[bali 2]

David

I have been very pleased to learn that you where the best, ...a thing that I suppose you already knew...

Receive my sincere congratulations ! It was far from easy ( I learned that to my misery ) and you really deserve felicitations.

I hope you nethertheless continue to answer my questions...?

Sincerely, Al Ohana

[ICEmachine]

Yes, Congratulations David!!

well done!


it is difficult to exceed expectations if everyone thinks you will be nr. 1 so I wonder did you

[bluejak]

Well, I exceeded my expectations - at least my expectations once I had taken those horrible tests!

Thanks.

[jvage]

Congratulations David, very well done

For those who don't know what this thread is about, David was ranked no 1 of the around 60 TD's participating in EBL's seminar/course in San Remo last week. Of the regular posters Gordon also did very well, being appointed EBL NBO TD.

Personally I was also very satisfied, doing better than 3/4 of the very experienced directors participating. It was however a bit disappointing to finnish just below the mark required for being appointed to the aforementioned international degree that Gordon achieved

John (from Norway)

[bluejak]

Of course, the first or second simulation that I did involved a 1♣ opening changed to pass. I did not take the player away from the table, but asked him lots of questions. I did not look into his hand. I allowed the change under Law 25A.

The official answer was to take him away from the table and look in his hand, then allow it. I was not pleased.



Peter Eidt, who regularly posts here, had the second best score on the simulations and I thought would be my main threat, but sadly he had a poor final written test.

Of course, it may have been he was distracted. A week or so before, without warning, he was sent a 227 page White book and asked to read it! He told us he read 150 pages before he growled and threw it down!

[Vampyr]

bluejak, on Feb 8 2010, 01:29 PM, said:

Of course, the first or second simulation that I did involved a 1♣ opening changed to pass.  I did not take the player away from the table, but asked him lots of questions.  I did not look into his hand.  I allowed the change under Law 25A.

I can never understand cases like this -- how does a person reaching for a pass card end up with 1♣? It is in a different section of the box.

[bluejak]

I understand it because I do it. Something clicks in one's brain, you take a card out of the box, look at it, and think "Why am I taking this card out of the box?"

[Echognome]

Congrats David! I had no idea they had TD contests.

[ICEmachine]

Vampyr, on Feb 8 2010, 02:30 PM, said:

bluejak, on Feb 8 2010, 01:29 PM, said:

Of course, the first or second simulation that I did involved a 1♣ opening changed to pass.  I did not take the player away from the table, but asked him lots of questions.  I did not look into his hand.  I allowed the change under Law 25A.

I can never understand cases like this -- how does a person reaching for a pass card end up with 1♣? It is in a different section of the box.

Ones mind is a curious thing..... if you just happen to be thinking you should have opened 1♣ on the previous board there is a chance you might actually bid 1♣ instead of wanting to pass.


The most famous one when ones mind is not operating in sync with ones hands, is when you open 1M and partner bid 3m as Bergen. Now you decide you wont accept the game-invitation and pass!

[peachy]

ICEmachine, on Feb 8 2010, 12:22 PM, said:

Vampyr, on Feb 8 2010, 02:30 PM, said:

bluejak, on Feb 8 2010, 01:29 PM, said:

Of course, the first or second simulation that I did involved a 1♣ opening changed to pass.  I did not take the player away from the table, but asked him lots of questions.  I did not look into his hand.  I allowed the change under Law 25A.

I can never understand cases like this -- how does a person reaching for a pass card end up with 1♣? It is in a different section of the box.

Ones mind is a curious thing..... if you just happen to be thinking you should have opened 1♣ on the previous board there is a chance you might actually bid 1♣ instead of wanting to pass.


The most famous one when ones mind is not operating in sync with ones hands, is when you open 1M and partner bid 3m as Bergen. Now you decide you wont accept the game-invitation and pass!

Aren't these "senior moments" or "lapses of focus" rather than "mispulls". TD will normally allow change of a mispull (if he judges it a mispull) while in "senior moments" the player is stuck with his choice, like passing a Bergen raise when not accepting invite?


And, Congratulations David!

[bluejak]

It was jolly hard work, hugging every lady TD in Europe, and having lots of fun at the simulations, especially with mon ami francais, who made a mistake everry time he was my partner. He said "What do you have agaisnt the French?" Naturally I replied "Calais"!

Then there was the worst run speedball ever on Thursday evening. The second round started 25 minutes after the first, the BridgeMates had the wrong software. Luckily Europe's best man for equipment, our own Peter Eidt, was there, so he re-programmed the lot, and we got them for round 9. But why on earth did they not test them in advanace? They could not organise a xxxx-up in a brewery!

[Vampyr]

peachy, on Feb 8 2010, 10:45 PM, said:

ICEmachine, on Feb 8 2010, 12:22 PM, said:

Vampyr, on Feb 8 2010, 02:30 PM, said:

bluejak, on Feb 8 2010, 01:29 PM, said:

Of course, the first or second simulation that I did involved a 1♣ opening changed to pass.  I did not take the player away from the table, but asked him lots of questions.  I did not look into his hand.  I allowed the change under Law 25A.

I can never understand cases like this -- how does a person reaching for a pass card end up with 1♣? It is in a different section of the box.

Ones mind is a curious thing..... if you just happen to be thinking you should have opened 1♣ on the previous board there is a chance you might actually bid 1♣ instead of wanting to pass.


The most famous one when ones mind is not operating in sync with ones hands, is when you open 1M and partner bid 3m as Bergen. Now you decide you wont accept the game-invitation and pass!

Aren't these "senior moments" or "lapses of focus" rather than "mispulls". TD will normally allow change of a mispull (if he judges it a mispull) while in "senior moments" the player is stuck with his choice, like passing a Bergen raise when not accepting invite?

Yes. This is why I don't really see how a player reaching for a 1♣ card can emerge with a pass.

[Vampyr]

bluejak, on Feb 8 2010, 01:29 PM, said:

The official answer was to take him away from the table and look in his hand, then allow it.  I was not pleased. 

Taking the player away from the table in case the change is not allowed under 25A is reasonable. Looking in his hand is not.

And congratulations, David.

[bluejak]

I have been asked by other organisations to write about San Remo. Do not be modest, they said. So here is what I wrote:

On February 1st to 5th the European Bridge League ran a course for Europe's top TDs in San Remo, Italy. To get there I had to leave the Iceland Express tournament in Reykjavik early, with three matches to go. The four Icelanders and Liz Commins did well without me! I had been invited by the Iceland Bridge Federation to act as Chairman of Appeals and was very worried when I realised they clashed.

Staying overnight at Gatwick, and setting my alarm for 5.42 am [I did not know such a time existed] I got there via Nice airport and coach transfer. That evening there was an entry test, in which I did poorly by misreading two questions. But it mattered little.

The main part of the test was many simulations over the next few days. Despite not always agreeing with the official view, I finished with the best score of over 80%. However, the final written test was still to come.

In the final test three others got a better score than me, but not the people who had done well in the simulations, so my overall mark of over 80% was a few percent ahead of second. Gordon Rainsford, the only other TD from England or Wales, did reasonably well.

I was made a European Bridge League TD. Only the leading score gets this honour first time. Otherwise it takes two successful exams to get this honour. I was very pleased.

I met many old friends and made many new friends in San Remo. I have been trying to take that test for 17 years, and it is a long and sad story as to why I never have taken it. Now I can forget that.

Will I get to direct in Europe? I hope so, though it is not guaranteed. They tend not to use English or Welsh TDs. But we shall see.