Bridge News:

Here is an interesting hand from the April 9 game of the Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club.

Two of the newer players, Randy Baker and Alan Wadlinger, bid and made their first slam on this hand! And they were the only pair in the field to bid slam.

This is board #1. North is the dealer and no one is vulnerable.

North is the dealer and passes. East has a perfect hand  to open with 1NT. After South passes, West should bid 2♦, a transfer to hearts. Invariably, partner accepts the transfer and rebids 2♥. With likely 7 winning tricks opposite a 1NT opening, chances to make a slam are quite reasonable. West should bid 4NT Blackwood to determine how many aces the partnership holds. East’s 5♠ bid shows 3 aces. An optimistic West will now bid 6♥, ending the auction.

When the hand is played, three pairs played in 4♥ making 6, while the 4th pair played in 6NT making 6. As you can see, there are 12 tricks off the top.

The Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club games are held at 12:45 p.m. Wednesdays at the Betty Ehart Senior Activity Center (BESAC) and at 12:45 p.m. Mondays at the White Rock Senior Activity Center (WRSAC). Duplicate lessons are given at the BESAC on an occasional basis, 10 a.m. until noon Fridays when BESAC is open. Bridge players are welcome to participate. If you need a partner, or want to know if lessons are in session, please email Bobby Haynes at rsh@valornet.com, or Jerry Fleming at peanutcat@aol.com.