 2014 www.ebu.co.uk From the Chairman Awards by Jeremy Dhondy click link WELCOME to the first magazine in our new size. known as a ‘Dimmie’. Dimmie was a great servant of We are interested to learn what you think, so let the the English game who had given of her time Editor know. We have made the decision to change generously for many years. She had also represented the size because of the way postal charges work and Great Britain in the open game during the 1950s. The to ensure the continuation of the printed magazine award has stood the test of time and we have added for some time to come. The Editor has done much some other awards. In the last year we have had a work on testing new layouts and making sure the review of what awards we give and to whom. This format is as attractive as possible. We’ve also beefed review has been conducted by one of our board up the amount of information online for those who members, Ron Millet, to whom we owe thanks. We like to look there also. shall be introducing some new awards in the coming year and we want clubs and counties to be involved in Our Volunteers the process of nomi nation. The EBU is dependent on its volunteers at club, Clubs, counties and the EBU itself all exist and county and national level and it is right that we prosper, in major part, because of the work of properly show our gratitude to those who not only volunteers. In most clubs everyone from the scorer make our game run well but also teach people who to the director to the club secretary or chairman is then join our game. Several years ago we introduced pretty likely to be offering his or her services for no an award, the Gold Award – our highest award for more than a warm feeling of gratitude. The same is voluntary service at a national level. It’s been true at county level and although there is a pro - awarded eight times since its inception in 1992 and fessional staff at Aylesbury, the EBU at national level this has been added to in recent years by the Silver would struggle to prosper if it were not for those Award for those who have not only made significant who sit through meetings designed to update regu - contribution at the national level but also to club la tions, approve new agreements, discuss new and county over a long period of time. tournaments or select international teams. Some of the time, as a volunteer, you can bask in Player and Teacher Awards the knowledge that you are doing a good job – occasionally people say thank you – or perhaps As well as our many volunteers we have players who those who have little or no intention of putting in have represented England, and before that Great the hours know perfectly well how something can Britain, with distinction over many years and we be done better and are not shy of telling you this. will be introducing a new award to recognise those Occasionally something bad happens and perhaps players in the near future. There are also those who the club has to deal with someone who is less than are the guardians of the future because they teach well behaved. This can be tiresome, stressful and people to play the game, both younger and older, make you wonder why you volunteered; however, and are providing the life blood for bridge. We have the good of the vast majority and the club itself may awards already for those who teach the young in sustain you through an unpleasant time. schools and elsewhere, but an important part of teaching now is those who teach adults in our clubs ‘Dimmies’ and Other Awards and bring new people to our club duplicates. Saying thank you and giving recognition is an Back in the 1980s we sought a way of saying ‘thank area in which the EBU is trying to improve. It would you’ to some of our volunteers at county level. The be good to hear of clubs and counties who are doing award given was a Dimmie Fleming Award, popularly the same. r www.ebu.co.uk October 2014 English Bridge 5 Pairs Tactics Upgrade in Competition click by Andrew Robson link YOU are West, last to speak at Game All and the In any competitive auction, the deal will either bidding goes: belong to your side, in which case you want to encourage partner to compete higher; or it will West North East South belong to the opponents, in which case bidding 1® 1™ Dble higher will usually still be best as long as you are not ? doubled. Showing a bit more strength than you actually have is therefore a big tactical winner. South’s double is Negative and shows any strength The top Italians, also US’s Meckstroth-Rodwell, of hand with precisely four spades. What do you do have long been upgrading marginal hands in com - with these hands? petitive auctions. Indeed ‘Meckwell’ have a note on their Convention Card: ‘We frequently upgrade.’ Note that upgrading in competition is particularly Hand (a) Hand (b) Hand (c) important at pairs, where the opponents will be ´ 3 2 ´ A 3 ´ 10 9 2 keener to make tight doubles. Note also that you ™ K 5 2 ™ K J 6 ™ A 10 3 should not upgrade in the uncontested auction at t 10 9 6 5 t Q 9 6 2 t K 10 7 3 2 pairs, because you should not push for close games. ® 9 4 3 2 ® 9 8 4 2 ® J 9 Here is a typical pairs steal resulting from an upgrade: Hand (a). Bid 2 ™. You are very keen that partner leads a heart and also wish to remove a level of Game All. Dealer East. spades from the opposition. With an eight-card ´ 8 6 heart fit and a ruffing value, you should not fear ™ K 10 9 competing to the two-level. If partner were left to t K Q 2 play there (unlikely I admit), you’d be thrilled: ® 8 7 5 4 2 having no defence to opposing contracts. ´ A Q 4 2 ´ K J 10 5 Hand (b). Bid 2 ®. This is an unassuming cue bid ™ 8 5 4 N ™ 6 2 W E (UCB), showing a good heart raise, typically 10+ t 10 9 6 5 S t J 7 points and three-card support for partner’s overcall. ® Q 10 ® A K J 9 6 If you are happy to raise to 2 ™ with Hand (a), then ´ 9 7 3 you need to differentiate a weak raise from a decent ™ A Q J 7 3 raise. The UCB is perhaps the single most impor - t A 8 4 3 tant convention (or second most, after Stayman) – ® 3 on frequency grounds. Hand (c). Bid 2 ®. Now this is close. The text book may say 10+ points for the UCB, but there is much The bidding where North doesn’t upgrade: to be said for upgrading good nines, even eights as here.