Play Bridge and See The World

World Championships have taken place in many exotic locations all over the world. Kiz and I were very excited to be travelling to Brazil, our first time in South America.

Many of the bridge players have chosen from a variety of tours and taken advantage of the opportunity to see some of this beautiful country.
A group of us flew to Iguazou Falls located in the north on the border with Argentina. The falls are spectacular and our tour included a motorized raft which took us close to and through some of the falls. We were soaked! We also visited a bird sanctuary and a hike through the rainforest.

Another day we hired a tour guide to drive us to the rainforest which is still part of the city of Sao Paulo. We had a 2 hour hike past waterfalls and natural pools and viewed many species of plants, trees, birds and butterflies. None of the wildlife such as monkeys, sloths, and even panthers decided to show themselves while we were there. As we drove home we were able to enjoy the lush jungle which encompasses Brazil. We entered the city just at rush hour and with a population of over 20 million it took us several hours to finally reach our hotel.

The shopping here is an interesting experience. Brazil is an expensive country and everything, even small items such as shoes, are priced in this manner: 5x and the number of Reals. Everything is bought on time, the total price is never listed, just the number and amount of each installment.

The closing ceremonies take place tonight and Captain Michael has reserved a table for our team. Thanks so much to District 18 for their support. I hope we have been able to give you a sense of our journey to the world championships.

Highs and Lows

Playing at this level takes many skills. The players here are competitive, focused, intense, and for the large majority experienced at world championship competition. Our team was jubilant after defeating the USA1 women and we all retired in a joyous mood. Yesterday we had a small win against the Danish. In the afternoon we lost to the Germans playing against the number one women's partnership of Sabine Auken and Daniela von Armin. Our defeat to the last place team Venezuela in the evening was a crushing blow.

What has this week taught me? In order to be competitive at this level takes seasoning. Each time you have the great fortune to be a part of World Championship bridge your skills improve, you have a greater knowledge of what it takes to beat these teams.

Today we need to do what is necessary to put yesterday behind us and play to the best of our abilities. Not allowing a disaster result on a board, or round, affect the next hand or the next session is another crucial and necessary skill.

Day 5 of 7

Day 5 is over, we are a long ways away from 8th place, but there are still 6 matches to go, and so the strength must be there.

Bridge is funny. Those who play professionally must surely have the advantage. It's hard to get up to an intensity level necessary to work out every pattern on every hand at every trick. Unlike the first couple of days, Susan and I are getting slams right.


The setup at World Championships is different than Nationals or other bridge tournaments. There is a central foyer where all of the results of all matches are posted live (Results are entered electronically at each table upon the conclusion of the board). In addition, BBO Vugraph has teams playing live. During the China match, Susan and I sat poolside and watched helplessly as the Chinese ladies did fantastic things against our teammates. Joan made a couple of really tough 3NT hands in a losing cause. Sometimes, the bridge Gods are so mean.

Our real tough match tomorrow is against the German ladies.

Hello to everyone back home, especially Tommy (Gandalfo).......

Better Left Unsaid

At last something to feel good about. This evening we beat the mighty USA 2 team 44-21. And, as it happens, a life lesson learned as well. Declaring 4 spades in the end position I held K10x of diamonds opposite 982 and must score 1 trick holding my losers to 2. After a great deal of thought I led low, went up King, and when this held claimed making 4. My right hand opponent now informed the table this was the most boring hand of the day. I replied that it was not boring for me and she confirmed that I had no choice in the play of the hand. Later, comparing with teammates, we scored plus 10 on this hand. Apparently, my opponent at the other table led twice from dummy, losing to the Jack and Queen on her left in Karen's hand, and finally to the Ace which Pamela had smoothly ducked twice. Some things are probably better left unsaid or they might come back to haunt you!

Tough matches tomorrow: Australia, USA1 and China.

Thanks for all your good wishes, it really does lift our spirits...Susan

It's a rough event

Susan and I have the evening off. Am sitting by the pool... the match against Indonesia was brutal. Hands are so tough!!!

Thanks for all of the good wishes from Canada. Please keep them coming. We are in a hotel in an industrial area, and it is apparently quite dangerous "on the street". But the hotel is beautiful and the venue is spatious.

We are not yet half way through so we have to keep slugging. Yesterday was awful, so didn't manage to post the blog until today. The gamut of emotions during play is unbelievable. High highs and the lowest of lows. :(

Monday's blog

One full day completed with our team in 13th place. This leaves us with lots of work to achieve the top 8 to qualify out of the round robin.

In a 16 board team match against each country slams bid and made, and also staying out of slams with no hope can make all the difference. Board 1 of the evening session against Spain Kiz opened one heart and I held this beautiful array of high card points: Qx AQxxx AJ10 AJx. After a Jacoby 2NT Kiz replied 3H denying a singleton. My next bid was 3NT a convention known as "serious" 3NT. This tells partner I have slam interest please Qbid (1st &2nd round controls up the line). Kiz bid 4 clubs showing the King. I bid 4 diamonds followed by 4 hearts by Kiz. What to do next? If Kiz holds the spade King I want to be in slam. The bid here is 5 hearts asking for a control in the unbid suit. (If I wanted to know about her trump holding I could simply bid 4NT Keycard.). Partner responds 5 spades with first round control, 6 hearts with second round control ( King in this case as she has already denied a singleton) and pass with no control. Kiz passed, the opponents cashed the Ace and King of spades and Kiz claimed 5.

It is exciting to be here mingling with the famous names in bridge and meeting people from all over the world. Today we play Morocco, Jordan and France. Everyone is professional, friendly and courteous, and whether winning or losing, it is an honour to be here.

Bridge is a Game of Mistakes

It's a tough game and very hard on the ego....... certainly for me, probably for most if not all of the players here.

We lost the second and third match and we are out of qualifying by 8 VPs.......... that is alot and it is only the first day. On the bright side, Brazil weather is very agreeable, and the people are friendly, even though most of the waiters, etc., speak broken English at best, and communication is difficult.

Michael Schoenborn (playing for Canada in the Seniors), was sitting with me at the opening ceremonies. He has not played in World Championships since 1987, but said to me.. "the round robin is about NOT getting or doing anything to get noticed"............ tis true but it is so hard to do........... Michael also kept me laughing during the opening ceremonies--during the speech by the Mayor of Sao Paulo (which was in Portuguese), he said "this sounds like Boris [Baran] explaining our system".

I strive for the rest of the week to be unnoticed................
k
K

First Match Over

It's always nice to get the first match under our belt. We won 52-24 for 22 VPs........... and Susan played fantastically well.. I, on the other hand, managed to give up 2 double digit boards.

I didn't manage to blog last night because the plane trip wiped me out. Opening ceremonies were great...... lots of speeches and dancing. There are 36 countries represented here. They called our countries individually and we stood up as they called us. Our team had a picture prior to the ceremonies, picture attached.

Until later.................... k

Life is a Game of IMPs not Matchpoints

Susan and I are at the airport.... going to Toronto (4 hours), 2 hours at Pearson Airport and then an 11 hour flight to Sao Paulo. This will be the last post on Canadian soil.

The title of this post is a bridge allegory that some players use to define their lives. As I prepare to play in the Venice Cup, I have to remember that I will be playing IMPs. Like life, I must premise our strategy based on the following principles:

• unlike matchpoints where every board in a session in IMPs is weighted equally, life is not equal, and hands at the Venice Cup are not equal, going down in a vulnerable game or slam is often the difference between winning or losing a match;
• safety plays are the essence of declaring;
• aggressive bids to game, especially vulnerable; my aggressive personality makes this easy to accomplish, in life and bridge;
• while overtricks in IMPs are not as important, perhaps this point is something that is less instinctive for me.

If my life is geared to succeed because I self identify as an IMP player, then the World Championships should be a piece of cake.......right???? :)

Koaching with Beverly and Eric

Winning a Canadian Championship has its privileges. The CBF provides funding for all teams preparing for international competition by offering coaching sessions with Beverly Kraft and Eric Kokish. This married couple are leading writers, teachers and international coaches with impressive playing credentials.

Immediately upon our return from Penticton we were contacted by Bev and Eric and offered various coaching options. The onus is on each pair to agree to available dates and book times for online practice. Kiz and I chose several defensive lessons with Bev. Just when you think your partnership is quite solid, filled with sound agreements, Bev challenges you to think on an entirely different level. Our captain Michael also organized team games using Kokish hands.

Just this week our team played against Canadian experts Dan Jacob, Bryan Maksymetz, Robert Lebi and Nader Hanna. Eric emails all of the hands following the session. He highlights the action at both tables. Even more fascinating, he includes these real hands with bidding and play as they actually took place at international events. How would you fare against such partnerships as Zia and Hammond, Meckstroth and Rodwell?

There are always some challenging slam hands:

My LHO Robert Lebi opened 4clubs and Kiz bid 4S. I held: Kxxx AJxxx x AKx.

Having controls in all suits KCBW seemed to be the logical choice. Once all 5 keycards were confirmed I asked for specific kings and Kiz showed the heart King. I now confidently bid 7spades. To my dismay Robert promptly doubled. What could it mean? This was clearly a Lightner double informing partner if he finds the lead the grand will be defeated. From my hand the most likely scenario is an immediate heart ruff. With shaking hands I pulled to 7NT. Ferverently hoping for the Queen of hearts in dummy it was not to be. Kiz's hand: AQJxx Kx Axxx xx. Sure enough RHO had 6 hearts to the Queen and I did not have enough winners to bring home the grand slam. There was some small consolation in knowing the pull was correct. Time to count on teammates to save us! Joan Eaton produced the same lead directing double, and defended 7S doubled. Barb Clinton correctly led her longest suit, hearts, and a push board

Thanks very much to Dan, Bryan, Robert, and Nader for their time and effort. It was greatly appreciated.

Sponsorship, Funding and All That Jazz (Ja$$)

My friends and acquaintances often inquire (sometimes subtly and sometimes more overtly) about the cost of bridge. At Nationals, there is a debate which asks the question: Is bridge now only available to professional players and rich people. Blog me if you disagree but here are some of my thoughts. The amounts below do not factor in the price if you have a roommate.

I live in Edmonton, the 5th largest city in Canada. Our international airport flies to many destinations, but often connecting flights in Calgary or Toronto are required. The cost to attend ACBL Nationals for airfare averages between $600 to $800 for most destinations (Las Vegas and San Francisco are exceptions), including Boston, Detroit, Houston. Cost for the host hotel is $1500 to $2200 US. Add card fees, ground transportation and meals and multiply that by 3 Nationals a year, and it amounts to about $10,000-$12,000 Canadian (the same amount as tuition in university for both of my children). Not many people have $1000 per month to spend on Nationals.

For Canadian Championships (team trials), the cost, if it is in the Eastern part of Canada, will be $1500 to $2000 for hotel and airfare. Card fees will be $200 to $400 for the week depending on the number of players on the team, and how far you advance. If the trials are in the West, it is significantly cheaper..... Pentiction this year was about $1000-$1200 (flight to Kelowna, rental car, card fees and bachelor unit with kitchen for the week).

Our weekend trip to Mexico City to play against the Mexican ladies cost approximately $900 for airfare and hotel. I suspect the reduced airfare and accommodation had something to do with the fact that Mexican tourism was hit hard by H1N1. The Canadian Bridge Federation subsized us $833 per person.

The international subsidy for our team from the CBF was reduced this year. The CBF also thought that it is bad precedent to divvy the money earmarked to the Open Team in circumstances where they did not beat the Mexican Open Team. The CBF subsidizes all card fees for the Venice cup, and the cash amount paid to each member of our team this year is $1300. In addition, the CBF has paid for Eric and Beverly to coach us. The receipt of World Class coaching is an enormous gift.

My cost for Brazil is $4000 for air and hotel. The Brazilian Visa was another $200. Food is extra. Ground transportation in Brazil will be provided by the WBF.

As you can see, cost is not insignificant, and we are ordinary ladies, none of whom have money to burn. Fundraising is very important, and thus THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO ALL OF THE SPONSORS OF THIS TEAM:

1. An agreement was reached with Master Point Press for naming rights to our team ... officially, we are the Canada Master Point Press Women's Team. Thank you to Ray and Linda Lee for thinking of us. We hope that this is the start of sponsorship agreements between other commercial sites and bridge teams.
2. Unit 166 (Joan Eaton)
3. Unit 246 (Barbara Clinton)
4. Unit 430 (Michael Yuen)
5. Pamela has a fund raising game and a silent auction. In addition, an anonymous donor provided Bridge Baron CDs which have been sold to support our cause. Vince Oddy has provided books for prizes at Pamela's fundraiser.
6. Karen Cumpstone has received funds from an anonymous donor.
7. Michael and Karen are waiting to hear from District 19 and Susan and I are waiting to hear from Unit 391 (who graciously sponsored us last year)

And of course, District 18 (WASUMI) for which Susan and I are grateful and whom we write this blog on behalf of.

These sponsorship funds will add another $1000-$1300 per team member.

Total: $2300-$2600

So.. how many people can afford to play bridge and compete? I look forward to hearing from you.

Two Weeks to Go!!!

The past few weeks have been an adventure in navigating Brazilian bureaucracy. Two weeks to go and at last we have hotel reservations and visas.

I'm Susan Culham and I am happy, nervous, excited to be competing for the Venice Cup.

My love of travel has included a desire to see South America, and playing in Sao Paulo will be quite an experience. Last year Kismet and I competed in the World Mind Sports Games in Beijing. I found the overall atmosphere of these events is strictly business while play is in progress, but very social once bridge finishes for the day. The bar and lounge area are filled with players from all over the world enjoying each others company. Bridge transcends political, social, and religious barriers with ease.

So stay tuned. Kismet and I will be happy to share our great adventure. And especially thank you to all our well wishers.

Is it FATE or is it KISMET???

Let me introduce myself. I am Kismet Fung... mother, lawyer, cat lover and bridge player.. in that order. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where I work for the City of Edmonton Law Branch.

District 18 of the American Contract Bridge League was kind enough to sponsor my partner, Susan Culham, and I, as we head to Brazil to play in the Venice Cup. WASUMI is comprised of Wyoming, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Utah, Montana and Idaho. Susan and I are playing on a ladies' team that will represent Canada. I am thrilled, humbled and honoured to be a part of this team.

A BLOG is to be interactive, and I encourage everyone to write to me or my teammates........ when we played in Beijing last year at the World Mind Games, I remember how exciting it was to receive emails and chat messages from our friends at home............

So.............. hello, and welcome to my BLOG.