Dubious Logic

Suffolk v Essex

Suffolk took on neighbours Essex last Sunday in the Eastern Counties League. Taken together the results over the three matches formed the proverbial Curate's Egg. The 'A' team lost 9-11 VPs (-6 IMPs), as did the 'B' team 7-13 (-21) but the 'C' team had a good match, winning 15-5 (+45).

It is occasions like these that makes us wish for a more balanced appreciation of the combined performance but inevitably it is the fate of the first team that commands the headlines. Suffolk certainly had their chances: they won the first quarter, lost a few IMPs in the second but went behind in the third. The final stanza was tied and there were gruntles that we had let slip a win – certainly that was true at my table.

There were many interesting and complicated deals, some will follow subsequently but to accompany the results here is one that exemplifies how dealing with opening four-bids has changed.

The above auction is from my table. It's hard to believe any South thought those cards were anything other than a four-heart opener and West had a double. As East I knew five clubs was unlikely to make and my bid contravened the dictum to remove the double "only to a making contract". Effectively, I was betting that four hearts would make (NS +790) sufficiently often to offset the times it went down and we would have a plus (usually only EW +200). Five clubs would be cheap, one or two fifties (double usually hard to find). The IMP conversions would be -12 IMPs when their game made, against +7 IMPs when it went down.

That seems to be the calculation these days: only two of the 12 tables registered four hearts doubled down one so everyone else must have bid with the East cards. One North-South got to the five-level (for -500) but of the nine that declared East-West, seven played in clubs (doubled three times) and two in diamonds (doubled twice).

Perhaps even ten years ago, certainly twenty, most Easts would have shrugged and passed, "Partner has it beat". What has led to this revision? The adoption of takeout doubles in almost all situations? Greater awareness of that IMP arithmetic? More experience now given most play with properly random deals? All of the above?

Suffolk v Essex
'A' Team lost 9-11 VPs (83 - 89 IMPs)
Christopher Chambers / Peter Gemmell
Karen Pryor / Malcolm Pryor
Jeff Orton / John Wilmott
Jane Moore / David Price

'B' Team lost 7-13 VPs (92 - 113 IMPs)
Andrew Moore / Rick Hanley (Capt.)
Tony Shearman / Robert Green
David Willson / Simon Riley
Ralph Parish / Paul Whetton

'C' Team won 15-5 VPs (125 - 80 IMPs)
Jenny Price / Cleopatra Hensby
Eric Newman / Diane Whitley
Richard Evans / Peter Bushby
David Mathews / Helen Mason

Published Saturday 22.Dec.2018