NEWSLETTER AUSTRALIAN BRIDGE FEDERATION INC. EDITORS: David & Sue Lusk NO. 106 MARCH 2004 Approved for Print Post S65001/00163 ABN 70 053 651 666 Opinion The National Open Teams Final If your club is anything like mine, there has no doubt The final of the 2004 National Open Teams was played been some negative reaction to the apparent changes between Marston (Ashley Bach - Stephen Burgess, in the ABF alerting regulations. Players need to be Gabi Lorentz - John Lester, Paul Marston - Matthew aware that these ‘new’ regulations only clarify and Thomson) and the Indonesian team Waluyan (Madja emphasise that which has been in place for some Bakara, Julius George, Bert Polii, Yeloy Tontey, Ferdy time. Waluyan, Giovani Watulingas). Each had a scare getting to the final, Marston in winning their quarter- Pre-alerts are not a new idea. It has long been required final by 1 IMP and Waluyan in coming from behind that methods which are likely to be outside of the scope to win their semi-final by 8. of the opponents’ experience and those which might catch the opponents by surprise require pre-alerts. Marston picked up over 40 IMPs on slams they bid, All the regulations do is emphasise this requirement 30+ of these through three not attempted at the other in a clear way. They also give some helpful examples. table. There was a further swing of 14 on this hand – In practical terms, it creates an additional onus though the outcome could have been different: on players to greet their opponents by stating their basic system and any unusual methods that fit the North pre-alerting parameters. « AQ83 ª A9 Delayed alerts are also not new. The requirements © 53 for delayed alerts were incorporated in the principles West ¨ AKQ73 East of Active Ethics. All that players need to understand « K1076 « 9 is that, whenever they win the bidding, they are ª J84 ª K10763 required to clarify the meaning of bids which were self- © 1094 © J862 alerting and tidy up any possible misunderstandings ¨ 1085 South ¨ 964 relating to bids which may have been poorly or only « J542 partially explained. ª Q52 © AKQ7 The intention of any alerting requirement is to ¨ J2 provide the opposition with a full and appropriate In the Closed Room, Bach, for Marston, declared 6« explanation of the meaning of your partnership’s ª bidding. This is supported by Law and any from the North hand on the 6 lead from East. He commonsense approach by a partnership to meet this called for dummy’s Queen and, after that held, requirement is likely to meet the mandate of the proceeded to play the trump suit for one loser, cashing regulations. the Ace and leading low towards the Jack. West took the King and returned a heart. After finessing West’s « The regulations have prompted a further debate about trump ten, he cashed the Q and claimed twelve tricks. who is really assisted by alerts. The answers haven’t In the Open Room Tontey played 6« from the South changed and most of us accept that it is a compromise ª solution to bidding anarchy. The only perfectly fair on the lead of the 4 from West. He correctly called for dummy’s Ace then played the three top diamonds, solution is to play behind screens and that, I imagine, ª would be anathema to almost all of us. discarding the 9 from dummy. Next he played a trump to dummy’s Queen. As East could play the nine of David Lusk trumps from a singleton nine, a doubleton 10-9 or even 1 10-9-x, Tontey decided to play a low spade next. When However, Waluyan had much the better of the game East discarded he was doomed but he played the Jack decisions, for example: anyway. Lorentz took his King of trumps and played a second heart to ensure the defeat of the contract; Tontey Board: 41 ruffed with the eight of trumps, cashed the Ace of Dealer: N North trumps and played on clubs, eventually finishing down Vul: EW « 87 two. ª KJ98 © AK954 Of course, if Tontey had decided to play against the West ¨ 95 East odds and read the nine as a singleton he would have « Q6543 « A2 made his contract. He crosses to the ¨J, ruffs a heart ª A2 ª 74 then plays two more top clubs, discarding his © Q1083 © 6 remaining heart, to leave: ¨ 76 South ¨ AKQJ10842 « KJ109 North ª Q10653 « A8 © J72 ª — ¨ 3 © — West ¨ Q7 East Closed Room « K107 « — West North East South ª ª Marston George Thomson Polii J K107 © © — © J 1 3NT X ¨ ¨ Pass Pass 4¨ Pass — South — ¨ « J54 4NT Pass 5 All Pass ª — © 7 Open Room ¨ — West North East South Waluyan Burgess Tontey Bach Now he ruffs a club with the Jack of trumps, to 1© 2¨ X neutralise West’s holding there. Pass 2ª 3¨ 3ª 3NT Pass Pass 4ª Index X Pass 4NT All Pass Articles Of Interest & Information In the Closed Room, Thomson’s decision to bid 3NT ABF Calendar 15 without a stopper had a profound effect when Polii ABF News 10 doubled. Fearing the worst, he ran to 4¨ and, after ABF Website 6 Marston showed values with 4NT, was almost forced Contact Details 4 to bid 5¨ for he did not have one of the things he Copy Deadline 20 promised – a diamond stopper. Polii led a heart, killing Country Congress Calendar 9 any possible chance of making 5¨. Letters to the Editors 11 McCutcheon Trophy - 13 February 2004 22 Youth News 6 In the Open Room, Tontey-Waluyan had an old fashioned agreement that 3¨ promised extras, not Major Tournament Reports & Results passing the time of day. This prompted Waluyan to try The 2004 National Seniors Final 3 3NT and then Tontey to make the reasonable decision The 2004 National Women’s Teams 5 The National Open Teams Final 1 that, as his hand was worth more on offence than Tournament Results 8 defence, if partner could bid 3NT then his hand must be worth a fourth. North led the ©A against the final Regular Features contract and Waluyan claimed his ten tricks and a Bidding into the 21st Century 14 12 IMP swing. Book Reviews 16 Coaching Cathy at Contract 18 Opinion 1 In the end Waluyan got back a little more on game The Director’s Chair 20 decisions than they lost on the slams. Taken together with their slightly better record on overtricks and 2 partscores, the final result was Waluyan 120 - North continued hearts to South’s 10 and West’s Jack. Marston 101. West then led a diamond to dummy’s 10 and South’s King and was untroubled to make 10 tricks. (Note that Finally let me say something about this Indonesian the Deep Finesse analysis suggests only 8 tricks for team as opponents. My team played 20 boards against EW.) them in the preliminary rounds of the South West Pacific Teams (SWPT) and a further 64 boards in a West North East South losing semi-final of the National Open Teams. We Noble Bilski believe it should be recorded that all members of the 1NT! Indonesian team displayed wonderful sportsmanship. Pass Pass X All Pass They all played a fair, fast and no-nonsense game. This made it a distinct pleasure to play against all members South opened an ultra-light 1NT and looked in trouble. of the team, despite losing to them. They are wonderful West naturally led a heart to the 7 and 8. Declarer played ambassadors for their country and our game. Indeed, a a spade to dummy’s 8 and East’s Jack. East found the good many experts could learn from them that nice devastating switch of the ©Q at trick 3 and South won guys can finish first. with the King. Tim Bourke When South played a low heart towards dummy, West could have risen to play a diamond for East. He didn’t and dummy’s Queen scored. South guessed the spade The 2004 National Seniors Final position to collect three spade tricks before playing ¨ In the National Seniors Teams final, Klinger (R. the 4 from dummy. East rose Ace and cashed the Klinger - B. Neill, J. Lester - G. Lorentz, Z. Nagy - T. King and that guaranteed 8 tricks for declarer. Seres) squared off against Noble (G. Bilski - B. Noble, C. Hughes - W. Malaczynski, A. Kowalski - M. Board: 23 Milaszewski) Dealer: S North Vul: EW « Q84 ª This hand was played in NT in opposite directions: KJ6542 © J10 ¨ Board: 11 West AJ East « « Dealer: S North K97532 A ª ª Vul: Nil « A1082 Q 87 © © ª Q62 6 KQ9742 ¨ ¨ © J93 96542 South K1087 « West ¨ 864 East J106 ª « Q974 « J3 A1093 © ª AJ953 ª 7 A853 ¨ © 52 © AQ10764 Q3 ¨ Q5 South ¨ AK107 West North East South « K65 Kowalski Nagy Milaszewski Seres ª K1084 Pass © K8 2©1 2ª Pass 4ª ¨ J932 All Pass West North East South Kowalski Nagy Milaszewski Seres 1. Multi, but this does not do justice to the hand’s Pass shape. Pass Pass 1© Pass 1ª Pass 2¨ Pass East led the «A and switched to the ©K. South won 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass and drew trumps in two rounds before playing the ©J. East was endplayed, having to lead a club into dummy’s North led the «2 to South’s King. South switched to A-J or a diamond, setting up declarer’s eight. +620 the ª4 and declarer’s 9 forced the Queen from North. 3 West North East South Board: 32 Neill Malaczynski Klinger Hughes Dealer: W North Pass Vul: EW « A10872 ª 2NT1 Pass 4¨2 All Pass 86 © Q62 1.