Marston Wins Gold Coast Teams

Marston Wins Gold Coast Teams

Saturday 23 February - Saturday 1 March 2007 Bulletin Number 8 - Sunday 2nd March 2008 Bulletin Editor David Stern ² Contributions to [email protected] or phone 04-1111-1655 MARSTON WINS GOLD COAST TEAMS The Marston Team, Marston, McCallum, Hanlon and McGann have won the 2008 Gold Coast Congress Teams beating the Wu Team, Wu, Wang, Wang, Ran, Shao, Liu by 23 IMPS. It is probably a sign of the international acceptance that this event has gained that 9 of the 10 players in the final came from overseas to play in the tournament. It also completes a double for Hanlon and McGann who took out the 2008 Open Pairs Title. 2008 Teams Champions Paul Marston, Kate McCallum, Tom Hanlon and Hugh McGann Page 1 ² Sunday 2nd March 2008 2008 Runners Up Round Round Round Round Team Total 1 2 3 4 Wu S Wu, W Wang, W Wang, J Ran, 36 29 28 22 115 Z Shao, W Liu Marston P Marston, K McCallum, 53 43 20 22 138 T Hanlon, H McGann SOME FINAL HANDS Paul Marston McGann-Hanlon are the anchor pair of team Ireland. Their Carrot Club system has been refined over the years and it is well documented. In contrast, Marston-McCallum have never played together before and they had no more than four minutes of system discussion before they started playing. Having no agreements does not trouble you most of the time but there are times when it does. Take this deal from session three of the final. Dealer East ª 10 3 West North East South Vul N/S ³ 10 9 8 5 4 3 2 Marston Liu McCallum Shao ² 5 3 1NT Pass § 5 4 2§ Pass 2² Pass ª A K J 4 ª 9 6 3³ Pass 4² Pass ³ 7 ³ A Q 4NT Pass 5² Pass ² K Q 9 8 ² A J 6 4 2 5NT Pass 6³ Pass § Q 10 9 7 § A J 8 6 6NT Pass Pass Pass ª Q 8 7 5 2 ³ K J 6 ² 10 7 § K 3 2 When the Chinese held the East-West cards they bid to six diamonds. This turned out to be the par contract when the club finesse lost. Page 2 ² Sunday 2nd March 2008 When Kate and I sat East-West we had a few problems duplicating the Chinese success. We were confident that we understood each other up to 2² but then it was dead reckoning. I did not have a clear way forward over 2². I might have compromised with 3§ if had known it was forcing but I wasn’t sure about that. However, I did recall earlier in the week that Kate had transferred to hearts and continued with two spades to show four spades and five hearts. So she would be less likely to think a 3³ bid from me now showed five hearts and four spades. I also know that many Americans play splinter bids in response to 1NT. For example, 1NT – 3³ or 3ª shows a 1-3-4-5 type of hand and doing so after Stayman shows a 1444 type of hand. For these reasons I thought she might think a jump to 3³ to be a splinter bid so I gave it a go. When Kate continued with 4² it seemed that she had indeed tuned in to the same wavelength. I continued with 4NT, a Keycard ask on diamonds. When she showed three key cards I continued with 5NT as a grand slam try. If Kate bid 6§ to show the king of clubs I was going to bid 7². But when she bid 6³ I was forced to conclude that what I thought was an effective auction was, in reality, just two duffers with their wires crossed. In 6NT you must lose the club finesse. Then to make you must take the spade finesse and not the heart finesse. Actually, that is not quite true as Kate demonstrated. She won the two of spades lead with the ace and played a few diamonds. Then she lost the club finesse. South returned a second spade putting her on the spot. Kate won the king, refusing the finesse, and so now it looked like she was down - but wait. She ran all the winners coming down to a two-card ending. West held the ªJ and a heart and East held ³A-Q. South had to keep the ªQ so he had to bare his ³K. Kate now played a heart to the ace, dropping the king to make her contract, and minimising the bawdy laughter at the crude state of our bidding. Dealer West ª 8 5 3 West North East South Vul N/S ³ 7 Marston Liu McCallum Shao ² K 10 9 8 7 2ª Pass 3ª Double § J 10 8 4 Pass 4NT Pass 6§ ª K Q 10 4 2 ª A J 9 7 Pass Pass Pass ³ 3 2 ³ Q J 9 8 5 ² Q J 6 2 ² 7 West North East South § Q 7 § 6 5 2 Wang Hanlon Ran McGann ª 6 1ª Pass 4ª Double ³ A K 10 6 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5§ ² A 4 3 Pass Pass Pass § A K 9 3 The second deal comes from the first session of the final. When the Chinese sat North- South, North made an aggressive leap to 4NT for the minors over his partner’s double. You can hardly blame South for bidding 6§ but the slam had no play. In the end it was two down. At the other table the Chinese West opened one spade and that would be his undoing. East raised to four and Hugh played five clubs from the south seat. West led the king of spades. East overtook and shifted to his singleton diamond. To make the contract Hugh had to play the trumps without loss. West was marked with the queen of clubs on the bidding and Hugh duly played clubs from the top to land his game. Page 3 ² Sunday 2nd March 2008 LEAVING ON A JET PLANE Great song that was..... So another successful Gold Coast Congress has come to a close. It doesn’t end there for Queensland with the Australian National Championships (25th July to 8th August 2008) and PABF Congress (29th August to 7th September 2008) to come later in 2008 it is almost a case of pack up the tables and chairs and don’t even bother to put them into storage. I have spent many years on both sides of the microphone and know just how hard it is to keep everybody satisfied with every aspect of a major congress like this. It takes a team of dedicated people ranging from those for whom payment is nominal at best to the overworked directors, floor staff, caddies, scorers, administration desk managers and general helpers. They have made my job much easier with constant top ups of soft drinks, easy internet connection, excellent ‘office’ space and facilities. They have made your time here much more enjoyable through their cheery disposition and keen sense of wanting to help each and every player. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking them all on your behalf. At the risk of offending those whose names I may have omitted here are but a few of those who spring to mind – Therese Tully (convenor), Kim Ellaway and Charles Page, The front desk staff, Laurie Kelso (chief TD) and his staff, Martin Willcox (scorer) and his scoring crew, Phil Marj, Sue, Kim and Amber (floor managers), the caddies and so many others. A reminder of the slightly later dates next year Saturday 28th February to Saturday 7th March 2009. So I hope you enjoyed the ride with me for this year and I wish you all the best for your homeward journey. David SOME GILL HANDS Having gone to school with Peter Gill (he was a few years behind me) and known him for so long, I have learned that when Peter wants to give you a hand it is time to listen. PQ1 Brd 17 ª 10 8 3 West North East South Dealer North ³ 7 5 McGann Dawson Hanlon Gill Vul Nil ² K Q J 10 6 3 2² 2³ 5² § K 10 Double Pass Pass Pass ª K 7 6 4 ª A Q J 9 ³ K 8 6 3 ³ A Q J 10 9 2 ² 7 ² 4 2 § Q 8 5 2 § 6 ª 5 2 ³ 4 ² A 9 8 5 § A J 9 7 4 3 Jane Dawson's weak two opening struck gold. Hugh McGann's 5² gave the last guess to EW, ref one of the tips by their winning team-mate Kate McCallum in her Baker's Dozen in Wednesday's Bulletin. Double showed a desire to bid 5³ without adequate values to do so, in the modern style of "transferable values". With two aces at Pairs, Tom Hanlon decide to defend and led his singleton. Jane Dawson had no difficulty making 5²x for a huge score for N/S. On a club lead, 6² can be made by winning the §10, drawing trumps, then overtaking the §K in order to take a ruffing club finesse. Page 4 ² Sunday 2nd March 2008 Many top Aussie pairs would promptly have a post mortem about who bid wrongly. None of this for the Irish. Fully focussed, straight into the next board, ready to strike back. PQ1 Brd 18 ª Q 5 West North East South Dealer East ³ A K 9 8 5 McGann Dawson Hanlon Gill Vul N/S ² K 4 1ª Pass § 7 5 4 2 2NT 3³ 4³ Double ª A J 10 9 6 ª K 8 7 4 3 4NT Pass 5³ Pass ³ J 10 3 ³ --- 5NT Pass 6§ Pass ² A Q 9 7 ² J 8 7 6 2 6² Pass 6ª All Pass § J § A K 8 ª 2 ³ Q 7 6 4 2 ² 10 3 § Q 10 9 6 3 Most pairs languished in 4ª when West misguidedly splintered with 4§ and East could not tell whether his heart void was opposite heart values.

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