A look back, a Lightner and a Striped-Tail..
Most bridge years slip past without the authorities tinkering too much with the game – or not enough for the effects to filter down to the everyday level. 2006 was different because the conduct of the duplicate game here changed dramatically when 'announcements' were brought in by the English Bridge Union.
If you read these words and wonder what it all means you might be in for a small (but not unpleasant) surprise if you wander into your local duplicate for a game over the holiday period. Introduced mid-year and, I have to say, I think managed quite well, several common bidding situations require the partner of the player making the action to speak to the rest of the table. Though 'talking' during the auction goes against many years of ingrained behaviour, this seems to have been well received and, six months on, most players remember. No-trump ranges are required to be announced, as are strength or weakness of single-suited natural opening two bids and Stayman and transfers over one no-trump. There are still forgets, there are still misunderstandings (e.g. it's just one no-trump, not two trump as well; opening two clubs to show a strong hand is not natural, it's artificial, and must be alerted etc.) but these are mostly (perhaps always) forgiven – at least for the time being.
Announcements got the headlines but there were other changes at the same time. Though some gained almost universal approval – no longer being required to alert bids over 3NT (except artificial openings) - some, like the alerting rules on doubles, still confuse (it's only penalty doubles and rare doubles that apply specifically to another suit – like doubling a bid to say lead the suit below the suit doubled – that must be alerted). Oh, and the EBU convention card changed. I just can't get on with the new one. Maybe it's just me but the focus seems all wrong, the front of the card is taken up with the stuff you're announcing anyway, and I can't find anything inside.
At the top the status quo was pretty much unchanged; the Italians looked invincible in the European Championships, the subsidiary competitions at the four-yearly World Championships were transnational (i.e. allowing multi-country pairs/teams) and everyone liked that, the Americans got pipped again for the World Pairs, this time by the Chinese, Fu Zhong and Zhao Jie.
Hand of the year? I'm glad I wasn't playing this one – try it as East:
- KJ8
- 6
- J1074
- K10853
I've offered this hand around and we haven't got to the problem yet but I always ask what they do here. Pass, five clubs, either seem possible but one respondent doubled! If you have the courage, that's the legendry Strip-Tailed Ape – you think they can make a slam but you try to talk them out of it by doubling them in game. But to get to where we're going, you'll do something more ordinary.
Game All
The development is anything but ordinary – what do you lead?
Partner does not want you to lead a club that's for sure. So a spade or a diamond. He could have the ♦A, he could have a spade void. This was in the final quarter of a match where the score was –2. My correspondent's team gained just one on the set to lose by one. You can always find an IMP somewhere: as he said, "All we had to do was just come back without a doubled grand slam against us and we'd have won…".
North's hand was 2=9=2=0, South's 8=1=3=1. You have to lead a spade.
Published Saturday 30.Dec.2006