Walddk

I said it first time in 2002 and many time since. Let the UNDO button be greyed out for normal play and keep it for only vugraph operators and teaching tables. Live with your misclicks like you must live with your errors in real life. Roland

Thinking and typing fast at the same time. Much tougher than onsite voice commentary. You should try it some day, it's really demanding. A good time will be this upcoming weekend when we will be broadcasting from SIX nations! My estimate is that on average we won't get more than max 2 commentators per table, so there is no place to hide if you aim at enlightning and entertaining the audience. Members who would like to give it a try, please send an e-mail with full name and BBO user ID to roland_wald (at) hotmail.com and I will give you an assignment in due course. Roland

Sigh, yes, but it is rarely the operator's fault. Every organiser receives our technical manual and vugraph guidelines, but it is sadly clear to see that too many don't read it/them, alternatively pass them on to the operators. However, as far as commentators are concerned, some of the blame should also be directed to our end. In early April, 500 potential commentators got our new "Guidelines for Commentators". I don't know how many actually read the document (it's pinned in this forum), but I do know that it has not helped significantly. On a regular basis most people ignore one or more of the important issues. There is not a lot more we can do. We have neither wish nor time to act as teachers in a nursery. If adults can't be bothered to adhere to the guidelines, so be it. Roland

A word in for the UK player Peter Crouch here. He has easily been the most operator-friendly player I have followed as a vugraph operator. Recently in the EBU Premier League not only did he bring system notes for the operator, he wrote on his pad in large letters when the opp asked something and then held it up in my direction so I could see it too. Peter Crouch, the bridge player (no, he is not as tall as the Tottenham striker with the same name) is not only helpful, he is also a strong player and a very nice guy! Roland

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=s65hq8643dq73c1043&w=sj109832hj5da108cj2&e=sq7h92dj654ckq985&s=sak4hak107dk92ca76]399|300|Scoring: Total Points S: 4H Lead: Spade Jack[/hv] Bridge problems with all cards exposed are called "double dummy". Here is a deal from a teaching table the other day where you see all 52 cards. South arrived in a normal looking 4♥ after she opened a strong 2♣. Maybe she miscounted, but it's actually an excellent evaluation as the Kaplan & Rubens Hand Evaluator suggests that the hand is worth 22.15. However, 4♥ has four losers, two in each minor (unless West cashes ♦A or beats thin air if a diamond is played toward dummy), whereas 3NT is a make even on a club lead because East has no entry. In fairness, it is very difficult to get to 3NT when you have a 5-4 fit in a major. The student, understandably, went one down in 4♥ after West led the jack of spades. Could she have made it with all cards in view? Please remember that this is the Beginner and Intermediate forum, so if your skill level is higher, you are kindly requested to refrain from answering (or at least use hidden text) until the B&I's have had a chance to get a closer look. Roland

Raija is absolutely correct. It would be nice if the organisers could give us the real one first time around, or at least let us know when they change it. I'll make Karen insert the new link. Roland

Better late than never. Congrats!

Most players won't know that they have erred when they cash a top heart first, because it does not matter 90% of the time. A 2-2 break is 40% and a 3-1 is 50%. As you are only in 6♥, you can afford to lose a trick (3-1 with the queen among the three). However, when everything looks rosy it is time to take stock and ask yourself: "is there anything that can go wrong?" Well, yes and no. A 4-0 break (10%) is most annoying. "Is there anything I can do if they break badly?" In this case the answer is "yes". [hv=n=sj5&w=sq1083&e=s&s=sak97642]399|300|[/hv] If you cash a top heart first, you must lose two tricks, one to the queen and one to the 10. Similarly ... [hv=n=sj5&w=sq1083&e=s&s=sak97642]399|300|[/hv] East must come to two tricks if you cash the ace or king first. Now, try the effect of leading a low card towards dummy's J5. If West has them all, he can score his queen now or later but he won't get more than one trick. You still have A, K andf J left to draw his 1083. If East has all four, West will show out when you lead low from your hand, and you play dummy's jack. East can win his queen, but he won't get another trick because you now have AK9 over his 1083 and still the 5 left in the dummy. Next time you play the 5 and cover East's card as cheaply as possible. This is called a safety play, this time a play that guarantees your contract even if trumps break 4-0. Many times safety plays are line of plays that are not 100% but that improve your chances in case suits break badly. Our "expert" should definitely have read a book on safety play. Maybe he will now after he went down in a slam he could and should have made. At any rate, he may not yell "Why not 7???" if this comes up again. Roland

We have seen it many times on BBO. "Why not ...????" at length, often by self-proclaimed experts. Here is yet another example, from yesterday. In an IMP game, our pair arrived in 6♥ after a fine auction. With plenty of entries to both hands, declarer's only concern was the trump suit with ... ♥ J5 ♥ AK97642 "Why not 7???", said our expert when he saw dummy. He went down in 6. It was not a concern to our man, apparently. It went very fast. How did he play? A rhetorical question: can you make 6♥ regardless of the distribution of the four outstanding trumps? How should he have played? Allow me to point out that this is a forum for Beginners and Intermediates, so if your skill level is higher, please don't ruin the thread too early. Thanks :P Roland

Better late than never: congratulations to Michael Barel on winning the bronze medal as a member of the Israel team. It was no surprise that Israel qualified for the Bermuda Bowl, more so that Iceland did. They had a great tournament and were in contention for medals all the way through. However, it will be a tough task for the icemen to keep their 100% record. They qualified for the BB once before and won it (Yokohama 1991). Two of the players will be there again 20 years on, Jón Baldursson and Þorlákur Jónsson. Roland

I am sure the EBL has been through all kinds of formats. Nothing is ideal with close to 40 countries taking part in the open series; at least not when they only have 11 days to their disposal. And then we are back to professionalism. If one wants to make the event last longer, it will be a big problem for the vast majority. Most of them take time off (vacation) from their jobs in order to play in the championships. They can't stay away forever. On top of this, the expenses for the federations will be more than painful (they are already for many). Having 18 players and a few NPCs and coaches in a foreign country for say three weeks costs a fortune. I am with Paul here; the current format is reasonable. Roland

How many teams have a full squad of professionals? I mean players who only deal with bridge. Italy and ..... ? I don't have the answer, but my guess is very few. Professionalism in Europe is rare whereas most top teams in USA have full-time pros. It is no coincidence that Italy and USA almost always compete for the laurels. We have exceptions (Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Poland) but they are few and far between. If you don't have to think about anything but bridge 24/7, you have an edge. Roland I'd have said that the top fourteen teams look pretty professional to me (although I know least about Denmark and Turkey). Certainly they may not be full-time professionals in the US sense, and perhaps not all three pairs, but these teams feature players and pairs that do travel the world playing in the top tournaments. They are certainly professional compared to most of the rest. Then we interpret the word "professional" differently. My interpretation is a person who lives on bridge, or at least has his main income from bridge. Just like Kobe Bryant lives on basketball, and Christiano Ronaldo on football (soccer). Roland

Pass in 1st seat denies ♦7. It makes partner much more relaxed when he knows there is no risk of having to buy a beer. I think this convention was devised in Scotland. Roland

How many teams have a full squad of professionals? I mean players who only deal with bridge. Italy and ..... ? I don't have the answer, but my guess is very few. Professionalism in Europe is rare whereas most top teams in USA have full-time pros. It is no coincidence that Italy and USA almost always compete for the laurels. We have exceptions (Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Poland) but they are few and far between. If you don't have to think about anything but bridge 24/7, you have an edge. Roland

Israel should be Israel......... 22 (3-12-7) Indeed it should. Corrected now. I did say it was written in the middle of the night ;)

I woke up in the middle of the night (it's too hot in London at the moment) and was unable to fall asleep again, so I thought I would provide some useless information. How did the various nations fare overall? Ideally, you score 3 points (first in all three categories), so for a change we have "the lower the better". I have only included countries that participated in all categories and where the open team qualified for the final stage. Digits (in bracket) denote rankings in the open, women and seniors respectively. 01. Poland ........ 9 (2-6-1) 02. Italy........... 11 (1-7-3) 03. France ....... 16 (11-1-4) 04. Germany.... 18 (9-4-5) 05. Netherlands20 (6-2-12) 06. Sweden...... 21 (5-3-13) 07. Israel......... 22 (3-12-7) 08. Denmark.... 26 (13-11-2) 09. Bulgaria..... 29 (7-16-6) 10. England..... 31 (12-5-14) 11. Norway...... 40 (14-9-17) 11. Turkey....... 40 (10-14-16) 13. Switzerland 64 (15-26-23) As the Top 6 + the Netherlands qualify for the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Seniors Bowl, only Poland, Italy and NL (hosts) will have teams in all three. Seventh is enough for Italy in the women's because NL finished second. Roland

The difference between the Dutch open team and the Dutch women's team is enormous so I don't know what this means. I would have watched them anyway though, so I agree with showing them on vugraph! I think Gerben's point is that they should have shown matches from the last round of the women's series instead of encounters between teams that were no longer in contention in the open. With five matches on offer I think we can afford that. The women already know and have known for years that they are rated below the open, but the decision not to show them at all is not going to make them feel any better. Aren't there any rebels out there? Roland

I very much agree with Paul's sentiments. They did extremely well in Ostend. However, I am sorry to "disappoint" ;) him and others. We will indeed have live vugraph broadcasts before the end of July. July 8 and 9: West Java Regional Games in Indonesia (teams). July 14, 15 and 18: Danish Bridge Festival (teams and open pairs). Why are those tournaments not listed yet? Well, I allowed myself 24 hours of rest after the European Championships ended yesterday. The past two weeks have been quite hectic as you all know. With some luck we will have the above mentioned two events up on our vugraph schedule web page later today or tomorrow. It doesn't only depend on me. Roland

They don't. Europe gets 6 + the Netherlands in all 3 series. NL don't count because they are hosting the event, so they have an automatic berth. http://www.eurobridge.org/bulletin/10_1%20.../pdf/Bul_08.pdf page 16. Roland

Last day of the championships Saturday July 3. The women finished Friday (congratulations to 1. France - 2. Netherlands - 3. Sweden), but the open teams have one more round, and the seniors three. Starting times are 9.30, 12.15 and 15.15 CEST. Seniors R21 Italy v Denmark England v Germany France v Switzerland Finals Round 9 (open) Italy v Israel Russia v Iceland Germany v Poland Sweden v France Seniors R23 Italy v France Poland v Austria Bulgaria v Israel

Seven when the Netherlands are among top 6, and they are.

Now that we are approaching the end of the championships we have a couple of TBD's. For obvious reasons, the organisers want to have a look at the standings before they make all decisions. This is what we have got for you so far regarding Friday July 2. Starting times are 10.30, 14.15 and 17.35 CEST. Open series unless stated. Finals Round 6 Sweden v Italy France v Russia Israel v Iceland Austria v Italy (Seniors R18) Netherlands v England (Women R25) Finals round 7 Estonia v Italy France v Denmark Sweden v Italy (Women R26) 4th match To Be Decided. 5th match To Be Decided Finals Round 8 Israel v Bulgaria Sweden v France Poland v Italy 4th match To Be Decided 5th match To Be Decided

No information, but I doubt it. I will ask Guy Lambeaux, our onsite coordinator, tomorrow. No plans I am told, mainly because that event is played in a different building. Roland

No information, but I doubt it. I will ask Guy Lambeaux, our onsite coordinator, tomorrow.

Thursday July 1 at 10.30, 14.15 and 17.35 CEST. Open series unless stated. Finals Round 3 Russia v Italy Norway v Poland Israel v France Iceland v Sweden France v Germany (Women R22) Finals Round 4 Italy v Denmark Portugal v France Netherlands v Bulgaria Germany v Israel Poland v Turkey Finals Round 5 Italy v Netherlands England v France Iceland v Poland Turkey v Israel Bulgaria v Sweden