MAYFIELD DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB

 

NEWSLETTER No. 48 – JULY 2008

 

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 23rd Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on 22nd April 2008 with 48 members present. This ran very smoothly lasting only 20 minutes so enabling us to complete 22 boards.

The following Committee was elected: Sylvia Timberlake (Chairman), Rosemary Rice (Secretary), Peter Lee (Captain), Chris Pullan (Treasurer), Andrew Barnett, Malcolm Channing, Ron Maclaren, Ann Madden, Roger Sugden, Keith Jackson and Roy Smith.

The Club trophies were presented by Jean Davies as follows:

Norman Cup

Tim Cook, Roger Morton

Mayfield Teams Cup

Bernard Pike, Roger Morton, Liz Phillips, Bill Hodgkiss,
Arun Suri, Tony Scouller

Mayfield Cup

Roger Morton

Mayfield Handicap Cup

Andrew Barnett

Kath Coward Cup

Malcolm Channing

K Coward Handicap Cup

Philip Brooks

D Williamson Teams

Helen Seymour, Rosemary Rice, Terry Kedgley, Chris Pullan

Mixed Pairs

Loraine Murphy, Tony Belton

Ladies’ Pairs

Denny Wade, Liz Phillips

Men’s Pairs

Dean Morley, John Lockyer

Liz Phillips Cup

Peter Lee, Margaret Lee

Committee Cup

Laszlo Magos & Philip Brooks

Pro-Am Cup

Alan Bailey, Andrew Barnett

 

 

Subject matter discussed at the AGM included the following items:

a)          the -introduction of the Surrey Simultaneous Pairs into our programme.
You will see from your new membership programme card that this has been reinstated – one on Friday and one on Tuesday.

b)          A question from the floor regarded the large sum of money on deposit and whether we might consider investing in the Duplimate dealing machine.
The Committee carried out an extensive study of this subject matter about 3 years ago and had concluded then  that not only was it very expensive to implement but it was not feasible for a club without its own premises. The work involved is an unacceptable load on the Committee having to duplicate boards and set up the system for play.

c)          A further question from the floor asked about using Bridgemate scorers but again the problem of storage and the need for a computer on site means it is more suitable for a club with its own premises.
In response to this, we have agreed to have a demonstration of the Bridgemate system at the club on a Tuesday – yet to be arranged.  The demonstration will need the Committee (and all other interested parties willing to help with the system if we were to take it on) to be at the club about 1½ hours prior to play on that day so clearly it has to be arranged in August while the dance school is not using the hall. 
Andrew Barnett will coordinate this but, if we do go ahead with it in the future, we will first need re-assurance from those wishing to include it that they will volunteer to form a group to set it up on a regular basis. The Committee members have too little time to set up everything else after the dance school finishes and cannot undertake this task as well.

d)          The Chairman reported that the Club’s response to the P2P had been based on a straw poll sent to the Surrey Committee.  The voting had been 5 in favour and 41 against the new proposals.
As you now know, P2P has been accepted and the EBU propose to introduce it in 2010. The increased load on Committee members will be enormous and we will be looking for new volunteers for Committee who are computer literate and prepared to take on the extra tasks that P2P imposes on the club.

 

 FORTHCOMING EVENTS

 

Dorothy Williamson Handicap Teams - Tuesday, 29th July. The entry list is on the notice board.

 

Committee & Liz Phillips Cups Tuesday, 19th August.  The rank determining the split between these two events will be decided on the night in order to even out the number or pairs in each. It will be either National Master plus or Premier Regional Master plus.

 

EBU Simultaneous Pairs - Tuesday, 16th September.

 

Surrey Simultaneous Pairs - Tuesday, 23rd September.

 

Pick-up Teams             -             Tuesday, 30th September

 

Pro-Am                       -             Tuesday, 21st October

 

Christmas Party                -                         Tuesday, 16th December NOTE   6:30pm for play at 7pm

 

No Bridge       -                         Friday, 14th November, Tuesday 26th December

 

 

MEMBERS ADDRESSES & TELEPHONE NUMBERS

 

The membership database has been updated and the list of telephone numbers is included with this newsletter. Please check that we have your correct address (on the envelope) and the correct telephone number on the list. If in error, please inform either Ron Maclaren or Rosemary Rice of the required correction.

 

NEW MEMBERS

 

We are pleased to welcome Penny Butcher, Alan Rainbow and Jacky Russell Smith as new members since the last newsletter.

 

 

 

LEAVING MEMBERS

 

We are sorry to lose members Rolf Alexander, Hazel Farmer, Lucia Grant, Audrey Grzesiak and Angela Samuelson who have not renewed membership this year but we wish them well and look forward to seeing them at any time when they are in the area on a Tuesday or Friday evening.


 

 

 

MEMBERS SUCCESSES

 

National

Peter Lee’s team made it into the final of the Garden Cities but had a bad day – see his report at the end of this newsletter for members who represented the Mayfield and some interesting hands.

.

 

Surrey

President’s Cup            1st Peter Lee & partner (Graham Osborne)

 

Affiliated Teams of 8  1st Peter Lee, Bob Rowlands, Liz Phillips, Tim Cook
Malcolm Pryor. Bill Hodgkiss, Bernard Pike Arun Suri

 

Lady Rose Cup            1st Peter Lee, Bob Rowlands, Liz Phillips & one other

 

County League Div 1   1st     Peter Lee & four others

 

Senior Pairs                  1st Tony Turnage & John Cruickshank

 

Surrey Affiliated Clubs

League Division 1      1st       Mayfield A  
(Tim Cook, Bill Hodgkiss, Peter & Margaret Lee, Roger Morton,
Sean O’Neill, Liz Phillips, Bernard Pike, Arun Suri)

 

Club                

Mixed Pairs                 1st       Dean Morley & Gwen Easto

2nd       Bernard Pike & Denny Wade

 

Men’s Pairs                 1st       Arun Suri & Peter Lee
2nd      
Roger Sugden & Tony Belton

                                              

Ladies’ Pairs                1st      Ulla Adilz & Joyce Munns

                                 2nd      Denny Wade & Liz Phillips

 

 

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CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

 

Despite my entreaties in the last Newsletter it is disappointing that there have still been instances of thoughtless behaviour.  Please pay more attention to this by:

a)      being polite at all times

b)      not talking across opponents

c)      making visitors and new members very welcome

d)      moving as soon as possible after the move is called

e)      not hassling the director particularly as we now have a good set of volunteer directors

f)         being careful of body language during the play of the cards which may give unauthorised  information to both your partber and to the opponents

 

It has been noticed that the exit to the car park has been used as an entrance.  Please do not do this as it is extremely dangerous.

 

For those interested, the AGM Minutes are at the club and available for all to peruse.  If they are not put out they can be found in our storeroom.

 

As mentioned at the AGM, it is the Silver Jubilee of the present club in January of 2009.  We intend to celebrate this and the present idea is to hold a teams event on a Saturday or Sunday a little later in the year.  It was felt that January would be too early to hold the event after all the festivities associated with Christmas and the New Year.  It is also intended to make the event free to members in view of our healthy funds.

 

Following on from the healthy funds we are also looking into the possibility of using Bridgemates.  This is only in an early stage because, as explained at the AGM, we always have the problem of storage.  However, as mentioned above, we will try to arrange a demonstration of using them in the near future by Martin Cahm.

 

Finally, as I announced at the club, the EBU P2P scheme was passed at an EGM in early June and will come into force in April 2010.

 

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CHIEF TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

 

Andrew Barnett is now running the Directors List.  Thank you to all those who have volunteered (or have been coerced) to take on the role as director on a Tuesday evening.  It certainly eases the workload on Sylvia and me.

 

The new Laws are coming into force on 1st August 2008, but don’t worry as there are only a few minor changes and our Directors will be instructed to be lenient for the first few months whilst everyone is getting used to the new Laws.

 

The EBU has decided not to update the “Yellow Book” this year. This is the book that sets out the limitations on what can and cannot bid on such things as Strong Twos.

 

 

 

 



The EBU notes the following changes in Rules and Ethics coming into force on 1st August

 

You should shuffle your cards after the hand before returning them to the board.

 

You are still required to agree a hesitation, for example, when it happens (and one side thinks it may be relevant to a claim) and the TD should be summoned if there is any disagreement. The new laws state that the best time to claim actual damage is at the end of the hand (e.g. rather than on sight of dummy).

 

You are now allowed to ask about the meaning of an individual call in the opponents’ auction. But it shouldn’t be done in such a way as to suggest a call or play to partner such as "does that 2H bid show hearts?" – perhaps indicating that the questioner holds hearts.

 

 Sometimes players ask questions because they do not think their partner has understood. It is illegal to do so.

 

There is a short period between the final pass and the first card being faced, when questions are asked. This is now called the Clarification Period. Members of the declaring side may consult their own system cards during this time to make sure nothing has been mis-explained, for example.

 

When you put the dummy down you must display it with the lowest ranking cards nearer declarer.

 

Dummy cannot ask a defender whether he has revoked (but he can still ask declarer).

 

Defenders are allowed to ask one another whether they have revoked. This returns to a situation outlawed in 1987.

 

Players are now allowed to point out that a quitted trick card is pointing the wrong way. Declarer can do it at any time; dummy or defenders can only do it before the lead is made to the following trick.

 

It’s now official - the chief object while playing is to obtain a higher score than other contestants!

 

§ ¨ © ª  § ¨ © ª§ ¨ © ª  § ¨ © ª

 

The following Local Points that have been registered with the EBU during the first half of 2008:

 

Name

Points

Times

 

Name

Points

Times

 

Name

Points

Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Timberlake

534

23

 

Peggy Moir

177

6

 

Mike Aubrey

75

2

Sylvia Timberlake

483

20

 

Pete Cogliatti

172

7

 

Steve Bourton

75

5

Molly Slevin

440

24

 

Mary Street

170

9

 

John Osborne

73

5

Roger Morton

424

12

 

Tony Scouller

170

4

 

Helen Seymour

64

3

Roy Smith

406

11

 

David Dick

166

6

 

Alan Laker

63

6

Tim Cook

366

12

 

Audrey Kolbe

160

5

 

Dorothy Laker

63

6

Jill Leslie

358

10

 

Olivia Dawson

160

8

 

Clive Allum

62

3

Alan Bailey

356

10

 

Keith Jackson

149

6

 

Brian Smith

60

4

Liz Phillips

344

12

 

Joyce Munns

144

9

 

Ita Walsh

60

4

Roger Sugden

338

15

 

Tony Belton

143

7

 

Liz Martin

60

3

Bernard Pike

325

9

 

Pam Jardine

124

8

 

Maria Martin

60

3

Philip Brooks

325

19

 

Trevor Munns

120

8

 

Loraine Murphy

55

2

Malcolm Channing

324

17

 

Valerie Lacey

116

6

 

Audrey Randall

52

3

Peter Lee

322

7

 

Kerstin Tompsett

111

7

 

Martin Trouse

52

4

Adrian Patrick

316

13

 

Norman Grant

110

5

 

Dorothy Wharton

48

3

Arun Suri

306

10

 

Mike Cowley

105

4

 

Adrian Boulding

45

6

Dean Morley

278

11

 

Lynne Hiorns

102

7

 

Jacky Boulding

45

6

Andrew Barnett

269

15

 

Lucia Grant

95

4

 

Renate Lane

42

2

Denny Wade

264

8

 

Heather West

91

8

 

Julian Hemsted

40

1

Rosemary Rice

257

8

 

Laszlo Magos

90

3

 

Neville Grant

30

1

Joan Cullen

243

9

 

Les Roffey

85

3

 

Carol Letts

27

2

Chris Pullan

238

11

 

Pam Hoskins

84

3

 

Cyril Staples

27

2

Bill Hodgkiss

228

3

 

Pat Hunter

83

2

 

Shirley Preuveneers

24

2

Ron Maclaren

227

12

 

John Frosztega

80

2

 

Alan Rainbow

20

1

Gwen Easto

224

8

 

Sean O'Neill

80

2

 

Jean Davies

18

1

Ulla Adilz

216

10

 

John Lockyer

78

4

 

Joan Underdown

16

2

Rosemary Lyttle

215

11

 

Ann Madden

76

3

 

Audrey Grzesiak

15

1

Elizabeth Johnson

204

8

 

Julia Brough

75

5

 

Hazel Farmer

15

1

Philip Tilbrook

199

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following have earned points but are not members of the EBU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geoff Jackson

110

5

 

Dick Wharton

48

3

 

Jean Quigley Parsons

15

1

George Foot

96

3

 

Jeannette Malcouronne

27

2

 

Mickey Poole

12

1

Moira Slevin

70

2

 

Fiona Clark

20

1

 

Sam Atfield

12

1

Geoff Whitehead

50

2

 

Vivian Cronin

18

2

 

Gillian Hutt

6

1

Jack Feld

50

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a few results from the first quarter that were corrupted when they were transferred to the EBU. These Local Points together with those for non-members have been printed and are in the local point box.

 

 

EBU members who have access to the internet can check on the EBU website that the points have been allocated correctly.
Mayfield at the Garden Cities by Peter Lee

 

Mayfield went into the final of the Garden Cities with fair hopes, having a strong team with eight very experienced players with many successes to their names – Sean O’Neill and John Frosztega, Malcolm Pryor and Bill Hodgkiss, Liz Phillips and Roger Morton, and Bob Rowlands and myself. However nothing went right on the day and we could only manage 7th out of 8.

 

One interesting flat board was where Bob and I mis-defended 2S doubled to concede –670 while in the other room Liz and Roger made +660 in 3NT.

 

Another was when John opened a Multi 2D showing a weak two in a major or some sort of strong hand. Sean had   S KQJxxx H x D AKQ C xxx.  What are the odds that John would have a weak 2 in hearts compared to one in spades? Small, but it came to pass! With S Axxxxx H xxxx D xx C x all routes lead to 4S, though if the oppo bid to 5C as they did in our room you have to go on to 5S to do well.

 

Technically the most interesting hand was this.

North

♠ KJ10xx            

                        ♥ Q

                        ♦ Jxx

                        ♣ 1098x

West                                                    East

♠ None                                                 ♠ Axxxx

♥ AKxxxx                                            ♥ Jx

♦ K10xx                                               ♦Ax

♣ Axx                                                  ♣ KQxx

                        South

                        ♠ Qxx

                        ♥ 109xx

                          Qxxx

                          Jx            (Some irrelevant small cards changed to clarify the hand)

 

East West bid unopposed  1S-2H  3C-3D   3NT-4C   4D-4H   4S-6NT

I imagine they were playing 2 over 1 game forcing as otherwise 3C is a gross overbid.

Defending as North I thought that East had a stronger hand.

The contract is hopeless on a spade lead, but noone would lead one in this situation and Bob led a heart which ran to my Queen. I switched to a diamond which declarer won with the Ace. Can he make it now? The answer is yes. Cash the Ace of spades (throwing a diamond), then two high clubs ending in dummy, and then run the hearts.

In the 4 card ending

North  ♦Jx  ♣109

West ♥x  ♦K 10 ♣x                                            East ♠x  ♦x  ♣Qx

South  ♠Qx  ♦Qx.

 

On the last heart, North must come down to one diamond else the clubs run. Now if East realises the position he throws a club, then cashes the club queen, squeezing South in spades and diamonds. This is a genuine double squeeze.

 

In practice East erred by not cashing his Ace of spades early. Now the 5 card ending should be

North  ♠K  ♦Jx  ♣109

West  ♥x  ♦K10 x  ♣ x                                       East   ♠Ax  ♦x  ♣Qx

South  ♠Qxx ♦Qx.

 

Now on the last heart North throws a spade and East has no winning move.

Unfortunately I thought East was likely to have the spade Q on the bidding and kept 2 spades and 2 clubs. Now East made the contract by cashing his back suit winners and finessing the diamond 10. Yuk!

Some Hands from the Norman Cup Final 2008

by Tim Cook

 

For starters let me say that Roger and I were lucky to survive the qualifying heat in February and oh so grateful that there was no carry forward score!

That being said, we had not played badly in qualifying but if anything could go wrong…………………!

The hands for the final were dealt randomly on the night and offered some very interesting problems both in bidding and play.

 

Board 10

You sit North and hold at Game All             ♠ A 8 4 2

A 8 7 4 2

  4

♣ A Q J

 After two passes, West opens 1♠. What do you bid?

 

 

Board 11

Again North at Love All                        ♠ Q

K Q 3 2

Q J 10 9 5 2

♣ 8 6

Partner opens 1 ♠ and, with opponents silent, you respond 2 . Partner now bids 2 ♠. Over to you.

 

 

Board 15 offered an interesting declarer problem in 4 © against silent opponents

                                                            ♠ 8 7 2

4 2

  A K 9

♣ K 9 8 7 5

 

  A 10

A K Q 10 7 3

  J 8 7 4

♣ J

The lead is 4 ª. You win and play two rounds of trumps finding  RHO with J 9 8 6. You abandon trumps and play J § on which LHO pounces with the Ace, cashes Q ª and plays 6 ª. What next?

 

 

Board 19

Again North with E/W Vul and partner opens 3

You hold                                               ♠ A K 8 6

A 9

A J 8 7

♣ A 6 5

Your bid?

 

 

Board 21

Again North Vul against not

You hold                                               ♠ A K Q

K

A K Q 10 7 5 4 2

♣ 2

What do you open?

 

 

Tim’s comments;

 

Board 10 was played against Peter Lee & Bill Hodgkiss. Inspite of holding 15 HCP I did not fancy either a take-out double (off centre!) or bidding this ropey suit at this vulnerability, so I passed. After 1NT from Bill, Peter re-bid 2 ♠ which became the final contract. The next problem was the lead. Following the old adage of leading a long suit when holding 4 trumps, I chose A © which proved a good plan with partner holding K ©, A ¨ and 10 ª! Refusal to over-ruff declarer and an eventual trump promotion via a club endplay on dummy secured a 200 penalty for all the matchpoints.

 

Board 11 offered the chance to follow another ancient wisdom – stop bidding on a misfit! Roger played well for one off – another top score!

 

Board 15 had not looked too difficult when dummy appeared with good chances in the diamond suit or a favourable position of the A§. But the bad trump break was an additional problem. 

After ruffing the spade, the obvious line is to cash K §  , cash the A K ¨, ruff a club and exit with a diamond. The defence must allow your heart 10 to make in the end game. So I crossed to A ¨  to play the K § which RHO ruffed! I overruffed and took out the abacus. LHO has 6 clubs, one heart and 3 or 4 spades leaving, at most 3 diamonds. Therefore, my line was to draw the last trump, and play the K¨ and a third towards the Jack. I knew the suit must either break 3-3 or leave a winning J¨ in my hand 

Unbelievably, someone made 5, but 7/10 was a good result!

 

On board 19 yet another maxim – bid what you think you can make! 3NT with an eventual 3 overtricks from a pseudo squeeze looked to be good and got even better when the room played in the heart contract.

 

However, it was not all plain sailing and on board 21 I failed to spot the best opening bid – 4NT which should ask partner to bid any Ace he holds ( 5 § = none, 6 § = Ace). This would have seen us in 5 ¨ making and not the greedy 6 that I bid via a strong two opening.