CONTRACT BRIDGE Sponsored Tournament Held At Alexandra

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31776, 5 September 1968, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE Sponsored Tournament Held At Alexandra

(ContHbutfi By J.R.WJ

Until now bridge tournaments have usually been run by the organising clubs in their own premises which have been large enough to accommodate the entry. Overseas, where the entries are very much larger, it is the custom to take over a hotel for a long weekend during the off-season, and there is little doubt that this will become the trend here. From Auckland comes the news that a tournament is soon to be held in a large new hotel there, but a precedent has already been set in the South IslandLast year the Otago Bridge Club, looking tor something a little different from the ordinary tournament, arranged for the Central Otago Pairs to be sponsored at the Golden Central Motor Inn at Alexandra. The event was so successful it was repeated this year. One hundred bridge players from Ashburton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gore, Invercargill, Timaru and Wellington took over the motel and 25 tables were set up in the lounge. For meals, afternoon teas and suppers the competitors repaired to the dining-room, but soft drinks were on the house during play and refreshments of a stronger nature were also available. This is a novel feature in local tournaments, but one which many of us have frequently sorely felt the need of. An early criticism was that the lighting, while admirably suited to dealing with the refreshments, was not quite up to the desired standard for dealing with the cards,' but this was easily rectified. Silver Not Gold

Otago players were best able to cope with the conditions and returned home from the gold-mining area with a dazzling array of silverware, for the sponsors provided trays, jugs and cups as prizes.

The over-all winners were Di A. J. Sinclair and Mrs Sinclaii of Dunedip, whose victory was extremely popular, since the original idea for the event was theirs and Sinclair himself had helped considerably with the arrangements. The runners-up, Mr J. Mclndoe and Mrs Mclndoe, and the third pair, Mrs Bull and Mrs Jones, were also from Dunedin. In keeping with the spirit of the proceedings, the hands were lively, and on this deal everyone had something to say: N, S—K4 H—KQ4 D—AK J 1075 C—s 3 W. E. 5—J9532 S—AB 76 H—10972 D—QB D—C—J9 72 C—AKIOB4 S. S—Q 10 H—A 6 5 3 D—96432 C—QB This was the auction at one table: W. N. E. S. IS No No 2D 3C 3D 3S < 4D 4S 5D 5S Dble All pass East’s choice of opening bid may seem rather unorthodox, but a large number of Dunedin players do open any four card major suit before bidding a longer minor suit Five spades was usually defeated by one trick, for the defenders should make the ace and king of hearts and one trick in spades. At another table, however, things did not quite go according to plan, for Mr and Mrs W. Brandt Of Christchurch, succeeded in making five spades doubled. South led a diamond, North played the

king and the declarer trumped. The ace of spades was made, then a small one brought down the queen and king together. North realised there was no point in continuing with diamonds, so he decided to switch. Unfortunately for him, however, he chose to lead a club rather than a heart. The declarer played off the ace and king of clubs, dropping the queen, and was able to make five tricks in the suit On the fifth club a heart was discarded from the West hand, and although he had to concede one trick in hearts, the rest of them could then be trumped in dummy. East thus brought the contract home with the loss of a spade’ and a heart. At other tables, North was allowed to play iq. five diamonds, sometimes doubled, sometimes not. He too found that ten tricks were the limit of the two hands, for he had to lose to the ace and king of clubs and the ace of spades. One cannot help thinking that many average aggressive rubber bridge players would finish up in four spades played by West and comfortably piade, after the following auction: W. N. E. S. IC$ No IS 2D 4S All pass East opens one club, South passes and West has just about enough to call one spade, reasoning that the fit in clubs makes his band a little stronger. North bids two diamonds and East with magnificent distribution stretches to call four spades. This has the effect of silencing South, and North with good prospects of defeating the contract also passes. In fact there is no defence and West makes ten tricks. There is something to be said for such “bull at a gate” I methods.