YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 0
YORKSHIRE CONTRACT BRIDGE ASSOCIATION
YCBA NEWS
Issue 2 (Previously YCBA Bulletin Issue)
November 2015
Editors’ Notes
The most radical changes introduced in the last edition in September related to the method of
distribution and circulation of the re-named Bulletin.
This seemed to have proceeded satisfactorily with no negative feedback - at least so far. In
forwarding YCBA News to Club Secretaries it was recognised that each club has its own individual
circumstances and the importance of flexibility in managing the next steps of the process.
Much will depend upon the size of club and the local facilities available. At least two clubs circulated
the publication electronically to their members which sounded like a wonderful idea but I realise that
this is unlikely to be common practice.
Below there is the usual request for contributions and I stress the need here – my intention of
publishing every two months can only be met adequately if members help me with items to include in
future issues. A big thank you is given to this month’s contributors.
YCBA’s reputation as top class Congress organisers continues to grow. The recent Great Northern
Swiss Pairs was highly successful with a great atmosphere and the hotel was superb. Numbers were
up on 2014 and many e-mail compliments have been received. One player remarked that it was the
best run Congress of the year. Sarah Teshome & Tom Cohen and Alan Hayward & Tom Copeland
high finishing positions added to the YCBA feeling of accomplishment.
This edition is circulated soon after the first round of Yorkshire League matches. The Yorkshire
League is, of course, a source of such great enjoyment to so many players across a range of ability
levels. Could it be that it has the second largest number of participants in a single event in the country
behind the National Inter Clubs Knockout competition? That would be quite remarkable!
Once again my gratitude to Lesley Blanchard must be recorded – she has been a great help in
producing this edition by covering my technical ineptitude.
David Waxman November 2015
Copy Wanted Special 80th Anniversary Celebratory
Event and 1st YCBA Members’ Meeting
Please send details of results, successes,
achievements for inclusion in the YCBA Saturday 28 November 2015
News and English Bridge to Robin
Jepson, Tel: 0113 269 5334, See also YCBA website and page 6
[email protected]
10.30 Complimentary Brunch on arrival
Contributions to the Bulletin from members
are also encouraged and welcomed by the 11.00 Members Meeting
editor: Welcome by Chairman
National and County Affairs Update
reports on events Breakout Sessions: youth,
articles competitions, membership drive,
letters/emails exchange of ideas for running
other news clubs, charitable status
views and opinions
12.45 Coffee Break
David Waxman, 07710
[email protected] 13.00 Bridge Mini-session 1
14.30 Afternoon Tea
263452 15.15 Bridge Mini-session 2
17.00 Presentation of Trophy
Competition forms and news are also Fee Bridge inc Afternoon tea - £10.00
posted on the YCBA website,
www.ycba.co.uk Venue The Bridge Inn, Walshford, near
Wetherby LS 22 5HS Tel: 01937 580115
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 1
Winners of Recent YCBA/Local/National Events
August
Olicana Invitational Swiss Teams – Stuart Davies, George Bak, Gill Copeland & Steve
Blackburn.
September
Crockfords Cup Final (also see below) Brian Senior and Sandra Penfold
Isle of Man Congress
- Swiss Pairs Stuart Davies & Paul Belsten
- Swiss Teams James Thrower Rob Myers & two others
Huddersfield Rosebowl - Angela Booth, Peter Radley, Denis Murphy, & Kevin Hawkins
EBU Guernsey Congress – Swiss Pairs – Rob Myers and partner
YCBA Kath Grimoldby Simultaneous Pairs - Tom Copeland & Alan Jarvis - Leeds BC
Garforth Swiss Teams - Richard Hilton, Pauline Cooper, Richard Pike & Pete Waterman
Derbyshire CBA 1 Day Events
- Swiss Pairs Graham Jepson & David Musson
- Swiss Teams Tom Gisborne, Sandy Davies, Baz Caygill & David Waxman
October
EBU/YCBA Great Northern Swiss Pairs Improvers - Joan & Brian Eager
EBU British Autumn Sim Pairs (Monday) - Jack & Simon Stocken (at Wetherby BC)
EBU Overseas Congress Rhodes - Swiss Pairs Tom Gisborne & Sandy Davies; Open
Pairs Denis & Pearl Murphy; Pivot Teams Tom Gisborne & Sandy Davies and two others;
Really Easy Bridge Afternoon - part of EBU Autumn Congress - Overall winners
Andrew Pearson & Kathy Pearson playing in Bradford heat 1 of 9 held across country (97
participants)
EBU Autumn Congress - Satellite Pairs - Sarah Teshome & James Thrower
2015 What a year!
2015 has been a great year for Yorkshire in terms of national successes. As previously reported
the spring Phil Godfrey and James Thrower won the National Pairs; followed up with similar
success for Graham Jepson and Dave Robinson in the Corwen Trophy.
Now in late summer another major national title was won by YCBA members with Sandra Penfold
and Brian Senior victorious in the Crockfords Cup Final - England's premier teams event. Alex
Hydes, ex-Yorkshire, was another team member - Nevena Senior made up the successful quartet.
Not Quite Successes (but highly creditable nevertheless)
Fiona Brown’s Bronze medal for England's Women's team in the Venice Cup at the World
Championships in Chennai most certainly deserves a highly honorable mention.
In the NICKO Plate Final Leeds A (Robin Jepson, Alan Brosgill, Martin Edge & Nick Woolven) lost to
Gosport A – see also P7. Another notable near miss is Susan MacKellar & Anthony Abraham’s 2nd
place in the Tuesday session of the EBU British Autumn Simultaneous Pairs (Wensleydale BC).
Sarah Teshome & Tom Cohen and Alan Hayward & Tom Copeland finished 2nd and 3rd respectively
in the Great Northern Swiss Pairs - more commendable near misses.
Dave Robinson Hints
Dave Robinson a leading Sheffield based Yorkshire player has agreed to provide a regular everyday
situation as a problem for each YCBA News - together with advice in the form of a tip. This is the first:
What would you bid teams at favourable vulnerability after 1D P P ?
Holding x Qxxxx Qxx KJxx Dave’s answer at bottom of page 7
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 2
Forthcoming Events - Fuller details of all events are available on the YCBA website via the
Events link
Yorkshire Schools Cup Bridge (teams of four) and MiniBridge 14th November 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
York Bridge Centre – Free entry - Partners or team-mates can be found – lunch provided
Contact Mark Bratley [[email protected]] or Tel: 07764 763874
YCBA Stratified Pairs - 29th November – 1.00pm York Bridge Club £40.00 per pair including food
Grade 1 National Masters and above, Grade 2 Star masters and above but below National Masters,
Grade 3 Advanced Masters and below, including unranked players
Enquiries and entries to Stuart Davies ([email protected]) 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH Tel:
01274 598408
Yorkshire Mixed Pivot Teams - 20th December 1.00 pm Bradford Bridge Club
Entry fee £80 per team including food - Each team must include at least one man and at least one
woman
Enquiries & entries to: Stuart Davies [[email protected]] 4 Moorhead Lane, Shipley, BD18 4JH (Tel:
01274 598408)
Yorkshire League fixtures matches 2 and 3 – 15 November & 06 December
Really Easy Afternoon - part of the EBU Year End Congress Friday 27th December 2015 2.00 pm
Bradford Bridge Club Entry fee £16 per pair. It may be able to accommodate individual players. Contact
Georgina Wooler [[email protected]] 07962530730 or EBU Events Dept.
Early Notice
Yorkshire Cup Final - 31 January 1:00pm Leeds Bridge Club
Doncaster Swiss Pairs - 07 February 1.00 pm Doncaster Bridge Club
Margery Cartwright Simultaneous Pairs - 11 February Participating clubs
EBU Spring Congress 19 - 21 February - The Old Swan, Harrogate
Yorkshire League fixtures matches 4 and 5 - 04 January, 25 January
Dave Robinson’s Bonus Tip
For this edition Dave Robinson has kindly offered an extra tip Ed
When you are declarer do you always follow suit with your lowest card?
Here’s a full deal from a National Inter Club knock out quarter final which my team lost by 4 IMPs
K654 KQJ42 10 K63
Q1073 A92
A986 753
Q973 K654
10 972
J8 10 AJ82 AQJ854
South played in 3NT having shown long clubs.
I led 3S and Richard Pike won the Ace and returned the 4D.
Declarer could not afford to play the Ace and played the 2
Judging that declarer had 4 diamonds I found the winning defence of QS
Dave’s Tip
If declarer had played 8 of diamonds I may well have continued diamonds and the contract would have
been made.
So don’t always follow with your lowest card as declarer: consider how you can scramble the
opponents’ signals.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 3
Island Congresses
While local and regional Congresses have diminished in number over the years (the YCBA Congress
remains one of that stands out as an on-going success) three islands of the UK coast sustain retain
popular annual events. These are all green pointed, Guernsey and Jersey under the auspices of the
EBU with the Isle of Man having its own Manx Union. A number of YCBA players are regular
attendees, and, over the years, have been often very successful at all three.
Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey
Janet Latham describes Gill Copeland calls the Congress Heather Hobson writes of her
Guernsey as always being one “a small, friendly, competitive on-going enjoyment of the
of Ted's (husband) and her great Weekend in a special place” Jersey Congress:
favourite destinations.
Early in September the Manx Having been brought up on an
Flights from most British Bridge Union run a congress in island (Isle of Man) it is a
airports take about an hour Douglas for 3 days - a small- wonderful experience to go to
and ferries from Poole and scale, relaxed and very friendly Jersey for the annual Bridge
Portsmouth three hours green-pointed event. Congress in late April.
Guernsey's coastal scenery is This year there were 19 tables Travelling there is easy with
stunning and easily accessible competing in the Swiss Pairs
with well-marked paths. event and 16 in the Swiss Teams. reasonably priced flights from
There are also Mixed Pairs and
The near-by islands of Herm Open Pairs events. The standard Leeds/Bradford, East
and Sark can also be visited is very mixed.
as regular boats leave each Midlands, Manchester and
day from the capital, St Peter The venue is the Palace Hotel on
Port. Douglas Promenade and most Liverpool. Also crossing the
years the weather seems to be
The lovely small island, Lithou, glorious. Concessionary rates for Channel by sea from Poole or
can also be reached by B&B are available for 3 nights and
walking over a rocky causeway there is a good choice of Portsmouth is quite popular.
when the tide allows restaurants in Douglas.
A short distance from St Helier,
Excellent restaurants within You can take a ferry with or the capital, is the Westhill
easy reach of the Congress without car from Heysham or a Country Hotel, family owned
hotel are plentiful, many of shorter Sea-Cat crossing on from and welcoming with good food
which serve Early Bird menus Liverpool. If you book early and pleasant areas for bridge
which fits in well with the cheap flights are available from as well as extensive grounds
bridge timings. most airports (not Leeds/ and a large fish pond.
Bradford).
The Guernsey Congress lasts There are wonderful walks and
10 days with Swiss Pairs the Participants often stay on for a interesting places to visit with
first weekend and Swiss teams few days to explore the beautiful museums, war memorials,
the second. island. The roads are very quiet; harbours and beaches. Jersey
the island is a magnet for Wldlife Park, founded in 1959
Midweek there are daily events transport enthusiasts with buses, by Gerald Durrell, is a
covering Pivot Teams, Men’s, electric trams, steam trains and highlight. Seeing endangered
Women’s Mixed and Open horse trams all in daily use. species living in natural
Pairs as well as two day surroundings can occupy a
Senior Pairs and Senior Life moves at a slower pace on whole day of entertainment
Multiple Teams competitions. the island and there are excellent and learning.
museums, fabulous countryside
The Congress takes place in and coast as well as interesting A car is useful but there is a
mid-September. castles, Laxey Wheel, the Wildlife good bus service centred on St
Park, Mooragh Park and other Helier and a courtesy bus from
As with the Jersey Congress attractions. the hotel to there.
participation in Guernsey can
be for the full Congress or part Further information can be The weather at the end of April
of it. obtained from Liz Kelly, 07624 is mild and pleasant. A highly
429341, [email protected] recommended relaxing break
Janet together with Ted, or by visiting with bridge thrown in.
Agnes and Peter Baxter came
2nd in all three team events at http://www.bridgewebs.com/manx/ The first weekend is Swiss
the 2015 Congress - Ed Pairs, the second Swiss
Teams.
Midweek events entail Multiple
teams, various pairs sessions
and specific two-day Senior
Pairs and Teams tournaments.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 4
Members Meeting and memories of YCBA Council
The first YCBA Members Meeting* will be held on Saturday 28 November prior to an afternoon of
Bridge** offered to celebrate YCBA’s 80th anniversary. Outline details are provided on page 1, fuller
information is on the YCBA website or available through Club Secretaries. The Members Meeting
replaces the Council established as long ago as 1936. Basically, it has to be acknowledged that over
recent years the Council has lost much of its prior influence and turnouts have been really quite low.
Thus, the Members Meeting, which, as it sounds, is open to all YCBA members, represents an
attempt to revive and revitalise interest in general meetings. The Council was constituted of a set
number of delegates from each affiliated club based on membership numbers.
Those of us with long memories will recall some very feisty Council meetings, at the Griffin Hotel in
Leeds, at a time when its influence on County developments was much stronger. Decisions made at
Council had real impact, meetings were lengthy and numbers of delegates attending substantial.
I was a Hull and East Riding CBA delegate in the 70’s and early 80’s. My sense was of meetings
dominated by some rather intimidating figures (Eric Milnes spoke with such immense authority) and
my being fairly fearful of making a contribution. Eventually around 1981 or 1982 I gathered my
courage and proposed a motion which was carried much to my delight. This was the integration of the
three totally distinct A, B and C Yorkshire League competitions into a single competition with multiple
divisions involving all teams with promotion and relegation. Previously A teams played for the Morning
Telegraph/Star Cup, B teams for The Green ‘Un Cup and 3rd teams and below the Sheffield Shield.
The proposal led to a considerable debate before final agreement and Philip Mason offered to sort the
detail. Thirty plus years he still produces the fixture lists!! My motivation was two-fold and proved
partly ironic. Obviously I considered the idea sound but also thought that Sheffield B was so superior
to other B teams at the time that it was not much of a competition for them and fairly depressing for
other B teams. The irony was that 3 or 4 years later I was playing for Sheffield B. I remain proud that
my nervously presented idea led to a truly excellent competition with such high levels of participation.
* Brunch orders to Julia Staniforth 01302 772493 or [email protected] David Waxman
** Bridge entries to Stuart Davies 01274 598408 or [email protected] - £10 per player
Northern Bridge League (NBL) 2015
The NBL takes place over four Saturdays between August and October with divisional winners going
on to a national final for the champions of the various similar regional events held across the country.
After the fourth and final round of matches held on 10 October Yorkshire teams finished as follows:
A Division Yorkshire 1 - 2/6; Yorkshire 2 - 5/6 (Champions Manchester 1)
B Division Yorkshire - 4/8 (Champions Lancashire)
C Division Yorkshire South East (S/E) – Champions; Yorkshire North West - 5/7
In terms of individual rounds Yorkshire 1 won round 2 while Yorkshire SE won rounds 1, 3 and 4.
Yorkshire pairs scoring overall “best” on particular days were Graham Jepson & Frank Littlewood
(round 1) and Rod Hose & Mary Whyms (round 3).
While Manchester dominate the A Division – winning 10 of the 11 years that the League has existed,
Yorkshire SE have emerged as a great strength in the C Division having also won in 2007and 2014.
29 different players have represented Yorkshire SE in 2015. Namely: - Madge Allison, Emma Bentley,
David Beresford Lesley Blanchard, Barbara Boaler, Bob Brown, Paul Camm, James Carpenter, Baz
Caygill, Richard Draycott, Nick Dyer, Janet Easter, Stuart Fletcher, Glyn Foley, Richard Gilbert, Rod
Hose, Stuart Kay, Mike Perry, Christine Quigley, Julia Staniforth, Roger Taylor, Dennis Thompson,
Ann Wall, Toby Wall, David Ward, Robin Warner & Mary Whyms. Congratulations go to Yorkshire
South East once again. Perhaps Emma Bentley deserves a special mention given that she
represented Yorkshire at the age of 18 playing in the round 3 winning team.
It’s a Family Affair
The YCBA Simultaneous Pairs seems to be set up nicely for one Bridge playing family. The
notoriously hard to win event, given the high entry numbers, has seen all three members of the
Copeland family finish in top spot. Tom’s recent success (with Alan Jarvis) matches his mother Gill’s
earlier victory partnering Steve Blackburn and father Alistair’s previous triumph in harness with Tony
Kingham. Incidentally it is Alan’s 2nd win having already won a Sims partnering Becky Dickinson.
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 5
Judicial Review rules in favour of Sport England
The Yorkshire Post visited Leeds BC to research an article on the High Court’s rejection of the
EBU bid for Bridge to be recognised as a sport. The hearing was an attempt to overturn Sport
England’s refusal to recognise Bridge as a sport as it does not involve “physical activity”. Ron
Millett, of Director and Leeds BC member told the Yorkshire Post, that it was "only a matter of
time" before bridge would be recognised as a sport.
The hearing’s purpose was to give a ruling as whether Sport England officials had “erred in law” in
not classifying bridge as sport. Mr Justice Dove indicated that Sport England policy used a
definition of sport which included the words “physical activity” and dismissed the English Bridge
Union’s bid for a “judicial review”.
The EBU is considering an appeal as it believes that Sport England acts unlawfully defining sport
as requiring ‘physical activity’ when model aircraft flying, archery and darts, for instance, are all
recognised - yet do not entail vigorous physical activity.
Ron Millett stresses that the argument is not about funding - but seeks to give Bridge the
recognition it deserves. Bridge is a recognised sport in many European countries, including
Poland, Netherlands, France and Belgium and may be included in the 2020 Olympic Games.
The link to the full article is on the YCBA website (News) and it is pleasing to hear that the
Yorkshire Post plans more features about Bridge promising to return to Leeds BC.
NICKO Plate Adventure
The EBU’s National Inter-Club Knockout, or NICKO, has a large entry. Matches in early rounds
are only 24 boards. There is a Plate competition for first round losers, so an extra chance for a
decent cup run.
The adventure of the Leeds A team (Alan Brosgill, Martin Edge, Nick Woolven and myself) in the
2014-15 NICKO began last autumn with a first round exit from the main competition. After a
couple of Plate matches played locally, we were on our travels with journeys into the red rose
county for away matches against Brierfield and Southport. This took us to the quarter-final
played in Derby against an Oxford team, and the semi-final in Solihull where we disposed of a
Bristol squad. Nearly a year after our first match, we were in the final, again played in Solihull
against Gosport, and we lost this by 25 IMPs.
Here is a hand from the final, where the winners missed an opportunity. I have changed one of
the spot cards to make the play rather more interesting.
West East Dealer North.
AQJ1087 932 NS vulnerable
J752 K93 Contract 4 by West
Q10 J2
4 AQ872
As West, you open 2. You would expect this kind of hand for a weak two fourth in hand. In
any other table position it would be 1. Even so, East’s raise to game is ambitious to say the
least. Still, the defence help you by leading a low heart. You correctly play low from dummy,
and South takes the ace and then cashes the ace and king of diamonds before playing a trump.
Over to you - should you finesse or not? With four cards missing, a finesse for the king is the
percentage play. Is South trying to fool you by leading a low spade from a holding such as Kx?
In practice declarer did finesse, but on this occasion it is clearly right to go up with the ace. Why?
As so often, there is a clue in the auction. South passed, and has already shown up with two
aces and a king. With another king, he would have opened the bidding. So North has both
missing kings, and the only hope is that the spade king is singleton. Which it was! After this, you
only need the clubs to break 4-3. There are just enough entries into the East hand to finesse in
clubs, ruff the second round, complete drawing trumps ending in dummy with the nine, ruff another
club, cross to dummy again with the king of hearts and discard the heart losers on the established
ace and eight of clubs.
Robin Jepson
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 6
EBU Overseas Holidays
Page 4 contains profiles of three popular Congresses at UK island locations. Here Roy Garthwaite, a
long standing YCBA member, who contributes articles to English Bridge based on EBU Overseas
Holidays regularly, offers an overview of this relatively recent development.
He writes:
The EBU organises Overseas Congresses each Spring and Autumn. The hotel must be booked via
Bridge Overseas who arrange transport from and to the airport but flights with a few extra days if
desired are booked with the airline individually.
The chief T.D. is David Jones assisted by his wife, Marilyn, and Neil Morley. Peter Jordan the
congress organiser deals with all non-bridge problems. His first job is to ensure that the boards etc.
have arrived at the port; his second is to assure suspicious customs officials that they will not explode
and to obtain their release.
Bridge consists of three sessions of Championship Pairs and three of Championship Teams together
with various midweek pivot teams, ladies', men's and mixed pairs' events. All mornings are available
for sightseeing and at least one full day. The Bridge Overseas representative arranges optional
excursions. Whilst most go as a pair, singles are catered for. The officials and their wives are always
available to partner anyone who is without partner. Non bridge players are welcome; one man goes
bird watching whilst his wife plays bridge.
The Congress is a holiday with bridge as distinct from being a bridge congress. Obviously one plays
to win but gamesmanship or aggressive behaviour towards opponents or partner will not be tolerated.
Proof of the popularity of these events is that many players have attended most of these congresses
since inception.
Finally, book early. The recent Rhodes congress was fully booked several months in advance. The
next is Pathos in Cyprus in February
Dave Robinson Hints – the answer
My team mate in the Brighton Teams bid 1H and was then embarrassed when the opponents got to
an unbeatable 4 spades.
If he had asked himself why partner had not overcalled one spade or doubled or bid 1NT he would
surely have passed.
TIP: always be wary of "protecting" in the pass out seat unless you have some length in the Majors
“STOP PRESS” Yorkshire League Announcements
Two announcements have been circulated by the Management Board concerning late changes to the
operation of Division 1 of the Yorkshire League for the season 2014-2015.
Firstly:
“Bradford A has withdrawn from the Yorkshire League due to personal and unforeseen reasons
relating to a number of the team. The 1st division will be reduced to 7 teams playing 6 matches each
having a bye when they are due to play Bradford A. At the end of the season, only one team from
each of the divisions will be relegated with two being promoted.”
This was followed up with:
“There is concern around the division that on “bye” days, teams will select their A team to play for their
B team and so on. This is not permitted, and the following must be observed:
When a club’s A team has a bye, the club must “select” 8 people who would reasonably be expected
to play for their A team, who may not be selected for any other team. These players obviously do not
need to be actually available.
In the event of a last minute emergency, any of these players may replace a selected player or
players in a lower team, with the replaced players becoming part of the A team selection. The spirit of
the competition dictates that this would really only involve replacement of B team players.”
YCBA NEWS November 2015 Page 7