GRAND AND NATIONAL
Three Canberrans — Stephen Fischer, George Kozakos and Ian Thomson — who, as part of last year’s team ACT2, tied for first place at the end of the 64-team final stage of the Grand National Teams Championship — will be back in Brisbane for the first four days of December as part of 2023's ACT1 with teammates Brad Coles and Andrew Spooner. Other Canberrans there will be Mary and Chris Tough, Bill Tutty and Niek Van Vucht as ACT2, and Martha Griffiths, Brenda Watts, Tim Mather and George McLean as ACT Provincial.
On today’s deal, the penultimate board of the 2022 grand-final match, Fischer (West) was declarer in the par contract of 4♠ doubled after the diagrammed auction. The play went ♣K-5-6-2, ♥10-K-3-4, ♣7-8-Q-10, ♣3-♦Q-♠9-♣3 at which point his claim of the 10 needed tricks was accepted by NS. Against perfect defence 4♠ would have gone two down for a NS table score of 300 and a potential three-IMP gain to declarer’s team if his teammates were allowed to play in the unbeatable NS 4♥ contract; but one of the undertricks evaporated at trick two when the shift North found was not to the needed trump spot-card. The other forthwith followed it when South, not implausibly placing North with ♣Q, didn’t rise with ♣A at the next trick.
The auction at the other went identically until West passed South’s 3♥ bid, leaving room for North (Thomson) to choose the (“when in doubt bid one more”?) raise to 4♥ against which West led ♦A to 8-9-3. The play continued ♣Q-K-7-6, ♥2-7-9-A, ♠8-5-J-K, ♥Q-5-4-K after which Kozakos successfully claimed all but one of the remaining tricks for his contract.
The 14-IMP double-game swing that thus eventuated left ACT2 four IMPS behind Sydney4. That remained the situation after no IMPs were generated by the next and last board. Still unresolved, however, was a dispute on an earlier board about inconsistent explanations on either side of the diagonal screen.. For a comprehensive account see the report by editor Brad Coles on page 27 of the December 2022 edition of the ABF Newsletter parts of which read “At the end of play, Sydney were four imps in front, having won 5 imps on the following board pending a director’s ruling:” and “The director made a weighted ruling, awarding (only) one imp to Sydney on the board, resulting in a joint win for Sydney and Canberra.”
Entries to a six-day eight-team knock-out play-off from which Australia's 2024 international mixed team will emerge close at 6pm on December 1. The website url is abfevents.com.au/events/playoffs/2024/mixed/entries.asp, the venue is the Canberra Bridge Club, and the start date is December 9. Seven self -formed teams have already entered. Should two or more otherwise acceptable entries now eventuate Player Qualifying Point totals are likely to decide which eight compete.
The winners of a similar recent open team selection play-off were Charlie Lu (Qld) and Peter Gill, Liam Milne, James Coutts, Nabil Edgtton and Tony Nunn (all NSW).
The women's and seniors selection process is being integrated with their respective national teams championships at the 2024 Summer Festival of Bridge in the Canberra Rex Hotel from January 9 to 21. Would-be internationals in each of those categories must begin their quests by competing in the relevant three-day qualifying stage on the first three days of the Festival. Visit myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/790 to learn more about that as well as the Festival itself.