Thanks to everyone who participated in my six-year series of polls and contests, especially those who provided comments, and the regulars who kept me on my toes. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, and then there were three: a special thanks to Charles Blair (Urbana, Illinois), Bill Cubley (San Leandro, California), and Meelis Tiitson (Estonia), the only persons to enter all 72 events. Little did I realize that what began as a whim in September of 2000 would continue for six years.
It seems a long way back, but I can’t help but recall some of the coincidences and ominous happenings. Indeed, I sometimes wondered if I might be possessed with extrasensory power. Well, hardly. My teachers often said my homework made no sense, so extra sense must be out of the question. Anyway, if you’ve got a moment to spare, drift back with me as I pause to reflect.
Como Esta?
The May 2001 bidding poll was the first instance of a bizarre occurrence. I titled the event, “Catch a Falling Star,” after the song made famous by Perry Como, as a clue to the location of Como, Italy. Curiously, the song became a #1 Hit the same year (1958) as the tournament, so it was the perfect choice. All was going fine until I heard the shocking news that Perry Como died during my poll (May 12, 2001) — and in Florida, only 50 miles from where I live. Is that eerie, or what? I swear, I never touched him! This left me dazed for the rest of the month, but surely it was just a coincidence. Nonetheless, I had great reservations about my choice to use Sean Connery for my James Bond theme in June. Was his life on the line, too? Whew! He made it! My concern may have been unjustified; Goldfinger and countless others couldn’t eliminate ‘007’ so why should I be the first.
Triskaidekaphobia
Bridge players are accustomed to the number 13, as it’s the sum of all hand and suit patterns. Fear of the number is almost unheard of in the bridge world, although some of my students have made me wonder. Was it a coincidence that the tragic September 2001 attack on our country came during my 13th event? Perhaps more eerie was my prophetic title, “When the Chips Are Down.” The title of course was related to casinos, as a clue to the tournament location in Monte Carlo — I wish to make this perfectly clear, lest I be visited by Homeland Security. Scary. My birthday is September 10, and we had just spent a wonderful evening at my favorite restaurant… then Black Tuesday. Despite all the fear and sadness, bridge players regrouped and the series continued.
Uncork the Champagne
In August 2002, I decided to correlate the idea of defeating slam contracts with baseball, or more specifically, catching a deep fly ball hit by one of the game’s respected power hitters, Sammy Sosa. “Slammin’ Sammy Goes Deep” proved to be a fun event, especially because of some curious terms that are shared by bridge and baseball; e.g., grand slams, doubles, squeeze plays and sacrifices. Foul! About 10 months later it proved that Sammy was not so respectable after all, as he was caught red-handed using an illegal corked bat. I suppose that’s no worse than the steroid scandals of recent times, but it brought up an interesting question: Should I rescore the event based on foul play? Nah, nobody cried foul. If necessary I’ll say the awards were tainted by a foul lie of the Cubs, er, cards.
Thanks to everyone who participated in my six-year series of polls and contests, especially those who provided comments, and the regulars who kept me on my toes. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, and then there were three: a special thanks to Charles Blair (Urbana, Illinois), Bill Cubley (San Leandro, California), and Meelis Tiitson (Estonia), the only persons to enter all 72 events. Little did I realize that what began as a whim in September of 2000 would continue for six years.
It seems a long way back, but I can’t help but recall some of the coincidences and ominous happenings. Indeed, I sometimes wondered if I might be possessed with extrasensory power. Well, hardly. My teachers often said my homework made no sense, so extra sense must be out of the question. Anyway, if you’ve got a moment to spare, drift back with me as I pause to reflect.
Como Esta?
The May 2001 bidding poll was the first instance of a bizarre occurrence. I titled the event, “Catch a Falling Star,” after the song made famous by Perry Como, as a clue to the location of Como, Italy. Curiously, the song became a #1 Hit the same year (1958) as the tournament, so it was the perfect choice. All was going fine until I heard the shocking news that Perry Como died during my poll (May 12, 2001) — and in Florida, only 50 miles from where I live. Is that eerie, or what? I swear, I never touched him! This left me dazed for the rest of the month, but surely it was just a coincidence. Nonetheless, I had great reservations about my choice to use Sean Connery for my James Bond theme in June. Was his life on the line, too? Whew! He made it! My concern may have been unjustified; Goldfinger and countless others couldn’t eliminate ‘007’ so why should I be the first.
Triskaidekaphobia
Bridge players are accustomed to the number 13, as it’s the sum of all hand and suit patterns. Fear of the number is almost unheard of in the bridge world, although some of my students have made me wonder. Was it a coincidence that the tragic September 2001 attack on our country came during my 13th event? Perhaps more eerie was my prophetic title, “When the Chips Are Down.” The title of course was related to casinos, as a clue to the tournament location in Monte Carlo — I wish to make this perfectly clear, lest I be visited by Homeland Security. Scary. My birthday is September 10, and we had just spent a wonderful evening at my favorite restaurant… then Black Tuesday. Despite all the fear and sadness, bridge players regrouped and the series continued.
Uncork the Champagne
In August 2002, I decided to correlate the idea of defeating slam contracts with baseball, or more specifically, catching a deep fly ball hit by one of the game’s respected power hitters, Sammy Sosa. “Slammin’ Sammy Goes Deep” proved to be a fun event, especially because of some curious terms that are shared by bridge and baseball; e.g., grand slams, doubles, squeeze plays and sacrifices. Foul! About 10 months later it proved that Sammy was not so respectable after all, as he was caught red-handed using an illegal corked bat. I suppose that’s no worse than the steroid scandals of recent times, but it brought up an interesting question: Should I rescore the event based on foul play? Nah, nobody cried foul. If necessary I’ll say the awards were tainted by a foul lie of the Cubs, er, cards.
who provided comments, and the regulars who kept me on my toes. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie, _and then there were three:_ a special thanks to Charles Blair (Urbana, Illinois), Bill Cubley (San Leandro, California), and Meelis Tiitson (Estonia), the only persons to enter all 72 events. Little did I realize that what began as a whim in September of 2000 would continue for six years.}
{It seems a long way back, but I can't help but recall some of the coincidences and ominous happenings. Indeed, I sometimes wondered if I might be possessed with extrasensory power. Well, hardly. My teachers often said my homework made _no sense_, so extra sense must be out of the question. Anyway, if you've got a moment to spare, drift back with me as I pause to reflect.}
{3:Como Esta?}
{The May 2001 bidding poll was the first instance of a bizarre occurrence. I titled the event, "Catch a Falling Star," after the song made famous by Perry Como, as a clue to the location of Como, Italy. Curiously, the song became a #1 Hit the same year (1958) as the tournament, so it was the perfect choice. All was going fine until I heard the shocking news that Perry Como _died_ during my poll (May 12, 2001) -- and in _Florida_, only 50 miles from where I live. Is that eerie, or what? I swear, I never touched him! This left me dazed for the rest of the month, but surely it was just a coincidence. Nonetheless, I had great reservations about my choice to use Sean Connery for my James Bond theme in June. Was his life on the line, too? Whew! He made it! My concern may have been unjustified; Goldfinger and countless others couldn't eliminate '007' so why should I be the first.}
{3:Triskaidekaphobia}
{Bridge players are accustomed to the number 13, as it's the sum of all hand and suit patterns. Fear of the number is almost unheard of in the bridge world, although some of my students have made me wonder. Was it a coincidence that the tragic September 2001 attack on our country came during my 13th event? Perhaps more eerie was my prophetic title, "When the Chips Are Down." The title of course was related to _casinos_, as a clue to the tournament location in Monte Carlo -- I wish to make this perfectly clear, lest I be visited by Homeland Security. Scary. My birthday is September 10, and we had just spent a wonderful evening at my favorite restaurant.. then Black Tuesday. Despite all the fear and sadness, bridge players regrouped and the series continued.}
{3:Uncork the Champagne}
{In August 2002, I decided to correlate the idea of defeating slam contracts with baseball, or more specifically, catching a deep fly ball hit by one of the game's respected power hitters, Sammy Sosa. "Slammin' Sammy Goes Deep" proved to be a fun event, especially because of some curious terms that are shared by bridge and baseball; e.g., grand slams, doubles, squeeze plays and sacrifices. Foul! About 10 months later it proved that Sammy was not so respectable after all, as he was caught red-handed using an illegal corked bat. I suppose that's no worse than the steroid scandals of recent times, but it brought up an interesting question: Should I rescore the event based on foul play? Nah, nobody cried foul. If necessary I'll say the awards were tainted by a foul lie of the Cubs, er, cards.}
{,:}
{3:The Mummy Returns}
{Another remarkable coincidence occurred in June of 2003, when I ran my "Valley of the Kings" play contest. The Egyptian theme was inspired by my penchant for those old "Mummy" movies -- aah, the tana leaves; the visions of Kharis limping off into the night carrying his "princess." I remember having nightmares about these films in my youth; but I digress. While my contest was under way, a surprising news story broke: The mummy of Queen Nefertiti, supposedly the most beautiful woman of ancient times, was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Was I a prophet? No, I hardly think so; but I will prophesy one thing: Any woman whose name ends in _titi_ ought to be beautiful. Smack!}
{3:Not Falcon Serious!}
{For my June 2004 contest, "The Falcon Is Found!" I spun a wild tale about the infamous Black Bird and its treacherous history, culminating in my recovery from a Gypsy, who was unaware of its value. The contest posed only _spade_ contracts in honor of Sam Spade, the fictional detective in Dashiell Hammett's, "The Maltese Falcon" (Bogart's classic role). I doubt there is a connection, but next month while at the New York City Nationals, our home was robbed! This was no laughing matter, as we lost many precious things, including our computers. Fortunately, I had my laptop with me as usual, else my life works would have been gone. They even took our fire safe, which had no valuables but only important papers. Oh well; we recovered (I think we're still married even without our license) but I couldn't stop thinking about that $28 million Falcon I wrote was sitting on my mantle.}
{After three years, I can almost laugh about it. Could anyone be that naive? In case the burglars (or anyone else with the I.Q. of a toad) are reading, my January 2007 story "Diamonds in the Ruff" is fictional. That means _not true_, you idiots, so stay out of my falcon house!}
{3:Wilma and Deja Vu}
{In October 2005, I was preparing my November poll, "Fair Winds on the Plate," and needed to concoct a story to justify its title. "Fair Winds" actually translates to Buenos Aires, the tournament location (pictured at right is its famous _Obelisco_) and "on the Plate" refers to the River Plate, or _Rio de la Plata_. I noticed a weather report that Hurricane Wilma was heading our way, so I decided I would be hired by the National Weather Service to test plate glass during the storm (fair winds on the plate, no?) and my bogus tale ended with the glass being shattered by a flying two-by-four. Oh dear! Eight days later we were hit by the worst hurricane since Andrew of '92, losing every tree and almost all of our roof shingles. If that wasn't enough, one of our storm awnings tore loose and imploded a plate glass window. Is that deja vu, or what?}
{,:}
{3:New Life and Farewell}
{On a personal basis, the series had its ups and downs. Certainly, the brightest moment was the birth of my only grandchild, Seth, in February 2004. Rich has become a devoted, caring father, which means less free time, so our online bridge sessions are rare; but having such a wonderful grandson is true happiness. Seth is so bright; looking through a book of dinosaurs at age 2, he would point to each one and announce, "brachiosaurus" or "triceratops." _Say what?_ Sure kid, whatever you say. Unfortunately, Rich and Lisa live far off in California and can visit only a few times a year (we used to go there but can no longer travel).}
{In November 2005, I had to bid farewell to my Mom, though at 96 she lived a full life. Mom made it very clear that we should "not mourn but only remember," as she quoted from one of her favorite poems, "Happy times, and laughing times, and bright and sunny days." The picture at right, taken in June 2005, shows four Pavlicek generations: Rich, Edith, me and Seth (the shortcake). Alas, a bridge team that will never be.}
{3:World's Greatest Wife}
{Finally, I must reflect on the wonderful girl I married (1969). Until recent times in illness, Mabel has devoted her life to my happiness and well-being. In the early years of this series, she eagerly entered every bidding poll (sometimes play contests with coaxing). One time I wrote in jest, "Sorry, I couldn't stop Mabel from entering. I tried everything; I took away her mouse and keyboard, but she kept buying new ones. I hot-wired her CPU from Intel to _Mattel_ inside, which didn't work either, though her entry was mysteriously signed Barbie." A few times I even removed Mabel's name from the overall standings (she agreed) because her high rank might make people think she had unfair advantage. Hardly! She was an excellent player in her own right (Diamond LM) and even taught me a few things -- I mean, besides not to double her if I wanted dinner. While she can no longer understand bridge, she finds ways to help me to this day. Indeed, the sunset picture at the top and below was her choice.}
! Shangguan B E F C D B
214 50 USil Sherrie Foster D E E C E E
215 50 SG Junyi Zhu B D C A C D
216 50 AU Peter Tall D E E A D E
217 50 CApq Alain Lacourse D E F A E B
218 50 USaz Tom Schlangen D C C C F D
219 50 VE Katia Zirovnik D E F A D D
220 50 NL Michiel Geelen B A D A D B
221 50 BY Dmitri Shabes D C C C F D
222 49 USpa David Klaus A E F C F E
223 49 UKen Phil Andrews C E D C C E
224 49 CAab David Johnson D F B A F D
225 49 IE Richard King D E A A D D
226 49 ES Margaret Spaargaren E E E C C B
227 49 USnc Faye Sattin A E D A D E
228 49 DK Mogens Barslev D E E A E E
229 49 TR Hakan Peksen D D D A D E
230 49 USmi Ross Linsenmier B E B C C B
231 49 CAnb Peter Coates B E E D F E
232 49 NL Sipke Breimer E E E A F D
233 49 UKen David Sims B E D A D C
234 49 USca Fred Theurkauf D F D E C D
235 49 USca Billy Blanchard D A A C F E
236 49 USny Barry Rigal D F D F F B
237 49 UKen Eddie Richart B E B C F E
238 49 NL Dale Rudrum D A B A F B
239 49 IL Amiram Millet B E D A F F
240 49 DE Christiane Mielke B E A C D B
241 49 DE Falko Gleichmann B E A C D B
242 49 CAbc Alan Chapelle D D E A F E
243 49 USal John Randall B D D C C E
244 49 BE Alan Piotrowski D F F C D D
245 49 CAns Jim Sotvedt D E D E D E
246 49 ZA Carin Verburg B E E A C E
247 49 BG Valio Kovachev D A D A E E
248 49 CAbc Allan Becker D F E A C E
249 49 TR Noyan Ekici D D D C E E
250 49 UStx Robert Szafranski D F A C C D
251 49 ID Noer Imanzal Kartamadjana B E F C D D
252 49 PT Pedro Matos B F E C D B
253 49 HK Wing-Kai Hon B F B C F B
254 49 USny Sheng Li B F E C D B
255 49 UKen Roger Morton B F E C D B
256 49 USct Pierina Graebe D E F A D E
257 49 AU Paul Sherman D E D A B D
258 49 CApq Danny Katz D E A A C E
259 49 AU David Harris D A E C E B
260 49 USmd Joan Miller D E E A E E
261 49 UKen Neil Prebble D F D C B B
262 49 FI Urho Syngelma E A D C C B
263 49 USmo James Yeager B E B C F E
264 49 USnj Stephen Strauss D F B C F E
265 49 AU David Matthews D A A C F E
266 49 USil George Klemic D F C F F D
267 49 UKen Gareth Birdsall D C C C C B
268 49 USwa Thomas Imel B E E D F E
269 48 PL Stanislaw Makowka D E D B D E
270 48 USla Carolyn Songy D D B C F D
271 48 USfl Lee Elton E E E C C D
272 48 USil Robert Howard D A D B F E
273 48 UStn Roscoe Djabbo E F E C F D
274 48 USor John Weatherwax B A D A D E
275 48 USaz Dick Augur F E C A F E
276 48 USil Dan English D F E A E D
277 48 BE Alon Amsel D C C C C D
278 48 IN Jai Grama D A F C D D
279 48 USnc Alan Cochran D D E C E B
280 48 ZA Carl Malcomess D E A A D E
281 48 CAbc Fred Robbins D A E C D E
282 48 UKen John England D E D A B E
283 48 USco Paula Warren A E F A F E
284 48 UKen Dean Swallow D F C C B E
285 48 HK Jonathan Ng B A B C F B
286 48 HU Greg Udvari D A E C D E
287 48 IE Colin Carthy B A A C F D
288 48 PT Fernando Mascarenhas B F E C D D
289 48 UStx Bill Breslin C E E A F D
290 48 IN Venkatesh Ramanathan D F E C E E
291 48 PT Manuel Oliveira D F C F C B
292 48 CN Roger Sun B D D C D E
293 48 USne Larry Gregg D E A C E E
294 48 USor Dottie Allison D E A A D E
295 48 USny Richard Kanter D A B A F D
296 48 UKen Carlos Dabezies B F D D E B
297 48 AU Sinnathamby Jeyakumar D E B A D D
298 48 USny Bruce Hand B A A A F B
299 48 USor Stuart Newberger B E D C B D
300 48 CAon Jack Gemmell C F D A F E}
{2:Places 301-400}
{c;Rank Score CC Name 1 2 3 4 5 6
301 48 AU Fen Neth D D D D D D
302 48 USca Phil Pecsok D B C C E E
303 48 BR Giovanni Zoli D F F C E D
304 48 USfl Eugene Greenberg D E F C F F
305 48 UKen Dom Goodwin D A E A E B
306 48 HR Zoran Bohacek B D D A D D
307 48 NL Bas Oosthoek D C C C D B
308 48 TR Mehmet Komcu D A D F F B
309 48 SA Mohammad Siddique D E E D D E
310 47 MY Timothy Liang Kan D F A C E D
311 47 RS Zoran Radojcic A A E A F D
312 47 UKen Bob Ashby D A C C B E
313 47 HR Karlo Brguljan D F A A E B
314 47 TH Richard Fricks D A C C B E
315 47 USga Joe Sinkey D E B A D E
316 47 USnj Mark Whitman D E D A E F
317 47 IN Vijay Ramchandran A E A A F E
318 47 USca Richard Aronson E A E C F D
319 47 USaz Paul Reeder E A C A D D
320 47 USme Mike Charles B A E C E B
321 47 IE Karel de Raeymaeker D F B C D D
322 47 BG Georgi Bachev D D E A D D
323 47 USsc Rick Giles B E B C D D
324 47 USfl Patrick Thomas D E B C E E
325 47 CH Miriam Kull B E B A D B
326 47 SI Egon Novak B A B C F D
327 47 CN Liqiang He B F C F F D
328 47 USva Richard Padgett C F F C F B
329 47 USny Adam Wildavsky D E C C E A
330 47 USmi Arthur Wasserman E F D C D E
331 47 USfl Nicki Caplan B E B C C E
332 47 TR Semi Alp B D B C F B
333 47 USmi Ronald Rasansky A E B C F E
334 47 USca Paul McEleney B E A C E D
335 47 UKen Claire Robinson B E F A D E
336 47 USla Robert Black B E A C D E
337 47 USwa Robert Getz D F A C D E
338 47 NL John van der Meij D F E A E E
339 47 USwi David Melin D F D C B E
340 47 USmd Noble Shore D C D A C B
341 47 CAns Elianor Kennie D D B C F E
342 47 CAmb Doug Jobbins D E B C E E
343 47 PT Francisco Espregueira D E E A A D
344 47 NO Magnus Skaar D D E C E D
345 47 CAon Chris Pedersen B E B C E B
346 47 USil Eugene Dille D E D C D A
347 47 CAab Daniel Bertrand D A D F F D
348 47 USia David Stark D F D F F E
349 47 HR Bozidar Putanec B A E A C D
350 47 TR Emre Noyan D E E C A E
351 47 USca Jimmie Swan D E F B F E
352 47 USca Phil Swan D E F B F E
353 46 CN Xiangmin Gao B F C A F A
354 46 USca Wally Goldfrank D E A D D E
355 46 EG Mohamed Abdallah B A E A C E
356 46 USin Kenneth Woodman D F D A B E
357 46 USnv Richard Coates D E D F D E
358 46 USco Nelson Brentlinger D E A B F E
359 46 SG Budi Santoso C A D C E B
360 46 CN Qing Ye A F E D F D
361 46 USil Will Shepherd C E E A C D
362 46 NL Bas Tammens B E A C E E
363 46 USks Steve Day B B A C F B
364 46 RO Geza Stanca-Vass D F B A E B
365 46 CAab Derek Martin D E E C B E
366 46 USny Grace Lloyd C E A C F E
367 46 CApq Solange Bouchard B B D C E D
368 46 NL Tommie Nooij B F E A D E
369 46 USnc Fred Lavin F E C A D D
370 46 USfl David Goldstein D E A D D E
371 46 TH Somyod Jaidee A E E A D E
372 46 UKwa Julian Pottage F E D C D D
373 46 CAon Linda Wolburgh F E E A F B
374 46 SE Johnny Johansson B F D C B D
375 46 ES Javier Carbonero E E C F F D
376 46 USny Bruce Ross D E E C B E
377 46 CAon Ragnar Paulson A F A A F D
378 46 BE Pierre Boes D F F E F E
379 46 RO Adrian Popescu D F B C E D
380 46 CAns Bryson Crowell D C D A C D
381 46 USoh David Stuckey B E A C E E
382 46 TR Guven Dalkilic B A E A E B
383 46 CAon Michael Moore B D A C F E
384 46 FI Harri Kivi-Koskinen D A A D F E
385 46 TR Aykut Aksu E E E A D D
386 46 AU Clive Klugman D D D C A E
387 45 CH Eric Walsh D E E B D E
388 45 USny Nicholas France E E C F F E
389 45 USva Ben Dicken F F D C D B
390 45 UKen Tim Dickinson D B C C F A
391 45 TR Bulent Baloglu A E A C D E
392 45 SI Ales Vavpetic B A D D E E
393 45 RO Horia Garbea D E E B D E
394 45 CApq Lise Lapointe D F E C F A
395 45 USfl Bob Bernhard B E A C A B
396 45 CAmb David Sired D E E A B E
397 45 USny Tom Gibbons A E A D C B
398 45 USil Jack Hagerty D E F B C E
399 45 UKen Geoff Bowley B E E C F A
400 45 UKen Dodo Georgevic A E B C C E}
{2:All Others Above Average}
{c;Rank Score CC Name 1 2 3 4 5 6
401 45 CApq Pearl Cooper A E A C D E
402 45 CAon Jackie Lesperance A E E D D D
403 45 CAon Terry Nosanchuk F F D C D B
404 45 UStx James Thurtell D D F A E D
405 45 USwa Dave Grubbs E A F A F D
406 45 UKen Colin Street A E F C E E
407 45 USma Jim Moore A E E C A B
408 45 CAns Doc Morrison E E F A C E
409 45 CAon Richard Papineau D E F C B E
410 45 USil Micah Fogel D D A C E D
411 45 CAbc Ivy Pye A E A D F E
412 45 TR Leyla Kezer B F E A E E
413 45 USmn Barbara Bucha D E E D A D
414 45 AU Rena Kaplan B D D B F E
415 45 CN Min Yan B F A C E D
416 45 NL J.J. Gass C A E C C B
417 45 USca Bruce Blakely D A E C B B
418 45 SE Leif Lundberg A F E A D D
419 45 LV Janis Ciminsh B F F D D B
420 45 USnj Tina Gordon Daly B A A A D B
421 45 DE Albrecht Hollstein E E D E E B
422 45 IN Ashok Sreenivas B F A C E D
423 45 USca Wafik Abdou B D B C F E
424 45 USga Gladys Hardcastle D E E B D E
425 45 USma Susan Pappas E E D A A D
426 45 RU Vladimir Gavrilov D A A E F D
427 45 USme Laura Lipman E A E C C D
428 45 USfl Shirley Wertheim B D F A D B
429 45 TR Altay Alp C E E A D D
430 45 IE Conor Fox D E B D D E
431 45 CAbc Dauna Gustavson D E D F E E
432 45 TR Osman Ozcan C D E A F B
433 45 NL Daniel de Lind van Wijngaarden E E C F C B
434 45 AM Artem Baloyan B A E C E E
435 45 USca Steve Cooperstein D F D A C A
436 45 USak Joe Russell B F B C E B
437 45 IN Gowniyan Vaideeshwar B F A C E D
438 45 PT Anant Rajani B E B A D E
439 45 NL Dick Hermans D A D B D E
440 44 AU Michael Seldon B D E C E E
441 44 BW Glyn Puddefoot B E B A E E
442 44 UKen Bill March F F D C C E
443 44 UKen Paul Huggins B F A A E D
444 44 CN Schalken Zhu A D A A F D
445 44 USnc William Schmink D E F B D E
446 44 USfl Lance Marrou B E E C B E
447 44 USaz Jim Kloss E E D B C E
448 44 USva William Adams B E A A F F
449 44 UKen David Woulds F E E C C D
450 44 USmo Thomas Kniest D D C F D D
451 44 CAnf Brian Delong A D D D D D
452 44 NL Bart Traksel B D A C D D
453 44 USmo Greg Peer D E A A A E
454 44 UKsc Tom Kelsey E F E C D E
455 44 USpa Jim Boyer B E A F F B
456 44 USca Akira Watanabe D E A D F F
457 44 USny Mildred Simon F E D A D E
458 44 USfl Erika Greenfield A E C F C E
459 44 USca Todd Uyeda A E A A D E
460 44 CN Xuejun Gu D F D F E D
461 44 USok Eric Sieg C E B A F E
462 44 NO Geir Nostdahl C D E C F E
463 44 UKen Roger Courtney C E E A E D
464 44 NL John Lesmeister E B D A D B
465 44 USil Darina Demirev B E E A B D
466 44 UStn Art Lowen B A D C B E
467 44 USnm Mark Johnson F F E C F D
468 44 USca Sandy Barnes D F E D F F
469 44 USco Roger Miller D F E F F E
470 44 ID Suga Diawara D E B C A E
471 44 AM Boris Karapetyan D E E D A E
472 44 CAbc Rob Dunn E E A A C E
473 44 USpa William Bond D E E D A E
474 44 USmi Joseph Mount E E A A D D
475 44 SG Fabian Tan B F A C E E
476 44 CAon Bala Iyer B F A A D E
477 44 USnj Robert Gallo E E E D C E
478 44 NL Karen de Leeuw B E A D D E
479 44 IN Shyam Sashital C A C C A B
480 44 IE Maire O'Keeffe E E B C F C
481 44 USwa Ronald Jakosh E E A C D E
482 44 SG Ryan Leung D E F A B E
483 44 USnj Noel Kohn D B E C E E
484 44 USmn Tony Ames D A B D D B
485 44 ES Deirdre Acton D E C B B E
486 44 USil Serge Bondar B D B A F E
487 44 TR Yavuz Ovacik D B B A F E
488 44 RO Liviu Oprea D D B D F E
489 44 RO Adrian Petculescu B C D C D D
490 44 USpa Joyce Horn F E D A D E
491 44 USma Jeffrey Gertz E D D A E D
492 44 USdc Stephen Rose D D A C E E
493 44 USmd Tibor Roberts D D D F D B
494 44 UKen Mike Powers D D A A E D
495 44 USor Isolde Knaap C A C B F D
496 44 USfl Phil Benamy B E E A B D}
{Names with accented or non-English letters have been converted to an English representation with a 26-letter alphabet. Many people use erratic capitalization, so I determine proper case by algorithm; if this does not correctly display your name, please advise and I will add it to the exception list. If you wish to contact someone whose name you see listed (such as a lost friend) give me permission to send your address to that person, then he or she can contact you. I will not give out e-mail addresses (these are private and go nowhere from me).}
{2:Location Ranking}
{This table lists all the participating locations, ranked by the average score of their entries. The "Best" column shows the best finish (by rank) of any player in that location. Locations with less than five entries are ineligible for the top ranking and grouped separately.}
{c;Rank Average Best CC Location Entries
1 50.80 37 ES Spain 5
2 50.29 58 BG Bulgaria 7
3 48.69 22 PL Poland 13
4 48.20 82 ID Indonesia 5
5 48.20 88 SI Slovenia 5
6 48.00 72 EG Egypt 6
7 47.92 14 FI Finland 13
8 47.84 9 CN China 25
9 46.80 67 HU Hungary 5
10 46.63 5 DE Germany 8
11 46.63 111 USaz Arizona 8
12 46.14 128 CAab Alberta 7
13 46.11 55 HK Hong Kong 9
14 45.75 56 IT Italy 8
15 45.67 68 FR France 9
16 45.26 24 NL Netherlands 35
17 45.00 49 USor Oregon 12
18 45.00 96 USnj New Jersey 15
19 44.75 25 BE Belgium 8
20 44.69 10 USil Illinois 29
21 44.54 48 TR Turkey 24
22 44.46 6 RO Romania 13
23 44.44 1 UKen England 63
24 44.40 102 EE Estonia 5
25 44.40 159 CAns Nova Scotia 10
26 44.13 53 USmd Maryland 8
27 43.81 87 PT Portugal 16
28 43.76 7 AU Australia 37
29 43.75 57 USmi Michigan 8
30 43.67 46 UKsc Scotland 6
31 43.54 79 SE Sweden 13
32 43.50 263 USmo Missouri 6
33 43.47 54 USpa Pennsylvania 19
34 43.29 45 USma Massachusetts 14
35 43.20 84 USco Colorado 10
36 43.17 27 CAon Ontario 36
37 43.05 63 CApq Quebec 19
38 42.83 122 ZA South Africa 6
39 42.58 31 IN India 24
40 42.55 13 USwa Washington 11
41 42.25 225 IE Ireland 8
42 42.05 140 CAbc British Columbia 20
43 42.00 4 USca California 66
44 42.00 175 CH Switzerland 7
45 41.92 3 USoh Ohio 12
46 41.92 227 USnc North Carolina 12
47 41.90 92 SG Singapore 10
48 41.75 211 USct Connecticut 8
49 41.17 139 NZ New Zealand 6
50 41.17 239 IL Israel 6
51 41.14 101 CAmb Manitoba 7
52 41.00 143 TW Taiwan 5
53 40.89 135 USva Virginia 9
54 40.75 75 USny New York 36
55 40.75 98 UStx Texas 20
56 40.50 149 NO Norway 10
57 40.14 95 USfl Florida 44
58 40.00 339 USwi Wisconsin 5
59 39.57 315 USga Georgia 7
60 37.78 103 GR Greece 9
61 36.22 323 USsc South Carolina 9}
{c;Rank Average Best CC Location Entries
62 60.00 12 ZW Zimbabwe 1
63 56.00 71 CZ Czech Republic 1
64 53.67 26 RU Russia 3
65 53.50 44 CAnb New Brunswick 2
66 51.00 62 LV Latvia 2
67 50.00 94 USnh New Hampshire 3
68 50.00 221 BY Belarus 1
69 49.75 59 HR Croatia 4
70 49.00 20 JP Japan 4
71 49.00 243 USal Alabama 1
72 48.00 293 USne Nebraska 1
73 48.00 309 SA Saudi Arabia 1
74 47.50 156 AT Austria 2
75 47.00 160 AM Armenia 3
76 47.00 310 MY Malaysia 1
77 47.00 348 USia Iowa 1
78 46.50 314 TH Thailand 2
79 46.33 181 BR Brazil 3
80 46.00 273 UStn Tennessee 2
81 46.00 320 USme Maine 2
82 45.00 8 USin Indiana 4
83 45.00 219 VE Venezuela 3
84 45.00 436 USak Alaska 1
85 44.25 133 DK Denmark 4
86 44.00 357 USnv Nevada 2
87 44.00 441 BW Botswana 1
88 44.00 451 CAnf Newfoundland 1
89 44.00 467 USnm New Mexico 1
90 43.00 201 USky Kentucky 3
91 43.00 523 MT Malta 1
92 42.50 413 USmn Minnesota 4
93 42.25 270 USla Louisiana 4
94 42.00 372 UKwa Wales 3
95 42.00 553 MX Mexico 1
96 41.50 151 CL Chile 4
97 41.00 363 USks Kansas 4
98 41.00 461 USok Oklahoma 2
99 39.00 492 USdc Washington DC 2
100 39.00 716 PK Pakistan 1
101 38.67 696 USwy Wyoming 3
102 38.00 311 RS Serbia 3
103 38.00 743 BM Bermuda 1
104 38.00 761 USde Delaware 1
105 37.33 203 USid Idaho 3
106 34.00 873 LB Lebanon 1
107 34.00 876 USwv West Virginia 1
108 32.50 738 CApe Prince Edward Island 2
109 32.50 848 IS Iceland 2
110 30.00 964 CD Congo (Dem Republic) 1
111 27.00 988 USnd North Dakota 1}
{2:Bot's Eye View}
{I posed these play problems to some of the well-known bridge computer programs, and the results are tabulated below. (These results are not included in the "number of participants" shown above, nor in the calculation of the median or average score.) Most of the programs have different skill settings (thinking time), and this was set to the highest level within reason.* The scores and rankings, based on six specific problems, are not necessarily indicative of each program's overall capability.}
{f:*I do not allow any setting that takes more than a minute to make a play. Time considerations are also used to break ties, i.e., if two bots have the same score, the edge goes to the one using less time. Tests are conducted on a 3.4 GHz CPU with 512 MB RAM, running Windows 98.}
{Congratulations to Jack (Netherlands), which won easily with a solid 51. A distant second went to GIB (United States) with 45. Jack and GIB were the only bots to top the average human score of 43.51. The win vaulted Jack into the overall lead, surpassing archrival GIB, which held the lead for a long time.}
{As usual, some of the lines of play chosen were not listed on my chart (or close enough to be effectively the same). Sometimes these wayward techniques prove to have some merit (better than at least one of my choices) and are indicated as Line G. On Problem 2, GIB ruffed a club, drew two trumps and led a heart, eventually playing for East to have sK-x or Q-x, awarded 3. On Problem 4, Blue Chip Bridge led dA-K-Q immediately, while Bridge Baron took a devious path with about the same chances, also awarded 3. Plays without merit beyond my worst choice are indicated as Line H (think hopeless) and best left undescribed -- surely it must be dinner time somewhere in the world.}
{As a side activity, I was curious how many bots would follow the proper technique on Problem 1 of cashing the sA and ruffing a spade (as designated before my problem). Kudos to Jack, GIB and Bridge Buff for doing exactly that. Bridge Baron ruffed a spade without cashing the ace; Micro Bridge and Q-plus Bridge took the club finesse first; and Blue Chip Bridge took the heart finesse.}
{HAL forced me to come up with a new designation this month (I for idiot's play), as its plays on Problems 2 and 6 would make Line H almost heroic. Perhaps HAL had its microchips aimed at a new job with our Federal Government (CIA? FBI?) -- at least there's no future in bridge.}
{C;August 2006 Rankings
Rank Score CC Program version 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 51 NL Jack 3.01 B E E A F E
2 45 US GIB 6.1.3 D G D C F F
3 42 DE Q-plus Bridge 7.1 D B E A F F
4 40 JP Micro Bridge 11.00 A D A A D E
5 36 US Bridge Baron 16.0 A E D G H C
6 29 UK Blue Chip Bridge 4.2.9 C H E G D E
7 24 CA Bridge Buff 11.0 B H H A H H
8 14 US HAL 9004 C I A F B I}
{L;Participants (alphabetical)
Program Author/Creator
Blue Chip Bridge Ian Trackman and Mike Whittaker
Bridge Baron Tom Throop and Stephen Smith
Bridge Buff Doug Bennion
GIB Matthew Ginsberg
HAL Someone with a warped mind
Jack Hans Kuijf
Micro Bridge Tomio and Yumiko Uchida
Q-plus Bridge Hans Leber}
fdicative of each program's overall capability.}
{f:*I do not allow any setting that takes more than a minute to make a play. Time considerations are also used to break ties, i.e., if two bots have the same score, the edge goes to the one using less time. Tests are conducted on a 3.4 GHz CPU with 512 MB RAM, running Windows 98.}
{Congratulations to Bridge Buff (Canada), which resurged from a quiet spell to capture the top spot with 49, an excellent score in what proved to be a tough contest. Second place went to Jack (Netherlands), which posted the same score but took _longer_ (more thinking time) to supply its answers. No less than six bots topped the average human score (38.33).}
{Bots were well-behaved this month, except for Q-plus bridge in two cases: On Problem 1, it led the c5, which is clearly worse than the winning c10 but far better than some; scored as 6. On Problem 6, it led the cQ, an aberration of immense proportion (crashing partner's jack); scored as 1 (same as worst listed option) but deserving zero.}
{As a side activity this month, I was curious how many of my forced opening leads would be chosen by the bot crew. I expected a general agreement, as most of these leads were pretty normal. Problem 1: All agreed with the sK. Problem 2: Bridge Baron led the dA; all others agreed with the sJ. Problem 3: All agreed with the hQ. Problem 4: Blue Chip Bridge led the s8; Q-plus Bridge led the s9; all others agreed with the cK. Problem 5: All _disagreed_ with the dJ and led the singleton heart. Problem 6: Bridge Buff and GIB led the s5; Bridge Baron led the dQ; all others agreed with the cK. Interesting.}
{HAL was distraught with its dismal showings in past contests and decided it was about time to "call a spade a spade." Amazing! A little science almost doubled its typical score.}
{C;June 2006 Rankings
Rank Score CC Program version 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 49 CA Bridge Buff 11.0 s10 s5 hJ dJ h4 sK
2 49 NL Jack 3.01 c10 s5 cJ s9 h4 c7
3 44 US GIB 6.1.3 s10 dA hJ d5 d3 sK
4 42 JP Micro Bridge 11.00 s10 dA hJ s3 h4 dQ
5 42 US Bridge Baron 16.0 s10 s5 s2 s9 h4 dQ
6 42 UK Blue Chip Bridge 4.2.9 s10 dA hJ s9 d3 c7
7 34 DE Q-plus Bridge 7.1 c5 s5 hJ s3 d3 cQ
8 24 US HAL 9004 s4 s5 s2 s3 s7 s5}
{L;Participants (alphabetical)
Program Author/Creator
Blue Chip Bridge Ian Trackman and Mike Whittaker
Bridge Baron Tom Throop and Stephen Smith
Bridge Buff Doug Bennion
GIB Matthew Ginsberg
HAL Someone with a warped mind
Jack Hans Kuijf
Micro Bridge Tomio and Yumiko Uchida
Q-plus Bridge Hans Leber}
[pF C
2 49 NL Jack 3.01 G A D E F C
3 35 US Bridge Baron 16.0 C D F H F B
4 33 UK Blue Chip Bridge 4.2.9 D H B H F F
5 31 JP Micro Bridge 11.00 C A H B D B
6 27 DE Q-plus Bridge 7.1 C G B B H H
7 24 CA Bridge Buff 11.0 C A H H H F
8 11 US HAL 9004 F F C D C D}
{L;Participants (alphabetical)
Program Author/Creator
Blue Chip Bridge Ian Trackman and Mike Whittaker
Bridge Baron Tom Throop and Stephen Smith
Bridge Buff Doug Bennion
GIB Matthew Ginsberg
HAL Someone with a warped mind
Jack Hans Kuijf
Micro Bridge Tomio and Yumiko Uchida
Q-plus Bridge Hans Leber}
rug Bennion
GIB Matthew Ginsberg
HAL Someone with a warped mind
Jack Hans Kuijf
Micro Bridge Tomio and Yumiko Uchida
Q-plus Bridge Hans Leber}
sn Wayne Mayer 3n 2s 4h 4c D E
708 47 PT Neves Fernando D 2s 4h 3d C E
709 47 USnj Angelo Depalma D 3c 3s 4n B B
710 47 USak Joe Russell D 2s 4h 3d C E
711 47 FI Markku Mannikko 3n 3c 3d 4c D C
712 47 USfl Sharon Meng 4s 3n 4h 5c D E
713 47 USmd Ted Lee 4s 3c 3s 5c D C
714 47 SK Igor Trepac 3n 3c 3n 3d C B
715 47 USny Jay Levy D 3c 3h 3d A E
716 47 NL J.J. Gass D 3c 4h 4c A E
717 47 TH Somyod Jaidee D 2n 4h 3d B E
718 47 PL Jacek Gackowski 3n 2n 4h 3d A B
719 47 USia Richard Newell D 3n 3s 4c C D
720 47 IN Thiruvenkata Chari D 2s 4h 3d C E
721 47 USmd Joan Miller D 2n 3s 4c D C
722 47 CApq Luc Desjardins D 3c 3d 4c C B
723 47 HR Zoran Bohacek D 3n 3s 4c E E
724 47 AU Peter Tall 4n 3c 4h 4n D B
725 47 USny Chongmin Zhang 3n 3c 3s 4n D D
726 47 HK Simon Cheung 3n 2s 3h 3d D E
727 47 USfl Eugene Greenberg 4n 3c 4h 3d C D
728 47 USco Charles Goudey 3n 3c 3s 3d D A
729 47 CAon Alan Brooks 4s 3c 3n 3d D B
730 47 USca Steve Mager D 2n 4h 3d C C
731 47 PT Jorge Castanheira 3n 3n 4h 3d A E
732 47 USmn Andy Caranicas 3n 2s 4h 3d C D
733 47 IE Conor Fox 3n 2n 3s 3d D E
734 47 IT Charles Sossoman 3n 2s 4h 3d E E
735 47 GR Antonis Kokkalidis 3n 2s 4h 3d C D
736 47 USnj Ram Ramjee D 2s 4h 3d C E
737 47 IN Deone Menezes D 2s 4h 3d C E
738 47 UKen Ian Grant D 3c 3n 4c D E
739 47 UKen Paul Huggins 3n 2n 3s 3d D E
740 47 USca Michael Bodell D 2s 4h 4c B D
741 47 USmo Dan Osman D 2n 3h 3d C B}
{Names with accented or non-English letters have been converted to an English representation with a 26-letter alphabet. Many people use erratic capitalization, so I determine proper case by algorithm; if this does not correctly display your name, please advise and I will add it to the exception list. If you wish to contact someone whose name you see listed (such as a lost friend) give me permission to send your address to that person, then he or she can contact you. I will not give out e-mail addresses (these are private and go nowhere from me).}
{2:Location Ranking}
{This table lists all the participating locations, ranked by the average score of their entries. The "Best" column shows the best finish (by rank) of any player in that location. Locations with less than five entries are ineligible for the top ranking and grouped separately.}
{c;Rank Average Best CC Location Entries
1 51.73 10 IT Italy 15
2 51.00 12 VE Venezuela 5
3 50.75 92 GR Greece 8
4 49.86 16 SE Sweden 14
5 49.80 196 USaz Arizona 5
6 48.90 52 HK Hong Kong 10
7 48.82 27 RO Romania 22
8 48.78 68 ES Spain 9
9 48.77 74 BE Belgium 13
10 48.62 79 DE Germany 21
11 48.60 167 CH Switzerland 5
12 48.47 6 NL Netherlands 53
13 48.33 51 USga Georgia 9
14 48.29 48 ZA South Africa 14
15 48.25 26 BG Bulgaria 12
16 48.20 65 TW Taiwan 5
17 48.16 2 FR France 19
18 48.00 30 USmd Maryland 15
19 47.92 228 HU Hungary 12
20 47.78 177 SG Singapore 9
21 47.75 66 FI Finland 12
22 47.64 104 USct Connecticut 11
23 47.60 117 CAbc British Columbia 20
24 47.60 210 UStn Tennessee 5
25 47.57 17 USmn Minnesota 7
26 47.33 176 PL Poland 9
27 47.15 96 CN China 26
28 47.14 166 EE Estonia 7
29 47.00 197 EG Egypt 6
30 46.95 3 USma Massachusetts 20
31 46.78 39 NZ New Zealand 9
32 46.67 103 USwi Wisconsin 6
33 46.63 15 UKen England 87
34 46.63 41 TR Turkey 38
35 46.56 160 USsc South Carolina 9
36 46.52 18 USwa Washington 23
37 46.50 4 CApq Quebec 26
38 46.50 89 CAab Alberta 8
39 46.50 128 ID Indonesia 8
40 46.38 38 USnj New Jersey 26
41 46.36 64 IN India 36
42 46.23 149 USmi Michigan 13
43 46.00 127 USor Oregon 12
44 46.00 237 HR Croatia 7
45 45.91 32 USpa Pennsylvania 22
46 45.84 34 CAon Ontario 61
47 45.81 81 USnc North Carolina 21
48 45.71 5 USny New York 45
49 45.71 164 USky Kentucky 7
50 45.69 33 USva Virginia 13
51 45.64 203 IL Israel 14
52 45.60 71 UKwa Wales 5
53 45.60 108 LV Latvia 5
54 45.36 63 UStx Texas 22
55 45.33 87 USin Indiana 9
56 45.29 290 CAmb Manitoba 7
57 45.25 25 USfl Florida 60
58 45.00 362 CAns Nova Scotia 9
59 44.92 7 AU Australia 51
60 44.78 1 USca California 103
61 44.78 40 PT Portugal 23
62 44.73 193 USmo Missouri 11
63 44.57 205 UKsc Scotland 7
64 44.48 126 USoh Ohio 21
65 44.04 88 USil Illinois 25
66 43.83 61 NO Norway 6
67 43.50 47 DK Denmark 8
68 43.50 144 USnh New Hampshire 6
69 43.20 154 USnv Nevada 5
70 43.14 548 USal Alabama 7
71 42.89 212 USco Colorado 9
72 42.42 189 IE Ireland 12
73 41.80 832 USla Louisiana 5
74 41.50 247 SI Slovenia 6}
{c;Rank Average Best CC Location Entries
75 59.00 11 CAnb New Brunswick 1
76 58.00 20 USwy Wyoming 1
77 58.00 21 LT Lithuania 1
78 56.00 53 OM Oman 1
79 55.00 95 KR Korea (South) 1
80 55.00 113 BY Belarus 1
81 54.00 9 PK Pakistan 2
82 53.00 174 MY Malaysia 1
83 52.00 23 CAsk Saskatchewan 2
84 51.67 8 BR Brazil 3
85 51.33 45 AT Austria 3
86 50.33 340 USdc Washington DC 3
87 49.50 60 USms Mississippi 2
88 49.50 351 BM Bermuda 2
89 49.00 136 CZ Czech Republic 2
90 49.00 187 USak Alaska 3
91 49.00 464 CD Congo (Dem Republic) 1
92 48.00 282 USme Maine 3
93 47.75 80 RS Serbia 4
94 47.50 343 CL Chile 4
95 47.50 571 AR Argentina 2
96 47.50 591 USid Idaho 2
97 47.50 611 USia Iowa 2
98 47.00 566 JP Japan 2
99 47.00 717 TH Thailand 1
100 46.25 138 RU Russia 4
101 46.00 777 USvt Vermont 1
102 46.00 783 USar Arkansas 1
103 46.00 798 DO Dominican Republic 1
104 45.00 503 USok Oklahoma 3
105 45.00 507 LB Lebanon 2
106 45.00 860 GT Guatemala 1
107 45.00 897 CY Cyprus 1
108 44.67 632 IS Iceland 3
109 44.33 686 USnm New Mexico 3
110 44.00 868 AM Armenia 2
111 43.50 606 USmt Montana 2
112 43.50 714 SK Slovakia 2
113 43.00 1005 USne Nebraska 1
114 42.00 1113 SA Saudi Arabia 1
115 41.67 855 USks Kansas 3
116 41.50 1069 USnd North Dakota 2
117 41.00 1137 VG Virgin Islands UK 1
118 40.00 1174 CAyt Yukon 1
119 39.00 1242 CAnf Newfoundland 1
120 38.00 341 USwv West Virginia 2
121 38.00 1257 BW Botswana 1
122 38.00 1268 AE United Arab Emirates 1
123 37.00 1309 MZ Mozambique 1
124 35.00 1350 AO Angola 1
125 34.00 1355 CApe Prince Edward Island 1}
:Bot's Eye View}
{I posed these bidding problems to some of the well-known bridge computer programs, and the results are tabulated below. (These results are not included in the "number of participants" shown above, nor in the calculation of the median or average score.) Most of the programs had different skill settings (thinking time), and this was set to the highest level.* The scores and rankings, based on six specific problems, are not necessarily indicative of each program's overall capability.}
{f:*Not to exceed 30 seconds per bid. Thinking time is also used to break ties, with the advantage to the bot that was faster.}
ongratulations to Bridge Baron (US), which topped the bots with a medioc HtJyK KxzO OR R" H& 2007 A Pause To Reflect:Richard Pavlicek Article 8X98 2007 A Pause To Reflect:Richard Pavlicek Article 8X98 Y\8X98.RBN \H\8X98.HTM C 8eH,#
@ 8,7``#rXU
Another remarkable coincidence occurred in June of 2003, when I ran my “Valley of the Kings” play contest. The Egyptian theme was inspired by my penchant for those old “Mummy” movies — aah, the tana leaves; the visions of Kharis limping off into the night carrying his “princess.” I remember having nightmares about these films in my youth; but I digress. While my contest was under way, a surprising news story broke: The mummy of Queen Nefertiti, supposedly the most beautiful woman of ancient times, was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Was I a prophet? No, I hardly think so; but I will prophesy one thing: Any woman whose name ends in titi ought to be beautiful. Smack!
Not Falcon Serious!
For my June 2004 contest, “The Falcon Is Found!” I spun a wild tale about the infamous Black Bird and its treacherous history, culminating in my recovery from a Gypsy, who was unaware of its value. The contest posed only spade contracts in honor of Sam Spade, the fictional detective in Dashiell Hammett’s, “The Maltese Falcon” (Bogart’s classic role). I doubt there is a connection, but next month while at the New York City Nationals, our home was robbed! This was no laughing matter, as we lost many precious things, including our computers. Fortunately, I had my laptop with me as usual, else my life works would have been gone. They even took our fire safe, which had no valuables but only important papers. Oh well; we recovered (I think we’re still married even without our license) but I couldn’t stop thinking about that $28 million Falcon I wrote was sitting on my mantle.
After three years, I can almost laugh about it. Could anyone be that naive? In case the burglars (or anyone else with the I.Q. of a toad) are reading, my January 2007 story “Diamonds in the Ruff” is fictional. That means not true, you idiots, so stay out of my falcon house!
Wilma and Deja Vu
In October 2005, I was preparing my November poll, “Fair Winds on the Plate,” and needed to concoct a story to justify its title. “Fair Winds” actually translates to Buenos Aires, the tournament location (pictured at right is its famous Obelisco) and “on the Plate” refers to the River Plate, or Rio de la Plata. I noticed a weather report that Hurricane Wilma was heading our way, so I decided I would be hired by the National Weather Service to test plate glass during the storm (fair winds on the plate, no?) and my bogus tale ended with the glass being shattered by a flying two-by-four. Oh dear! Eight days later we were hit by the worst hurricane since Andrew of ‘92, losing every tree and almost all of our roof shingles. If that wasn’t enough, one of our storm awnings tore loose and imploded a plate glass window. Is that deja vu, or what?
On a personal basis, the series had its ups and downs. Certainly, the brightest moment was the birth of my only grandchild, Seth, in February 2004. Rich has become a devoted, caring father, which means less free time, so our online bridge sessions are rare; but having such a wonderful grandson is true happiness. Seth is so bright; looking through a book of dinosaurs at age 2, he would point to each one and announce, “brachiosaurus” or “triceratops.” Say what? Sure kid, whatever you say. Unfortunately, Rich and Lisa live far off in California and can visit only a few times a year (we used to go there but can no longer travel).
In November 2005, I had to bid farewell to my Mom, though at 96 she lived a full life. Mom made it very clear that we should “not mourn but only remember,” as she quoted from one of her favorite poems, “Happy times, and laughing times, and bright and sunny days.” The picture at right, taken in June 2005, shows four Pavlicek generations: Rich, Edith, me and Seth (the shortcake). Alas, a bridge team that will never be.
World’s Greatest Wife
Finally, I must reflect on the wonderful girl I married (1969). Until recent times in illness, Mabel has devoted her life to my happiness and well-being. In the early years of this series, she eagerly entered every bidding poll (sometimes play contests with coaxing). One time I wrote in jest, “Sorry, I couldn’t stop Mabel from entering. I tried everything; I took away her mouse and keyboard, but she kept buying new ones. I hot-wired her CPU from Intel to Mattel inside, which didn’t work either, though her entry was mysteriously signed Barbie.” A few times I even removed Mabel’s name from the overall standings (she agreed) because her high rank might make people think she had unfair advantage. Hardly! She was an excellent player in her own right (Diamond LM) and even taught me a few things — I mean, besides not to double her if I wanted dinner. While she can no longer understand bridge, she finds ways to help me to this day. Indeed, the sunset picture at the top and below was her choice.
by Richard Pavlicek
The May 2001 bidding poll was the first instance of a bizarre occurrence. I titled the event, “Catch a Falling Star,” after the song made famous by Perry Como, as a clue to the location of Como, Italy. Curiously, the song became a #1 Hit the same year (1958) as the tournament, so it was the perfect choice. All was going fine until I heard the shocking news that Perry Como died during my poll (May 12, 2001) — and in Florida, only 50 miles from where I live. Is that eerie, or what? I swear, I never touched him! This left me dazed for the rest of the month, but surely it was just a coincidence. Nonetheless, I had great reservations about my choice to use Sean Connery for my James Bond theme in June. Was his life on the line, too? Whew! He made it! My concern may have been unjustified; Goldfinger and countless others couldn’t eliminate ‘007’ so why should I be the first.
Bridge players are accustomed to the number 13, as it’s the sum of all hand and suit patterns. Fear of the number is almost unheard of in the bridge world, although some of my students have made me wonder. Was it a coincidence that the tragic September 2001 attack on our country came during my 13th event? Perhaps more eerie was my prophetic title, “When the Chips Are Down.” The title of course was related to casinos, as a clue to the tournament location in Monte Carlo — I wish to make this perfectly clear, lest I be visited by Homeland Security. Scary. My birthday is September 10, and we had just spent a wonderful evening at my favorite restaurant… then Black Tuesday. Despite all the fear and sadness, bridge players regrouped and the series continued.
In August 2002, I decided to correlate the idea of defeating slam contracts with baseball, or more specifically, catching a deep fly ball hit by one of the game’s respected power hitters, Sammy Sosa. “Slammin’ Sammy Goes Deep” proved to be a fun event, especially because of some curious terms that are shared by bridge and baseball; e.g., grand slams, doubles, squeeze plays and sacrifices. Foul! About 10 months later it proved that Sammy was not so respectable after all, as he was caught red-handed using an illegal corked bat. I suppose that’s no worse than the steroid scandals of recent times, but it brought up an interesting question: Should I rescore the event based on foul play? Nah, nobody cried foul. If necessary I’ll say the awards were tainted by a foul lie of the Cubs, er, cards.
Another remarkable coincidence occurred in June of 2003, when I ran my “Valley of the Kings” play contest. The Egyptian theme was inspired by my penchant for those old “Mummy” movies — aah, the tana leaves; the visions of Kharis limping off into the night carrying his “princess.” I remember having nightmares about these films in my youth; but I digress. While my contest was under way, a surprising news story broke: The mummy of Queen Nefertiti, supposedly the most beautiful woman of ancient times, was discovered in the Valley of the Kings. Was I a prophet? No, I hardly think so; but I will prophesy one thing: Any woman whose name ends in titi ought to be beautiful. Smack!
For my June 2004 contest, “The Falcon Is Found!” I spun a wild tale about the infamous Black Bird and its treacherous history, culminating in my recovery from a Gypsy, who was unaware of its value. The contest posed only spade contracts in honor of Sam Spade, the fictional detective in Dashiell Hammett’s, “The Maltese Falcon” (Bogart’s classic role). I doubt there is a connection, but next month while at the New York City Nationals, our home was robbed! This was no laughing matter, as we lost many precious things, including our computers. Fortunately, I had my laptop with me as usual, else my life works would have been gone. They even took our fire safe, which had no valuables but only important papers. Oh well; we recovered (I think we’re still married even without our license) but I couldn’t stop thinking about that $28 million Falcon I wrote was sitting on my mantle.
In October 2005, I was preparing my November poll, “Fair Winds on the Plate,” and needed to concoct a story to justify its title. “Fair Winds” actually translates to Buenos Aires, the tournament location (pictured at right is its famous Obelisco) and “on the Plate” refers to the River Plate, or Rio de la Plata. I noticed a weather report that Hurricane Wilma was heading our way, so I decided I would be hired by the National Weather Service to test plate glass during the storm (fair winds on the plate, no?) and my bogus tale ended with the glass being shattered by a flying two-by-four. Oh dear! Eight days later we were hit by the worst hurricane since Andrew of ‘92, losing every tree and almost all of our roof shingles. If that wasn’t enough, one of our storm awnings tore loose and imploded a plate glass window. Is that deja vu, or what?
On a personal basis, the series had its ups and downs. Certainly, the brightest moment was the birth of my only grandchild, Seth, in February 2004. Rich has become a devoted, caring father, which means less free time, so our online bridge sessions are rare; but having such a wonderful grandson is true happiness. Seth is so bright; looking through a book of dinosaurs at age 2, he would point to each one and announce, “brachiosaurus” or “triceratops.” Say what? Sure kid, whatever you say. Unfortunately, Rich and Lisa live far off in California and can visit only a few times a year (we used to go there but can no longer travel).
Finally, I must reflect on the wonderful girl I married (1969). Until recent times in illness, Mabel has devoted her life to my happiness and well-being. In the early years of this series, she eagerly entered every bidding poll (sometimes play contests with coaxing). One time I wrote in jest, “Sorry, I couldn’t stop Mabel from entering. I tried everything; I took away her mouse and keyboard, but she kept buying new ones. I hot-wired her CPU from Intel to Mattel inside, which didn’t work either, though her entry was mysteriously signed Barbie.” A few times I even removed Mabel’s name from the overall standings (she agreed) because her high rank might make people think she had unfair advantage. Hardly! She was an excellent player in her own right (Diamond LM) and even taught me a few things — I mean, besides not to double her if I wanted dinner. While she can no longer understand bridge, she finds ways to help me to this day. Indeed, the sunset picture at the top and below was her choice.