The Silent Type

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday January 3, 2008

Ron Klinger

Can you find the best solution to this problem?

West North East South

--- 1D 1S 2H

?

What would you do as West with:

Some would jump straight to 4S, others might be persuaded by the vulnerability to make a pre-emptive jump only to 3S. Some might try a psychic manoeuvre such as 1NT or 2C. The action taken by Tim Seres proved to be successful. This was the complete deal from the NSWBA Winter Congress in 1979:

NORTH

Peter Jamieson

Peter Jamieson described the auction in the NSWBA Bulletin: . . . I opened the North hand 1D.

Denis Howard, sitting East, overcalled 1S. My partner, George Edwards, bid 2H and

Seres bid . . . pass! Seres had diagnosed the probable slam for North-South and

did not wish to tip us off (with a jump in spades) to the fact that all our cards were

working. I rebid 3D and Edwarrds bid 3S, over which I bid 4H, which, after

considerable reflection, Edwards chose to pass. A nice slam in diamonds missed."

As the cards lie you can make 7D.

Single dummy the grand slam is a respectable chance. If the diamonds are 2-2, you can survive almost any division of the hearts. If diamonds are 3-1 or 4-0, you need the hearts to behave. You might speculate how the bidding would have continued if Tim had jumped to 4S. Notice that 4S doubled is at least two down, a good save if the opponents play in slam, but not if they stop in game.

Jamieson also included these recollections: "Tim Seres was generous in his support and encouragement of keen young bridge players and would often have them as team-mates in bridge congresses. In 1974 I was privileged (along with Geoff Smith and Marhsall Ahern) to be team-mates with Seres- Cummings in the two-day Australian Bridge Magazine Swiss Teams held in the Bondi Regis Hotel. There were 36 teams and our team could manage only fifth place behind Tony Hutton's team

(Richardson, Lewis and Levitt). I can recall what a thrill it was to be playing a teams" match knowing that our team mates at the other table were Tim Seres - Dick Cummings."

"Top Sydney player, Andrew Markovics, used to own the Double Bay Bridge Centre many years ago. Tim Seres played `serious' rubber bridge there almost every day. Markovics told me that if top overseas bridge players happened to be in Sydney, they would nearly always travel out to Double Bay to say hello to Seres.

Sometimes they would play a few rubbers and other times might just kibitz a few

hands before going about their business.

Markovics gave me two stories involving Seres and members of the famous Italian

Blue Team . . .

?. . . Seres had just declared a contract of 2D against Giorgio Belladonna and garnered eight tricks with careful play.

After play finished Belladonna said to Seres, `You are the only man in the world

who could have made that contract.'

Coming from many times world champion Belladonna, that was high praise indeed.'

' The second story came from the 1968 Olympiad Championships in Deauville, France. Seres and Cummings were playing against Benito Garozzo and Giorgio Belladonna. Garozzo had just declared a contract of 2S and had failed by one trick. Garozzo looked at his partner and said, `I'm sorry, partner. I could have made that.' Cummings said to Seres, `I can't for the life of me see how he could have made the contract.' Seres replied, `Neither can I, but I'll bet my last cent they can!' -

In 2005 at the world championships in Estoril, Portugal, the first thing the mighty

Pietro Forquet said to us was `How is Tim?

Please pass on my best wishes.'

I think, therefore I am . . . silent when partner makes a blunder.

Tomorrow's problem:

NORTH

West North East South

--- --- 1C (1) Dble

2C 3C (2) Pass 3H

Pass Pass Pass

(1) Dictated by system

(2) Both majors

West leads the C4: three - ace - ten.

How should East continue?

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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