Stamford Bridge Club is being improved by technology

It’s easy to take for granted the extent to which technology has improved our enjoyment of the game, writes Marcus Witt of Stamford Bridge Club.

Let’s go back 30 years to our cramped two-room premises in the Arts Centre. Everything was done manually. On the first round of play, players would record their hand on a curtain card against which players could, on subsequent rounds, check that their hands were correct.

The scores were entered on travellers and the results would be hand-cranked. If you played on a Thursday night you would know the results the following Tuesday evening (our only two sessions of play at the time).

Nowadays we use software to generate a set of hands which gives us hand records and the ability to use a dealing machine to create the boards in advance.

We input the results using tablets at the table and these are transferred wirelessly to the scoring program. Running scores are shown on screens in real time and final results are known once the last board’s outcome has been entered. Full results are published on our website (www.bridgewebs.com/stamford). Nothing but a sea change.

Hand of the Week

Today’s hand is an example of being able, remotely, to look at what’s happened and wondered what could have been.

This deal was played on a recent Monday afternoon and five (out of 12) tables reached the small slam in diamonds.

That’s a minor victory but the grand slam is a fine spot and the auction shows how this might have been reached.

I would not pretend that this is the simplest of auctions but South’s ability to show the void club was the key to the hand.

Normally, using (some form of) Blackwood, when holding a void, is not recommended.

Partner’s response may give you the number of aces but you may not know where they are placed.

Here, since North knows of the void, this information can be built into the Blackwood response.

Yes, North would not include the ace of clubs in that reply if held (though, on occasion, the ability to discard something on this “useless” ace is beneficial).

South knows that partner has the ace of hearts and the king of diamonds. There is little to the play – declarer can draw trumps and ruff the spades good.

Tip

The more you put into your methods, the more successful your results will be. Time spent on sensible agreements brings its own reward.