HE ULLETIN TPublished by the QueenslandQBA Bridge Association B November-January Volume 46 No www.qldbridge.com.au Email: [email protected] 4 report tells us that playing bridge In addition to analytical thinking, From the lowers the chance of Alzheimer’s elite players learn and practice by as much as 75%, perhaps more. interpersonal skills, resilience and President The researchers compared the emotional self-control. They put reasoning capacities of two groups personal feelings aside in order to of 60+ year-old Alzheimer’s patients get the best for the partnership, – the first included bridge lessons in and they keep calm in the face of of their regular therapy program whilst setbacks (their own mistakes and the second did not. After one year, their partner’s) … Elite bridge players Richard the first group’s overall cognitive are displaying the capacity to make Ward ability was more than two times crucial gameplay decisions based greater than that in the other group. on incomplete information …. At the OR decades academics have That was impressive but apparently same time they need to be able to Fbeen researching and analysing insufficiently statistically significant control their irritation with their own the health and cognitive benefits of to be conclusive. More research is failings or those of their partner so our game of bridge. These studies being done. 1 as not to give their opponents an 2 fall into two core categories: 1 the 2. There is no doubt that bridge is advantage.” well-being of players, especially with a challenging, multi-faceted and To summarise, my advice to self for regards to ageing; and 2 the skills fascinating game. “The findings partnership harmony and optimal and strategies required to become reveal that playing bridge at the results is to keep quiet - say nothing an above-average competitor. highest level requires an ability - remain expressionless. The time 1. Following twenty-year-old data to read people and scenarios for discussion and even for venting from the University of California, strategically, to respond with is over a glass or two of wine at the USA Polish scientist Nicolas discipline to changing and sometimes end of the day. Happy bridging! Copernicus started research on demoralising situations, and to In these continuing uncertain how playing bridge can delay the nurture a trusting and supportively COVID-19 times there have been onset of dementia and particularly, silent relationship (at the table) with some signs of life in the 2021 Alzheimer’s Disease. The basic one’s partner. The research provides Calendar: premise was that playing bridge evidence that skills such as strategic • Qld Open Selection Trials 28 keeps us in fine mental shape with the planning, flexibility in problem- February & 7, 13-14, 20-21 March mind’s resistance to brain damage solving, concentration and focus can increasing when we play bridge. One be developed at the bridge table. • Qld Women’s & Seniors Selection Trials 27-28 March & 10-11 April • 25th Anniversary Barrier Reef Contents Congress [ABF Gold Point event] From the President by Richard Ward ............................................................1 Mackay 30 April – 3 May IBPA Column Service by Tim Bourke .............................................................2 Queenslanders were delighted Nothing to Think About by Matthew McManus ...........................................5 to hear that Diana Dick was the Teacher's Corner by Joan Butts .......................................................................7 posthumous recipient of a Medal of Klinger's Column by Ron Klinger .....................................................................8 the Order of Australia for 'service Directors' Corner by Jan Peach .......................................................................9 to bridge' in the Australia Day 2021 Honours List. Diana's extensive contributions occurred over a lengthy period at Northern Suburbs. QCBC QBA Contact Details and Toowong. 1 International Bridge Press Association 22 Mareeba Court, Arana Hills QLD 4054 January Bulletin; Ph: 07 3351 8602 Mob: 0412 064 903 2 Punch S, and Snellgrove, M (2020); Email: [email protected] Playing your Life: Developing Strategies Website: www.qldbridge.com.au and Managing Impressions in the Game of Bridge. ■ The QBA Bulletin November - January 2021 2 So, declarer continued by leading a Had East not discarded a spade on IBPA Column low club from dummy to the five, six the second round of trumps, he’d Service and king. After ruffing the diamond have been endplayed to concede a return, declarer led the jack of clubs ruff-and-sluff. from hand. West played low, as did dummy. After East followed with the Dlr S ♠ 542 Dlr N ♠ AK952 Vul EW ♥ 2 ♥ K62 ten of clubs, declarer claimed ten Vul EW ♦ AQJ9762 ♦ 2 tricks. ♣ 104 ♣ A874 ♠ A983 ♠ 109 ♠ 8763 ♠ Q8743 ♠ J10 Dlr S ♥ 542 ♥ K1095 N ♥ QJ873 ♥ 5 N ♥ AQ7 Vul NS W E W E ♦ ♦ K1084 ♦ 53 ♦ 8753 ♦ KQJ1096 ─ S S ♣ AQ9743 ♣ Q53 ♣ J9 ♣ KQ3 ♣ 105 ♠ Q764 ♠ KJ ♠ AKQJ ♠ 6 ♥ 1073 N ♥ KJ96 ♥ A64 ♥ J109843 W E ♦ Q982 ♦ AJ10764 ♦ ─ ♦ A4 S ♣ 65 ♣ 2 ♣ AK8762 ♣ J962 ♠ 1052 ♥ 8AQ ♦ K53 W N E S W N E S ♣ KJ108 1C 1S 2D X P 1D P 2S 3D X P 4H P 3D P 3H All pass P 4S P 6S W N E S All pass West led the five of diamonds to the 1C P 1S X XX nine and ace. Declarer could see 2D 3D 4D X North decided that he needed a good four potential losers. He considered P 5C All pass score to remain in contention and trying to maximise his chances for so leapt to four spades, provoking one loser in the trump suit by cashing West found the best lead of the three South’s leap to six. West led the ten dummy’s ace and king of spades to of hearts. The contract was a poor of trumps. To have any hope of 12 discard his remaining diamond. (If one, with three potential major suit tricks, declarer needed clubs to be he played a trump immediately and losers. Declarer realized that the only three-two and trumps to be no worse West had queen-third of trumps, real chance to make 11 tricks was to than four-two. the defence could ensure a second hope that East had begun with two Declarer saw the danger of trying to trump trick by winning the ace of honours doubleton in spades. So, ruff a club in dummy. The play would trumps and tapping dummy with a after taking East’s jack of hearts have to go: heart ruff, the ace of diamond.) However, he rejected this with the queen, declarer ruffed a diamonds to shed a heart from hand, approach because it could create diamond, then cashed the ace of the ace-king of clubs and a club ruff entry problems if trumps were 3-1 spades, noting the fall of East’s jack in dummy. This would fail when the and East had both the ace and (the king might have been a better trumps were four-two; the defender queen: East could duck the first play). with the four trumps would keep round of trumps and prevent declarer After crossing back to hand with a his length intact. Then the only way from developing clubs optimally. trump to his king, declarer ruffed a back to hand would have been with So, declarer ran the jack of trumps second diamond in dummy. Next, a diamond ruff. This would cause at trick two. East won with the declarer led a trump toward his declarer to lose trump control and queen and continued with the ace hand, giving East a problem: if East the contract. and seven. Declarer cashed the discarded from a red suit, he would ace and king of spades to shed Instead, declarer found a better likely be endplayed to concede a ruff plan that was deceptively simple; his remaining diamond from hand. and discard. Accordingly, East threw South could have cashed the ace he relied on the most likely division the king of spades in the hope that of the black suits, that neither of clubs, hoping for a doubleton West had both the queen and ten of king-queen in the suit (the entries defender had a singleton in either spades along with the distribution to suit. So, at trick two, he played a were no longer there to cater for a cash them. singleton king or queen with West). low club from both hands. After Instead, he played for East to have a After winning the trump with the king, winning East’s trump return, singleton or doubleton ten of clubs, declarer led the ten of spades to declarer ruffed a heart in dummy, or a doubleton honour-ten, since West’s queen, establishing the nine discarded his remaining heart on East was marked with at least two and eight of spades as winners. The the ace of diamonds, returned to spades along with three trumps and, heart return proved to be no trouble, hand with a club to the ace and based on the lead, a minimum of six for declarer was able to discard his drew the outstanding trumps for his diamonds. heart loser on a spade. contract. The QBA Bulletin November - January 2021 3 Dlr S ♠ KQ Dlr N ♠ K52 Dlr N ♠ Q74 Vul Both ♥ 65 Vul Both ♥ A1092 Vul EW ♥ J65 ♦ KJ532 ♦ K63 ♦ 964 ♣ Q943 ♣ 652 ♣ K1053 ♠ 10854 ♠ J972 ♠ 410986 ♠ 7AQ ♠ J1085 ♠ 3 ♥ J1097 N ♥ Q8432 ♥ 8 N ♥ K76 ♥ KQ10 N ♥ 87432 W E W E W E ♦ Q1086 S ♦ 9 ♦ 1082 S ♦ 5J97 ♦ K3 S ♦ AQ752 ♣ K ♣ AJ2 ♣ 9843 ♣ QJ10 ♣ J974 ♣ 62 ♠ A63 ♠ J3 ♠ AK962 ♥ AK ♥ QJ543 ♥ A9 ♦ A74 ♦ 4AQ ♦ J108 ♣ 108765 ♣ AK7 ♣ 8AQ W N E S W N E S W N E S 1NT P 1D 1NT P P 1S P 3NT All pass P 2C P 2H P 1NT P 2NT P 4H All pass P 3S P 4S All pass West led the jack of hearts from his better major suit.