Grandslam #38

THE GRANDSLAM

SRC BRIDGE SECTION NEWSLETTER

August/September 06 ISSUE #38

1. Message from the New Convenor – Carlton Parker

From the 1st of July, the SRC Bridge Section has become a member of the Singapore Contract Bridge Association (SCBA). As a result, all our weekly games and occasional tournaments are SCBA sanctioned events and can earn Master Points for all SRC Bridge Section members. Master Points are allocated to those who do well in tournaments and accumulate throughout the life of a Bridge player. The better you play, and the more often you play increases your chance to earn Master Points. I encourage all SRC Bridge Section Members to join our Tuesday games and start building them up.

2. 6th Bridge Section AGM – 16th July

Once again the strong response ensured that the quorum was easily met and the AGM started soon after the lunch. Convenor Shamim Moledina highlighted the excellent support the bridge section has received from the SRC Management Committee and especially Social Chairman Mr. Richard Yong who was also present at the AGM. She also acknowledged the excellent job done by Treasurer Leong Ngai Weng who will not be standing for reelection this year.

Mr. Leong presented the financial status of the section, which remains healthy. To a question from Section Member Jaya, he clarified that the Bridge Section’s budget this year has allowed the section to do many things it could not do in the past: for example, joining the Singapore Contact Bridge Association, sponsoring our members for tournaments, managing our in-house tournaments effectively and even the possibility of a regional tournament.

The elections were then held and all positions were unopposed.

Convenor : Carlton Parker

Vice Convenor : Shamim Moledina

Treasurer : Tham Beng Kiong

Secretary : Richard Lim

Editor : Zain Moledina

Convenor Carton Parker thanked the members and stated that he would continue to build up the section. Section Member Dorothy Wong requested that the Bridge Section hold another practice session on Sunday afternoons as working people found it difficult to make it for the evening Tuesday session. Carlton said he would bring it up at the committee meeting.

A special thanks goes to Syqin Edwards and her team for a well-organised function.

3. SRC 6th Annual Open Teams Tournament – 16th July

Call it anything you want -- tactics, skill or just plain luck -- but the bottom line is that SRC teams swept all 3 top positions at our Team event! A feat without precedent!

With recent CSC Premier League runaway champions Chinese Swimming Club and Inter-club team Drakes at full strength in the line-up, the prospect of a clean sweep by SRC was not on the cards, so to speak. Yet by dinnertime after round 6, SRC Teams were occupying 4 of the top 5 positions with the CSC interlopers sandwiched at 3rd place.

On the final 9th round, CSC Uno (Chias, Yap, Yung) were beaten by a score of 13-1 VP by SRC’s New Blue headed by newly elected convenor, Carlton Parker with Chris, Dot and Lucy. This allowed SRC’s Amigos Para Siempra (Leongs and Siaks) to just nip CSC for 3rd place by a solitary point! The battle for first was a constant struggle with SRC’s Rouge et Noir taking an early lead and SRC’s Chaos nipping at their heels. In the end, the Rouge et Noir team of Zain, Trevor, David and Shamim managed to hold off the Chaos team Prof Yu, Ping, Murli and Nancy by 9VP.

Congratulations all round for an outstanding performance.

The Crossword Puzzle (see below) prize was won by Ron Savage with an all correct entry. Trevor Li and Florence Cheng (with just one error) took the consolations.

4. Singapore Youth Team qualifies for World Youth Championships

While most of Singapore’s sports teams struggle to make ripples in the regional arena, our young Bridge players are causing tsunamis in the World stage! After our Women’s team qualified for the Venice Cup earlier this year, our youth team has now done the same. Sadly, all this is happening well under the radar screen of the local media.

We extend our congratulations to the Singapore Youth Team for their runaway victory at the 44th PABF Youth Championships in Bangkok. They won every single match in the double round robin tournament, which is a record unmatched in PABF history. They beat Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Taipei, China, Philippines and Thailand. They have now qualified for the 11th World Youth Championships in Verona, Italy. All the very best to Alex Loh, CC Loo, Kelvin Ng, Poon Hua, Tan Li Yu, Chua Gang (Captain) and LL Wong (Coach).

STOP PRESS 1 August 2006 : After 6 rounds, Singapore is in 2nd Place.

5. SRC Joins SCBA – 1st July

It was long overdue but we are now formally part of the Singapore Contract Bridge Association, who are under the umbrella of the Singapore Sports Council. We have always had a good working relationship with SCBA and have occasionally participated in their events. We are confident that our ties will now be further strengthened and we can leverage on them for some of our bridge needs. SRC Bridge section members can now pay “member” prices when participating in SCBA events and earn Master Points. Our thanks must go to the SRC MC for the financial support that made this possible.

6. Ex-China Vice Premier Li Lan Qing plays Bridge in Sgp – 4th July

Former Chinese Vice Premier Li Lan Qing visited Singapore during the first week of July. This was at the invitation of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and the National University of Singapore where he received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters.

He and some China Embassy staff took time off from their busy schedule to play Bridge against a Singapore selection side at the Shangri-La Hotel.

7. Genting Bridge Escapade 23rd to 27th July

Once again a coachful of 26 bridge players and their friends headed for the cool hill resort of Genting Highlands. With so many “regulars”, the trip went off without a hitch. As the durian season was in full swing, there was little room left for the other items on the buffet spreads. The private function room was well utilised by bridge and mahjong players between the bouts at the casino and other entertainment offered at the resort.

8. Bridgette Class – August 25
Bridgette, a simplified 2-person bridge variant, will be taught at SRC on Friday August 25 (Theory) and Friday September 1 (Practice) from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Priority will be given to Section Members (no charge) and SRC members will be charged $10. Our thanks go to Joli Kansil – the inventor of the game – for agreeing to conduct the classes.



9. Bridge Rules of Thumb

We continue with another 5 pointers in this issue of Grandslam. Use them carefully.

1. Declarer should draw trumps unless there is a good reason not to do so.

2. When the opponents have an even number of cards in a suit, expect them to divide slightly unevenly.

3. When the opponents have an odd number of cards in a suit, expect the cards to divide as evenly as possible.

4. Keep the dangerous opponent off the lead.

5. When declaring the hand in notrump, break the opponents' communication by holding up your winner(s).

10. SRC Tuesday Bridge Results from June 6th to July 18th

DATE FIRST SECOND THIRD

June 6th Dot/RonS Richard/Molly Yu/Ping

June 13th Alan/RonOh BK/Carl Dot/Ron S

June 20th Pat/Leong Veronica/RonOh Dot/Ron S

June 27th Molly/Richard Carl/EngChoo Ron S/Rana

July 4th Trevor/Zain BK/Daryl Jane/Kanan

July 11th Trevor/Zain RonS/Maggie Dot/Lucy

July 18th Shamim/Dulari Pat/Leong Yu/Ping

11. Adult Brain Cells Do Keep Growing
The apocryphal tale that you can't grow new brain cells just isn't true. Neurons continue to grow and change beyond the first years of development and well into adulthood, according to a new study. The study, performed in adult mice, found that the branch-like projections on some neurons, called "dendrites," were still physically malleable.

"The scale of change is much smaller than what goes on during the critical period of development, but the fact that it goes on at all is earth-shattering," said study co-author Elly Nedivi, a neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The researchers estimate that on average, about 14 percent of the interneurons they observed showed structural modifications. The study, led by Wei-Chung Allen Lee of MIT, was detailed in the Dec. 27 issue of the journal for the Public Library of Science (PLOS) Biology.

Remember this the next time you are trying to analyze the cards. The science is on your side.

12. History of Bridge – Invention of Cards

The Chinese Encyclopedia Chung Tze Tung, published in 1678, dates the invention of playing cards to 1120 AD in China. Archaeological evidence indicates that there was a game played in what is now Iran as early as 2000 BC!!

13.

Bridge Crossword Puzzle

1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8
9
10 11

12 13
14 15 16
17 18
19 20 21
22 23

24 25


© Developed for SRC Bridge Section by Zain Moledina. All rights reserved.

Across

7 No need to play face-to-face these days as there are ______ (2,4) games on the internet.

8 A common opening lead against NT is _____ (6) best.

10 Private rubber bridge games may be for high stakes, but you will not find Bridge being played in _______ (7)

11 Bridge is one of the four intellectual _____ (5) recognized by the Singapore Sports Council.

12 To make game in No Trump, you need ____ (4) tricks.

13 _____ (5) -carding is allowed as long as there is no prearranged understanding with your partner.

17 The winner of the 2005 Bermuda Bowl was _____ (5)

18 Minimum dress code at SRC bridge games is a collared T-shirt and ____s (4).

22 In order to execute a successful throw-in, you must first _____ (5) the opponent of all his exit cards.

23 A _______ (7) occurs when the same opponent has to guard suits shared by dummy and declarer.

24 Blackwood and Stayman are examples of conventions that require partners to ______ (6)

25 In 2005, the Singapore Ladies’ team qualified for the ______ (6) Cup.

Down

1 An example of a _______ (7) bid is a strong 2C opening.

2 When declarer wants to concede the remaining tricks, he can do so by ________ (7) his cards and putting them face down on the table.

3 An opening bid of ______ (3,2) trump shows a balanced hand.

4 A common opening lead at NT is from the _______ (7) and strongest suit.

5 When a suit is led in which both the declarer and dummy are void, the usual play is to _____ (5) in one hand and discard a loser from the other.

6 The origins of Bridge are from the old English game of _____ (5)

9 The most common way to play a NT contract is to _________ (9) the longest suit.

14 To play in a NT contract, you must have at least one _______ (7) in each suit.

15 After eliminating the exit cards, the declarer ______ (5,2) the opponent. (gave them the lead)

16 Another term for “revoked” is _______ (7)

19 An un_____ (5) NT bid is used to show the minors.

20 When both the declarer and dummy are short in a different side suit, a _____ (5) ruff tactic is sometimes utilised.

21 The old adage “eight ever nine never” is sometimes used when finessing for the _____ (5).

14. CSC Annual Pairs

Congratulations go to Helen & B.K. Tham (who members of CSC & SRC) for coming in second in Chinese Swimming Club’s annual in-house competition. The tournament was won by C.L. Chia and B.Y. Chia.

L I g h t e r S I d e O f B r I d g e

15. Daffy-nit-shuns

"Tough Luck, Partner" actually means "You screwed up an easy one, a******"

16. Instant Replay

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we make a mistake in our bidding or play, we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start over again?

17. On the 8th day ….

Finesses were created to humiliate the declarer.

18. A Reason why Bridge is better

You can do it every day without even breaking sweat.

19. Whatever

The defenders made two no-trump so it was an accurate contract -- just played the wrong way.

20. A Sign that You are a Bridge Addict

You smile after going down in a simple contract and then proceed to bang your head on the wall inside the toilet.

21. Inner Rage

Bridge is a non-violent game played violently from within.

22. Stressed Out

Bridge is a game where devotion will always net you absolutely nothing but an ulcer.

23. Double Edged

When I think of bridge I laugh. Unfortunately, when I think of bridge, I cry as well.

24. Understanding Partner

If you really put in the effort to try to understand your partner, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that he actually has some human characteristics.

25. Crossword Puzzle Answers

Across 7. ON LINE 8. FOURTH 10. CASINOS 11. GAMES 12. NINE 13. FALSE

17. ITALY 18. SHOE 22. STRIP 23. SQUEEZE 24. ANSWER 25. VENICE

Down 1. FORCING 2. CLOSING 3. ONE NO 4. LONGEST 5. TRUMP 8. WHIST

9. ESTABLISH 14. STOPPER 15. THREW IN 16. RENEGED 19. USUAL 20. CROSS

21. QUEEN

Zain Moledina - Editor

zaris@pacific.net.sg

August 1st 2006