The final of the Open series started well for us, with 16 VPs against Estonia. Unfortunately we had a couple of small losses against Ireland and France, leaving us a little below where we would have liked to be going into the penultimate day. However, a superb performance in the first match against Germany has got things fully back on track, with matches against Russia and Croatia to come later today, before a blockbusting last day against Norway, Sweden and Monaco to finish things off.
We are crossing our fingers for good play and good luck - and if we get those two things we will finish in a great position.
Monday, 30 June 2014
European Championships - Seniors - Aftermath
The celebrations are over; the players have departed. I am staying on for for three days to support the Open and Women's teams in their quest for glory.
The Senior Butlers have been published: John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg led the field in the Swiss with 0.98 IMPs per board; David Price and Colin Simpson topped the rankings in the Round Robin with 1.02 IMPs per board, followed by Paul Hackett and David Mossop in second place with 0.96 IMPs per board. A great team performance. We know that the Butlers are not the be-all and end-all of a pair's performance but I would be rather be top then tenth, wouldn't you?
I was approached by a director who wanted my opinion on a board on which he had to give a ruling. It was the same director who had consulted me before. "I already told you," I said, "I am not qualified to give you an expert view." "It's OK," he replied. "The board was played by two teams at the bottom of the Senior consolation event and I was told to consult some players of the same standard." I took it as a compliment ... he thought I was good enough to play in the European Championships!
The Senior Butlers have been published: John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg led the field in the Swiss with 0.98 IMPs per board; David Price and Colin Simpson topped the rankings in the Round Robin with 1.02 IMPs per board, followed by Paul Hackett and David Mossop in second place with 0.96 IMPs per board. A great team performance. We know that the Butlers are not the be-all and end-all of a pair's performance but I would be rather be top then tenth, wouldn't you?
I was approached by a director who wanted my opinion on a board on which he had to give a ruling. It was the same director who had consulted me before. "I already told you," I said, "I am not qualified to give you an expert view." "It's OK," he replied. "The board was played by two teams at the bottom of the Senior consolation event and I was told to consult some players of the same standard." I took it as a compliment ... he thought I was good enough to play in the European Championships!
Sunday, 29 June 2014
The Heat is on in Opatija
England's challenge for the Gold medal received a boost when the Netherlands faltered during Saturday's play, especially against Russia. Meanwhile, our ladies were playing some excellent bridge to record big wins against both Israel and Denmark. Our position improved dramatically as the day's events unfolded: starting 20 VPs behind the Dutch but ending up within 3 VPs of the lead. The Italians are in second place and the French should not be discounted (14 VPs behind us).
40 VPs ahead of seventh place, qualification for the Venice Cup is virtually assured and so the focus is firmly on winning a medal - preferably a Gold!
With the top teams having to play each other over the next three days, we seem to be hitting form at just the right moment and so today's clash with the Dutch is a mouth-watering prospect in our attempt to emulate the success of the English senior team - hearty congratulations to them!
Most definitely, the heat is on!
40 VPs ahead of seventh place, qualification for the Venice Cup is virtually assured and so the focus is firmly on winning a medal - preferably a Gold!
With the top teams having to play each other over the next three days, we seem to be hitting form at just the right moment and so today's clash with the Dutch is a mouth-watering prospect in our attempt to emulate the success of the English senior team - hearty congratulations to them!
Most definitely, the heat is on!
European Championships - Seniors - Day 8 - rhymes with Great
The day started with England in first place, 5.2 VPs ahead of Sweden. A marvellous 73-11 win over Bulgaria (20-0 in VPs) more than settled the nerves and increased our lead to 10.01 VPs.
The next match was the big one - against Sweden. We were on VuGraph and chief commentator Barry Rigal declared himself impressed with some of the bids and plays made by John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg (who is Swedish by birth, of course). The result was 41-21, 15.00 in VPs and that meant we were 20.01 ahead of Sweden, who were still in second place, and we had therefore won the event with a match to spare! Brilliant! But wait ... there was a ruling by the director about an explanation at one of the tables. We lost 1 IMP and our VPs went down to 14.80, so we were no longer a match clear of the field. Slightly deflated, with the celebrations on hold, the troops went back to the table to finish the job. We beat Norway 25-24 (10.31 VPs) and this time there was no doubt. England were the European Senior Champions!
The closing ceremony was for the seniors only ... we were given the Roudinesco trophy (ours to hold for two years), some individual trophies and some lovely medals. They may not be made of Gold, but mine is worth its weight in gold to me. We sang 'God save the Queen' lustily, and in a variety of keys, making it the only time the team were not in harmony. The organisers sprang a surprise by playing a second verse, but we took it in our stride.
Congratulations to Paul Hackett, David Mossop, David Price, Colin Simpson, John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg. You were brilliant, guys, and it was an honour for me to part of the team.
My thanks again to Roger O'Shea and Pharon; without his support I would not have been here.
And now the focus switches to the England Open and Women's teams. They both have a good chance of a medal and I hope that the performance of the England Seniors will inspire them to great things.
The next match was the big one - against Sweden. We were on VuGraph and chief commentator Barry Rigal declared himself impressed with some of the bids and plays made by John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg (who is Swedish by birth, of course). The result was 41-21, 15.00 in VPs and that meant we were 20.01 ahead of Sweden, who were still in second place, and we had therefore won the event with a match to spare! Brilliant! But wait ... there was a ruling by the director about an explanation at one of the tables. We lost 1 IMP and our VPs went down to 14.80, so we were no longer a match clear of the field. Slightly deflated, with the celebrations on hold, the troops went back to the table to finish the job. We beat Norway 25-24 (10.31 VPs) and this time there was no doubt. England were the European Senior Champions!
The closing ceremony was for the seniors only ... we were given the Roudinesco trophy (ours to hold for two years), some individual trophies and some lovely medals. They may not be made of Gold, but mine is worth its weight in gold to me. We sang 'God save the Queen' lustily, and in a variety of keys, making it the only time the team were not in harmony. The organisers sprang a surprise by playing a second verse, but we took it in our stride.
Congratulations to Paul Hackett, David Mossop, David Price, Colin Simpson, John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg. You were brilliant, guys, and it was an honour for me to part of the team.
My thanks again to Roger O'Shea and Pharon; without his support I would not have been here.
And now the focus switches to the England Open and Women's teams. They both have a good chance of a medal and I hope that the performance of the England Seniors will inspire them to great things.
Saturday, 28 June 2014
European Bridge Championships Croatia - Open Team Part 5
The first phase of the Open Series has drawn to a close. It has left us with a good feeling and positive vibes for the three days of play that remain in the final. We qualified top of our group, leading from 2nd placed Israel. When all the carry forward scores are taken into account, we lie 5th in the final of 18 teams. We have already played 8 of those, so have 9 left to play. Here is our order of play:
Sunday 29th June
1130 vs Estonia
1420 vs Ireland
1710 vs France
Monday 30th June
0930 vs Germany
1330 vs Russia
1620 vs Croatia
Tuesday 1st July
0930 vs Norway
1330 vs Sweden
1620 vs Monaco
The likelihood is that we will be on BBO fairly frequently, with fewer matches to choose from now. Spirit in the camp is good, the local fish we are eating for dinner is great, and we are ready to go for the final three days. Wish us luck!
Sunday 29th June
1130 vs Estonia
1420 vs Ireland
1710 vs France
Monday 30th June
0930 vs Germany
1330 vs Russia
1620 vs Croatia
Tuesday 1st July
0930 vs Norway
1330 vs Sweden
1620 vs Monaco
The likelihood is that we will be on BBO fairly frequently, with fewer matches to choose from now. Spirit in the camp is good, the local fish we are eating for dinner is great, and we are ready to go for the final three days. Wish us luck!
Dutch Ladies Fly Back to Front
In Opatija, the flying Dutch team has recorded a series of victories to move to the front of the field in the ladies' event. As the round-robin format unfolds, however, they are still due to meet their main rivals, all of whom will be hoping to clip their wings.
We are in third position, some 20 VPs behind, having, during the course of yesterday's play, suffered a rather unlucky defeat at the hands of the French but recovering with victories against Ireland and Estonia.
All the top teams have tough run-ins and, with nine matches remaining, the prospect of winning Gold is still realistic. On the menu today: Israel and Denmark. Here's hoping for two good wins!
We are in third position, some 20 VPs behind, having, during the course of yesterday's play, suffered a rather unlucky defeat at the hands of the French but recovering with victories against Ireland and Estonia.
All the top teams have tough run-ins and, with nine matches remaining, the prospect of winning Gold is still realistic. On the menu today: Israel and Denmark. Here's hoping for two good wins!
European Championships - Seniors - Day 7
A very good day for the England Seniors ... wins against Denmark (30-11 IMPs; 14.80 VPs), Austria (50-38 IMPs; 13.28) and Belgium (65-18 IMPs; 18.87 VPs) and suddenly we are leading the field. Early on in our second match on Thursday we had dropped to 10th place; now five consecutive wins have seen us rise to the top. The Belgium match included a board where John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg bid to a grand slam which, even to my untutored eye, looked likely to be flat. However, their opposite numbers played in 5NT, a very rare occurrence; I believe it is statistically the least likely of the 36 possible contracts.
I am pleased to report that the team dined well and retired to bed early. Or so I hope. Maybe I should have resorted to the tactics employed by the NPC of the famous Italian Blue Team; not only did he see the players to their rooms, he then made them give him their trousers so that they couldn't sneak out to a nightclub.
(Today's bulletin contains a detailed report by David Bird on Thursday's match against Ireland. For the first time at a major championship the Bulletin Room is not a hive of busy journalists; six or so reporters are following the matches on the internet and emailing in their reports from their homes around the world. Sadly for him, David is in Hampshire and not sunny Opatija.)
Our last three games are against Bulgaria (currently lying 7th) and then Sweden (just behind us in 2nd place) and Norway (4th at the moment). I hope you will be able to follow the events, on BBO (if we are scheduled to play there) or the rolling scoreboard. I am sure the players will be calm and focused, but it's going to be a nervous day for you and me ...
I am pleased to report that the team dined well and retired to bed early. Or so I hope. Maybe I should have resorted to the tactics employed by the NPC of the famous Italian Blue Team; not only did he see the players to their rooms, he then made them give him their trousers so that they couldn't sneak out to a nightclub.
(Today's bulletin contains a detailed report by David Bird on Thursday's match against Ireland. For the first time at a major championship the Bulletin Room is not a hive of busy journalists; six or so reporters are following the matches on the internet and emailing in their reports from their homes around the world. Sadly for him, David is in Hampshire and not sunny Opatija.)
Our last three games are against Bulgaria (currently lying 7th) and then Sweden (just behind us in 2nd place) and Norway (4th at the moment). I hope you will be able to follow the events, on BBO (if we are scheduled to play there) or the rolling scoreboard. I am sure the players will be calm and focused, but it's going to be a nervous day for you and me ...
Friday, 27 June 2014
European Bridge Championships Croatia - Open Team Part 5
Today started very well, with a superbly played match from our boys against Hungary who still have a chance of qualifying despite our victory by 29-6 netting us 15.5 VPs. Next up was an eagerly awaited match against current Bermuda Bowl Holders Italy. Whilst this Italian team is not as strong as it has been, a 17 imp victory and thus 14.4 VPs was a result we could really be happy with. With some momentum behind us, we headed into the last match agains the very strong Poland front four players. There were a couple of missed opportunities, and these resulted in a small loss by 11 imps, netting us 7 VPs. The day featured two grand slam deals, one in set 1 and one in set 3 - both deals were flat in 7C and 7H/N respectively - a sign of good bridge!
We finish the day lying in third place in our group, and we finish the first round robin tomorrow with meetings with Belgium, Latvia and Turkey. The second two are of heightened important as they are both currently in qualifying positions for phase two.
We finish the day lying in third place in our group, and we finish the first round robin tomorrow with meetings with Belgium, Latvia and Turkey. The second two are of heightened important as they are both currently in qualifying positions for phase two.
European Championships - Seniors - Day 6
Thursday was a Seniors only day. While the Open and Women's teams were recharging their batteries, the remaining 25 Senior teams (defending champions France failed to qualify for the final and withdrew) played on. All five tables were on VuGraph and/or BBO for all three matches.
The final ten-team Round Robin did not start well. Our first match, against Ireland, was dominated by board 2. The Irish bid to 6C and made all thirteen tricks. In the other room John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg bid to the cold 7C - Ireland sacrificed in 7D - England bid on to 7S - Ireland doubled (a Lightner Double) - the opening club lead was ruffed - 17 IMPs away instead of 13 IMPs in. 7S would have made if the opening leader hadn't held all three missing clubs. The Irish played well and we lost 22-52 (3.27 VPs), dropping to 9th place.
Next up were the favourites, Poland. We lost a game swing on the first board and were lying 10th and last. But not for long. The England team rallied and recovered to win 23-20 (10.91) and move us up to 8th.
The third match was against fourth-placed Hungary and a fine 51-18 win (17.17 VPs) saw us move back up to 6th, and back into a qualifying position for the World Championships.
Today we have Denmark (whom we didn't play in the Swiss), second-placed Austria (whom we beat in the Swiss) and Belgium (to whom we lost in the Swiss).
On a personal note, I was consulted by a director who seeking opinions on a bid, before giving a ruling. I told him I was a mere NPC, and didn't want my non-expert opinion to be used in determining a ruling that might affect the outcome of a match. It was flattering to be asked ... he actually took me for a bridge player!
The final ten-team Round Robin did not start well. Our first match, against Ireland, was dominated by board 2. The Irish bid to 6C and made all thirteen tricks. In the other room John Holland and Gunnar Hallberg bid to the cold 7C - Ireland sacrificed in 7D - England bid on to 7S - Ireland doubled (a Lightner Double) - the opening club lead was ruffed - 17 IMPs away instead of 13 IMPs in. 7S would have made if the opening leader hadn't held all three missing clubs. The Irish played well and we lost 22-52 (3.27 VPs), dropping to 9th place.
Next up were the favourites, Poland. We lost a game swing on the first board and were lying 10th and last. But not for long. The England team rallied and recovered to win 23-20 (10.91) and move us up to 8th.
The third match was against fourth-placed Hungary and a fine 51-18 win (17.17 VPs) saw us move back up to 6th, and back into a qualifying position for the World Championships.
Today we have Denmark (whom we didn't play in the Swiss), second-placed Austria (whom we beat in the Swiss) and Belgium (to whom we lost in the Swiss).
On a personal note, I was consulted by a director who seeking opinions on a bid, before giving a ruling. I told him I was a mere NPC, and didn't want my non-expert opinion to be used in determining a ruling that might affect the outcome of a match. It was flattering to be asked ... he actually took me for a bridge player!
Thursday, 26 June 2014
Battle of the Sexes
Today has been a rest-day for the ladies, providing an opportunity to recharge the batteries and prepare for the second half of the championships. On a wonderful sunny day, the green baize of the card-table was exchanged for the aqua-blue of the sea and the red clay of the tennis court. In what was one of the most eagerly awaited "Battle of the Sexes" since Billie-Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs, the outcome - a tie - confounded local bookmakers and was announced as a triumph for humanity.
On a more serious note, we rejoin battle behind the Netherlands in second place, having completed yesterday's play with a defeat of the mighty Russians after slipping up against a resurgent Romanian team.
First up tomorrow: "le crunch" against France, which rates to be the sternest test to date.
On a more serious note, we rejoin battle behind the Netherlands in second place, having completed yesterday's play with a defeat of the mighty Russians after slipping up against a resurgent Romanian team.
First up tomorrow: "le crunch" against France, which rates to be the sternest test to date.
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