BRIDGE News:
Winners of last week’s open games were Jerry Fleming (twice), Martin Cooper, just back from a month-long trip to Africa, and Cliff Rudy.
Handicap winners were Reggie Fuchs and Bobby Haynes (twice), Norm Worth, Randy Baker and Alan Wadlinger.
Today’s hand is very competitive and emphasizes the fact that if you don’t bid aggressively, you’ll often lose the game.
This is board #18. East is the dealer and N/S are vulnerable.
East is the dealer and should open 1♦. After South’s pass, West’s normal bid is 1♥, (he/she is not strong enough to bid 2♣, as that would show a much better hand. North is definitely strong enougn to bid 1♠. At this point, East should rebid 1NT, showing a minimum balanced hand. Here is where the hand is either successful or not. Should South bid 2♠, showing a minimum raise, it’s very likely that West will bid 3♣. Now if North rebids 3♠, it’s easy for East to bid 4♣, which should end the auction.
However, in duplicate bridge, many players have adopted to the “law of total tricks,.which implies that you’re safe in a competitive auction if you bid to the level equal to the number of trumps in both your and partner’s hand. Since North’s 1♠ bid promises at least 5, you have at least 9 trumps and can generally bid to the 3-level without harm. In all likelihood, West will not bid again, and the final contract will be 3♠. As you can see, 4♣ makes, as does 3♠.
When this hand was played locally, 3 pairs played in a spade partial by North making 4, while another pair played in 4♣/W making 4 for a top score! So how did these three pairs make 4♠. My best guess is that the defenders never led clubs, enabling declarer to pitch his/her club loser on the ♥ A.
The Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club games start at 12:45 p.m., Wednesdays at the Betty Ehart Senior Activity Center (BESAC) and 12:45 p.m., Mondays at the White Rock Senior Activity Center (WRSAC).
Check out the Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club’s new website at www.ladbc.net to learn what it’s all about, contact the club to get involved, join the fun, and much more.
Perhaps you’ve seen the old card game “Bridge“ mentioned in a book or seen it being played on the Orient Express in an old Agatha Christie black-and-white movie. Maybe you’ve even tried to play it in the remote past with Mom and Dad (or even more likely Grandma and Grandpa) around the kitchen table. Well, it hasn’t quite gone the way of the typewriter or film cameras, yet – and, in fact, it has a substantial Free-on-the-Internet presence. LEARN TO PLAY BRIDGE!
That being said, it is a game that needs new and younger Face-to-Face players and, here in Los Alamos the local club is ready to bring you on board with nighttime, after work or weekend, FREE lessons, and playing opportunities.
We have four locations available – the game store in White Rock, the Mesa game store on Central in Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Public Library, or Smith’s Market! What we need from interested folks is some indication of interest and what day of the week and location would be most convenient. Please reach out to Neill Goltz at 641.236.1170 (neill.goltz2@gmail.com) or Bobby Haynes at 505.753.3249 (rsh@valornet.com) with your questions and preferred time and location!
