English

Jerusalem Post 10/04/09

Don't Feel Bad
by Matthew Granovetter

Sometimes a player feels bad after a hand because he thinks he did something to cause a bad result. But after an analysis of the hand, he may be reprieved. This happened to Brian Zietman, who runs the Jerusalem Bridge Center. He was playing in the finals of the Israel Championships during the week of Purim, when he picked up the West cards.

East dealer
Both sides vulnerable

           North
           S: J
           H: J 10 5
           D: A Q 10 9 4 3
           C: K J 5

West (Zietman)             East (Benusilio)
S: K Q 10 4 2              S: --
H: Q 6 3                   H: A K 9 8 7 2
D: K 7 5                   D: J 8
C: 8 7                     C: Q 10 4 3 2

           South (Friedlander)
           S: A 9 8 7 6 5 3
           H: 4
           D: 6 2
           C: A 9 6

West     North     East     South
--       --        1H       3S
double   (all pass)

Opening lead: 3 of hearts

Zietman's partner, Moshe Benusilio, opened one heart with the East hand, and Ehud Friedlander, South, jumped to three spades. Zietman, sitting West, looking at five trump to the king, queen, ten, was very happy (and said later that he "thought Purim had arrived for the second time" that week). He doubled and everyone passed. The opening lead was a heart, in the traditional strategy of the "forcing game," where you try to shorten declarer's trumps. Benusilio won the king of hearts and tried to cash the ace at trick two, but declarer ruffed.

Friedlander led a diamond to the queen to lead the jack of spades, but East discarded. Declarer let that go to West's queen. Zietman led a third round of hearts, ruffed in the South hand. Next came a diamond to the ace and a diamond ruff, followed by the ace of clubs and a club to the king. Then the 10 of diamonds was led and declarer pitched his club loser. Zietman ruffed but was down to the K-10-4 of spades. He led the king and declarer could win and drive out the ten, losing only three trump tricks and a heart trick, to make his doubled contract.

Zietman was upset with himself afterward for not having led a club, since the "forcing strategy" had not worked, and a short-suit lead might. But even after a club lead declarer can make nine tricks. He must start by leading a heart immediately to break up the East-West communication. West may win and lead another club, but declarer can ruff a heart, finesse in diamonds, ruff a heart, and play diamond to the ace and a diamond ruff. That is a total of seven tricks: three ruffs, two diamonds and two clubs. Holding the A-9-8-7 of trumps declarer still must get two trump tricks for his contract by leading a spot card. So don't feel bad, Brian, the three-spade contract was cold!

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Matthew Granovetter, the current world champion of Mixed Pairs, can be reached at mgranovetter@bridgetoday.com.

 

1. Your opponents come to your table and the gentleman is congratulating his wife on an excellently executed compound squeeze.
2. Your opponents announce that they play a simple system- Multi, Ghestem, Puppet,  Cappelletti Vul and DONT N/V, Michaels and upside down signals.
3. Your opponents burst out laughing when you claim.
4. Your opponents arrive at the table and say to one another – OK at this table all doubles are for penalty.
5. Your opponent bids before you have sorted your cards out.
6. Both your opponents are under 14 years old.
7. One of your opponents has in his hand the laws of bridge and  Adventures in Card Play by Kelsey and Ottlik.
8. You doubled a part score and dummy ruffs your opening lead of an Ace.
9. Your partner is declarer and after 3 tricks asks: “What contract are we playing?”
10.  Partner passes 1NT after you redoubled for SOS or partner passes your cue bid.

        Brian Zietman

  
 
   Disease Etiology-  Bridge
 
  Bridge is a highly contagious, progressive and incurable disease. WHO estimates there are currently between 50  and   100 million infected people worldwide. Unlike other epidemics of this scale, bridge attacks primarily in developed countries. While rarely fatal, the disease has enormous negative impact on the lives of infected individuals and on the whole society.
 
  
   Etiology
 
Earlier theories assumed that bridge is an addictive drug, much like alcohol. In 1976, however, two independent teams of Dutch and American scientists isolated Baccillus bridgeus, a very small bacteria causing bridge. This discovery explains why earlier treatment programs such as `Bridge Players Anonymous’ were unsuccessful.
 
Baccillus bridgeus transmits primarily via contact with bridge players. Once inside human body, it lodges itself in the brain, where it attacks the parts responsible for higher cognitive functions. During the tertiary stage (see under symptoms) of bridge, the patient’s brain is little more than a tool for Baccillus bridgeus to transmit itself to other victims
 
  
   Origins of the epidemics
 
The bridge epidemic started around 1890, almost simultaneously in Great Britain and in the USA. It appears that a relatively benign bacteria causing whist mutated itself into Baccillus bridgeus. While the reasons for this mutation are not completely determined, a likely hypothesis suggests that it was a result of exposure of the whist bacteria to high doses of alcohol and boredom among civil servants in certain parts of the British Empire (mostly Egypt and India).
 
  
   Symptoms and relief
 
Stage 1 - which is not at all unpleasant, the infected individual enjoys an occasional social game of bridge and does not think of bridge in between those. Only a small area of brain has been attacked and there are not infrequent reports of a spontaneous arrest of the disease and even of complete recovery.
 
Stage 2 - usually marked by the victim starting to analyze the hand just played. It can be also recognized from the fact of the patient buying the first bridge book, usually with a title like `Improve your play technique’ or `Killing defense at bridge’. During this stage the victim often joins a bridge club and participates in the first tournament. Once this happens, the prognosis is almost always bad.
 
Stage 3- can be recognized by the victim being able to name the current World Champions, winners of the Bermuda Bowl and other major tournaments. It is also marked by the patient owning a full bookshelf of bridge books and/or a subscription to a bridge magazine. At this stage the infected individual loses interest in other pursuits, is a common sight on the tournament circuit, and often dabbles in bridge theory. In extreme cases the victim neglects even the most elementary functions such as eating or personal hygiene.
 
While there may be periods of marked improvement, which often lull the patient and concerned relatives into a false sense of security (with the patient thinking `I can take it or I can leave it’), it is important to recognize that a relapse is unavoidable. Nevertheless, some symptomatic relief can be achieved by simple methods such as getting the victim interested in other pursuits (sex, fly-fishing, crocheting), taking away his/her pocket money, and keeping the patient locked up during club games and local tournaments.
 

   Cure
 
Currently, the only available cure for bridge is lobotomy. This is performed only in extreme cases.
 

   Prevention
 
Bridge is highly contagious.
 
Conservative estimates indicate that it is 65 times as contagious as chess and about 5-6 times as the most infectious of the so called Nintendo viral group (which usually attack only children and adolescents and disappear, without causing any damage, upon victim’s reaching the adulthood). Thus it is very hard to prevent a bridge infection.
 
One should avoid any contact whatsoever with bridge players. If complete avoidance is impossible, do not allow the infected individual talk about bridge and never, ever agree to be `introduced to bridge’.
 
Recently published results of a 20-year long study by John R. Williams of the Hopkins University lead to surprising conclusions. Thus it is not particularly risky to be in company of bridge carriers, when their number is divisible by 4. On the other hand, it is extremely dangerous to be alone with 3 (or 7, 11, etc.) bridge players for a prolonged period of time (a cruise, chalet holiday, etc.). The reasons for this dichotomy are at present completely unknown and underline our lack of knowledge about Baccillus bridgeus.