On Thursday 9th of January, 2014 at 14:00 EST (20:00 in CET) at BBO it will be played a match Cayne-Intercity League in memory of Tonci Radelja, the founder of InterCity League who passed away in November. The ICL team will be by Colasante-Garrisi (Ascoli Piceno, ICL title holder), and Gillis-Murdoch (Glasgow, runner-up). The Italian pair will play Chiaradia’s Neapolitan Club.
It was the spring of 2004 when Tonci Radelja, mathematic lecturer in Split University, set up BBO InterCity League (ICL), a team event between European towns which takes place twice a year, in spring and autumn. That edition was won by Beograd; it is now running the twentieth.
Tonci’s purpose was much more than setting up a tourney; he was confident than such a social game as bridge, if duly approached, would have had the power to unite people, people by different behaviour, uses, beliefs, languages – not everybody in ICL speak English – and the facts vindicated him. As years went by ICL players knew and learnt to esteem each other better and better; many became friends, playing even out of formal ICL matches; somebody also met in the concrete world.
Tonci passed away in November; his friends thought that he deserved to be remembered as Master of Friendship, that is the master who teaches people to become friends.
Thanks to Jimmy Cayne – and thanks to Ms Aeron Mouat – it will be played a match in memory of Tonci between Jimmy Cayne himself (Jec in BBO), and an ICL Team made by a pair of the title holder, Ascoli Piceno, and another one of runner-up, Glasgow. Host will be Ms Aeron Mouat (1Ironwoman), or Ms Susanna Bellini (Susina 8).
The Scottish pair: Cliff Gillis with John Murdoch. They play 2/1 Game force with 5-card majors and 15-17 NT. Their carding is upside down count and standard attitude.
Italians: Fabio Colasante with Paolo Enrico Garrisi (or Piero Millevoi). They play the Eugenio Chiaradia’s Neapolitan Club, namely the 1966’s edition: Strong Club; 4CM sound opening; constructive weak two (7-12 HCPs); club only 12-16 balanced 1NT; Principle of Preparedness; Canapé in Opener’s reverse. Punitive double at low level; upside down count attitude; count or Rusinow lead.
Cayne will line up Jimmy Cayne with Benito Garozzo and Peter Goodman with Mike Pownall; the Welsh pair played in Team Cardiff which won the spring 2012 Intercity League, beating in final just Ascoli Piceno.
Garozzo and Cayne will play Cayne system, a sound system which philosophy is “Don’t pre-empt unless strong. Don’t bid unless you have a bid”. Bidding too light – he thinks – gives out too much information about where cards lie. This is also a belief of several great champions, as Mike Lawrence and Bob Hamman, for example: being allowed to watch your partner or one of your opponent’s cards, which ones will you choice? Your opponent’s, both reply in their books (from Bob Hamman and Brent Manley’s “At the Table”, 1994 DBM Publications, Memphis, and from Mike Lawrence and Anders Wirgren’s “I fought the law”, 2004 Mikeworks, Brentwood TN).
Neapolitan Club Convention Card (reconstructed by Paolo Enrico Garrisi from the book of Eugenio Chiaradia published by Mursia in 1966): click here >>
Tonci Radelja, Master of Friendship»
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Paolo Enrico Garrisi