Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                       Club News Sheet – No. 483
Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                    
My mobile phone number is 083 6066880                                                            20th Feb 2012
My e-mail is terry@pattayabridge.com or pattayabridge@yahoo.com
My Windows Live Messenger is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 13th  N-S      1st   Alan K & Per-Ake         66%            2nd  Mike G & Holger           57%
                 E-W     1st   Per A & Hans V             62%            2nd  Tomas & Bengt              60%
Wed 15th N-S      1st   Ron & Jeremy                65%            2nd  Alan K & Per-Ake         56%
                 E-W     1st   Tom G & Lars B            59%            2nd  Gerard & Derek             58%
Fri 17th     N-S      1st   Bob & Birsby                 56%            2nd  Mike G & Roger            55%
                E-W     1st    Lief R & Hans V             57%            2nd  Holger & Bengt  55%

Thank you all.
Many thanks to all for your support during this very trying week for me. I spent a total of four days at two different hospitals with two different problems. I’m better now but do not expect to be fully recovered for a number of weeks. I have been pushed to complete everything needed for the bridge club, hence the very short news letter this week (no time to type up Dave’s columns).

 

Bidding Quiz          Standard American (short ♣) bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A             What do you open with hand A? This hand is from last week’s quiz, where I forgot
                          to print the last two pages – so no answer!
♠ KJ                                                               
♥ AKJ964                            
♦ K                 
♣ AJ107         

Bidding Sequence Quiz        

B      1NT  pass   2♣     pass                           3♦ is natural and forcing (so generally 5+ ♦’s and
         2♥     pass   3♦      pass                           obviously 4 ♠’s). What is 4♣ and is it forcing?
         3♠     pass   4♣

 

Paul’s Column

On 2/7/12, Paul Q  wrote:
Terry, had this not happened TWICE in less than a week I probably would ignore it.  These, however, were glaring examples of inappropriate and outrageous behaviour as well as ignorance of the laws governing duplicate bridge as propounded by the World Bridge Federation.

 Incident 1.  During the play of a hand by East, West (dummy) demanded that South expose to him a trick quitted two tricks before and therefore face down.  South, a current director at this club, told West that he had no right to inspect the trick.  West, one of the club's best players, persisted.  After play concluded North, a former Tournament Director for the American Contract Bridge League, calmly told West that South had been correct. West stated with some hauteur "I've  played bridge for sixty years and you are not going to teach me bridge."  North said no one was trying to teach you bridge, only explain a rule.  West's reply with the same attitude as before was " You ALWAYS are trying to teach bridge!" ignoring entirely the subject and instead launching a personal attack on North. From Law 66C of the WBF, "... until play ceases, the cards may not be  inspected (except at the Director's specific instruction; for example if necessary to verify a claim of a revoke." This Law governs the inspection of tricks. It is quite remarkable that anyone playing bridge for sixty years has not learned this basic rule and those regarding dummy's conduct!
Incident 2.  During the auction South opened 1 spade, West passed, and North bid 4 clubs. South alerted and explained North's bid as showing a singleton club and game forcing support for spades after East had asked for the explanation.  East passed.  After the auction had concluded and prior to West's opening lead North asked West to wait a moment and explained that South's explanation was incorrect. The correct explanation was that the alerted bid showed a singleton or void.  Play then commenced and after it had concluded East claimed North had no right to make the explanation. West (one of the least respected players in the club) chimed in that was right.  North explained that he was REQUIRED to make the explanation at that time. North was the aforementioned ACBL Tournament Director and identified himself as such.  East then claimed that HE ALSO was a Tournament Director and the rules worldwide were in disagreement, an assertion which East  agreed with.  North told East/West that if they felt they had been damaged to please call for the Director.  They declined. From WBF Law 75B giving an example and then an explanation where South is to be dummy "South must do nothing to correct the mistaken explanation while the auction continues; after the final pass South if  he is to be declarer or dummy should call the Director and must volunteer a correction."  Note the use of the word must.  Also note that nothing is said about the explanation being made in private conference. Perhaps West's behaviour can be explained by the onset of senility. Perhaps his bag had suddenly developed a gaping hole.  Certainly his knowledge had one.  East's claim to be a Tournament Director and subsequent claim that rules worldwide were in disagreement with me begs the question what world he was living in.
                                                                                          Paul

Terry’s comment: It may be a bit long-winded for some, the pertinent points are:

  1. At this club we do allow you to look at the last trick, but not after the next trick has been

played to. Obviously you cannot look at the cards from two tricks ago.

  1. When an incomplete or incorrect explanation has been given and you end up declaring, then the player who made the bid MUST inform the opponents before the opening lead.

Don’t spout out rules if you have no idea what you are talking about.

Bidding Quiz Answers               

Hand A:   1♥ or 2♣? This is difficult, the problem being that 1♥ may get passed out (it was at
one table) when game is cold. A 2♣ opening should be 9 playing tricks and this looks like 9+ playing tricks to me, so that’s what I would open. One player opened 2NT – it has the points but with a 6-card major is not a good idea. If you play Benjamin twos then you could open 2♣ and if you rebid 3♥ then that will get you to game (2♥ would be passed), but the problem with Benjamin as most play it at our club is that it is not forcing and so it’s difficult with two-suiters. If playing Benjamin I would open 2♦. The club is split 50-50 as to whether to open 2♣ or 1♥.

Bidding Sequence Quiz        

B      1NT  pass   2♣     pass              4♣ is a cuebid, looking for slam. It is obviously forcing
         2♥     pass   3♦      pass              as ♠’s are agreed (opener is 4-4 in the majors and responder
         3♠     pass   4♣                         must have 4 ♠’s for his Stayman bid).