Regional Teams 2019

This weekend we have the Regional Teams played in all Regions across the country.In Dublin North Region we are struggling to get Master Teams. So far only 4 have entered, Normally we get about 7 or 8 teams but this year the Masters are thin on the ground.
We have only 3 B/novice teams entered so far .. but on Tuesday I ran a competition for Bs and novices in Malahide and we had 19 teams just in our club alone. Regional Teams is at same venue but where are the teams.

This morning  Galligan played Kilkennyman in matchpoints. Unfortunately Kilkennyman did not complete so hopefully he played a decent number of the 12 boards.

Galligan v Kilkennyman

Last night in Malahide Regional Bridge Club we had the annual Maurice Quinn Trophy.
and the winner was Sheila McCabe who knows Philip Quinn son of Maurice.

The hands were good ones but nobody complained. Sometimes they like good hands.
More later.

Thanks
Eamon Galligan

Cork Bridge Congress Weekend and Blanchman video

Meanwhile down in Cork they also play bridge but the Bossman is in town with his Irish paassport. Hopefully he took time for a haircut before his arrival. Bossman failed to keep it going in the Mixed Pairs so no prize there.

Cork Bridge Congress Mixed Pairs

Today we will watch the running scores on the Diarmuid Reddan organised event.
He is a one man dynamo tournament director. Mairead Basquille runs many events but she has Fearghals help. Diarmuid rolls on his own and sometimes plays in the events to boot.

This morning I did a challenge against Blanchman. He got 20 imps on two boards for free.
Eamon won by 4 imps but robot gifted Blanchman 12 imps on one board and Blanch man got 8 imps for what in my view is a dramatic underbid. See for yourselves .. board 4 and 15

However when you have not completed the cardplay module you better not be bidding too high.

Eamon v Blanchman

Next weekend sees the annual running of the Regional Teams ..a qualifier for National Teams ..
Magic Murphy won't be there due to work commitments.

Maurice Quinn Trophy 2019

Last night in Malahide Regional Bridge Club we had the first session of the Maurice Quinn Trophy.
Generally the hands are racey. However herself did not like them as she spent the night looking for the catches. However there were no catches so she caught no fish.

Earlier this morning  I played a challenge against Mullingar Man. Unfortunately the man from Mullingar lost by 5 imps and has now lost 5 in a row and is descending into the depths of gloom.

Galligan beats Mullingarman

Galligan made a return to combat last Sunday. Playing on a team out for the experience we placed nicely in the middle of the field.
We are thinking of offering oursoelves as subs for the Camrose Trophy as the mainstays of Irelands Camrose team placed behind us ...even the aging but great Thomas Hanlon.

Magic Murphy made his debut in the big leagues at the Mens Teams. I think he done okay.
We won 4 matches and lost 1 narrowly. Some dunces from Galway bid 7NT against our team mates
and our lads could not cash their ace. The English would call it "An Irish grand slam"
Off an Ace.

Premier Pairs after 70 and how not to play bridge

Yesteerday morning I played a Bridgebase online challenge against Donegalman and it did not go well. I performed about 4 methods of not playing bridge. I got doubled in 4S on a partscore board and lost 800. I went down 2 vulnerable in a making 1NT. The other table made 8 tricks.

Of course one could lie low and not upload ones heavy loss but its hardly right to only sing when you are winning. So here is my bad bridge video below

Galligan loses to Donegalman

Lets be clear now Donegalman is Intermediate B and Galligan is somewhat higher grade.

Meanwhile over in Wales Irelands top bridge players headed into the Camrose. The weakened 4 man team strolled through the Camrose Trials and then added a couple of Butler performing pairs for the 2 Camrose weeekends. However you cannot take 2 long term partnerships apart and make up 1 semi regular partnership and hope for some semblance of reality. This was the Hanlon McGann Garvey Carroll world class partnerships divided into Hanlon Carroll. Added to this we had the functioning Moran Boland partnership replaced by new partnership Moran MacAonghusa. This is not to say that the players are not very capable but 55 years of partnership agreements and cooperation is on the sidelines for the moment.
We also had Camrose debutants Ronan McMaugh and Marcin Rudzinski both capable players but being a relatively new pairing they won't have anything near a bunch of years of partnership understandings to go with their capability. Being Camrose debutants is also moving to a new level of bridge and taking on pairs with enormous years of partnership agreements.

We won't publish any results except to note that Team Ireland languishes 20 VPs behind the NIBU squad that finished so far behind last year their NPC indicated they could be visited in the zoo the next day. Blessed are the porridge makers for they shall not go hungry.

Meanwhile Galligan played another 7 boards of the Jim Cahill Premier Pairs event.
I am still climbing even if still below average.

I got a chance to play a 4S contract very well and gathered in a nice score. This was Board 65 of the 149 board event

The Jack robots cashed AK of diamonds and played a 3rd diamond and I had to ruff high. 

From here careful timing allowed me bring in 10 tricks via the 2 time club finesse. Of course I got lucky with the 2-2 trump break. Of course the contract is down from the gate as 2 diamonds and ace of club and a ruff but Galligan lucked out for a decent score. 

The scores after 70 boards are above. This includes the addition of a set of plays by 4 GIB robots as well as the 3 Jacks with Eamon so won't be exactly as the live competition went. However it serves to ease the pain on some boards for some humans. Here we are running 12 pairs as opposed to the original 8 pairs. 

Galligan v Clareman plus Premier Pairs after 63

Good morning all

This morning I finished off a bridge challenge against a new opponent who we will call Clareman.
Unfortunately I lost the challenge by 15 imps. I think my opponent got lucky.

Galligan loses by 15 to Clareman

mWhile the above video was uploading to Youtube I played another 7 boards of the Jim Cahill Premier Pairs. Unfortunately I dropped to 10th place of 12 with the lethargic BJ 'Brien getting some lucky few boards with his partner Terry Walsh and passing me out.

Meanwhile presure has been applied to me to tog out in the forecoming Mens Teams.
Having expressed severe resistance it was no good. Now I have to play.
However the only thing I am missing is Spurs v somebody on the box.

So as can be seem above I am not making a big impression in the Jim Cahill Premier.
Maybe thats why I am assigned vugraph duties instead of being allowed to play.