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Charity Pro-Celebrity 13th February 2000 The White House Hotel, London

The first charity pro/celeb was a great success, with eight tables in play and a lot of enthusiasm and good will from all sides.The event in aid of our Millennium Charity Save the Children, was won by Su Burn and tenor Ian Partridge.

Spectators were free to kibbitz and all the tables attracted a small crowd. Later, spectators were able to mingle with all the players over supper.

Many of the celebrities had never played duplicate before, but like old hands they joined the rush to the scoreboard between matches to see how they were doing. Twenty four boards were played.

It was a family contest when ITN's Washington Correspondent, James Mates, partnering Patrick Jourdain, met James's father, Michael Mates MP, the former Minister for Northern Ireland, who was partnering Andrew Robson. Patrick Jourdain describes how Robson earned his side a top on this deal:

Board 11 Dealer South Love all

			A J 7 6
			K J 7 6
			K
			A J 10 5
	9 3				Q 10 8 5 4
	5 4 3				10 2
	10 9 8 5 4 2				A 3
	9 2				K 7 6 3
			K 2
			A Q 9 8
			Q J 7 6
			Q 8 4

West	North	East	South
Jourdain	Robson	James	Michael
			1
Pass	1	1	3
Pass	6	All Pass

Patrick Jourdain describes how Robson earned his side a top on this deal:

"Michael Mates made an aggressive raise on the second round leading to a slam which looks likely to fail with the club finesse wrong. However, Mates Junior felt he might have to establish a club trick before dummy's diamonds were established, and made the attacking lead of a club. Robson won in hand with ten, and started on diamonds. East won and found the best exit of a passive diamond. Robson ruffed his losing diamond in hand, drew trumps, and led the queen of clubs in case it tempted a cover from West (no chance!). However, when West played low he put on the ace (Vienna Coup), returned to K, and cashed dummy's remaining winners, leaving himself with 8 and a spade in dummy, and AJ in hand. East had to concede, squeezed out of either K or his spade guard. Mates senior won the three-board encounter 26-16 in matchpoints, but his son had the last laugh, finishing a place ahead of Dad."