For day four of the Spring Overseas Congress in Tavira, Portugal, Tournament Director Chris Benneworth tells of how over sixty members enjoyed the sightseeing trip and bridge player Janet Barnes talks through her account of an interesting board in the Pivot Teams:
After two intensive days of bridge in the Swiss Pairs, today was much more relaxing. Over sixty of us went on a tour of the eastern Algarve, encompassing Olhao, the Ria Formosa and Faro. We visited the local fish and vegetable markets in Olhao, then enjoyed a boat ride (pictured, above left) through the sand banks and channels of the Ria Formosa national park, with the opportunity to see the various birds which call the wetlands home.
After a relaxed lunch, we drove to the local capital Faro, to visit the old town and to tour the baroque-style cathedral. There was also the opportunity for the more adventurous to climb to the top of the tower, from which there were excellent views over the city. Originally there was an early Christian church on the site of the cathedral, which was converted to a mosque during the Arab Moorish rule of the peninsula; in 1249, the mosque was finally converted into a Christian church after the Reconquesta of the city by D. Afonso III, and the origins of the present Cathedral are identified as being in the middle of the 13th century. During the Anglo-Spanish wars in 1595, Faro was sacked by the Earl of Essex; the cathedral was razed and its library ransacked, with important manuscripts now being held in the British Library, an occurrence that was mentioned several times during the visit.
After the visit to the cathedral, there was time for browsing the shops and enjoying ice-creams (pictured, above right).
After dinner back at the hotel, fifteen teams, several of which were scratch combinations, played in the Pivot event, won by Alan and Saroj Ellis, John Leake and Stephen Cane.
Janet Barnes gave us this account of board 3 in the Pivot Teams:
“Six wheels off my wagon”
“S W N E
P 1S 2H 3D
P 3S P 4C
P 4H P 5D
P 5H P 6C
X P P 6D
P 6S P 7D
P P 7H X
P P P
Before N bid 7H, he got the 7H bidding card out of the box and placed it face down on the table while he worked out how much a sacrifice would cost – then he faced the bidding card. 7Hx – 3 gave a score of +500.”
The auction at the other table was much simpler:
S W N E
P 1S 4H P
P P
And 4H= gave a further +420 for a swing of 14 IMPs
I hesitate to think what 7D would have cost!
You can see the full hand and all the results on the EBU website.