DEC_09_EB_p01 Front Cover:EB_Layout 3 11/11/2009 19:04 Page 1 December 2009 English Bridge Issue No. 226 The EBU members’ magazine Zia Mahmood, 2009 World Champion and author of our Christmas Quiz (see page 5), photographed at the prestigious Lederer Trophy (see page 50) Inside: News, Views, Instruction, Reports & Fun! Dec09 _adverts-paginated-02:EB_Layout 3 13/11/2009 18:04 Page 2 Overseas and UK Bridge Breaks All overseas prices include flights unless otherwise stated. All prices guaranteed against currency fluctuations. Sun 7th - Wed 10th, 3 nights £219 Fri 7th - Mon 10th 3 nights £199 XMAS & NEW YEAR 4*Mollington Hotel Chester. Beverley Arms, Beverley. 9th & 23rd March 14 nights 13 May 14 nights £899 all inclusive 24th Dec, 3 nts £299 Full board from ONLY £529 ALL INCLUSIVE 4*Creta Panorama, Crete. The Whitehall, Broxted, Essex . 5* Atlantis Hotel, Belek, Turkey. Fri 14th - Mon 17th 3 nights £199 The Whitehall Sun 14th - Fri 19th, 5 nights £249 Holiday Inn, Ironbridge. The Whitehall, Bournemouth. 17 May 14 nights £599 all inclusive Mon 15th - Fri 19th, 4 nights £299 Ersan Resort, Bodrum, Turkey. The Belsfiel d, Bowness -on -Windermer e. 21/22nd May 14 nights £499 5* Hotel Marina Grand, Golden Bowness on Windermere Sands, Bulgaria. No single supplement. Sun 23rd - Wed 27th 4 nights £199 4* Dunkenhalgh and Spa, Lancs. 24th & 29th Dec, 4 or 9 nts £349/£699 Holiday Inn, Ironbridg e/Telford. Thur 27th - Mon 31st 4 nights £199 4*Brandon Hall & Spa, Warwickshire. 24th & 29th Dec, 4 or 9 nts £399/£749 Three Counties, Hereford . Mon 31st - Thur 3rd May 3 nts £199 New Bath Hotel, Matlock Bath. 20th Dec, 14 nts £938 5* Fame Residence, near Antalya. 21st March 14 nights ONLY £599 JUNE 2010 4* Avanti Hotel, Paphos. Sat 5th - Fri 11th 6 nights £299 21st Dec, 14 nts £1179 All inclusive Croyde Bay Holiday Village . 5* Taba Hilton, Red Sea, Egypt. Sun 28th-31st, 3 nights £215 The Chadwick, Lytham St Annes. Sun 13th - Fri 18th 5 nights £279 Whitehall, Bournemouth. APRIL 2010 JANUARY 2010 Fri 25th - Mon 28th 3 nights £215 Fri 2nd - Mon 5th (Easter) 3 nts £199 3rd Jan -14th Feb, 7, 14, 35 & 42 nts Chadwick, Lytham St Annes. Kingston Lodg e, Kingston on Thame s. 5* El Mouradi Palace, Port El Kantaoui. Sun 27th - Wed 30th 3 nights £199 35 nts only £699, 42 nts only £849 Fri 2nd - Mon 5th (Easter) 3 nts £239 Whitehall Dunmow, Essex. 13th Jan 14 nights £799 Three Counties, Hereford. 5* Sonesta St George, Luxor, Egypt. Sun 11th - Thur 15th 4 nights £329 Sun 27th - Wed 30th 3 nights £199 Bank House Golf & Country, Worcs. Sun 24th - Fri 29th, 5 nights £199 Harrington Hall, Dublin. Prince of Wales, Southport . Sun 18th - Wed 21st 3 nights £199 JULY 2010 26th Jan, 7- 42 nights from £484 The Whipper-In Hotel, Oakham. Andalusian river cruise 5* Fame Residence nr Antalya. Mon 19th - Sat 24th 5 nights £279 29th Jan 14 nights £729 Westhill Country Hotel, Jersey. 4* Paradise Park, Los Cristianos. Sun 25th - Fri 30th 5 nights £249 FEBRUARY 2010 The Whitehall, Bournemouth. 9th & 23rd Feb, 7 - 28 nights El Mouradi Palace 5* Fame Residence nr Antalya. Sun 14th - Fri 19th, 5 nights £199 Esplanade, Llandudno. 4th July 7 nights £599 plus flight MARCH 2010 4 * Ramada Park Hotel, Geneva. 1st & 2nd March 14 nights 17th July 5 nights £299 B&B plus flight 5* Taba Hilton, Red Sea, Egypt 4* Marques del Nervion, Seville. ONLY £849 ALL INCLUSIVE Combine with river cruise 12 nts £1298. Visit Jerusalem, Petra and Eilat. 22nd July 7 nights £999 Full board plus flight Taba Heights 25 April 14 nights only £385 4* River Cruise, Andalusia. 5* El Mourad i Palace , Port el Kantaou i. Mon 26th - Fri 30th 4 nights £299 SEPTEMBER 2010 4* Royal Terrace, Edinburgh. Almeria, Slovenia, Elba, Kos, Bulgaria, Marmaris, Dublin, Jersey. MAY 2010 Sun 2nd - Wed 5th 3 nights £219 OCTOBER 2010 4* Mollington, Chester. Bodrum, Dubrovnik and Corfu. T7028 Bridge Overseas Ltd 16 – 18 Mary Street, Porthcawl CF36 3YA MASTERPOINTS GIVEN Prices quoted on overseas holidays are for half board, flights & transfers unless otherwise stated. The only addition is the bridge fee. Bridge is FREEPHONE: 0800 0346 246 licensed by the EBU - masterpoints, trophies, vouchers and/or prizes. Retail agents for Balkan atol 252, or tel: 01656 773178 www.bridgeoverseas.co.uk Thomas Cook Holidays atol 1368 & Thomsons atol 2524. DEC_09_EB_p03 Editorial:EB_Layout 3 11/11/2009 19:05 Page 3 English Bridge Chairman’s Report © All rights reserved Presented at the Union’s AGM on 7th October 2009 ENGLISH BRIDGE is published every two months by the ENGLISH BRIDGE UNION Sally Bugden, Chairman Broadfields, Bicester Road, Aylesbury HP19 8AZ ( 01296 317200 Fax: 01296 317220 [email protected] I HAVE reported on our business activities part nership and teams, and through helping Web site: www.ebu.co.uk and updated our strategy plan at the last older people retain good brain health ________________ meeting of the Shareholders in June and, as through the rigour of a mental workout Editor: Elena Jeronimidis promised, to the membership in the August while socialising – some thing that has a huge 23 Erleigh Road, Reading RG1 5LR issue of English Bridge. bearing on fighting dementia and maintaining ( 0118 926 2602 Those activities aside, I would like to a healthy outlook. This has introduced [email protected] con centrate on three areas that have defined us to some notable champions of duplicate Editorial Board my first year as Chairman – international bridge, including Baroness Ruth Henig, who Sally Bugden (Chairman), Jeremy Dhondy and Elena Jeronimidis success on the world stage, national parlia - was the driving force in setting up our mentary activity and the continuing chal - All Party Parliamentary Group for the ________________ lenge of change. development of duplicate bridge, and Ron Advertising Manager Millet, an EBU member from Leeds, who has Harpreet Gill at Loud Group International Success done some sterling work to identify funding Unit 90, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RY ( 01235 834277 fax: 01235 820338 for some robust research on bridge and its [email protected] For the first time in many years, we have had effects on dementia. ________________ supreme success in world international events, with our Women winning Gold at the The continuing challenge Printing: St Ives (Andover) plc World Mind Sports Games in Beijing in of change October 2008, our Under 21s and Open teams winning Silver at the same event, and Our work to deliver universal membership INSIDE GUIDE our Seniors win ning the 39th World Bridge for the Union has continued unabated. Champion ships D’Orsi Seniors Bowl for We have moved forward to ensure that Christmas Quiz 5 n the first time in England’s history. Congra - our organisation can shake off the shackles Duplicate pairs tips 7 n tu lation to all the players, coaches, captains of the past and make itself fit for purpose Bridge fiction 9 n and squad managers who helped us achieve within its new philosophy of being acces - World Seniors Championship 11 n this global greatness. And congratulations to sible to, and representative of, all duplicate Director, please! 13 n our Selection Com mittee and our Youth bridge players. We have had to work incre - Bidding quiz answers 14-15 n Committee who iden tified those who should dibly hard to ensure that our message of Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup 17 n take part. support and development for clubs is Heather’s hints 19 n However, what this also demonstrated was heard at every possible oppor tunity. We do Women’s Teams 20 n that there is no interest in international not have vast amounts of money to spend Ask Jeremy 21 n bridge success at national media level. on a national advertising campaign; we are Useful conventions 23 n We are indebted to James Mates who, de pend ent on our publications, our web - Book reviews 24-25 n single-handed, promoted us on News at Ten, site and our individual communi cations Letters to the editor 27-28 n ITV 1. But we have an enormous task ahead with clubs. It is imperative, there fore, that Bidding quiz test hands 29 n of us: we have to identify ways, means and all our share holders help us by ensuring EBU news and diary 31-33 n personalities that will appeal to all levels of that the correct information is given to The Benji 2 t Opening 34-35 n media. their affil iated clubs and members, and work with us to make sure that this Club bidding quiz test hands 35 n National Parliamentary Activity democratically decid ed policy is delivered Bridge in Andalucia 36 n for the benefit of all. r Really Easy Bridge 37 n Something that may help us achieve part The debate 38-39 n of this aim is that, for the first time ever, Sally concluded by thanking, both on behalf Competitive Bidding 40-41 n duplicate bridge has a presence at national of the EBU as well as personally, several Caption Competition 41 n parliamen tary level. We chose to highlight com panies and individuals for their help and Prize play quiz (problem & answer) 42 n the benefits that learning duplicate bridge support. Their names can be seen in the Standard English 43 n can bring to society through helping young minutes of the AGM on the EBU website, Around and about 44 n people learn maths, logic, working in www.ebu.co.uk . Obituary 45 Club bidding quiz answers 45 n County news 46-53 n ARTICLES IN ENGLISH BRIDGE ARE COLOUR CODED A day in the life and Top Tip 54 n Instruction EBU News Features On-line Bridge Reports Front cover photo: Gordon Rainsford n n n n n www.ebu.co.uk December 2009 English Bridge 3 Dec09 _adverts-paginated-02:EB_Layout 3 13/11/2009 15:23 Page 4 ♠ ♣ ♥ Bridge Events Throughout 2010 Masterpoints Bridge Breaks Hosted by John Taylor Full Board - No single players or beginners in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere 2010 February 19-21 (2 nights) £179 April 9-11 (2/3 nights) £188/£248 ChristMAs & nEW YEAr June 4-6 (2 nights) £179 July 16-19 (3 nights) £199 4* sELsDOn PArk hOtEL, sUrrEY Weekends for Private Bridge Clubs in 2010 24 December 4 nights £499 30 December 3 nights £399 Special offers available Full board No single supplement Town Centre Location • 47 Bedrooms (inc 18 singles) Ample nearby parking with assistance if required APriL ♠ ♣ ♥ 2-5 (Easter) WOrthing Ardington Hotel £299 hb Organised by Susan Bloom (inc.