A very short quiz

At this time of year it is traditional to have a quiz. As you are no doubt somewhat weary, I'll make mine undemanding and ask only two questions:

1. Who won the world bridge championship, the Bermuda Bowl, in 2007?

a)Italy
b)USA
c)Norway
d)Great Britain

2. The reason I am not certain about the answer to question one is:

a)My newspaper doesn't have a bridge column
b)Bridge has no media profile, its tournaments go unreported and its players are hardly likely to feature on Strictly Come Dancing – how am I to keep in touch?
c)I play socially now and again but what the top players do is beyond me and I have no interest in their game.
d)All of the above

Question 1: I'm afraid if you answered (d) Great Britain, no points at all. Firstly in world bridge events England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland compete separately. And secondly, only the last of those qualified from the European tournament in 2006. The others have all been contenders in recent years but it was fair to say that Italy were the favourites, defending the title they won in 2005. They emerged winners of the all-play-all phase and had the choice of the other seven survivors in the knock-out, selecting South Africa. In a great upset, the Africans couldn't put a foot wrong and the favourites were out. The RSA then narrowly lost to the USA to set up a final against Norway who had smoothly overcome China then the Netherlands.

Norway played the final in the same vein and were worthy winners, and given how close they had come in the past, it would be fair to say popular ones too. Boye Brogeland, Glenn Groetheim, Geir Helgemo, Tor Helness, Erik Saelensminde and Ulf Tundal are the names for next year's trivia questions.

In the Vienna Cup, the parallel competition for women, England did both qualify for the championships and then for the knock-out but went out in the quarter finals. However, one of the team, Michelle Brunner, produced the play of the tournament – I am sure you've seen it but it stands repetition.

  • AKQ983
  • A7
  • ---
  • AJ732
  • J5
  • K843
  • A10763
  • 64
N
W
E
S
  • 764
  • J10952
  • KJ98
  • K
  • 102
  • Q6
  • Q542
  • Q10985
West
North
East
South
Brunner
China
Goldenfield
China
—
—
Pass
Pass
Pass
1*
Pass
1*
Pass
2
Pass
2NT
Pass
3
Pass
4
Pass
5NT
Pass
7
End

The Chinese North opened with a strong club and her partner replied with a negative (less than 8 HCP). Thereafter the bidding was natural with North straining to bid a grand slam. South accepted, thinking that the fifth trump and the doubleton spade would come in useful. East led the knave of hearts, queen from dummy…

Michele played low. Suddenly declarer was in the entryless South hand! So she took a trump finesse and went down. When deals like this are reported in books I have to fight a little scepticism but this really happened – in a world championship quarterfinal.

And question two? I must admit I'm not sure of a definitive answer. No cheating scandals broke this year and bridge stayed off the front pages. Late on there was a brief kerfuffle about dress codes but it seemed artificial and disappeared quickly. I have to confess that the world championships occurred during a sequence of articles I wrote promoting local bridge so I delayed reporting them until now. Bridge struggles to get noticed but many players do not regard wider competition as relevant to them and are happy with that.

A pity I think, that talented player Omar Sharif is unlikely now to don his dancing shoes and thrust the game into the limelight. Still, with each new year comes new hope…

Published Saturday 29.Dec.2007