In this section I would be putting together all the information regarding bridge facilites in the various cities in India.The information may be sketchy at present but would be made comprehensive in future.
Lucknow Allahabad Varanasi Meerut Dehradun Delhi Chandigarh Chennai Mumbai Moradabad Jaipur Pune Kanpur Asansol Ghaziabad
In this section I would cover tournaments happening in India and more so the tournaments happening in Northern part of India and in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
UP state selection trials to select a team and three pairs from state started on 26th February at Allahabad Gymkhana, Allahabad.In the three years that
I've been to the state championship , this year has seen the poorest participation in the championship. In all there were only six teams taking part five of which
from Allahabad itself. This has rendered this year's chamiponship as a local event. May be not many teams from state want to visit Mt. Abu. Another fact is the timing
of the event which occurs just before Holi which might have dissuaded some teams from participating.UPBA must take more effort towards ensuring decent competition to
select a team to represent the state. This also puts a question mark on the importance of summer nationals for UP state championship where only winner is entitled to
sponsorship gets more participation inspite of the fact that winter nationals an open event. The technical organization of the pairs event was also questionable. There
was an elimination of just 18 deals for 20 pairs to be pruned to 12. In IMP scoring 18 deals are not sufficient. In all only 40 deals were played when organizers had full
day in which around 60 deals can be played easily.
This year's Seth Ram Niwas Lohia Championship Which took place at Kanpur from March 11-14, 1999 saw very good participation.
64 teams took part in the duplicate event which should be a record of sorts for any event in UP.It was also nice to see a number
of ladies adding colour to the event.
National Pairs at Home for Ubhaykar and Arun Swamy Trophies would take place on March 28th.
Amit Bridge Championship would be held at Noida from April 2 - 4 1999. The participation in this event is by invitation.
Kunwar Murli Manohar Memorial All India Bridge Tournament would be held from 6th-9th May 1999 at The Claridges-Corbett Hideway-Garjia
(Corbett National Park).This is a leisure cum serious bridge event. The entry is restircted to 28 teams only, the entry fee is Rs.12000/- per team
of four.The entry fee takes care of boarding,lodging,tournament entry fee & entertainment.
In this section I would cover one good deal which appeared in the Weekly Bridge Tournaments at Lucknow or in a recent tournament with explanations.
This Week I present 3 deals ,one of which is from the just concluded Lohia Bridge Championship, which show the effect of leading King.
| Dealer: South Vul: - Lead:  K | NORTH 9 8 J 9 5 3 A K 5 A J 8 6 | |
| WESTA J 7 3K 10 7 4 2Q 7 25 | EAST5Q 6 10 9 8 4 310 9 4 3 2 | |
| SOUTHK Q 10 6 4 2A 8J 6K Q 7 |
| South | West | North | East |
| 1 | Pass | 2 | Pass |
| 3 | Pass | 4 | Pass |
| 4 | Pass | Pass | Pass |
First of the three deals is reported by Bridge Today newsletter. This deal was played by Micheal Rosenberg in a rubber bridge game in London. Rosenberg ,an ex stock option trader in New York, is the winner of the par event at the World Championship in France.
Rosenberg was West on this deal and was on lead. The newsletter says that most players in West's position would lead singleton Club. After Club lead declarer would be able to score the contract as West would not be able to find an entry with East to obtain Club ruff. There is no correct defence to this problem but if anything can create an illusion then contract can be defeated. Rosenberg led Heart King and manage to deceive the declarer who won the trick with Ace. When Rosenberg got in with Spade Ace he now played Club singleton and could obtain his club ruff with Heart Queen entry as the unsuspecting declarer had not ducked his Heart King. If a Club is lead then declarer would duck Heart King to avoid the club ruff.
This was "chess-like" thinking where you anticipate what is going to happen in next few moves. This was a very good lead as only a very alert declarer would be able to duck the opening lead of Heart King as one Heart trick has to be given whether now or later.
Next deal is from Lohia bridge championship.
| Dealer: West Vul: EW Lead: K | NORTHA 10 9 7 K 9J 10 5J 9 7 6 | |
| WESTK 410 8 7 2A Q 8 6 4K 8 | EASTQA Q J 4 39 7 2A Q 5 4 | |
| SOUTHJ 8 6 5 3 26 5K 310 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 | Pass | 2 | Pass |
| 2 | Pass | 4 | Pass |
| Pass | Pass |
This deal was played in a pairs event with matchpoint scoring.So every overtrick counted. West opened prepared Diamond and EW played in 4 Hearts.NS cards are not exact.
South was on lead and led his Diamond King. East won with Diamond Ace and played Heart Ace. The impact of Diamond King lead was so much that East was fearing a Diamond ruff and hence chose not to take a normal Heart finnesse.The contract which make six made five only and resulted in a bottom. Logically South would normally not have Heart King as then he would not seek Heart ruff if he places Heart Ace with East. But the Diamond King lead created that illusion.
I asked South why he led Diamond King. Was this a result of chess like thinking for normally who leads a doubleton King in pairs ? South said he led King as he place Diamond Ace with his partner and wanted a ruff!!!
The third deal shows what happens when you actually lead a singleton King.
| Dealer: West Vul: None Lead: K | NORTHJ 8 5 3KA 10 3Q J 8 3 2 | |
| WEST-A Q J 8Q J 8 7 5 4 2A 4 | EASTQ 10 7 210 7 6 5 39K 9 7 | |
| SOUTHA K 9 6 49 4 2K 610 6 5 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | X | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
This deal was played at Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana in Mumbai where Mumbai leg of the National Pairs at Home took place in 1995.
West opened prepared Diamond and played in 5 Diamond which was doubled by North who had overcalled 2 Clubs.West could have played in 4 Hearts as his partner had bid 2 Hearts over 2 Clubs but chose not to. I was North and I led my singleton Heart King over my partner's suit Spades
West won Heart King with Ace and played a low Club.I inserted Club Jack and Club King of dummy won. Declarer next played diamond nine and passed it to me. I won the trick with Diamond Ace!!! All other players perhaps in my place would win this trick with Diamond ten. I was trying to be smart. I shifted to Spade and partner's Spade King was ruffed by West. Now the cards were clear to everybody. I had not led Spades so my Heart King had to be singleton. West now played Diamond Queen and when my partner got in with King he played a Club!!!! Singleton Heart King wasn't obvious to him. All my smartness turned into a disaster! But suppose I didn't have Diamond Ten then the way I defended would have been correct.