Manchester Bridge Club
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Road Works on Palatine RoadRoad works are taking place to re-surface Palatine Road for 4 weeks from Monday 10th October.  At the moment there is only one way traffic allowed along Palatine Road from the Lapwing Lane end to the junction with Wilmslow Road.  Palatine Road is currently closed at the Wilmslow Road/Palatine Road junction with no traffic allowed to travel down Palatine Road from this junction towards Lapwing Lane.....so currently you have to turn left when you leave the club!

 
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SUSAN TARR
SUSAN TARR

It is with great sadness that I must inform members of the untimely death of Susan Tarr who lost her battle with cancer on October 23rd.

Details of arrangements will be posted when known.

Jeff Morris

North Wales Swiss Pairs

Congratulations to Bernard and Rhona Goldenfield who won at Shotton on Sunday 9th October, John Holland and Tony Coley were third.
Full results are here.

Northern League Final Round - Manchester win A and B Divisions

The final round of Northern league matches took place on Saturday 8th October.
In the A division at Bolton, Manchester, fielding their Tollemache team, won on the day and increased their overall lead to finish nine VPs ahead of Yorkshire 2.  The team was Alan Mould/Ollie Burgess, Alec Smalley/Tom Slater, John Holland/Gary Hyett, Michael Byrne/Michael Newman.  Tom and Alec were our best pair on the cross IMPs.  The A2 team of Kath & Alan Nelson, Royce Alexander/John Currie, Sylvia Massey/Herbert Potts, Raymond Semp/Peter Jones finished fifth on the day and sixth overall.  Peter and Raymond were the best of our A2 pairs.

The B division was played at Bradford where our team of Pete Foster/John Roberts, Gillian McMullan/Neil Thomas, Eve Lighthill/Ken Hassell, Robert & Joyce Jones had an excellent day, winning the day's event and overtaking Cumbria to take the division title.  Special congratulations to Neil and Gillian who were the best pair in the division on the cross IMPs with 1.5 IMPs per board and to Eve and Ken who were second with 1.07 IMPs per board.

The C division was played at Manchester where our team of Irene Davies/Karen Reissmann, Ann Thornton/Paul Murray, Joan Lewis/Roy Higginbottom, Liz and Stephen Halstead finished seventh on the day and overall.  Irene and Karen were our best pair on cross IMPs.

Detailed results
are here

Current Competitions

2016 Cheadle Royal Cup

This Monday Evening Pairs Contest runs from

Monday 5th September to Monday 19th December

Your best 8 results count.

 

2016 Merton Cantor Cup

This Thursday Evening Individual Contest runs from

Thursday 6th October to Thursday 22nd December

Your best 7 results count.

Good Luck!

The Manchester Congress
Jan 7- 8th 2017
at The Victoria and Albert Hotel, Water Street M3 4JQ

Pairs Saturday, Teams Sunday

and non-expert events on both days.
Click here for more details and entry form
Click here for travel and car parking information
Click here for non-expert events and entry form

MBC Members excel in the EBU Player of the Year Competition

Jason Hackett      3rd

Justin Hackett     =4th

John Holland       15th

.......Brilliant!

Mossop team wins Crockfords Cup

The team of David Mossop, Alex Hydes (London), Jason Hackett, Justin Hackett (both Staffs & Shrops), David Price (Suffolk) & Colin Simpson (Berks & Bucks) have won the 2015-16 Crockfords Cup. All the team have won this competition three times or more, with Alex retaining the trophy he won last year with different teammates; the other five all won the 2013-14 competition together.

Tollemache Qualifying

The MCBA (county) selection committee has chosen the following team to represent Manchester in the qualifying round of the inter county teams of eight on 19-20th November.
 

Michael Newman & Michael Byrne
John Holland & Gary Hyett
Alec Smalley & Tom Slater
Alan Mould & Ollie Burgess

npc Rhona Goldenfield

...recognise any MBC member names in this list?!!

MCBA EXPERT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MCBA EXPERT PLAYER OF THE YEAR

We are proud to announce that

MICHAEL NEWMAN

has won the

2016 EXPERT PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

......his second win in this MCBA competition

having previously won in 2011!

CONGRATULATIONS!

TIPS FOR IMPROVERS
TIPS FOR IMPROVERS

***NEW MONTH.....

CHECK OUT MICHAEL NEWMAN'S NEW TIPS FROM HANDS PLAYED IN SEPTEMBER...........

(See the yellow tab above top left)

Every month Michael Newman selects three hands played at the Club during that month and comments on the bidding and play offering invaluable hints and tips on how they should have been played!

You can check out not only the current month but also the archive of all previous editions.

He's done it again.....again!!
He's done it again.....again!!

John Holland tops National Master Point list for the fifth time!

Congratulations to John Holland, who has topped the annual Master Points list for the fifth time (the last four years in succession!) and has claimed the Sunday Telegraph Salver.

John Holland's good year has seen him reclaim the top spot in the Gold Point rankings. He moved marginally ahead of the 2014 leader, David Gold, holding 98.92 to David's 98.02. Andrew Robson, Tony Forrester and Alexander Allfrey complete the top five.

John, who also won this award in 2009, 2012 and 2013 & 2014 gained a total of 29,397 points in 2015.

AMAZING!

(Full details are on the EBU website www.ebu.co.uk )

About Manchester Bridge Club
About Manchester Bridge Club

Welcome to

Manchester Bridge Club. 

We are at 30 Palatine Road, Didsbury, M20 3JJ.

Ring us on 0161 445 3712

or email jeff@manchesterbridge.co.uk

For directions on how to find

us please click on the 

yellow 'Club Information' tab

top left of this page.

FUNCTION ROOMS FOR HIRE
FUNCTION ROOMS FOR HIRE

MANCHESTER BRIDGE CLUB

has a number of rooms

which can be hired

 for celebrations and functions. 

Suitable for special occasions such as

BIRTHDAY PARTIES,  RECEPTIONS,

CHRISTENINGS and BARMITZVAHS.

Please ring Jeff or David on

0161 445 3712

or email jeff@manchesterbridge.co.uk

DO YOU RECEIVE OUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER?
DO YOU RECEIVE OUR E-MAIL NEWSLETTER?

Are you receiving the Bridge Club Newsletter?

If not - please let Jeff know so he can make sure you are included.

Tel: 0161 445 3712 or jeff@manchesterbridge.co.uk

Thankyou.

 
Tips for March 2015

TIPS FOR IMPROVERS

 

Points of interest from the March 2015 duplicates

 

1       Cue-bid by opener to create a game force

 

Board 19 Wednesday 4 March – Vulnerability East West – Dealer South

 

 

KJ10xx

AJx

Qxxx

x

 

xx

KQx

A

AKJxxxx

 

AQx

10xxxx

Kx

10xx

 

xxx

xx

J10xxxx

Qx

 

 

North

East

South

West

 

 

1 Spade

Pass

Pass

Pass

 

 

Double

3NT

4 Spades

Pass

 

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

Pass

1 Club

2 Spades

4 Clubs

6 Clubs

 

When East makes a negative double to show Hearts after North’s 1 Spade overcall West knows that his side belong in game at the very least.  However he does not know whether the partnership will end up in Clubs, Hearts or Notrumps.  Accordingly in such situations West should cue-bid the enemy suit to create a game force.

 

Over 2 Spades the most descriptive bid for East to make is to jump to 3NT which suggests that he has a double stop in Spades.

 

Over 3NT West has visions of slam but if partner’s Spades were say only QJxx then no slam would be available.  To suggest a strong interest in slam West now continues with 4 Clubs showing a minimum of six Clubs.  If East had only QJxx in Spades he would now sign off in 4NT.  However he is delighted to cue-bid 4 Spades and now West can jump to 6 Clubs which basically only requires the Spade finesse through the overcaller.  If of course East had the Jack of Hearts then the slam would be almost certain as on a Spade lead the Ace could be played and after drawing trumps and unblocking the Ace of Diamonds the losing Spade could be discarded on the King of Diamonds.

 

2       Gilt-edged 7 pointer

 

Board 1 Thursday 19 March – Vulnerability Amber – Dealer North

 

 

K10xx

xx

xxx

KJ10x

 

QJ

A109xx

xxxxx

x

 

A98xx

Q8xx

AK

Qx

 

xx

KJ

QJ10

Axxxxx

 

 

North

East

South

West

Pass

3 Clubs

1 Spade

3 Hearts

2 Clubs

Pass

Double

?

 

Only two pairs out of seven managed to get to game in Hearts on this hand.  It is likely that the other Wests having made a negative double of the 2 Club overcall by South then decided that they had done enough when East bid 3 Hearts.

 

However it is clearcut for West to go on to game.  Why is this?  Although West has only 7 points there are three very good things about his hand.  Firstly he has a fifth trump, secondly he has a singleton Club and thirdly the QJ doubleton in Spades the first suit bid by East will be worth their weight in gold.

 

Say South cashes the Ace of Clubs before switching to the Queen of Diamonds.  Declarer wins the Diamond and plays a Heart to the Jack and Ace.  Now the winning Spade finesse is taken, the Diamonds are easily established and eleven tricks quickly result, +450 to North South.

 

 

3       Splinter eases way to slam

 

Board 23 Thursday 26 March – Vulnerability Amber – Dealer South

 

 

KQ9

Kxxxx

xx

Jxx

 

None

AQJ9

K108x

AK8xx

 

Axx

10x

AQ9xx

Q109

 

J10xxxxx

xx

Jx

xx

 

 

North

East

South

West

 

 

1 Heart

Pass

Pass

 

 

2 Diamonds

6 Diamonds

 

Pass

Pass

Pass

1 Club

4 Spades

Pass

 

Only one pair out of eight got to 6 Diamonds on the above hand from the Swiss Pairs.  In fact 7 Diamonds is almost certain to make but is not straightforward to bid.  However there is absolutely no excuse for missing 6 Diamonds assuming that you are playing Splinter bids.

 

When East responds 2 Diamonds after North’s 1 Heart overcall West knows that the partnership is very close to slam.  Accordingly having four card support for Diamonds and only a four loser hand West should jump to 4 Spades.  This is a VOID SHOWING SPLINTER (since 3 Spades would show a singleton and agree Diamonds).  The least that East can do over 4 Spades is to jump to slam in Diamonds as he has good trumps and the partial fit in Clubs is a great asset.

 

I noted that 7 Diamonds is not straightforward to bid.  I think that the only way in which the Grand Slam might be reached is for East to bid 5 Clubs over 4 Spades.  If East chooses this option then West can now visualize that any slow Heart loser will disappear on the established Clubs.  Accordingly West would then bid 5NT – the old fashioned Grand Slam force.  This would ask East to bid 7 Diamonds if he has any two of the top three trump honours (AK, AQ or KQ).  Note that here 5NT is clearly the Grand Slam force and not the “Pick a Slam” use of 5NT which we have previously seen in March 2014 Tip No 3 and November 2014 Tip No 2 where more than one possible trump suit had been suggested in the previous bidding.  On the hand above the void showing splinter of 4 Spades had unilaterally set Diamonds as trumps.