GOLD COAST CONGRESS: LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR
"Never Apologise Never Explain", the title (I have just learned) of the eighth full-length album by the rock band Therapy, is a well-known advisory adage I would, if asked, have hesitantly and inaccurately attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. A precautionary web search threw up many other historical candidates of whom the earliest is the first British monarch to bear the same name as the present one. The first King Charles, says the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, wrote "Never make a defence or apology before you be accused" in a letter to Lord Wentworth as long ago as 1636. As regards the long interval since my most recent contribution to this site I will half follow the said advice by sincerely apologising without explaining.
Starting from the left-hand end of today's title, the diagrammed auction at one of the two tables in the 2023 open-teams grand final deserves at least as good an explanation as the one that follows. In East-West's souped-up version of the nowadays popular "two over one game forcing" bidding system the number of clubs in West's hand might, not improbably, have been as few as two. Even a singleton was not impossible. What were East's available options after North's (at adverse vulnerability and IMP scoring) seemingly automatic Pass? Likewise passing might considerably breach Englishman David Burn's jocularly-named Law of Total Trumps (not to be confused with the more seriously intended Law of Total Tricks) which reads "When you are declarer, the total number of trumps held by your side should be greater than the total number of trumps held by the opponents". Over East's artificial 1♥ response, systemically showing four or more spades, South chose a waiting Pass, which he (less happily?) repeated when West's jump to 2♠ came back round.
The opening lead, ♠3 to 4-K-5, cost one of the seven available defence tricks as would any of the other three black cards. Could North tell that leading a red card would keep two down alive? After ♠A-J-9-7, ♠2-Q-♥5-♠8, ♦2-5-Q-4, ♦3-8-K-A, ♦10-J-♥3-♦9, ♣3-6-K-2, ♣4-Q-5-8, ♦7-6-♥6-♠6, ♣7-♥2-♣J-A, ♣10-9-♥7-♠10, ♥4-9-A-6, ♥J-K-10-Q, the result was agreed as one down for a North-South table plus-score of 50.
After an identical but less potentially eccentric first -seat 1♣ at the other table, North (remarkably?) did overcall 1♥. That bid was consistent with his partnership's system card which defines it, without mentioning vulnerability, as showing "seven-plus high-card points, perhaps less for extreme shape". The then uncontested North-South auction continued 3♣-3♥-4♥ in which South's 3♣ looks like a Bergen-style game-invitational heart raise. North's decision to accept, which would be dubious at match point pairs scoring, was well justified at IMP teams, especially when vulnerable.
As the East-West cards lay the somewhat worse than fifty-fifty 4♥ contract proved unbeatable. After ♥4-3-A-2, ♠Q-3-4-A, ♥6-J-K-10, ♠9-10-K-5, ♣6-4-Q-3, declarer claimed 11 tricks. West's failure to rise with ♣K had avoidably created the immaterial overtrick. At score-up the combined result delivered 12 of the 32 IMPs by which the eventual gold medallists — Paul Dalley partnering Tony Leibowitz (both NSW) and Paul Gosney (Qld) partnering Tony Nunn (NSW) — won the 12-board third quarter of the final to improve from 17 behind to 15 ahead. To that by no means irreversible lead they subsequently added 12 further IMPs.
This year as a partnership, Dalley and Nunn once more figured in the Gold Coast open teams grand final though with two new teammates, Arlene Dalley (NSW) and Ashley Bach (NZ). They again faced but were narrowly out-scored by the five-player team they defeated in 2023 — Hugh Mcgann (Ireland), Tom Jacob, Brian Mace, Michael Ware (all NZ) and Matthew Thomson (NSW) — augmented to maximum numeric strength by Peter Hollands (Vic). A closely fought match reversed the above-described outcome. The match was won and lost by only 10 IMPs (87-77). Visit abf.com.au and click on EVENTS for links to much detail of what occurred at the Gold Coast in both those years.
The customary early planning for next year's Congress ran into considerable unforeseen difficulties. Relocation or even cancellation seemed not unlikely. Eventually, however, this appeared. "Following months of uncertainty, the Queensland Bridge Association is pleased to announce that the Gold Coast International Congress for 2025 will be held at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre from Saturday 1 February 2025 to Saturday 8 February 2025." Not mentioned are the possible adverse consequences of those unusually early dates on the 2025 Summer Festival of Bridge In Canberra which ends on 19 January, less than a fortnight earlier. Will all of the many players who normally journey to and buy accommodation in both Canberra and Broadbeach do so next year? Time will tell. Could a later than usual week instead have been arranged? Were BFACT and/or the ABF adequately consulted?
Entries are already being accepted to the Autumn Nationals in Adelaide. The scheduled dates are 2 to 6 May but unusually large early-bird discounts are being offered to pairs ($60) and teams ($120) whose payments are received no later than 31 March. That does not apply to the David Lusk Rookie pairs tournament which is already generously discounted irrespective of when entry fees are paid.