Page 19 - ABF Newsletter October 2024

making an extra club trick but what other two cards should he keep? If West keeps two hearts then, when declarer crosses to the ace of hearts and cashes the club ace, East is squeezed in hearts and spades. To avoid this, Jim Borin kept one heart and one spade. But then John Brockwell crossed to the heart ace dropping West’s jack, cashed the club ace and fi- nessed the heart eight on the way back. Notice the importance of declarer’s careful heart discards. Had he kept the nine or ten in dummy, then the heart suit would have been blocked and declarer could not usefully have taken the heart finesse when East did not cover.”
The book has many gems. One that I enjoyed was the chapter, To Smoke or Not to Smoke. This was a hot topic in days gone by; newer players will have trou- ble believing the heated disputes that arose be- tween the two camps. We are shown a very fine letter by Victorian Dr David White, and the count- er-arguments by a Queenslander show, yet again, that being a good bridge player is no bar to saying or doing stupid things. As further evidence, we read that three senior Canberra bridge players gave up the game rather than be without cigarettes at the table. Another outraged player formed the “Can- berra Smoker’s Bridge Club”, which didn’t last long. Not for nothing did Dr White’s letter end, “Some of my best friends were smokers.”
There are ten chapters on bridge players of all sorts; from internationals to club helpers, from youth play- ers to nonagenarians. Along the way, you, too, can add “myrmidon” to your vocabulary. I was pleased to see myrmidons finally get some acknowledgment; without them, bridge nationwide would not run as well as it does.
I am going to balance that earlier complaint with a compliment (I am not normally so magnanimous in real life): a noteworthy attribute of the book is its remarkable quality of production. It is more like a coffee table book than a bridge book. The dense, lustrous paper and fine binding are remarkable.
Now, on to the second problem (see top of next column). This deal is from the 2011 World Transna- tional Open Teams Championship, and appears in the book under Hugh Grosvenor’s entry. Australia’s loss by 27 imps over 48 boards in the final represents the closest Australia has ever come to winning a world championship. Convicted and banned cheats Lotan Fisher and Ron Schwartz picked up 13 imps, with both tables playing 3NT.
In the other room, Paul Gosney opened a plain weak two and Nabil led his partner’s suit. Lotan Fisher, in- stead, led a spade. To what extent is this suspicious?
]A7 [QJ7432 }75 {K62
]J54 ]K6 [6 [AK8 }KQ6432 }J9
{ Q 10 5
{ A J 8 7 4 3 ] Q 10 9 8 3 2
WEST 3NT
2} 1 2NT
all pass
1. Weak two in either major.
[ 10 9 5 } A 10 8 {9
NORTH EAST Schwartz
SOUTH Fisher
3[
I posted Fisher’s lead problem on Bridge Winners; at
this current time, 89% prefer a heart.
Brockwell and Hoffman write, “While there is no firm evidence of collusive cheating by the Fisher - Schwartz partnership in the Veldhoven Transnational, certain hands cause suspicions.” Readers may review the following article, which looks at some deals from that match:
https://bridgewinners.com/article/ view/the-maze-of-fisherschwartz/
I am sure we will agree that Brockwell and Hoffman are masters of the understatement.
To summarise, Brockwell and Hoffman’s book is mostly a history of bridge in Australia, with a focus on Canberra and the clubs in nearby towns. But there is much more of interest to bridge players and ad- ministrators. It is my opinion that decades of nation- al-level directing and event management, in con- junction with the excellent research skills required in his day job at the CSIRO, have given John Brock- well the knowledge to provide valuable insights into what makes for successful bridge events, and what helps bridge to grow. My view is that senior ABF administrators would do well to study the last brief chapter, Where To From Here.
Finally, what is the association between the creation of Aerogard, Queen Elizabeth, and bridge? If you don’t read the book, you’ll die wondering.
A Compulsive Pastime: A History of Bridge in the ACT and Surrounding Regions by John Brockwell & David Hoffman is available from the author at davidhoffman@iinet.net.au or phone 0407 782 756 ($60 + $12 postage), or pick up a copy in person at the Canberra Bridge Club.
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: October 2024
Page: 19