Table Talk Articles
The articles here are some of those I wrote for the Suffolk Association's magazine 'Table Talk'. Until 2009 it was sent out to all subscription members. Though the very first issues were quarterly, it was twice-yearly for most of the time. In 2009 it changed format from A5 to A4 and again was produced four times a year beginning with issue number 52. With the EBU's introduction of Universal Membership, 'New Table Talk' will be distributed free to all bridge players in clubs and teaching groups throughout the county.
- Issue 50: Spring 2008.
Prepared and ready, The Blame Game was deemed unsuitable for publication by the then editor, Norman Less. A bit of a shame, I've always thought. There's a little more detail on the Suffolk website.
- Issue 49: Autumn 2007.
Two articles about our long weekend in Le Touquet: a travelogue, Le Touquet – 54ème Festival International de Bridge without any deals but a couple made it to Diamonds on the Opal Coast.
- Issue 48: Spring 2007.
A straightforward account of the National Swiss Teams held in early 2007. It will surprise readers of the printed version of Table Talk that I cut my original version by a quarter, you can read the published version too.
- Issue 47: Autumn 2006.
In the summer of 2006 I again played with Debby Sutcliffe in the teams at Brighton. I'd written about the previous occasion (TT 33) in The Judas Pair. We had a similar preparation for this year's outing but with the boot on the other foot; Sun, Sea and System is the account. There's also a double-dummy problem that was dealt at the table and you can read the answer – but give it a try first.
- Issue 46: Spring 2006.
This edition didn't include Fear of Ruffing as the author wouldn't print it. Supposedly set on a psychiatrist's chair, there are some serious points about the psychological uncertainties in allowing opposition trumps to remain at large.
- Issue 45: Autumn 2005.
Three linked articles; they are all about trumps, "tricky trump things" (and Mrs Ottlik naturally) and six-five hands. Introducing Mrs Ottlik is about conserving small trumps in defence, "We won't have that talk at the table" is a confessional and introduces elopement and lastly, Six-five come alive! again features that technique together with a coffee-house. All deals have a 6-5 distribution in them and all feature some sort of elopement. Unfortunately these were scrambled in a pagination problem with the printing (the first ever) and the elopement/confessional was effectively printed in reverse page order and consequently very hard to follow.
- Issue 44: Spring 2005.
A report on the Suffolk Championship Teams 2004-5; details of the qualification stage and other semi-final, hands from our semi-final (against SHANNAHAN, decided on the last deal) and the final against BIRLEY.
- Issue 43: Autumn 2004.
In depth analysis of a hand from the ECL match against Norfolk drawing similarities between double and guard squeezes, The Changing of the Guard was linked by title to 4th Time Around – possibly one of the best hands I've ever written about. There was going to be a third article with a Bob Dylan song title, 'Obviously Five Believers', about play 4-4 fits against a 5-0 trump split but the copy date was brought forward and I never finished it. Maybe one for the future.
- Issue 41: Autumn 2003.
I played a hand with Peter Sutcliffe at Ipswich and Kesgrave and it awoke some dormant memories of a deal at an Easter Guardian teams long ago – against Zia, where he misdefended in a similar way to me. Well, vaguely similar. The title I stole from Michael Rosenberg's excellent, Bridge, Zia… and Me.
- Issue 38: Spring 2002.
In autumn 2001 I went to over to Paris to watch the Bermuda Bowl and wrote a report on the event from a sporting standpoint as well as trying to answer the question, "Why watch bridge?". I also did a short play piece with two play problems, a pair of three club contracts, the first a very nice hand indeed.
- Issue 37: Autumn 2001.
More fun with the titling – doubly referencing Nick Hornby's High Fidelity and the contrast of analogue and digital music systems. My High Fidelity is the story of the Suffolk Swede and told in one of those 'top five' lists that feature in Hornby's novel. Could this be the only example of a bridge and hi-fi crossover?
I also have a page on this site about the Suffolk Swede and though it changed subsequently, the documents there are very much contemporary with the Table Talk article.
- Issue 34: Spring 2000.
A small treatise on hands with diminishing trump fits – Moyse, Sub-Moyse and Super-Moyse. Two of the hands happened to me (good example of the 4-3 fit as well) and another by a Suffolk pair in a count match (though declarer failed and I kept quiet about that) but I had to delve into the records for a successful 3-2 fit. Annoyingly the editor added a sub-title, Not Necessarily the Ideal Contract, though that was evident (and all the contracts either made or should have done).
- Issue 33: Winter 1999.
In August 1999 I ended up playing the Brighton Teams with a new partner, Debby Marriott. We had played the odd game over the years but we found ourselves thrown together by circumstances and both keen not to let down her usual team-mates. The result was this article on the preparation we did for the event. Principally this was Debby's hard work in learning a four card major system I cobbled together. This despite the fact that we both played five card majors in our regular partnerships and indeed, I'd written an earlier TT article on the benefits of playing exactly that way. Hence the title, The Judas Pair – stolen from the Lovejoy novel by Jonathan Gash and a memorable episode of the TV series written by Ian La Frenais. The general agreements have formed the basis for negotiation in occasional partnerships ever since.
- Issue 24: Spring 1995.
Why You Should Play Zebra An unashamed advertisment for the Zebra Club, the basis of the system I still play today (2007)…
2.Jul.2011