8TH CACBF SOUTHERN REGIONAL

Lake Mainstay Resort, Guyana

January 25th-27th, 2002

 

YOU HAD TO BE THERE TO BELIEVE IT!!  QUICK RESULTS

 

After last minute negotiations with the Trinis in Barbados, Dennis Beepat revealed his plans for Guyana's 2002 edition of the Southern Regional. When he asked that participants arrive on Thursday and leave on Tuesday, I knew that he planned to host it in the beautiful interior of Guyana.

 

Sure enough, he announced that it would be held at the scenic Lake Mainstay Resort on the Essequibo Coast of Guyana. When I was working for him in Georgetown, we had visited the site several times. The first was just after a group of his friends purchased the resort from the government. It had been built on the lake back in Burnham days as a retreat for those in power, but basically unused since then. Most of the cabins had no roof and things were pretty rundown, but Dennis could see the potential. The "Boys from Mainstay" had been working hard so it was time to make it happen!

 

TOURNAMENT DIARY

 

Sat, Jan 19th 4:00am - Left San Jose with CCC who was sad going to LA and not Guyana. Spent day in airplanes & airports, arrived G'town early evening without bag (tks BWIA). Met Passenger at airport so caught up on things on route to apartment. He & Abe laid in supplies so I checked TV. What luck! Raiders vs Patriots in the snow bowl, too bad Oakland lost.

 

Sun, Jan 20th 10:00am - Pard arriving afternoon so played with Osama in practice matches. Genie & Passenger not clicking so problems there. Ogle Boys in fine form, Eric & AK okay. Got lucky again as Big J picked up my bag at airport when he went to get Mina. Early to bed - work tomorrow!

 

Mon, Jan 21st mid-morning - Arrived store, sat in on staff meetings with Osama. As expected, all under control. Talked with Jacko re supplies, no prob. Some details to work out, my side under control. Passenger in control at store, everything copasetic.

 

Tue, Jan 22nd evening - Bridge at GCC, 4 tables - good turnout. Big news is lineup change for Genie - Passenger & AK, Eric & Genie. Probably better for all concerned. Fun nite - Zel & Val, Mike & Nette, Ali & King - all coming to Mainstay. Mina & I in synch.

 

Wed, Jan 23rd afternoon - Went to airport to get Jaik, then to store so he could generate, print, & copy hands. Packed rest of bridge supplies, took Jaik to apt. Unhappy that no Trinis coming!

 

Thu, Jan 24th morning - Truck loaded with food & supplies by Roger & Linden, bus for us. Jaik, Eric, Z, Ave, Val, cooks & chefs - advance team. Arrived wharf around noon after pitstop for sandwiches & drinks. River speedboat for food, another for us - great trip, picked good seat to laugh at the wet ones. Arrived Mainstay early afternoon - fantastic place for tournament! Setup playing room, left Jaik duplicating and joined boys for drinks & dominoes at lake bar.

 

Fri, Jan 25th morning - Z & Ave & Mainstay staff all set to go, room ready, food ready, just need players. Mid morning start to roll in, all okay except for 'Bag in Water' - Ty's lost along the way. Such is life in the Tropics!

 

GAMETIME !

 

The organization was fantastic. With Osama bin Beepat (translation: Osama means Dennis, bin means brother of Royston - the Genie) at the helm and his staff at the store, they kept track of everybody and everything. Special thanks to Ave, Zahara, Angelique, Passenger (Colin Yhap), Jacky, Mohan, and the rest for a job well done!

 

Friday morning, players and guests arrived at Lake Mainstay and were greeted with a sample of the culinary feast in which we were about to indulge. While registering, they snacked on fresh tropical fruits, coffee, tea, juices, and just-baked pastries (Osama had brought along a pastry chef just for the snack table and desserts). After checking into their cabins and relaxing, we gathered in the dining hall for lunch. Here was another big plus as players could choose between air-conditioning and a room that was naturally cooled by the ever-present breeze. This was the first sample of the wild game and today's menu included stewed powis (a wild bird) with potatoes and carrots - a tasty dish. Once everyone was suitably loosened up with a few glasses of wine, the fun began.

 

Friday afternoon, after a warm welcome from AK (Andrew Kartick - the president of the Guyana Bridge League), the games began on schedule. Mina (Amina Beepat) & I started the 1st Session of the Open Pairs against teammates Osama & Jacko (Ramdat 'Jacky' Rampersaud) and on the second deal, I missed a chance to apply early pressure. Partner dealt and passed white vs red, and Jacko started the ball rolling with 2C - either a club preempt or 11-15 Precision style (part of their terrorist tactics). I held s Jx  h AKQxxxx  d xxx  c x and bid the pedestrian 4H. Sure enough, 5C came back to me and I had to let it go. As soon as I had bid 4H, I was kicking myself for not bidding 5H and really sticking it to them. As it turned out, they made 5C but we got 75% of the matchpoints anyway for our -600. However, 5H only costs 500 and Osama would have been between a rock and a hard place holding s ATx  h xx  d AQT9  c KQxx! Fortunately, the opponents were good to us and we only took one fat zero when I went for a late flyer against Bajan nemesis Roglyn Hinds & Colin Depradine. Holding an attractive 6-4 white vs red, I decided to sacrifice and they quickly chalked up their 800 number. When the scores became final, we led the field with a solid 64.42%. Back in second place were the Martins (Claude & Rita from French Guyana) with 59.62%, just ahead of the Bajan Boys (Tony Watkins & Dave Blackman from Barbados) who were challenging with 58.49% in 3rd. Taking 4th place in the session were the Millennium Pair (Philip Issa & Ram Mahabir from Suriname) at 56.89% while Martinicans Sylvia Faguet & Louis Suivant rounded out the top five with 56.41%.

 

Everyone adjourned to the open bar or their cabins for a few 'you holds' and a drink before dinner, this time an oriental feast including sweet & sour labba among other delectable dishes. Suitably fortified, we returned to the tables where Mina & I played tops and bottoms in the 2nd Session of the Open Pairs. The Genie (Royston Beepta) & Eric Sobryan won the session with a fine 62.98% while the Volcano & Piet (Sjietsen Tjon-Atsoi & Pieter Sonneveld from Suriname) took 2nd at 58.97%. Close in 3rd were the other Martinican pair, VIM (Jean Yves Dabreateau) & Gilles Rougy, with 57.53%. Good news for our team was that Osama & Jacko were getting it together in 4th place at 57.21%, while Bajans Adelle Springer & Nan Collins took 5th with 57.05%. In our clash with the Bajan Boys, they defended well on the first deal for a good score and then I picked up the following collection in 4th seat:  s Q9xx  h AQ  d AKxx  c Axx. Tony opened 1S, partner passed, and Dave replied 2D. Although they play limited opening bids and a 2C relay response with a good hand, I could not see a good way to get in the auction so I passed and when Tony's 2S rebid came around to me, I passed it out. Mina led a trump, and declarer could not believe I had all the strength so we held them to two for a near top. Silence is golden!

 

Despite our up and down second session, when the Open Pairs - Final Overall results were tabulated, Mina & I were in 1st place with 58.33%. We just edged out the Bajan Boys who had a better second session than ours, but ended up 2nd with 57.13%. Our victory felt a little tainted when I heard what happened to them on the last deal of the event. An opponent holding s K98x  h Ax  d AK9  c AQxx opened a Multi-2D and over their partner's automatic 2H, rebid 2NT to show the balanced 20-22. Their partner bid 4S which was alerted and explained as 'pick your best minor' so they bid the obvious 5C. Now, their partner bid 5S, which must be some kind of grand slam try with 1st round spade control. It seems clear cut to accept with 7C but their opponent decided to pass and was right(?) when their partner had spades and had forgotten the system! This left the Bajan Boys with the same 25% that we got on the deal, but if their opponents had done what they should have and had an accident in 7C corrected to 7S, that's a shared top for the Bajan Boys and half a matchpoint less for us - just enough for them to win! Always the gentlemen, they raised little complaint and we had our victory. Coming on strong in the 2nd session, Genie & Eric finished 3rd overall with 56.81%, which bode well for them in the teams. Pipped into 4th with 56.49% were Faguet/Suivant who put together two solid sessions and marked the team from Martinique as another contender. Slipping into 5th were the Millennium Pair with 56.09%, edging out their Surinamese teammates in 6th at 55.21%.

 

After the session, the party moved to the bar & deck down by the lake - an excellent spot to drown a few sorrows and make a few toasts. Of course, there were sandwiches and pastries to go along with your choice of beverage, from fine wines and beer to the ever-present Guyanese rum.

 

Reflecting on the teams, I could see that our Pool A would likely run true to form. The Bajan Boys were playing with the veteran Jamaican pair of Ulla Dahl & Vaughn Theobalds - a formidable combination with lots of experience. We made sure that they joined in the celebration on Friday nite! The other main threat was the French Foursome from Cayenne - the Martin's who finished 7th in the pairs after a solid 2nd in the 1st session and Serge Folio & Jean-Philippe Humbert. They were looking to do well in preparation for the upcoming Inter-Guianas. The other teams in our pool were dark horses - Astaphan from Dominica, Newton from Barbados, and Ali from Guyana - all capable of causing destruction.

 

In Pool B, the Volcano's team from Suriname was favored, especially after their 5th/6th finish in the pairs. However, the Martinicans were strutting their stuff as well with a 4th & 10th place finish. Gill's Bajans were disappointed in the pairs and hoped to recover their honour in the round robin. Foued Issa's Domincans and the Genie's Guyanese looked to be the unknown quantities in their pool, especially when the locals had decided to switch partnerships just prior to the tournament.

 

Saturday morning started with a traditional breakfast of Pepper Pot & bread, Eggplant Choka & roti, and Salt Fish & bake. There was also lots of coffee, tropical fruits, juices, toast, and scrambled eggs for those still suffering from the night before. Then it was back to the tables for the Open Teams, three sessions to complete a round robin within each pool. In the Open Teams Round Robin - Pool A, Watkins led after two matches with 43 VP's, then our team in 2nd at 40, followed by Newton with 39 and Martin with 25. After four matches (one to go), Watkins had 84, we had 79, Martin had moved into 3rd at 64, and Newton had fallen to 4th at 55. In the last round, we met the local Ali team and managed a 21-9 victory while Watkins played Martin to a 15-15 draw. This allowed us to sneak into 1st with 100 VP's, just ahead of 2nd place Watkins at 99. Martin ended up 3rd with 79, unfortunately 20 VP's out of a semifinal spot.

 

The action in the Open Teams Round Robin - Pool B was fast and furious. After three matches, the Genie's Guyanese held a commanding lead with 73 out of 75 VP's. Gill's Bajans also had three wins and were lying 2nd at 60, while the Volcano's Surinamese held on to 3rd at 57. VIM's Martinicans started slowly and were in 4th with 47 when we broke for lunch. Ah the food - soup, salad, roast rack of New Zealand lamb, roast wild venison, fish in cheese sauce - it was impossible to go hungry. Pool B had the tougher schedule, with three matches in the morning and then three more after lunch. When we broke for dinner (one match to go), Genie's Guyanese were still in 1st with 120 VPs while VIM held a 1 VP lead over Volcano, 111 to 110. Gill's Bajans were in 4th at an even 100, but needed some mathematical miracles in the last round to gain one of the top two spots. Dinner was merely prawn cocktails followed by a couple of pot roasts (one beef and the other wild cow), baked fish and chicken, and plenty of wine. The last round pitted the Genie against VIM, with captain Jean Yves Dabreteau assuring his foursome that a 19-11 win would be enough to qualify for the semifinals. Meanwhile, the Surinamese just needed a solid victory to ensure their spot in the playoff and Gill's Bajans had to watch from the sidelines as they had their bye round. When it was all over, Genie ended up in a dead tie with Volcano at 113 VP's, while VIM had to settle for 3rd, just 1 VP out of the semis, at 112. Gill's late round loss to the Surinamese basically sealed their fate as they ended up 4th with 100.

 

With the round robins finished before 11:00pm, there was lots of time left for more food and drinks down at the lake bar. Only a few headed to bed early, including AK, who advised Genie to get a good rest. VIM was proposed for 'Captain of the Tournament' for telling his team they needed to beat the Genie 19-11 in the last round to make the semis. When his team came through with the required victory and they were still out of it, he defended his position by saying they qualified for the Swiss.

 

Sunday morning was a grey and cloudy, good day to be indoors. The Open Teams - Semifinal Matches pitched us (Osama & Jacko, Mina & I) against the Surinamese (Volcano & Piet, Millennium Pair), while the other Guyanese team (Genie & Eric, AK & Passenger) faced Watkins (Bajan Boys, Ulla & Vaughn). In the 1st half vs the Volcano, we exchanged major swings when he tried to talk Mina out of taking a finesse in a slam but ended up giving up the setting trick. We gave it right back when we allowed a vulnerable game to slip through so at the break, we led 22-20. The other match had the Genie leading 23-19, despite his revoke vs a game contract which fortunately (?) only cost 2 IMPs. I was praying that we would both make it to the final as heaven on earth would be playing 16 boards against the Genie and then 16 versus the Passenger. It was not to be. We dealt the Surinamese a 30-9 blow in the last 10 boards to win handily 52-29 while the Watkins took their second half 16-11 over the Genie to make it to the final by 1 IMP - 35 to 34.

 

After a lunch of curries (chicken, duck, fish, labba) and dholl, the Open Teams - Final began with us versus Watkins. We played the first half against the Bajan Boys, and had our best set of the weekend. On one hand, I held  s AQJxx  h AKTxx  d Kx  c A in fourth seat. After three passes, I opened 1S and Mina raised me to 3S (limit). Off one key card, I had no trouble wrapping up all the tricks in our small slam. At the other table, Osama opened 2NT (hearts & a minor - weak) in first seat and Jacko responded 3C (pass or correct). Ulla had my hand and against these terrorist tactics, settled for the spade game. All in all, things went our way and we had a 70-11 halftime lead. The second half saw plenty of IMPs exchanging hands, with Watkins coming out ahead 69-55. This was not enough to overcome our lead and we won handily in the end, 125-81. Things were still in doubt going into the last two hands, when I picked up the following collection  s KTx  h J  d xx  c AKQTxxx. Mina opened 1NT strong and I played safe with the straightforward 6C. Dummy was quite suitable and routine play garnered 13 tricks. On the last hand, Ulla & Vaughn bid a 50% small slam and went one off when a King was offside. These two hands were worth 29 IMPs as the Bajan Boys had bid 7NT on the 1st and our teammates played game in the second. So, with a little less luck, we could have been in trouble.

 

While the semifinals & finals were happening, the rest of the teams were playing in the Consolation Swiss Teams. In the morning, they played two matches and then three more in the afternoon. At the break, Martin (Claude, Rita, Serge Folio, Jean-Philippe Humbert) and Dabreteau (VIM, Gilles Rougy, Sylvia Faguet, Louis Suivant) were tied with two wins and the showdown was slated for the first round after lunch. Well, the Martinicans showed why they qualified for the Swiss with a massive 42 IMP win and then followed that up with a victory over Gill's Bajans (Michael, Leslie Atherley, Roglyn Hinds, Colin Depradine). Their final record of 4 wins was good enough for the title. Gill and the Surinamese tied for second with 3 ¾ wins with the local Ali sextet coming 4th following their 3 afternoon victories.

 

With Sunday evening free, everyone was looking forward to the barbecue dinner but the weather did not cooperate. So, the food was moved indoors and we feasted on BBQ chicken, BBQ wild hog, BBQ spare ribs, grilled fish and all the fixings. After polishing our plates, we adjourned to the lakeside bar for celebrations and the all-important vote for 'Captain of the Tournament'. Candidate #1 told his team that if they won their last match in the round robin by 19-11 VPs or better, they would be in the semifinals - they did and missed by one VP! Candidate #2 was in the semifinals and defending 5C, and made the only lead to result in two down. However, they revoked which resulted in only one off and lost the semifinal by one IMP! Without the revoke, they would have won the match by one IMP! Cast your vote now.

 

Monday morning saw a lot of bleary eyes and sore throats drifting into breakfast, before Z & Ave loaded us into buses for the trip back to G'town. In the evening, we had another great meal at Dennis & Amina's home for the trophy & prize presentations. Just another perfect ending to a great week-end of bridge.