Bye Antonio

Antonio was an eclectic person, with many interests, among which he favored bridge, the mountains and good food.

It was always a pleasure to meet him, you knew he would tell funny life stories that, thanks to his great oratory, managed to capture the attention of all bystanders.

If the Bisbino had seduced him as a young man, teaching him the love for the mountains, Bormio and its valleys were the holiday destinations most dear to him and of which he knew every corner and ravine.

You could tell from that light that came on when he spoke of Val Viola, Val Zebrù and the Cancano Lakes.

I remember it a few years ago when, having reached the Forni glacier refuge on foot, he said loudly “I’m back” in a tone of voice that clearly indicated a reconciliation with that enchanted corner of Valtellina.

During lunch, rigorously with polenta and eggs, he said that a few years earlier that climb had hurt him (to the heart) and reaching the refuge again had strengthened that long and old friendship that seemed lost.

His motto was “It’s all flat!” and he often used it to convince people less accustomed to alpine trails to reach challenging destinations. He rewarded the winners by telling historical anecdotes about the place while they tasted typical dishes of the upper Valtellina.

He was certainly a good fork, his stomach allowed him to digest any dish. He said that if he had a heart as strong as his stomach he could live for another 100 years.

Seeing him then choose dishes from the menu was a real pleasure. He opened the menu, read it carefully (even if he preferred the places where the menu was told) and as if he were already savoring the dishes, before communicating his command, he rubbed his hands asking for some confirmation on the preparation of the dishes.

He was also an authority on the choice of wines, he always knew what to combine with what he ordered, always favoring the cellar over the name of the wine.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Antonio was also a fruit specialist. He knew all types of pears, apples, black cherries … and his true passion was cherries. In years of work, he had discovered and mapped all the “free” plants of the upper Milanese area and often stopped to pick the delicious fruit during his return trips.

His humor was enhanced in situations that seemed complicated.

With the group he had chosen to spend a few days in Tuscia. We had the first dinner in the farmhouse where we were staying, which had meat as a specialty.

While not great, most of us ate our portion.

When the hostess asked for an opinion, one of us criticized the dish by correctly indicating its limits.

Antonio took the ball, got up and with the excuse of wanting to know better the type of wines, he started talking to the owner of the farm.

Arrived at a safe distance, he began an intense conversation of which we did not understand the meaning.

After a few minutes, he returned to the table while the again serene lady headed into the kitchen.

To the mischievous question about what he had promised to make the lady happy, Antonio replied: “I simply said that our diner is a very rich duchess accustomed to fine cuts of meat and who sometimes honors us with her presence”.

As long as we stayed in the farmhouse, the owner always asked Antonio for confirmation whether the Duchess liked breakfast or lunch and we, like restless students in the classroom, barely hid the laughter.

On Wednesday afternoon he had a fixed appointment: the Bridge tournament in Mendrisio.

He was particularly fond of that event and the people who frequented that club. He felt honored to be part of that group and grateful for his friendship with President Luciano. He also often won there and used the francs he won to organize and pay for dinners in the Swiss crotti for his playmates.

In bridge he was well known not only for being a winning player, but above all for his cordial manner.

To those who asked for advice on how he should bid or play a hand, he always gave a detailed answer precisely because he knew that in order not to make the bridge disappear it was necessary to share his knowledge.

He threw himself into every event with the ardor of a twenty year old. Always sitting strictly in the North or in the East.

With the group, we took short and long holidays around our beautiful country, which Antonio defined as extraordinary, beautiful, and wounded by an atavistic inability to make it even more receptive to tourism.

The evenings ended with a game of Burraco where he also played with his daughter Bibi and inexorably won those who at that moment had the luck in favor. The teasing of the next day was to tell the miraculous catch that had allowed that illogical game to be a winner (classic in burraco).

Raffaella has been her playmate for the last 11 years and if we have met this wonderful character we must say thanks to her who immediately made him join a heterogeneous group of people united by a passion for the bridge (among other things, before starting the partnership asked me, like a man of yesteryear, if I agreed).

After a few years, I asked Antonio a simple question: he, a great player, how did he manage certain “illogical” plays by Raffaella?

He replied with a maxim that will remain with me forever: “Gabriel, save your breath, you’ll need it.”

Bye Antonio, I know that you will find your old bridge friends at the table and that you will continue to delight them with your true self.

We will miss you.

Bridge – Safety Games

Article is taken from “ Encyclopedia of Bridge “By G. Barone.

AS IF. “As if” games are defined as those situations in which the requirements of the contract oblige the declarer to play in a certain way and only in that way because, despite having little chance of responding to the real position of the cards, it is still the only one that can allow the success.

The name derives from the fact that, when the deal is successful, the declarer gives the feeling of having played “ as if knew the cards of the opponents.

For example in the following color distribution:

If South must necessarily take all the tricks because the opponents have already taken those of their competence with respect to the contract, it is evident that South has no choice but to beat. Ace And King hoping that one of the opponents has Woman And Infantryman without other cards.

And so in the following situation:

If South absolutely needs to draw four tricks from the suit, he has only to play the Ace in the hope of capturing the King dry of East then twice overtaking the West Infantryman.

And of a similar type, a multiplicity of examples referring to different combinations could be listed but all characterized by the fact of admitting only one game solution, not because it is the most probable but exclusively because it is the only one that allows obtaining the number of indispensable tricks. to the declarant.

For example in the following situation:

self South play without trump e it has no return to the dead in seeds to the side, it is evident that to develop the color he has no other hope than to find theSingle ace with one of the opponents: in fact if the Ace is second or third the defender who owns it will not take the first round and places South in the impossibility of achieving more than a grip. On the other hand, if the Ace is single, the other opponent has F 10 9 in the suit; hence the need for an “as if” game, ie card from the hand and from the dummy for the single Ace; the King and the Woman of the dead will make Fante and Ten falls, releasing all the seed.

And this situation also deserves to be reported, which seems to allow no solution and is considered hopeless by most of the players. Instead, it is a case in which the game is imposed “ as if ”Not only because it is the only one capable of guaranteeing the desired number of tricks but also because it does not involve any risk of yielding more.

In the following distribution of a color:

The correct game is to leave the map on the side where the Ace is. Self East pass the Ten he covers himself with Fante for the honor of the west and, beating the Ace on the second lap, he drops the other honor by losing a single hold; self East pass his King or his Queen, South on the second round plays the An infantryman from the hand and, overtaking West’s honor, he frees all the other holds.

Another situation that is good to highlight , although easier to solve, is the following:

If a trick can be lost in the suit, the best game is to bat period but if South needs to make all the tricks he must play Queen or Jack and play “ as if ”The subdivision of the color was that indicated in the diagram.

Thanks -Grazie – Merci – Gracias

Thank you (different languages): Amazon.it: Appstore per Android

Dopo 14 mesi di attività a supporto del bridge online e con il ritorno alle normali attività di gioco dei circoli, da lunedì 17 maggio il sito non ospiterà con regolarità i servizi di prenotazione e classifica dei tornei online.

Ringrazio tutti coloro che hanno collaborato e reso possibile continuare a praticare il nostro gioco di carte preferito, durante uno dei momenti più tristi e sfidanti della nostra vita.

Arrivederci al tavolo 🙂

Gable

——

After 14 months of activities in support of online bridge and with the return to face-to-face activities of the clubs, from Monday 17th May the site will not regularly host the booking and ranking services of online tournaments.

I thank all those who collaborated and made it possible to continue practicing our favorite card game, during one of the saddest and most challenging moments of our life.

See you at the table 🙂

Gable

13-05-21 Simultaneo Giovedì ASDM

Classifica Locale (evidenziate le coppie premiate)

Rank Pairs % RP
Johansson Jan Ove Bacci Luciana 65,00 30
De Martinis Carlo Severo Michelangelo 60,83 27
Bardin Antonio Greppi Raffaella 60,00 22
Federighi Antonio Masini Francesco 56,25 25
Romano’ Giovanna Groppali Susanna 55,00 10
Licini Roberto Pipola Giuseppe 52,08 9
Maggioni Luigia Tersch Federica 51,25 8
Marcelli Cristina Dalli Cardillo Alessandra 47,92 6
Trapasso Chiara Pagano Patrizia 46,25 6
10° Benigno Paolo Carletti Alessandro 45,00 6
11° Salomea Pawlina Bellusci Pasquale 44,17 6
12° Moscatelli Michele Tencati Paola 43,33 6
13° Baruchello Amos De Berardinis Annantonia 39,58 6
14° Giorgi Roberto Barlocco M.Antonia 33,33 6

Classifica Nazionale

Rank Pairs % RP
21° Johansson Jan Ove Bacci Luciana 63,03 30
31° De Martinis Carlo Severo Michelangelo 60,94 27
46° Federighi Antonio Masini Francesco 59,88 25
68° Bardin Antonio Greppi Raffaella 57,47 22
200° Licini Roberto Pipola Giuseppe 50,79 0
204° Trapasso Chiara Pagano Patrizia 50,72 0
222° Romano’ Giovanna Groppali Susanna 49,95 0
244° Maggioni Luigia Tersch Federica 48,90 0
292° Benigno Paolo Carletti Alessandro 46,70 0
320° Marcelli Cristina Dalli Cardillo Alessandra 45,20 0
333° Salomea Pawlina Bellusci Pasquale 44,73 0
386° Moscatelli Michele Tencati Paola 41,27 0
396° Baruchello Amos De Berardinis Annantonia 40,35 0
399° Giorgi Roberto Barlocco M.Antonia 40,08 0

11-05-21 Simultaneo Martedì ASDM

Classifica Locale (evidenziate le coppie premiate)

Rank Pairs % RP
Resnati Roberta Tersch Federica 62,96 27
Licini Roberto Pipola Giuseppe 60,42 27
Zucchini G.Carlo Cafiero Maurizio 57,87 20
De Berardinis Annantonia Roma Alessandro 55,42 12
Bardin Antonio Greppi Raffaella 54,17 20
Johansson Jan Ove Bacci Luciana 53,75 9
Ferrarese Marcello Cherubin Norberto 50,46 8
Vinci Francesco Saverio Hugony Fabrizio 50,00 6
Baruchello Amos Rossi Liliana 47,69 6
10° Semerano Fabio Cirla Claudio 47,08 6
11° Vigano’ Maria Luisa Romano’ Giovanna 46,30 6
12° Barbieri Francoise Groppali Susanna 45,83 6
13° Tencati Paola Moscatelli Michele 44,44 6
14° Brivio Maurizio Meroni Fabio 38,75 6
15° Severo Michelangelo Pisciotta Monique 34,26 6

Classifica Nazionale

Rank Pairs % RP
22° Resnati Roberta Tersch Federica 61,10 27
25° Licini Roberto Pipola Giuseppe 60,68 27
68° Bardin Antonio Greppi Raffaella 55,97 20
69° Zucchini G.Carlo Cafiero Maurizio 55,86 20
103° Vinci Francesco Saverio Hugony Fabrizio 53,32 0
119° Johansson Jan Ove Bacci Luciana 51,82 0
133° Ferrarese Marcello Cherubin Norberto 50,98 0
141° De Berardinis Annantonia Roma Alessandro 50,33 0
156° Baruchello Amos Rossi Liliana 49,62 0
179° Barbieri Francoise Groppali Susanna 47,99 0
180° Semerano Fabio Cirla Claudio 47,91 0
216° Vigano’ Maria Luisa Romano’ Giovanna 45,75 0
261° Tencati Paola Moscatelli Michele 40,83 0
270° Brivio Maurizio Meroni Fabio 40,27 0
284° Severo Michelangelo Pisciotta Monique 37,44 0

09-05-21 Simultaneo Domenica ASDM

Classifica Locale (evidenziate le coppie premiate)

Rank Pair # Names %
1 1  Dalli Cardillo A., Garghentini Cesare 68,33
2 6  Gabriele Russo, Groppali susanna 58,33
3 3  La Novara Enzo, Paolo Dini 56,67
4 4  Resnati Roberta, Tersch Federica 55,00
5 2  Silvana Mussetti, Napoleone Maria G. 48,33
6 5  Romanò Giovanna, Pino di Martino 45,83
7 7  Elisa Maisto, Clemenchich Sandra 36,67
8 8  Mariagrazia Dusci, Gaburri Elio 30,83

Classifica Nazionale

TBC