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[hv=d=s&v=n&e=sa109hq92d954cj632&s=sq2ha106dkj10872c84]266|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Four English internationals on BBO. Let's pretend that you are one of them in the South seat. You pass (2♦ would have been Multi), LHO opens 1♠ (5+), your partner passes, and RHO raises to 2♠. You try 3♦ now, and LHO jumps to 4♠, all pass. Partner leads ♦A, ruffed by declarer, and a low spade follows to the 5, 9 and your queen. Can you prove that your somewhat scary overcall at the 3-level vulnerable against not is justified? What do you lead now, and why? Roland

Congratulations Australia on a superb performance throughout! And although it's always sad to leave the sport you love so dearly, it must be a wonderful feeling for Langer, McGrath and Warne to have called it a day while they are on top of their game. We will all miss you! England? Nothing much to say other than they need to put the debacle behind them and regroup. Although a whitewash has left a deep scar, they will come back from this humiliation. They are not bad cricketers; they were merely outclassed in all aspects of the game. It's no disgrace to lose to a much better team. Roland

Buratti and Lanzarotti are free to play in Europe on February 7, six months before their original suspension expires. The FIGB (Italian Bridge Federation) has modified the suspension for reasons unknown to me. There is nothing secret about this. The letter is posted on the web site of the Dutch Bridge Federation. Here it is: ..... Panos Gerontopoulos EBL Secretary To all European NBOs 13 December 2006 Dear Sir, Players’ suspension Would you please note that, in accordance with official information received from the Italian Bridge Federation (FIGB), the following players had their sentences modified, as follows: 1. Chiara MARTELLINI: 2 December 2007 --> 2 June 2007 2. Massimo de VINCENZO: 2 December 2007 --> 2 June 2007 3. Enrico BENASSI: 2 December 2007 --> 2 June 2007 4. Roberto TERENZI: 31 October 2008 --> 30 April 2008 5. Roberto BRACCO: 2 January 2007 --> 11 December 2006 6. Andrea BURATTI: 7 August 2007 --> 7 February 2007 7. Massimo LANZAROTTI: 7 August 2007 --> 7 February 2007 You are kindly requested to ensure that the ban is enforced also in your country, in accordance with article 14 of the EBL Statutes. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation, I remain with kind regards Yours faithfully, Panos Gerontopoulos EBL Secretary cc: World Bridge Federation

Ok lambast me if you like bit after my 1NT and no heart support was 3Club that bad showing a weak hand and no heart support? A weak hand with no heart support passes 2♥. Roland

Happy Birthday!

All too easy. England humiliated with two days to spare. The victory was Australia's 11th win in a row, their 15th out of 16 (with one draw) since the 2005 Ashes, and the team will regroup in the New Year needing one last win at Sydney to become the first side since Warwick Armstrong's Australians in 1920-21 to achieve an Ashes whitewash (5-0). My prediction before the series was 4-0. I granted England one draw. Now I don't know why I was that generous. Roland

The game of cricket isn't easy to explain to a foreigner (outsider if you like). You may find the following amusing, but deep down it is the truth and nothing but the truth: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. That happens when the captain of the batting side decides to declare the innings. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice* after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game! * occasionally a side can win a match although they have only been in and out once! Easy, isn't it? :) Roland

How can you cheat as bowler?? Cricket is yet more weird than I thought. This is a complex issue. Let me quote from the Laws of Cricket: 24.2. Fair delivery - the arm For a delivery to be fair in respect of the arm the ball must not be thrown. See 3 below. Although it is the primary responsibility of the striker's end umpire to ensure the fairness of a delivery in this respect, there is nothing in this Law to debar the bowler's end umpire from calling and signalling 'No ball' if he considers that the ball has been thrown. 24.3. Definition of fair delivery - the arm A ball is fairly delivered in respect of the arm if, once the bowler's arm has reached the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing, the elbow joint is not straightened partially or completely from that point until the ball has left the hand. This definition shall not debar a bowler from flexing or rotating the wrist in the delivery swing. ... It became more commonly known that there was a modification to the anatomical constraint imposed by Law 24.3 in the 2000 MCC code: that the bowling arm not straighten from shoulder height to ball release. Instead the ICC had now specified an acceptable range of elbow extension tolerance levels, which were dependent on ball release speed. Fast bowlers were allowed 10° elbow extension, medium pace bowlers 7.5°, and spin-bowlers only 5°. Now, Murali of Sri Lanka is a spin-bowler and occasionally bowls a so-called 'doosra'. At the University of Western Australia (Department of Human Movement and Exercise Science), three-dimensional kinematic measurements of Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling arm were taken using high speed cameras while he bowled his doosra. Murali’s mean elbow extension angle for the doosra delivery was 14°, which was subsequently reduced to a mean of 10.2º with a modified action. Though Elliott et al. (2004) concluded that "Mr. Muralitharan be permitted to continue bowling his doosra at least until a valid data base is collected on the various spin-bowling disciplines", the overwhelming response was that Murali’s doosra contravened the established ICC elbow extension limit of 5º for spinners. Are you confused, Arend? I don't blame you! If you want to read a splendid scientific article on this topic, go to ... http://coachesinfo.com/category/cricket/351/ Roland

But even if Murali cheats (throwing instead of bowling), he is no different from Warne. He didn't/doesn't throw but was suspended for 12 months for breaching the ACB Anti-Doping policy. He even admitted to having used a banned drug. 1-1. Roland

I don't want to take anything away from Warny (who dares?) but his record won't last for decades if Murali stays fit. He has 674 Test wickets to his name and he is only 34. By his own admission, Muralitharan will not rule out taking 1,000 Test wickets before he retires, but he admits it will be tough. "I am 34 now and if I go on for another five years without an injury that's possible I guess. But it depends on my form and how I feel and lot of other things. We'll see." Roland

The man has lost his senses completely; please bear with him. I am regarded as a pretty good player, and no one has ever accused me of resting on some pedestal. Yet I can only find one (nice) word for your views: Rubbish! I am perfectly happy to be playing in the Main Bridge Club. Roland

Here is a simple solution regarding cue bids at the 3-level: 1. It's a cue bid if a major is agreed and we bid another suit beyond the 3-level of the agreed major. The lowest cue bid will be 3♠ (hearts agreed). 2. It's a cue bid as part of a convention (Jacoby for instance): 1♠ - 2NT 3♦ - 3♥ 3♦ = singleton. 3♥ = cue bid. You can obviously come up with more sophisticated methods, but the one I suggest is easy to remember and makes sense. Roland

Dear Kathryn. Bookmark http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ Merry Christmas! Roland

It will be higher the day you learn how to spell "juvenile". Gaudeamus igitur Juvenes dum sumus Post jucundum juventutem Post molestam senectutem Nos habebit humus Pereat tristitia Pereant osores Pereat diabolus Quivis antiburschius Atque irrisores You will likely be able to google your way to a translation. Merry Christmas! Roland

Warne in photos http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6196235.stm "I'd like to go out on top. It's been an unbelievable journey... but my time is now." Warne is one wicket away from becoming the first bowler in Test history to claim 700 wickets, with the fourth Test starting on 26 December on his home ground in Melbourne. The Test is expected to break the previous attendance records of 90,800 for a single day and 350,354 for the whole match. Roland

Two events have now been added: French Cup Finals from Paris on December 16 and 17, and to end the year the last two segments of the Israeli Team Championships on December 30. Complete schedule: http://online.bridgebase.com/vugraph/sched...?order_by=event January and February taking shape already as you will see. Be prepared for much more. Regarding the Camrose Trophy, first weekend of two, we will likely be broadcasting from all three matches (6 tables) in every round! Roland

Excuse me, a number 3 batsman was "unfortunate to get a good ball straightaway". Perhaps he should have approached McGrath and asked him: "Hi mate, could you bowl a few looseners to begin with, please?. I would like to play myself in". "Sure buddy, take guard". Out was Bell for a second ball duck. He should surely have had a word with McGrath right away. "That's no fair, mate. You didn't keep your promise. That ball was too good for me". Roland

This is a simple double finesse combination. Low to the 10 and if it loses to the jack, finesse the 9 next. 1 out of 2 finesses, roughly 76%. Roland

and if there were no redouble you would bid your longest suit unless you were 5332 or 3334 with your longest being the opps opening suit. So why not bid it now just like you would if there were no redouble....I guess I dont see what you are gaining by not bidding? You gain by getting to your fit when partner has doubled say 1♥ on 4-1-5-3 or 4-1-3-5, and even more important when he has doubled 1♠ with 1-4-5-3 or 1-4-3-5. Because now you are forced to the 2-level. I am sure we all prefer to play on 5-3 rather than 4-3. Roland

I am perfectly happy with my spade support and will pre-empt further: 3♠. Roland

Yes, there is a significant difference. When you bid 2NT, you have told your partner about shape and point range. Now it's up to him to decide if we are going anywhere over 4♥. If you had bid 2♠, however, you could have a much weaker hand and then it makes sense to re-open with a double. After you chose 2NT (I know you don't care, but I think it's plain wrong), you are out of it once partner doesn't co-operate. Roland

I disagree. Without prior discussion I would expect my expert partner to let me (doubler) decide where to play. Roland

No preference, with this message to partner. "Your job to get us out of the mess you created when you doubled". Roland

I haven't been invited to the party. Pass. Roland

We will, and defintely not an event to be sneezed at: the Italian Cup Finals from Bologna. Every board from the quarter-finals, Thursday through Sunday next week. Lauria, Versace, Fantoni, Nunes, Angelini, Sementa, Duboin, Ferraro, De Falco and many other great players. Only Bocchi missing among the big guns. http://www.federbridge.it/ Roland