We had a great September with almost no rain but the clouds have been threathening and a few serious nights of rain have happened. Whats this got to do with bridge ..
Thursday Oct 2nd Galligan rushes home to the local after directing bridge in Fitzwilliam Tennis Club. Card parked outside home and race across field to local. A little late but we know the lads are slow to hit the last orders. Settle for 2 pints and the young poker player at the bar engages me in conversation. He is talking about Don a game he has just learned and he is analyzing somewhat deep for me and for himself given he has a few beers on board. I manage to extract myself and get over to my laptop for the daily 16 hands of Wbridge5... WBridge5 daily tourney ends at 1am which is approx to the time I have to drink my beer. Invited the young lad over if he wanted a few games of DON on my laptop. He declined.
5 minutes later he is over and I set up the DON program. We play a few hands against the computer robots and basically he says "This is too easy" ..
So I think .. Ok lets load up the "Learn to play bridge software" .. Quickly its clear he knows about tricks so we can skip that so I motor on further. All good so far and the young lad knows it all ...
So I decide Wbridge5 .. and put a hand up to him ..
6NT by the East West robots and we own KQJT of a suit on lead
So our man indicates we will lead the Club 10 being a non-bridge player on his first hand ever.
Bridge players all know they will go Club King ...but we are not a bridge player.
So out goes club 10 and declarer wins with Ace ..
Declarer plays off 10 more tricks and my man starts discarding some Club Jack and some club Queen and then to my horror he pitches the Club King ...theres me thinking this guy has no clue whats going on. He has plenty of beers on board as well.
Suddenly I notice robot declarer leading a club and our mans partner is winning the trick with
the CLUB 9 ... and cashing a winner.
My bridge beginner of 15 minutes lessons has just unblocked KQJ of clubs to let his partner in to best the contract. I look at the results and see
3 international capped players have allowed 6NT home
another 2 national champions and several accomplished bridge players have done the same.
but the inebriated 15 minute beginner is in there with the 6NT down one lads.
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Maxwellsmart take a bow ..
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I emailed Maxwell two websites and much to my surprise noted he had gone home at 115am and he was logged in playing more bridge.
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Last night while I was down at the end of Drogheda Congress Teams I received a message from the
same maxwellsmart... Eamon I got 3spades making 230 and why did I get 0%.
I laughed to myself and thought ... "Shane 15 minutes was not enough time to explain Game bonuses and doubles and all the rest .." .. I replied and told him I will explain soon.
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Seamus Costello a well known bridge player and teacher from Skerries Balbriggan area is teaching bridge in the local club where I have a few beers .. I think young Maxwell will be paying him a visit.
We see see how that goes.
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Earliet on the same Thursday I was sitting at home getting ready to head off for Fitzwilliam to direct the nights bridge there. Viber made a noise and it meant I had a message.
I looked at saw .. Fiona Brown ... "if you need some vugraph help at the weekend I will be around.
Fiona was coming over to Dublin as the Camrose Trials were on and she presumed CBAI might do vugraph or was sussing out the story. I had heard nothing of vugraph ...so I said so ....
Then I got the bright idea (unusual for me as I don't play much bridge these days as I mostly direct and help out folk with bidding practice) that we might go play bridge.
I already knew Fiona was over to watch the Camrose trials as her partner/man/ significant other plays for Ireland regularly. Now she probably enjoys watching and being around the action but when would I get another chance to partner a Wotld and European champion.
So I suggested ..lets go Drogheda Congess ... (I only meant Saturday Pairs )
She came back "Well I could do Mixed and Congress maybe but you got to bring me as I got no car and have no idea where Drogheda is ..
So we arranged to go on Saturday and I would pick her up at Chez Hanlon and we would have a nice time.
So all was well until the Galligan missed the turn for Leinster Road and got all mixed up and eventually found his way to Leinster Road East. Poor Fiona standing outside Chez Hanlon and this donkey could not find the house despite sleeping in the stupid house one night and being there another once or twice in passing and being too thick or something to work out how his Sat Nav worked. Anyway 15 minutes before game time we were still 20 minutes away so we rang the director and he said .."Get here when you do "
Now parking is often a problem in Drogheda and is fine once you find a spot as you can have free parking by posting a Congress Brochure in your car window but with this Congress packed out and it being late Galligan figured better leave car at train station and stroll down.
The easy stroll I had done in the past 45 minutes before start time turned out to be 1.5 kilometres fast walk but Fiona did not care ... "I like walking" she says
Anyway we landed at the playing venue and attempted to find our seats ... we eventually met Mairead one of the directors and she told us we have a sit out ...So we were sorted.
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Tomorrow morning I will tell some more about Drogheda Bridge Congress but if you cannot wait
have some photos and sounds and results
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I will skip forward and say on Sunday night I was out having a smoke and this young lad from England (he was 33) engaged me in conversation .. and indicated they were staying in the WestCourt because their ferry was cancelled and had no idea what to do.
He told me on Saturday night the Drogheda Bridge people brought himself and his mates into the Bridge Social thing and got them out dancing and listening to music. Now I detected this guy was a little off centre and in our 10 minute conversation he explained to me something about medication to make him not be introvert or to make him more confident.
Anyway he said he was so happy with those Drogheda Bridge people ..
He said "My two friends left me on my own for a little while at a table and some bridge people came over and brought him out dancing... This might sound a load of rubbish ...but it indicates the Welcome the bridge organisers in Drogheda give to people ..even non bridge players ..
The young lad was from Hertfordshire ... Chiswick or some place ..
I don't know England but I think it is about 40 miles outside London ...
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Also while I was waiting to start the bridge I met Tony O'Reilly I think is the mans name
a Drogheda Committee guy of long standing and he told Fiona and myself he would drop us back to the station after the bridge if we needed.,,,
As it happened we were quite happy to walk the 1,5 kilos ... Fiona said "Sure we would walk it while he would be unparking his car and coming back to repark it.
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More in the morning ...but Yes Fiona Brown World Bridge champion was very happy with her first visit to Drogheda Congress ...unexpected and unplanned as it was.
Hopefully when I wake up I will put some bridge hands.
I went back on Sunday as it is only 20 minutes from my house and gathered up some bridge tables and the Drogheda folk gave me tea and sandwiches and one lad sang a Kris Kristofferson song about Stones and beer and breakfast I think.
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I also found out who Bridge player Aaron Vale BandB is ...
It had been puzzlin me for a while ....
the BandB ...= bed and breakfast ...
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So if you are in Drogheda on your holidays ..there is always
Thanks
Eamon Galligan
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