From: sater@cs.vu.nl (Hans van Staveren)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: report 8 from the EBL juniors
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:25:29 GMT

I am a bit late reporting, but it seems that the VAX I use to type in
these reports needed it's oil changed or something. Anyway I will bring
you up to date as far as I can.

The 9'th round was the first one I was off duty, and I spent my time in
the vue-graph theater watching the match Italy - Ireland. I must say
that technically this was a marvel. Three camera's, one fixed from
directly above, one fixed looking along the screen, and one moving for
the close ups and the trickshots. We had slow-motion action replays,
picture in picture stuff and you name it. There were three screens, one
for bidding and results, one for the cards, flashing and changing colors
as they were played, plus the motion screen with the players.

It was an exciting match from the start, as the daily bulletin said the
green country playing the Squadra Azzura. The Squadra sported the only
player wearing suit and tie, Nunes, playing with Versace, who seems to
be some sort of Italian celebrity. The Irish had MacGann and Hanlon,
who is called O'Hanlon here for reasons nobody understands. The open
room started with boards 18-20, where 18 was an Irish 4 heart contract
defeated by a reasonably competent Italian defence.

Then board 19:

brd 19	-
S/EW	Q 9 7
	J 9 7 6 3
	10 6 5 4 2
A Q 10 9 8 3	J 6 4
J 6 4 2		A K 10 5 3
A 10 4		K Q 5
-		A J
	K 7 5 2
	8
	8 2
	K Q 9 8 7 3

Closed room bidding(unknown when we saw it played):
West		North		East		South
Primavera	Bell		Sementa		Conway
-------------------------------------------------------
						pass
1 S		pass		2 C		pass
2 S		pass		3 H		pass
3 S		pass		4 C		pass
4 D		pass		4 NT		pass
5 H		pass		6 H		all pass

made with an overtrick.

Open room bidding:
West		North		East		South
MacGann		Versace		Hanlon		Nunes
-------------------------------------------------------
						pass
1 S		pass		2 H		pass
2 S		pass		4 C		pass
4 D		pass		4 NT		pass
6 S		pass		7 S		all pass

A definitive bad contract. However, having the benefit of lookig at all
the hands we saw that declarer would almost certainly make it. The
spades are automatic, and after a couple of rounds the hearts should be
easily guessable. However, MacGann surprised friend and enemy by after
running the jack of spades "cashing" the AK of hearts. After the match,
when someone had gathered up the nerve to ask him what had happened it
turned out that one of the basic skills, counting to 13, had failed him,
because he thought South had king fifth and he couldn't make it. Just
shows you what cameras can do to you.

Then board 20:
brd 20	K 9 2
W/All	9 7 5 4 3
	10 9
	8 5 3
A Q 8 5		J 10 3
K 2		-
Q J 6		A K 8 7 5 4 3
A Q 10 2	K J 9
	7 6 4
	A Q J 10 8 6
	2
	7 6 4

Here the Italians in the closed room bid and made an easy 6 diamonds.
The open room did it differently:
West		North		East		South
MacGann		Versace		Hanlon		Nunes
-------------------------------------------------------
1 C		pass		1 D		2 H
dbl		3 H		4 D		all pass

Something went wrong. Together with board 18, where the Italians managed
to make 3NT, also not on, meant Ireland lost 42 IMPS on these three
baorsd. The total margin of the match 39. Exciting stuff.

This last board however saw some great bidding from Austria:

West		North		East		South
Umshaus				Wernle
-------------------------------------------------------
1 C		pass		1 NT		pass
2 C		pass		3 D		pass
3 S		pass		4 C		pass
5 C		pass		5 H		dbl
pass		pass		redbl		pass
6 C		pass		7 C		all pass

The only makeable grand in the 4-3 fit. I have a copy of their
convention card next to me and I shall try to dig out some meaning:

1C was strong, 1NT control showing, 2C balanced hand, and the rest I
understand. Not bad for juniors.

The results of round 9:
Turkey - Iceland		 8 - 22
Great Britain - Lithuania	 9 - 21
Romania - Norway		11 - 19
Italy - Ireland			23 -  7
Belgium - Denmark		16 - 14
France - Poland			13 - 17
Greece - Austria		 9 - 21
Germany - Estonia		17 - 13
Portugal - C.I.S.		14 - 16
Israel - bye			18 -  0
Sweden - Finland		21 -  9
Netherlands - Hungary		15 - 15

In round 10 I was director in the open room and nothing exciting
happened, so here are the results:
Denmark - Great Britain		 7 - 23
Ireland - Romania		 8 - 22
Poland - Italy			10 - 20
Lithuania - Belgium		15 - 15
Iceland - France		17 - 13
Norway - Turkey			23 -  7
Finland - Germany		 9 - 21
Portugal - bye			18 -  0
Hungary - Israel		15 - 15
Estonia - Sweden		 6 - 24
Austria - Netherlands		20 - 10
C.I.S. - Greece			14 - 16

Round 11 saw me closed again, and here something happened:

brd 13	A K 10 9 8 3
N/All	K 5
	A Q
	9 8 4
2		5
J		10 9 7 6 4 2
K 10 9 8 6 5	-
7 5 2   /3 2	K Q J 10 6 3
	Q J 7 6 4
	A Q 8 3
	J 7 4
	A

This was with Iceland NS, and Denmark EW. North opened 1C,
alerted(strong), East overcalled 2C, not alerted(natural), and when the
tray went to the other side South alerted the 1C, but West did not see
it, West thought the 2C was Michaels for the majors, so alerted and
explained, and now NS stranded in 3NT, when they can make 7S.

I ruled that the onus of responsibility(A phrase I once read and hope to
be correct) for alerting lies with the alerter, that South failed to
properly alert 1C, that this was the third board of the match, with no
1C openings on the previous two boards and let the score stand. I fully
expected an appeal on this one, expensive as it is, but after some
asking around the Icelandish captain decided against it.

The Rules and regulations of this tournament actually have a procedure
that should be followed for alerting where you have to put the alert
card on the bidding cards of your screenmate, and where he acknowledges
the alert by giving it back to you. Few players follow this in actual
practice, but this does not change the fact that you are responsible
that your screenmate sees your alert.

The results of round 11:
Lithuania - Ireland		21 -  9
Poland - Turkey			15 - 15
France - Belgium		15 - 15
Denmark - Iceland		 7 - 23
Norway - Italy			19 - 11
Romania - Great Britain		 0 - 25
Estonia - bye			18 -  0
Greece - Hungary		20 - 10
Sweden - Netherlands		14 - 16
Finland - Austria		 4 - 25
Israel - C.I.S.			16 - 14
Germany - Portugal		23 -  7

This leads to the following rankings after round 11:
 1. Norway		212
 2. Poland		203
 3. Italy		193
 4. Sweden		187
 5. Germany		182
 6. Austria		181
 7. Israel		180.5
 8. Iceland		179
 9. Hungary		177
10. C.I.S.		171
11. Great Britain	169
12. Netherlands		167
13. Ireland		165
14. Greece		165
15. Portugal		155.5
16. Lithuania		154.5
17. Belgium		151
18. Finland		149
19. France		148
20. Romania		137.5
21. Denmark		128
22. Turkey		128
23. Estonia		101

Tonight I am free, and will watch Italy - France. With a bit of
luck the boards will be interesting again.

	Hans van Staveren

P.S. Excuse me for any typos, but I do not have a lot of time, and I am
typing this on a keyboard I am not used to.