After a leisurely breakfast and a relaxing morning in the Madeiran sunshine, play in the Multiple Teams began at 12:30. Funchal is a perfect location for a Congress – lots of places to walk to or within a short (and cheap) bus ride; the historic centre itself, Monte, the botanical gardens or simply the harbour front and local market, with lots of venues for food and drink.
After the first session of five four-board rounds, Team 1 Mundy (Margaret and Ian Mundy, Andrew Urbanski and Sue Brown) led on +35, with team 7 Lewis (Jacqui Lewis, Royd Laidlow, Claire Price and Gordon Clark) second with +18, closely followed by team 10 Richards (Debbie and Simon Richards, David Jones and Jan Duncan) on +16. So, all very close and anything could happen in the second half.
How brave are you? This was board 9 from the final session:
You hold the East hand after North opens 2NT. Is 3H brave, or simply suicidal? So, taking your courage in both hands, you bid 3H, which South doubles and that’s passed round to you. The deal analyser suggest that 4H can be made by either E or W, and that’s what happens. So 3Hx+1 by W is the only score in the EW column. All the other NS’s have played in 3NT, making 10 or 11 tricks.
In the second session, team 1 lost 4 IMPs, team 7 lost 17 and team 10 gained 11, so the final ranking was led by team 1 Mundy on +31, closely followed by team 10 Richards +27. Team 7 dropped to fifth overall.
After play finished, we retired to the Piano bar where the reception, sponsored by First for Bridge, was held. It gave the opportunity to congratulate the winners, reflect upon the past week and enjoy a relaxed drink before the final dinner of the week in the hotel dining room. For the event, Sue Brown wrote a poem which she delivered after Andrew Urbanski had spoken briefly. The whole event had been a huge success and the quality of the hotel, its location and the hard work of its staff was much appreciated by everyone. Everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the included day trip to the west of Madeira and the playing conditions were ideal. A number of people commented that there had been very few coughs and sneezes during the week – a welcome change from Side!
Chris outlined the upcoming congresses in Croatia and Torremolinos, about which Jacqui Lewis explained that it’s a venue that’s very different in the winter – an excellent hotel and level walks along the promenade.
This is the poem that Sue wrote:
There was a young man named Chris
Who ran Madeira’s Congress like this
The dream team selected
Was duly elected
To enable a week of bridge bliss
The directors were second to none
They worked hard to let us have fun
With our best behaviour
We’d relax and savour
Endless webs of tricks that were spun
The trip to the west was eclectic
The guide’s wit and knowledge electric
Big waves they did sound
Huge views all around
Great venues for food were selected
A banana will not be the same
As I walked through their treasures with shame
Not a fruit! Who knew
And upwards they grew
A caven dish given by name.