Manchester Bridge Club
Full Screen Print Page Latest Enhancements Web Administration Help and Guide
Release 2.19j
 
 
 
Bulletin

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!

 
Recent Updates
Home Page
24th Oct 2016 23:49 BST
Bulletin
16th Oct 2016 17:33 BST
NEW Tips for September 2016
14th Oct 2016 12:42 BST
Intermediate Players events
12th Oct 2016 18:39 BST
 
Pages viewed in 2016
 
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 June 2015

TIPS FOR IMPROVERS 

 

Points of interest from the June 2015 duplicates 

 

1     Mini-Splinter points the way to slam 

 

Board 10 Thursday 11 June – Vulnerability Amber – Dealer East 

 

 

xxx 

KQ9xxx 

Axxx 

None 

 

Q10xx 

10x 

Qxx 

QJ10x 

 

Jx 

J 

KJ10xx 

A98xx 

 

AKxx 

Axxx 

x 

Kxxx 

 

 

 

 

North 

East 

 

South 

 

West 

 

1 Heart 

4 Diamonds 

6 Hearts 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

1 Club 

3 Diamonds 

4 Spades 

 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

 

 

None of the five North South pairs managed to reach the excellent slam contract of 6 Hearts on the above hand.  After North responds 1 Heart to South’s opening bid of 1 Club South has to decide what to say.  While he might bid 3 Hearts showing 16 to 18 points including shape as he has 14 points with four card Heart support plus a singleton Diamond for which we should count 3 points once a trump fit has been found (total 17 points) there is a much more descriptive bid available.  That bid is to make a MINI SPLINTER of 3 Diamonds. 

 

A mini-splinter is where responder’s major suit is agreed by the opener jumping to the 3 level after a 1 Heart or 1 Spade response to the opening bid of 1 Club or 1 Diamond in a higher ranking suit to the one opened. 

Opener promises either:- 

 

1     A raise to at least the three level of partner’s with a singleton in the mini-splintered suit. 

 

or 

 

2     A raise to the three level with a void in the mini-splintered suit but insufficient points to splinter at the four level. 

 

There are four such sequences:- 

 

A         1 Club               1 Spade 

3 Diamonds 

 

B          1 Club               1 Spade 

  3 Hearts 

 

C          1 Club               1 Heart 

  3 Diamonds 

 

D          1 Diamond        1 Spade 

  3 Hearts 

 

They are called mini-splinters because in each case responder can sign off in 3 of the major if he is minimum or has a bad holding in the mini-splintered suit.  For instance in the above hand if North held ♠xxxx ♥Q10xx ♦KJx ♣Jx then he would sign off in 3 Hearts and the bidding would end in a part-score. 

 

When South makes a Mini-Splinter of 3 Diamonds the North hand has enormous playing strength.  However North cannot bid Keycard because he has a void and in any event there might be two losers in Spades if South has for instance:- 

 

♠QJxx    ♥Axxx    ♦x    ♣AKxx 

 

Accordingly North bids 4 Diamonds as a cue-bid showing the Ace (since it would be completely pointless to cue-bid a King opposite the known shortage in the South hand).  South then cue-bids in Spades and North can then jump to slam in Hearts.  Thus slam is reached on only 23 points between the two hands and even then the King of Clubs is superfluous to its success. 

 

On a passive Jack of Hearts lead North should win in hand and then trump three Diamonds in the Dummy using Club ruffs as a means of transport each time.  Even though the Diamonds split 5-3 the fourth Diamond is trumped with the Ace of Hearts and 12 tricks roll in :  +1430 to North South. 

 

 

2     Agreeing opener’s major suit after a 2NT opening 

 

Board 15 Wednesday 24 June – Vulnerability North South – Dealer South 

 

 

 

QJxxx 

Axxx 

x 

Q10x 

 

Ax 

109x 

Qxxxx 

xxx 

 

xx 

Qxxx 

J109 

xxxx 

 

K109x 

KJ 

AKxx 

AKJ 

 

 

 

North 

East 

South 

West 

 

3 Clubs 

4 Hearts 

5 Clubs 

6 Spades 

 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

2NT 

3 Spades 

4NT 

5 Diamonds 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass  

Pass 

 

Only two pairs out of seven managed to get to the excellent 6 Spade contract on the above hand. 

 

After the bidding starts 2NT – 3 Clubs – 3 Spades, responder holding four Spades has to be able to set Spades as trumps and investigate slam.  FOUR HEARTS, THE OTHER MAJOR, IS AN ARTIFICIAL SLAM TRY SETTING SPADES AS TRUMPS.  IF RESPONDER BIDS ANYTHING OTHER THAN FOUR HEARTS, EXCEPT A NON-SLAM TRY RAISE TO FOUR SPADES, RESPONDER DENIES FOUR-CARD SPADE SUPPORT.  The use of the other major in this sequence is not needed as a natural bid. 

 

When South shows a four card Spade suit in response to Stayman then the North hand is definitely worth a slam try with five trumps, a singleton, an Ace and nine points opposite a 2NT opener.  The way to express this is to bid the other major at the lowest level ie 4 Hearts over 3 Spades.  (If South had shown a four card Heart suit in response to Stayman then similarly 3 Spades by North would agree Hearts). 

 

South holding a maximum with eight controls bids keycard and over the 5 Club response showing one Keycard asks for the Queen of trumps by bidding the next step 5 Diamonds.  North holding the Queen of trumps then jumps to 6 Spades as he has no other King to show.  There are no problems in the play and a score of +1460 to North South is soon entered. 

 

 

3     Minor suit game missed 

 

Board 19 Monday 29 June Vulnerability East West – Dealer South 

 

 

None 

Ax 

AQ109x 

J109xxx 

 

Jxxxx 

K109 

xxx 

Kx 

 

KQ10x 

Jxxx 

Jxx 

Ax 

 

Axxx 

Qxxx 

Kx 

Qxx 

 

 

North 

East 

South 

West 

 

 

1 Club 

2 Clubs 

3 Diamonds 

Pass 

 

 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

1 Heart 

2NT 

5 Clubs 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

Pass 

 

Only one pair out of eight managed to reach the excellent 5 Club contract on the above hand. 

 

After South responds 1 Heart to the 1 Club opener West is too weak to make an overcall in Spades at red.  North rebids 2 Clubs and South having a maximum pass bids 2NT implying a good 10 or 11 points.   

 

North is very unhappy with notrumps and so he should now bid 3 Diamonds.  This implies a very unbalanced hand but one which is limited by the failure to reverse earlier.  In fact it is highly likely that it shows six Clubs and five Diamonds.  This is because there would be an element of risk in bidding a higher ranking suit over 2NT with only a 6-4 shape because it would commit to playing in Clubs if South’s shape were exactly 4=5=2=2. 

 

Over 3 Diamonds the South hand now looks very promising for playing in a Club contract.  There is a known nine card fit in Clubs; South’s honour in Clubs will be of great value; Kx in Diamonds is a great holding in partner’s second suit since if North is missing the Queen South will be able to ruff the third round and finally the Ace of the unbid suit is ideal opposite shortage in the North hand (whereas KJ in Spades would be a very bad holding). 

 

Accordingly South should jump to 5 Clubs.  In the play if East opens with the King of Spades North would win with the Ace in Dummy discarding his losing Heart.  A trump is then played to the nine and Ace.  Spades are continued and declarer ruffs the second Spade.  At this point Declarer should continue with King of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds and ruff a Diamond with the Queen of trumps.  This is in case the trumps are splitting 3-1 and one of the defenders originally held Jxxx in Diamonds.  On this particular occasion the precaution is unnecessary but the technique is important.