District 25 News for December 2005

New District 25 Officers

I'm cheating a little by writing the December 2005 news in January 2006, but District 25 holds no regional in December, and later in the month we'll have the 2005 masterpoint race results, not to mention the District 25 2006 Grand National Teams finals to report. (DO enter this event by the way, or at least attend the I/N Rainbow weekend or CMBA sectional, both held in conjunction. Sturbridge will be lots of fun for all New England bridge players. See our calendar for the flyer.) So, with the annual Keohane Regional Individual results in, it's time for news. But first (drumroll please, Hail-to-the-Chief, etc.), note that the District has elected a new President, Allan Clamage of Stamford CT. Our new Vice President is Roy Green of Carlisle MA.

Buzz from the Keohane Regional Individual

The Keohane Regional Individual was held at the Marriot Hotel in Newton, MA January 6-8, 2006, kicking off the District 25 tournament schedule for 2006. For a three-day event, Newton did well with 724 table sessions. 670 players won 3160+ masterponts. Only the winners of the tough 18-team Flight A Knockout event earned over forty, so congrats to Rich DeMartino, Geoff Brod, Steve Earl, and Allan Rothenberg.

I haven't heard any buzz about Rich's semifinal and final wins, so I'll just post one hand from our semifinal loss. We were 25 Imps up at the half. In the second half, with Howard Piltch on my left, Rick Binder opposite me, and Dick Budd on my right, I dealt myself S-10865 H-Q3 D-AKJ854 C-6 not vul against vul. The auction was P-P-P-1C-1D-1H-2D-Dbl-3D-4H-P-P-P. I didn't save. Dick and Howard play weak notrumps, so Dick's support double showed three hearts and either a strong notrump or an unbalanced hand. Rick led the diamond 3 (third and fifth), and Dick tabled S-AQJ4 H-964 D-97 C-AKQ8. I won the king, Howard following with the six. What card would you play to trick two? Decide before reading on.

I constructed hands for Howard. If he held Kx AJ10xx xx Jxxx, he had false-carded with the 6-2 doubleton of diamonds, and I had to cash a diamond before switching to my singleton club. If I switched immediately, he could pitch a diamond on his spades and lose only two hearts. But that left Rick with only xxx Kxx Qxx xxxx for his raise. I decided Rick had four diamonds to suggest a save. But if Rick held as much as xxx A10x Q10xx xxx, I could beat four hearts by switching to the club immediately. Howard would have something like Kx KJxxx x Jxxxx, a reasonable four heart bid in the Piltch/Budd system. So, I switched to my singleton club.

I was right about the four diamonds, but not the defense. The full deal, alas :

............Dick
............S-AQJ4
............H-964
............D-97
............C-AKQ8
Rick.....................Bill
S-K2....................S-10865
H-J972.................H-Q3
D-Q1032..............D-AKJ854
C-1072..................C-6
............Howard
............S-973
............H-AK105
............D-6
............C-J9543

Howard won the club in dummy and used his high hearts to take spade finesses. Then he ran black cards and all we could get were Rick's two trumps. Nicely played after my misguess. There never was a ruffing threat. I had to tap Howard with a second diamond, and wriggle as he might, he's down one. I was hopeful this might not be a big loss. With the spade finesse working, either a 4S or 5C contract by Dick is unbreakable. Alas, at the other table our teammates bid P-P-P-1NT-P-2C-P-2S-P-2NT-P-3NT-P-P-P, and my counterpart gleefully ran his six diamonds for down two.

For a different take on the tournament, I received the following email from out GNT coordinator, Mark Aquino :