MAYFIELD DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB

NEWSLETTER No.53 – JANUARY 2011

 

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – Tuesday 19 April 2011

 

The 27th Annual General Meeting of the Club will take place in St John’s Hall on the above date at a start time of 7.30pm followed by bridge as soon as possible.  The usual format will apply with the Officers’ reports being posted on the notice board and, in some cases, on the web site in advance of the Meeting.  It is hoped that these will be taken as read at the Meeting.

 

Any business you wish to raise at the Meeting should be advised to the Secretary, Adrian Patrick by 12th April. This will enable him to include the item on the Agenda. A copy of last year’s minutes has been available at the Club for the past 11 months and will remain on the board until after the Meeting.  If you require an individual copy please speak to Adrian Patrick.  It is hoped that the accounts will be available in advance of the Meeting.

 

Nominations for the Committee should be made no later than 12 April 2011 and a list will be displayed on the notice board.  New nominations are always welcome so do not hold back!

 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

 

Norman Cup – 8 Feb/8 Mar (final):  This has been changed to a new format, averaged over the two evenings.  The format may be reviewed again for future years.

 

Mayfield Teams Cup – 22 Feb/29 Mar.  Teams may have up to 6 members but no player may play in 2 different teams.

 

Surrey Sim Pairs – Friday 25 Feb.  Due to low attendances, we may decide not to enter future events but make a donation instead (to be discussed at the AGM).

 

Cliff Street Trophy – Friday, 25th March

 

Mixed Pairs Cup - 10 May – Members should note that although unmixed pairs may turn up to play, they will be expected to pair up with other unmixed pairs where possible.  Any pair left unmixed will still be able to play but without standing.

 

Men’s & Ladies’ Pairs – 14 Jun.

 

Dorothy Williamson Handicap Teams – 31 May.  As in previous years we will introduce a handicap for this event.

 

Note:  The date of Committee and Liz Phillips Cups is 26 July 2011.

 

PLEASE GIVE ALL THESE COMPETITIONS YOUR SUPPORT

 

 

 

SLOW PLAY

It is pleasing to note that slow play has improved but do not be complacent.  If you have not started a board when the 2 minute warning is given then an average will be awarded.

           

MEMBERS SUCCESSES  

 

Surrey Competitions

 

County Pairs                             2nd            Adrian Patrick & Dean Morley

                                                3rd            Peter Lee & Bob Rowlands

 

Senior Pairs                              1st            Tony Turnage & Partner

                                                4th              Liz Phillips & partner                                    

 

Green Point Swiss Teams:                        

‘B’ Flight                                  2nd            Ulla Adilz, Pam Jardine,

                                                            Kerstin Tompsett & Rosemary Little    

 

Aileen Filose                             2nd            Heather West & partner

 

Surrey Teams of 8                        1st            Peter Lee, Liz Phillips, Ian Swanson, Bill Hodgkiss,

Arun Suri, Tony Scouller, Roger Morton & John Frosztega

                        They now qualify for regional stage of Garden Cities Trophy

 

Surrey Multiple Teams            1st        Peter Lee & others

                                    4th            Peter Cogliatti, Andrew Barnett, Heather West & Keith

                                                            Jackson

 

Mixed Pairs                              1st             Liz Phillips & Peter Lee

                                   

                                                            Teams for Mayfield

 

NICKO                                   Both teams through to 3rd round  

           

Affiliated League:

Division 1                                 ‘A’ team leading with 38/40 after 2 matches           

                                                ‘B’ team second with 18/40

Division 2                                 ‘D’ team leading with 11/20                                                              

Club Competitions

 

Liz Phillips Cup             1st            Arun Suri & Roger Morton

                                                2nd            Rosemary Rice & Roger Sugden

 

Committee Cup                        1st            Peter Cogliatti & Andrew Barnett

                  2nd        Alan Rainbow & Chris Lemon

 

Pick-up Teams             1st            Malcolm, Channing, Heather West

                                                            Dean Morley & Adrian Patrick

                                                2nd            Arun Suri, Tony Scouller

                                                            Ann Madden & David Dick

 

Pro Am                                    1st            Pam Jardine & Peter Lee

                                                2nd            Ron Maclaren & Philip Brooks

 

EBU Sim Pairs             1st            Liz Martin & Richard Wheen     )  North/South

                                                2nd            Julian Hemsted & Dean Morley )

 

                                                1st            Arun Suri & Tony Scouller   )   East/West

                                                2nd            Roger Morton & Bernard Pike    

 

 

CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

 

These are my last words to you in the Newsletter as Chairman as I am standing down at the AGM.  I wish my successor all the best.

 

In October we held an Invitation Event to try to drum up more interest in the Friday bridge.  We had 13 tables with 30 Mayfield members and 22 visitors.  We were delighted to see so many of our own players there but would appreciate it if you could come on other occasions.  We gained a couple of new members but still struggle to attract a reasonable amount of people.  Please try to support Fridays, particularly those who would not want it to be cancelled altogether.

 

We were thwarted by the snow in our efforts to hold the usual Christmas Party and we apologise for this.  We plan instead to hold a Wine and Cheese Party on 19 April in conjunction with the AGM to celebrate the start of the new bridge year.  Cocktails will be at 6.30pm followed by the AGM at 7.15pm.  Bridge will start after the AGM and there will be a break for refreshments and then more bridge.  For non-cheese lovers there will be other snacks provided.

 

The snow caused havoc to our bridge from the end of November until the New Year and we are sorry for having to cancel on so many occasions.   Unfortunately Tadworth is high up and the snow does not clear so quickly and the car park becomes particularly treacherous.  We were anxious not to have any of our members with broken limbs for Christmas.  We easily got into the routine of sending out emails, putting a notice on the web and telephoning the 18 members not on email (now 16).  Thank heaven for modern technology.  In future we would appreciate it if those 16 could check with either their partner, a member with email or a committee member if there is a chance that the bridge might be cancelled.  Thank you.

 

We know that sometimes it is essential to have your mobile phone on for emergencies but please could you please make sure that it is on silent/vibration mode. For ladies this can be difficult as they do not always have a pocket to keep it in but do your best.  Thank you.

 

Would anyone be interested in purchasing glasses and tumblers from the 1998 World Cup in France?  George found them in his home and presented them to the Club but I feel they are worthy of a better destiny.   Please make your offers to me.

 

Finally, my thanks to Malcolm who is also retiring from the Committee.  Not only has he been Chief Director and Chairman (sometimes as a dual role) during his ‘reign’, but he has looked after the website, produced interminable statistics and been a very helpful advisor to me.  He will be much missed on the Committee but I am sure he will still be the willing soul he is and give of his advice when needed.  Good luck, Malcolm and have a well deserved rest from the Committee.

 

NEW MEMBERS

 

We welcome to the club Robin Griffiths, Tarun Badiani, Mark & Cindy Gregory, Inu Kassam and Nigel Matthew.

 

So near and yet so far – A hand by Peter Cogliatti

 

Andrew Barnett had phoned me with the dubious suggestion of playing in the Eastbourne Seniors Swiss pairs an event for which I was shocked to hear I qualified.

 

We played above ourselves and rode our luck, but lost in round 5 and drew the leaders and eventual winners in round 6 recording a narrow win. Hoping for a decent finish but no realistic chance of winning we continued to play solidly until the penultimate board came up.  Sitting West I picked up the following hand:

 

♠ Q10

 

♥ K104

 

♦ AKQ954

 

♣ J2

The bidding was routine 1D 1S by partner 1NT 2C (checkback) 2D 3NT.

The lead was the 5 of clubs and partner bless him put down the following:

 

 

 

♠ J9852

 

 

 

♥ AQ6

 

 

 

♦ 7

 

 

 

♣ AK63

Plan the play.

All pretty routine. We have avoided the slam and are sitting better than those pairs that might have bid 1D 1S 2/3D 3NT. In teams we just run the 4th highest lead round to our Jack and 9 tricks are in the bag. However this is pairs.

It seemed opportune to run the lead to my Jack anyway this duly won, what now? The choices are;

a) cash the diamonds when they break 3-3 we have 12 tricks, if not we only make 10.

b) play on spades guaranteeing 11 tricks.

In golf needing a birdie at the 17th we go for it, here I had no idea that the wrong ‘guess?’ would cost us dear.  I chose b) thinking this would produce a reasonable score, regrettably we only got 53/118 match points. Somebody of course bid and made 6NT don’t they always, as the diamonds did break 3/3. 12 tricks would have scored 106 and might have converted a 17-3 win into a 20-0 and the title as we eventually finished 3vps behind the winners who we had previously beaten.

 

This is an illustration of the frustrations of the game or is it the beauty? In that one has no idea of the running score until after one has finished. Everyone has a chance and you need a slice of good fortune to go with good play to win any event.

 

An interesting hand – by Peter Lee

 

            Playing in a recent Gold Cup match I was in 3NT with no adverse bidding with the following.

 

                        ♠ 1032

N (dummy)            ♥ A

                        ♦ A8653

                        ♣AJ94

 

                       

S (declarer)            ♠ KQ9

                        ♥ K1083

                        ♦ K972

                        ♣K5

 

            On the lead of the heart 5, with East encouraging with the 7, how do you play 3NT after winning with the Ace?  With plenty of points and stops, making the contract seems easy.  A natural line seems to be to clear the diamonds (making at once, with 5 diamond tricks and 2 in hearts and clubs, if they are 2-2), but is this correct?  My concern with this approach is illustrated by what happened in the other room, where West, holding ♦J104, won the third round and continued with the heart 2 to partner’s Queen.  The likely heart division was 5-3 with the leader holding J9xxx.  If you win, as declarer did, you go down (as happened) if you play a spade and East holds the spade Ace, and taking the club finesse (though it worked and gives 9 tricks – 4 diamonds, 3 clubs and 2 hearts) is no safer.  If you duck, you go off when West holds the spade Ace.

 

  The better play, which I was awake enough to find, was to play a spade to the King at trick 2.  In the event, East ducked his Ace and I was now able to clear diamonds for nine tricks.  Had East risen with the Ace and played the heart Q, I would have ducked once and won the next round, and would then be much better placed, with good chances to duck the diamond to the safe hand, East. Taking the diamond suit in isolation, the best way of doing this is to play a small diamond from the table, making when East has a stiff Q (when you duck) or when East has two or three diamonds. However crossing to table loses chances in the club suit, so better is to play a low diamond from hand, covering if West plays low, otherwise playing Ace then King. If West has the remaining diamond, one can then resort to playing the King of clubs and a club to the Jack, making 9 tricks if it wins.  If West were to beat the spade King with the Ace, one still has good chances by winning the heart Queen and trying to develop the diamonds to keep East out, or ducking one round and trying to develop the diamonds to keep West out. Note that where development of the diamonds does not work, one still makes if the finesses against the club Queen and spade Jack both work.

 

            This hand is a good illustration of thinking at the start of the hand, and trying to project how the play might go with the various alternative options.