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Ish and Lisa.

A Tribute to Ish.

It is really sad to have to report the passing of Ishmael Del’Monte, one of this country’s finest bridge players. He was 54. Ish had lived in the USA for about 14 years after an extended period of living in Australia.

Born in Auckland, he learnt the game from his father, “Curly”, a fine player in his own right and a real character at and away from the bridge table.  Ishmael said that the greatest influences in learning the game at such a high level were in his early years, Michael Cornell and Andy Braithwaite, and later on Boye Brogeland.

One Sunday evening, at the Akarana Bridge Club, Curly brought a very raw Ishmael with him. His words to his son were: “you could sit behind me and watch but if you sat behind Michael Cornell, you might learn something.” Ishmael did, for several weeks, and soon put what he had learnt to great use. 
 
               learning from Curly.

 

In the 1992 Australian Youth Championships, he and Ashley Bach (“Ish and Ash” ) were the new kids on the block, unknown 18 year olds. They soon “steamrolled the field in all events.”

They were to play for New Zealand in the 1993 and 1995 World Junior Youth Championships. In the latter event, New Zealand finished runners up to England. The featured hand at the end of this tribute came from that final. The members of that team were affectionally known as “Bashful”, “Doc”, “Grumpy”, “Happy”, “Sleazy”, “Sleepy” and “Snow White”. In above, though not partnership, order, they were Ish, Nigel Kearney, Charles Ker, David Ackerley, Scott Smith, Ash and finally npc and “minder of lost air tickets”  Michael Sykes.
More of Ish’s defence later.

Curly died in 1999. Ishmael always ensured and paid for his mother, Stacey, and brother Shadrach, to come to the National Congress, a way of the family being together if only for a short time.

He won the 1993 New Zealand Teams partnering Lionel Wright, in 1996 with Bobby Richman, 2002 with Ashley Bach and 2009 with David Appleton. He won the New Zealand Pairs with Ashley Bach in 1999 (jointly), 2006, 2008 and 2009 and in 2000 with Paul Marston. He won many titles in Australia, also representing that country before moving to USA.

His favourite memory there was in winning the 2012 Vanderbilt Knock Out Teams by 50 imps in the final. His partner then was one of his main US partners, Curtis Cheek, the other being Brad Moss.

An ACBL Grand Master, he once described his favourite tournament as being the Cavendish while his favourite convention was Smolen.

Ish loved playing bridge but he also enjoyed teaching the game and occasionally writing about it. When in Sydney, he co-founded with Ed Barnes the Kings and Queens Bridge Club, a club which closed last year. He always found time to answer questions about the game.

 
                     Ish, the teacher

Among the many tributes to his great ability was “the amazing understanding of what went on at the bridge table.” He was very quick, fiercely competitive but very fair. Wayne Burrows wrote about “his phenomenal ability to see the whole hand from dummy.” Brad Moss said “ nobody had more natural talent for the game than Ishmael.”

He also had a huge sense of humour, “a dry wit” and “a rare mixture of charisma, daring and respect for the game.”

He once described himself as “a good declarer” (a big understatement) “but a bad partner.” He was demanding of his partners.

This “respect” came out in serving on the WBF’s Matchpoint Committee and as Vice Chairman of the High Level Players Committee and in working with the WBF Ethics Committee to combat cheating in the game.

Back then to the final of the 1995 World Youth Bridge Championships in Bali where New Zealand were playing England in the final.  

 

Ish’s declarer play was pretty good but his defence was not too bad ,either! At the other table, Nigel Kearney opened 1 as North and played there, making two overtricks for +140. However, the English were more ambitious, the bidding being as above.

Ash, West, led 4 taken by Ish with A. With the K doubleton onside, a club return taken by K followed by a low diamond from South would give South 9 very comfortable tricks when the heart finesse also would work.

Ish could see little joy in the red suits for the defence and from the bidding could tell South was marked with length and perhaps strength in clubs. With South having denied a spade suit, he tried the effect of not just a spade but the K. Devastating! Declarer was stuck in dummy and had to concede a red suit king along with A and three spade tricks. That was 5 imps to New Zealand when it looked like England were about to gain 7 imps.

A strong English team won the final by 124 imps but the young Kiwis had certainly made their mark and have done so in the years since.

Ish suffered a cardiac arrest. Our thoughts are with his two former wives, Kim and Lisa, his two children, Julia and Ben, his siblings Shadrach and Shalom and other members of his family and friends in USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Richard Solomon

Tomorrow, we will feature a deal where Ish really excelled, as declarer. 

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