Dubious Logic

The Odds-Giving Style

Winter is here and the bridge season is starting to get going. Last weekend saw the qualifying rounds for the Suffolk Championship Teams. For several years now this has been two sessions of multiple teams with a cut after each, supplying four teams to the knock-out stages of longer matches.

This year was a tightly fought affair; Green (Robert Green, Jeff Orton, Colin Bamberger and George Moody – mainly Felixstowe) secured top spot and the ability to choose between their opponents the semi-finals. They will have pick of Sutcliffe (Ipswich & Kesgrave), Parish (Felixstowe) and Moore (Sudbury) – line-ups below. For those not making the first divide there was the plate, decided on the day by another round-robin. Hanson (Pauline Hanson, Basia Malinowska, Anne Wilmer and Harold Morris) came through and they were the only team from last year's qualifying quartet to feature.

As you can see from the scores in the final not much separated the teams. Sutcliffe were grateful then to have gained 17 IMPs on this hand, East-West only vulnerable:

Just about with the percentages. But the diagram doesn't show that North was the dealer – at the other table:

I'm with West here – when the opponents have bid, a raise to five of a major shows two losers in their suit. It's a simple rule, it works well and is played the world over. What you cannot do is just bid and hope partner is on the same wavelength. So, a success for the weak two in diamonds, which they can't have been playing in the other room? Well, yes, and perhaps we'll never know. Debby Sutcliffe was trying for her side; she held,

The chess player Emmanuel Lasker was described as playing in the 'odds-giving style' - mixing it up a little to overcome the disadvantage of the stronger player giving a handicap in café games. He carried that over into important matches, forever setting opponents problems. Short boards matches at our game respond to the same treatment.

Published Saturday 17.Dec.2005