FIRESIDE CHAT AUGUST 2002
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome and Announcements
Believer's FireSide Kindling
Bidding with Bridgboy
Guido's Really Important Stuff
This is Your Captain Speaking
Just Jill
Dealing With Dann
Moogal's FireSide Log
Hand of the Month
Bob's Bits
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi all!
Welcome to the August, 2002 issue of FireSide
Chat, our monthly newsletter written for and about
our FireSide friends and events.
We hope you enjoy all of this month's articles and
features. Please feel free to write to us with any
comments, questions, ideas, or whatever, that you may
wish to share. This newsletter is for and about you,
and we want you to feel welcome to participate. Just
email Believer at sarastobbe@aol.com or Moogal
at Moocake@aol.com.
A special thanks to all of you who have been sending
us contributions for our "giggle breaks". We appreciate
everything you send, and use as many as we can. Keep
'em coming, please! :-)
Please remember that the Bridgementor-L mail list
is available for discussions of bridge topics,
and, more importantly, as a forum in which you can
find immediate answers to your bridge questions.
To join, go to www.bridgementor.com and click on the
link for the discussion list.
OKbridge also offers us an email discussion opportunity,
the Discuss List. You can join that list by emailing them
at Discuss-Request@okbridge.com and put the word 'subscribe'
in the subject line. You can also participate in the
discussions via the OKbridge web site now, just go to the
members area at www.okbridge.com and you'll find the Discuss
List there at the bottom of your opening page.
You can now find our "FireSide Chat" posted at two
different web sites.
You can go to Okbridge's web site:
http://www.okbridge.com/membersclub/periodicals/fireside/
Or find it at our FireSide web site:
http://www.firesides.net/thechat.htm
FireSide also provides us with a "hand of the week"
feature. Go to our Hand of the Week site:
http://www.firesides.net/fireside.htm
to check out the fun.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to receive
these mailings, please write to Believer at
sarastobbe@aol.com to be removed from our mailing
list.
===========================================
CURRENT FIRESIDE SCHEDULE
Day Pacific Time Commentator
MONDAY 11:00 A.M. POOKA
MONDAY 5:30 P.M. BRIDGBOY
TUESDAY 11:00 A.M. BRIDGBOY
TUESDAY 8:00 P.M. CAPTAIN
WEDNESDAY 11:00 A.M. FREDW3
WEDNESDAY 5:30 P.M. DIANEW
THURSDAY 11:00 A.M. POOKA
THURSDAY 5:30 P.M. WISHTRIK
FRIDAY 11:00 A.M. BLUEBEE
FRIDAY 5:30 P.M. KALTICA
SATURDAY 11:00 A.M. WINTAKA/CAPTAIN
Commentators may change without notice,
according to their availability.
*******************
Although there is no set fee for participating in
these "open to all" sessions, please note that FireSide
Bidding Practice Sessions operate with the support of
those in attendance. For information about how to
become a supporting member, please contact Kaltica at
kaltica@mts.net, Moogal at moocake@aol.com, or
Believer at sarastobbe@aol.com
Thanks to all of you for supporting the FireSide sessions
in all the many different ways you have of doing so.
*******************
All articles herein (c) 2002 by FireSide Chat.
All rights reserved.
===============================================
BELIEVER'S FIRESIDE KINDLING
============================
Hi all :-)
Sheesh, but this summer is flying by -- I just got back from a
week-long visit to family in Minnesota, and it's almost time to
get back on the road to go on our vacation. We have plans to
travel for a month, starting in Michigan (Detroit area), and
going all the way to the Los Angeles area eventually, doing
some visiting and sight-seeing on the way.
Originally, we planned to go on this trip with our motorcycle, a
Honda Goldwing. We love to travel on it -- and normally it would
be my preferred mode of transportation. After discussing this
trip with several people though, I've been on a campaign to
convince Frank that we want to take this trip in the
air-conditioned car... somehow the thought of being in the
desert on a motorcycle in late August - early September is rather
intimidating to me.
Anyway -- wish me luck! Hopefully I'll survive this monster
outing....
Which brings me to another concern. We'll be on the road from
roughly August 17 - Sept 15 or so. I do plan to travel with my
laptop computer (don't leave home without it!) but it's going to
be very difficult to be available to be table manager for my
usual times and days. Our current staff of TM's has been
wonderful about being there for their assigned times and helping
out whenever they can to cover when one of us is away. We really
could use a couple more table managers on a full time basis,
though. If you'd be interested in joining the group, and could
commit to one regular day and time each week, let me know, ok?
I also want to let you know that we plan to get the newsletter
done, and mail it out on Sept. 1, even tho I'll be on the road.
I'll have to mail it out via AOL though, so you will be receiving
it as an attachment. Anyone who'd rather not open attachments
can go to our website (http://www.firesides.net/thechat.htm) to
read it there. If you do not receive your copy for some reason,
email me and I'll send it right out to you.
Thanks again to those of you who've been sending us jokes for our
giggle breaks -- keep em coming folks! And thanks to those of
you who send us news or ideas for articles -- and especially
those of you who send us articles! We need all the help we can
get, and really do appreciate your suggestions and feedback more
than you know. Please stay in touch!
See you all online --
Sara
*******************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
sarastobbe@aol.com
============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to JustJill for this one:
Facts from having children that you probably didn't know.
A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. foot
ranch house 1/4 inch deep.
If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with
roller blades, they can ignite.
A 3-year-old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded
restaurant.
If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not
strong enough to rotate a 42-pound boy wearing Batman underwear
and a superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a
paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 by 20 foot
room.
You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.
When using the ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball
up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a
baseball a long way. The glass in windows (even double pane)
doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
When you hear the toilet flush and the words "Uh-oh," it's
already too late.
Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
A six-year-old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a
36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies. A
magnifying glass can start a fire even on an overcast day.
Certain LEGOs will pass through the digestive tract of a
four-year-old.
"PlayDough" and "Microwave" should never be used in the same
sentence.
Super glue is forever.
No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool, you still
can't walk on water.
Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
VCR's do not eject peanut butter and jelly sandwiches even though
TV commercials show they do.
Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
You probably do not want to know what that odor is.
Always look in the oven before you turn it on. Plastic toys do
not like ovens.
The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms
dizzy. It will however make cats dizzy. Cats throw up twice
their body weight when dizzy.
--Author unknown
=============================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
Communicating With Cards
Carding is a means of describing to your partner your unseen
cards. There are three distinct signals available for use,
namely: count, attitude and suit preference. The challenge is
to realize when each applies!
This hand is the tale of the queen of clubs:
S 987
H 3
D K1064
C Q10953
I pick up this motley collection, and hope they don't bid and
make a slam! Partner opens 1C and RHO doubles. I jump to 3C,
trying to make it a little harder on LHO, and directing our side
to the best fit immediately. LHO, not to be outdone, bids 3S,
followed by a raise to game by the take-out doubler. We pass and
await the opening lead and our first glimpse at dummy.
Partner's opening lead is the club ace (showing the king) and we
see the dummy now:
S A53
H AJ102
D AQJ98
C 2
We think, where will we ever get four tricks to defeat this
contract? Well, one diamond, one club and maybe one trump, but
what else? Any heart honor we hold is onside for declarer. Can we
expect to get 2 trump tricks from partner naturally? I doubt
that. But is there something else? Yes! We can ruff a heart in
our hand if only we can maneuver a second heart trick after we
play our only heart on the first heart lead, before our trumps
are gone. Now the light comes on! We play the club queen at trick
one! Partner will not think that means to lead more clubs when he
knows I have great length for my jump in the auction. He will
take it as an "unnecessary high card", demanding a switch to the
higher unbid suit, namely hearts!
So partner, possibly not understanding but following orders,
leads a heart at trick two. Now we are set for the ruff if only
partner can get in again. Declarer leads Ace of spades, and
another spade, and we high-low, trying to show the third spade
(trump echo) as partner wins his king. He leads another heart and
now we ruff the trick and wait patiently for our diamond king
winner.
Now that is defense with a capital D, but really all we did was
make our cards speak for us, using the queen of clubs to shout
"heart switch please". Try to make every card you play let
partner know what he needs to know!
********************
You can find Bridgboy (Bob Lavin) doing his FireSide
sessions on Monday evenings at 5:30 p.m., and Tuesdays
at 11:00 a.m. OKbridge time.
Anyone interested in one-on-one lessons on any topic of
the game may contact Bob at bridgboy@charter.net
====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Mindy for this giggle:
TEACHERS VS. EDUCATORS
According to a news report, a certain private school in Victoria,
Australia was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of
girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the
bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick
they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of
little lip prints. Every night, the maintenance man would remove
them and the next day, the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She
called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the
maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were
causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the
mirrors every night.
To demonstrate how difficult it was to clean the mirrors, she
asked the maintenance man to clean the mirrors.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and
cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip
prints on the mirror.
=====================================================
GUIDO'S REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF
===============================
Strong Weak 2's or Weak Strong 2's
or is it Intermediate 2's?
Every system has "holes" and weak spots. The current 5-card
majors strong 2/1 style (not just 2/1 game forcing, but SAYC type
systems also) has them. Even my beloved Blue Team and Roman have
weak spots - ok, settle down, please do not ALL write to me
saying "ya, the weak spot is YOU."
One of the weak spots in standard 5-card majors is the simple
rebid of the suit after responder makes a simple two-over-one
response. The worst sequence is 1H-2D;2H. What does the 2H rebid
tell responder? Not much; simply that opener can not make a
stronger bid. He might have a good hand, but a suit too weak to
jump (AQx-K76543-AQx-A). There are umpteen other possibilities.
The point is that the rebid of 2 of his original suit covers a
huge range of hands. Anything you can do to narrow the range of
bids will help your constructive bidding.
One way to do this is to slightly strengthen your weak two bids.
(Well, if you open weak two's in the Tuna fashion, you would have
to strengthen them quite a bit.) Here's the idea:
2H or 2S openings show something like 10-14 high card points; a
one-suited hand with a decent six card suit. If you tend to open
one-bids light, you might make the two-bids 9-13.
Responses are simple. A new suit is natural and forcing. 2NT asks
opener to show a singleton. Raises are preemptive.
You will note that this bid also adds definition to 1M-1N; 2M.
This has to show a good hand, because with a minimum opening bid,
you would have opened two of the major.
You give up harassing style weak twos. You still get to open most
"classic" weak twos. You add definition to two very common
sequences. Your two bids mean the same in all seats (Harassing
weak twos make no sense in fourth chair). No fancy conventions
are used. Life is simple; life is beautiful.
Just to drive the editors completely crazy (it's my job, you
know), you can still maintain the use of your harassing style
weak twos by playing mini-multi 2D. This bid shows a weak 2 in
a major. The structure would look like:
2C: strong, artificial, forcing
2D: 4-8 or 5-9 hcp, weak 2H bid OR weak 2S bid
2H/2S: 9-13 or 10-14 hcp, good 6 card suit; 1-suited.
If anyone is interested, I can write up a simple response/rebid
structure for the 2D opening. All this is by way of an aside,
though, for those who can't give up opening hands like
QJxxxx-x-Kxx-xxx at the two level. The simple structure works
great without this refinement. You can use 2D the same way or as
Flannery (don't like it, but it is legal) or any other way that
brings joy to your soul and a song to your heart.
For any history buffs out there, the first write up of this
type of intermediate two was by an Englishman named Monk in
the Bridge Journal published in 1964. Benito Garozzo used a
similar structure for many years. The bid has found it's way
into quite a few other systems, also.
OK, folks, after this journey to the twilight zone, the other
columns will return you to reality.
********************
You can email Guido at: paulfriedman@attbi.com
============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Subject: What gender is it?
ZIPLOC BAGS - male, because they hold everything in, but you can
always see right through them.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE - male, because even though it appears useful
for a wide variety of work, it spends most of its time just
opening bottles.
KIDNEYS - female, because they always go to the bathroom in
pairs.
SHOE - male, because it is usually unpolished, with its tongue
hanging out.
COPIER - female, because once turned off, it takes a while to
warm up. Because it is an effective reproductive device when the
right buttons are pushed. Because it can wreak havoc when the
wrong buttons are pushed
TIRE - male, because it goes bald and often is over-inflated.
HOT AIR BALLOON - male, because to get it to go anywhere you
have to light a fire under it... and, of course, there's the hot
air part.
SPONGES - female, because they are soft and squeezable and retain
water.
WEB PAGE - female, because it is always getting hit on.
SUBWAY - male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people
up.
HOURGLASS - female, because over time, the weight shifts to the
bottom.
HAMMER - male, because it hasn't evolved much over the last 5,000
years, but it's handy to have around.
REMOTE CONTROL - female... Ha! You thought I'd say male. But
consider . . . it gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it,
and while he doesn't always know the right buttons to push, he
keeps trying.
============================================================
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING
=============================
Responding to 2C Openers
Last month I talked about how to handle a 2C opening by using the
2H response to show a hand of no value. This month we will talk
about handling interference. Don't you just hate when those pesky
opps have the audacity to interfere with your pard's 2C opening!
But first a review of my suggested responses to 2C:
Remember, 2C shows a hand of 22+ points, although a little less
is permissible with 9 playing tricks.
Responses: (all alertable!)
2D is forcing the partnership to at least the game level, but
states that I do not have a 5-card or longer suit headed by 2 of
the top 3 honors. (AK, AQ or KQ)
2H says "TERRIBLE" awful hand, no aces and probably no kings
(maybe one though), and less than 5 points. But you promise to
make one more bid for partner, and to continue bidding if partner
bids new suits.
2S/2NT/3C/3D show a natural suit with 2 of the top 3 honors: 2S
showing spades, 2NT showing HEARTS (remember 2H is our negative
response) and 3C and 3D showing the respective minors. This suit
must be a least 5-cards in length. Toughest part is remembering
that 2C-P-2NT is showing 5 or more hearts headed with AK, AQ or
KQ!
Now let's talk about what happens if those darn opponents bid
over the 2C opening!!!
Your pard has opened 2C and there is a bid on your right. Ask
yourself first what you would have done had there been a pass on
your right.
If this answer is 2H (terrible hand) then Double (or Redouble):
X or XX = 2H
If this answer is 2D then Pass
Pass = 2D
If you intended on showing a suit.. then simply bid the suit (2
of the top 3 honors.. ie AK, KQ, or AQ and at least 5 cards in
length) As 2H is no longer used for the terrible hand, hearts can
now naturally show hearts in this instance.
Bidding a Suit = natural and 2 of the top 3 honors in the bid
suit.
Examples:
2C-2D-X I have nothing of value pard
2C-2D-2S I have at least 5 spades headed with at least KQ or
AQ or AK
2C-2D-P Game forcing but no suit headed with 2 of top 3 honors
This system will not end all your troubles, but you will now have
a much firmer control over your destiny after the first round of
bidding.
*************************
You will find Captain (Andy Anderson) doing his FireSide
sessions on Tuesday evenings, at 8:00 P.M. OKbridge time,
and every other Saturday at 11:00 A.M.
Captain is a full time instructor on OKbridge, offering
group or individual lessons for anyone ranging from novice
to advanced players.
Email Andy for more information - andy@imagewireless.ca
====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
We got this giggle from Benson:
An elephant was drinking out of a pond one day, when he spotted a
turtle asleep on a log. So, he strolled over and flicked it
clear out of sight with his trunk.
"What did you do that for?" asked a passing aardvark.
"Because I recognized it... It's the same turtle that took a nip
out of my trunk 53 years ago."
"Wow, what a memory!" exclaimed the aardvark.
"Yes," said the elephant, "turtle recall".
============================================================
JUST JILL
=========
Too Many Terms
They taught me how to transfer to the majors using "red"
And 2 clubs says I'm looking for a four-four fit instead
But what I never noticed was that there's a missing bid
So when my partner said 2 spades, it really blew my lid!
So now, I find myself neck-deep in terminology
And I'm adrift upon the boundless Bridge Convention Sea
I find myself in search of terms in Root & Pavlicek
I'm lost as ever--all these terms, a noose around my neck!
These people who have played for years use jargon all the time
The other day, I heard a phrase--quite far from the sublime...
They spoke of "double dummy" and I thought that they meant ME!
They way I bid, the way I played, 'twas fitting, don't you see?
The 'cuebid' term has also got me muddled and perplexed
Sometimes it means a limit raise, according to the text
Sometimes it's "Michael's Cuebid" and means something else again
And why is showing a control called 'cuebid' even then?
The game of bridge involves a set of rules by which we play
And bidding has conventions: things in code we learn to say
But every time I think I've learned a rule that I can use
I use it somewhere incorrectly, causing me to muse...
So, let me see... a 'Double' means that I have four in 'suit'
While I can use a 'cuebid' to show five if I'm astute
And I prefer to use the term 'control bid' in the case
Where I am showing some control, and 'first-round' means the Ace
One thing they say about the game that I find true for me
They say it keeps the brain alive and working--I agree!
But sometimes, I prefer to let my brain just hibernate
Perhaps you never do this, but I'm sure you can relate!
(c)Copyright 2002 by Jill Wilson
********************
You can email Jill at ilovechocolate@earthlink.net
============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks again to Mindy for this giggle:
I am passing this on to you - It is definitely working for me. I
think I have found inner peace. I read an article that said the
way to achieve inner peace is to finish things I had started.
Today I finished two bags of potato chips, a chocolate pie, a
bottle of wine and a small box of chocolate candy. I feel better
already. Pass this along to those who need Inner Peace
===========================================================
DEALING WITH DANN
==================
Cover an Honour?
Hi folks.
Well, it's about that time again, getting close to deadline
and I'm looking for topics not already used in this month's
edition. I thought that for a change I'd talk a little bit
about defensive play, instead of the usual bidding
strategies/rules/insights.
I've chosen a basic situation, based on a question from a
FireSide participant. So, we'll go back to the basics,
to talk a little bit about the question:
"When should I cover an honour?"
Usually, the old saying we all learned, "cover an honour with an
honour," is a good rule to follow. You force declarer to take
the trick with a high card, and hopefully promote pard's or your
lower cards.
But, when declarer is doing the leading, we have a quick rule of
thumb -- cover an honour when its dummy's last honour. For
instance, if dummy has some JTx, and declarer starts with the
jack, we would refuse to cover (saving our honour for the 10
spot.) Sometimes common sense has to take over -- if looking at
QJTx, and holding Kxxx, we would not cover with our K (if we
wait, declarer must have 4 of the suit to be able to erase our
king as a trick, and chances are good that declarer does not have
4 in his hand, too.)
Keep in mind that I'm only giving a couple of examples here,
because, as with most situations in bridge, there is no perfect
solution to this question. Nothing substitutes for experience,
and the longer you the play, the more experience you have.
If all else fails, refer to the only universal bridge rule --
Think twice before playing once.
Happy bridging all -- I hope you're enjoying your summer.
Dann (POOKA) Kramer
*******************
You will find Pooka (Dann Kramer) doing his FireSide
sessions on Monday and Thursday mornings, at 11:00 a.m.
OKbridge time.
Dann is available for one-on-one lessons, group mentoring
sessions, and/or tourney play.
For more information, write Dann at: Dann-Kramer@shaw.ca
===================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Luc for this one:
A woman went to the doctors offices, where she was seen by one of
the new doctors. After about 4 minutes in the examination
room, she burst out of the office, screaming as she ran down the
hall. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem
was, and she told him her story.
After listening, he had her sit down and told her to go relax in
another room. The older doctor marched down hallway to the back
where the first doctor was and demanded, "What's the matter with
you? Mrs. Terry is 63 years old, she has four grown children and
seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?"
The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without
looking up said, "Does she still have the hiccups?"
=========================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
======================
Fireside News
Email address alert: Bill (WINTAKA) has new email
address. You can contact him now at:
bbtreble@mts.net
**********************************************************
OKB Tourney News
Sun Jul 14 10:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 piko/raija 1.95 26
Congrats to Raija and her partner Piko! Her many fans from her
days at Fireside are cheering!
Sat Jul 20 10:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 ecofin/jccasper 2.26 12
I can also count on Dale and his partner JC to give me
material for my column! Well done, *again*.:)
Sun Jul 21 09:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 baybars/lharvey 2.99 12
Nice to see Izzo (Baybars) and his partner Lharvey
on top! Well done, both of you!
Wed Jul 24 19:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 pama/tuna 3.56 12
Gives me great pleasure to report a win of our favorite
fishie with a favorite ex-commentator!
Wed Jul 24 21:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/Moogal 73.05 11
A fun win for us....our first MP win *ever* and our first
mini win! Good thing it ended when it did! :)
**********************************************************
Novice Mentor Tourney
Congrats to Atal and Woot, winners of this month's Novice-
Mentor Tourney!
Our other top finishers:
Thu Jul 11 18:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 atal/woot 67.05 20
2 k/rickms 64.88 20
3 Kaltica/Tara 62.44 20
4 amber/Svet 57.50 20
5 hongr/julie 57.41 20
6 curls/mam105/TournNov 55.83 18
7 de/hec1 53.96 20
8 brocky/dorset61 52.33 19
9 jerry_k/r2play 50.90 19
10 raven99/Tom-V 50.45 20
11 arrow/elvee 50.27 20
Mentors and novices, join us this month on the 8'th!
Email Sandra (SANDREE) at sandree@attbi.com if you would
like to find a partner ahead of time. She'll do her best
to match you up!
I promise you a fun evening. :)
**********************************************************
Mentor Cup Team Game:
July 14 Team PKV: PKV, Ask1, Todd and Peter_5
July 28 Team BOBOWEN: Bobowen, Queenhrt, Pringle and Unicorn
Well done to all of you and to our other top
finishers -- see who they are on our webpage at:
www.firesides.net/mtc.htm
Mentor Cup Team Games in July will be held on the
Sundays of Aug 11 and 25 at 8:00 P.M. PST.
Email me at Moocake@aol.com to get on the reminder
list for these games. All welcome!
***************************************************************
A little bonus from Kaltica this month: :)
A Players Lament
****************
While we fell for near all the canards
And we both looked around for new pards
The opps were a curse
But no worse than this verse
As they bid like they'd seen all the cards.
**************************************************************
Can't remember if this is a Mentor Cup week or when the next
Fireside session is? Get the complete schedule of events
at:
www.firesides.net/whatsup.htm
Bookmark this page, and check back often. You don't want
to miss anything!
For those of you who use a credit card to support Fireside,
it's easy now! Go to:
www.firesides.net/support.htm
***************************************************************
Get well wishes to Jane's (Neophyte's) 13 year old daughter, who
is scheduled soon for heart surgery. She has a valve that needs
attention and an infection of the heart. We look forward to
hearing good news as to her progress! Easy to see whose daughter
she is, she was a participant in the 2002 UK Junior Bridge
Trials!
***************************************************************
Washington, DC Nationals
Due to the short deadline this month (my vacation!), I only have
the results that I was able to glean from the ACBL website...I
hope to have some words for you from our Fireside stars next
month.
Bob (BRIDGBOY) and PATRICIA shined with a first in A!
FRIDAY DAYLIGHT OPEN
128 Pairs
A B C
26.97 1 Robert Lavin, East Longmeadow MA;
Patricia Wright, Charlotte NC
382.00
A big congrats to Bob and Patricia.:)
********************
And wow wow wow...our newest commentator, Lynn Deas (WISHTRIK)
made us all *very* proud with a win in the Woman's Wagar
Knock-out teams. This is a really big deal folks!
Wagar Womens KO Teams
27 Teams
140.00 1 Cheri Bjerkan, Elmhurst IL; Stasha Cohen, Glen
Ridge NJ; Pam Wittes, Venice CA; Renee Mancuso,
Los Angeles CA; Beth Palmer, Silver Spring MD;
Lynn Deas, Schenectady NY
Not only that, she placed second in the life master pairs!
Life Master Pairs (6 Sessions)
130 Pairs
190.00 1 Leonard Holtz, Los Angeles CA; Tobi
Sokolow, Austin TX 2135.43
142.50 2 Lynn Deas, Schenectady NY; Curtis Cheek,
Huntsville AL 2098.71
Congrats to Lynn and her partner Curtis. What a week for Lynn!!
********************
Our friend Howard Einberg (CaptHook) and his teammates, Michael
Mikyska, Alan Meyerson, Jim Glickman and David Sokolow, also did
very well in Washington, winning the Mini-Spingold I. The
Einberg squad was solid throughout the event, winning 18 out of
22 quarters. (Each quarter was 14 boards.)
Congratulations, Howard! We're hoping to hear from you about
some of the highlights -- real soon!
(Howard tells us that he "will try to find some hands, but
we won because we just played bridge and let the opps make
the mistakes.")
***************************************************************
Dloye is filling in as our travel editor this month! Here is her
"tale of the Gails":
Though it is not an original sentiment, it is just a lot of fun
to visit in person with OKB friends. So as I did a month of "On
the Road" in the Jack Kerouac sense, I had the opportunity to
visit two of the best Gails. Gail37 was a delightful hostess for
a day of touring Salt Lake City. Temple Square is built with all
the grandeur and awe inspiring scale that you could ever hope for
in architecture. I was thrilled to get a chance to see the
tabernacle and assembly hall. And Gail really pushed herself
beyond what she should have being the hostess.
Frodo provided a setting reminiscent of the Grandfather's in
Heidi. I felt I had been transported to the most health inducing
spot in the world. We played three sessions in a sectional, but
silly me, I decided that the fact that I'm old, fat and unfit was
no reason to keep me off the steep trails. I tried to climb the
cardiac slope behind Gail's house before the bridge game. I have
never tried to play in such a state of exhaustion! Gail dragged
me in for a 45% game, which was a miracle. Saturday we played in
a double session, and placed in the afternoon. Too bad I decided
to try to go for a top in the last round of the game. It's
really easy to turn average boards into bottoms by swinging!
The trip was a marvelous adventure. 7000 miles of driving alone
over 3 1/2 weeks. And visiting the Gails was a great way to
break the road time. What a thrill to meet my buddies in person!
***************************************************************
Welcome to the Convention-of-the-Week Club! Brought to you by
the Granovetters, the same folks who publish Bridge Today
magazine, it is yours for the asking in your email box each week.
You can sign up by emailing them at Matt@bridgetoday.com (put
"Conventions" in the subject box. Or go to the Bridge Today
website and sign up:
http://www.bridgetoday.com
To unsubscribe, write to them with a "stop conventions" in the
subject box.
If you have any questions regarding any of the ideas in these
weekly emails, please write by return email to
matt@bridgetoday.com and include your name, city, and any bridge
hand you are referring to. Please be patient for a reply and you
may even find your question and the answer in subsequent issues
of Convention-of-the-Week.
Here is a sample preview issue:
July 16, 2002
You pick up:
Axxxxx
Jxx
A
Jxx
You open 2S. Partner responds 2NT. What is your rebid?
------------------------------------------------------
Convention of the Week:
Ogust
After a weak two-bid in a major and a 2NT response, opener can
show various types of hands for his weak two-bid. The original
Ogust convention worked like this:
2M - 2NT
?
3C = bad hand, bad suit
3D = bad hand, good suit
3H = good hand, bad suit
3S = good hand, good suit
3NT = AKQxxx
There was one flaw. When opener started with 2S and rebid 3H,
there was no room for responder to show a heart suit, an
alternative place to play when opener's suit was bad. So, many
partnerships switched 3D and 3H to read this way:
3C = bad hand, bad suit
3D = good hand, bad suit
3H = bad hand, good suit
3S = good hand, good suit
3NT = AKQxxx
Look at our preview hand:
Axxxxx xx
Jxx KQxxxx
A KJx
Jxx AQ
2S 2N
3D 3H
4D 4H
pass
Using 3D to show the good hand, bad suit, allows responder to
show his heart suit on the way to 3N or 4S. Opener is so
delighted, he can cuebid with his fine controls.
After a 2D weak two-bid, Ogust doesn't apply. Some partnerships
use a 3C rebid as a good hand and 3D as a bad hand.
There are many other forms of Ogust methods that have cropped up
over the years, some that include the ability to show a five-card
weak two-bid or a singleton. We can't put all of them in this
newsletter, but here's one that caters to opening a weak two-bid
with a side four-card major:
2M - 2NT
?
3C = bad suit with a bad hand or a good hand
3D = good hand, good suit (game force)
3 of the opening major = bad hand, good suit
3 of the other major = 4-card major
3NT = AKQxxx
Over 3C, responder bids 3D as a strong game try, while 3 of
opener's major is invitational but weaker. Three of the new major
by responder is natural and forcing.
Over 3D, responder bids 3 of a new major as natural and forcing,
and 3 of the original major is also forcing, asking for a cuebid
or a bid of 3NT with a bad suit.
What do you lose by playing Ogust?
----------------------------------
The natural or feature showing rebids, which may point the way to
the best game contract. For example, playing feature, responder
bids 2NT with this hand:
Ax
Kxx
AQxxxx
Kx
After a 2S opening bid, he hears 3D! So he bids 3NT instead of
4S. Partner holds:
KQxxxx
xxx
KJx
x
3NT is a superior contract to 4S, which may go down when spades
break 4-1 or the heart ace is offside.
Check List:
Ogust
___ After a weak two-bid in a major and 2NT response, opener
rebids in steps to show whether he has a good hand or/and good
suit.
___ Opener's rebid of 3D shows a bad suit and good hand, while 3H
shows a good suit and bad hand.
___ Opener may have a 4-card major, so he rebids the other major
naturally, 3C with a bad suit, 3D with a game force, and 3 of his
major with a good suit and bad hand.
***************************************************************
Slammin' Sammy Goes Deep
Where can you find doubles, grand slams, sacrifices, and
squeeze plays? In bridge, of course, and also in baseball.
All bridge players are invited to participate in Richard
Pavlicek's "beat the slam" contest. Slammin' Sammy has
hit a deep fly ball. Back, back, back! Will you catch it?
Or will it clear the fence for a home run? The contest
opens August 1 (GMT).
http://www.rpbridge.net/7v89.htm
Results of his July bidding poll "A Gem-Rich Zoo in Zambia"
will be posted August 3, 21:00 GMT.
Quiz: http://www.rpbridge.net/7w89.htm
Scores: http://www.rpbridge.net/7w95.htm
Analyses: http://www.rpbridge.net/7w96.htm
***************************************************************
So you *think* you know Stayman? Have fun with some challenging
questions at:
www.firesides.net/staymantest.htm
And if you haven't had a chance yet, a reminder of the other
quizzes that Colin has developed to enlighten us:
www.firesides.net/sayctest.htm
www.firesides.net/sarctest.htm
www.firesides.net/spectrumtest.htm
www.firesides.net/bidstest.htm
Give them a try! They are fun and instructive.
***************************************************************
World Bridge Championships in Montreal
Thanks to Andre55 for the following info:
During the World Championship in Montreal, two meetings are
scheduled to allow online bridge players to finally meet face to
face.
The first one is on Sunday, August 18, breakfast from 8:30 to
10:00 AM, at the "Le Montrealais" restaurant at the Fairmont
Queen Elisabeth Hotel; no reservation needed. For more info,
contact DeniseB on Okbridge.
The second is on Sunday, August 25 -- a dinner being organised by
EvaM and Joepathy. All the info about the menu, reservation,
cost, etc is on their website at:
http://pages.infinit.net/kleeblat
Colin and I are going, along with Bill (WINTAKA) and Marlene
(NANTICA), to play in the mixed pairs. This should be a
giggle...it seemed like a good idea at the time, *before* I got a
look at the roster of players. No sense, no fear seems to apply
here! We should at least have some stories to tell.:) If you are
going to be there, look for us...we'll be wearing big Fireside
buttons of course, so be sure to say hello!
***************************************************************
While you are reading this, I am already off on vacation, a tour
of some of our National Parks -- with *ten* members of my
family -- my husband, two daughters, one son-in-law, my mother,
my sister, her two daughters and one boyfriend. Hmmm, maybe we
should rethink this plan.:)
So....anything I missed at the end of the month, we'll print next
month!
Hugs...Janice
**********************************************************
MENTORING SESSIONS
==================
Some of our commentators are offering group mentoring
sessions. This is an easy, fun, and very affordable
way to get both bidding and play instruction with your
partner, friends, or as a single participant. Email
the commentator if you want information on joining
one of the established groups with spots available,
or to discuss a session at your convenience.
Kibitzers are welcome at most sessions.
Watch this spot for future sessions from our other
commentators also!
********************
KALTICA
Colin is currently holding sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Email him for more information.
You can contact Colin at kaltica@mts.net.
********************
POOKA
Was anybody's favorite dwarf Bashful? If so...Pooka offers
a "private" group mentoring session, in a hidden table
format, for those who would prefer a closed setting for
their mentoring sessions. Contact Dann at:
dann-kramer@shaw.ca for more information.
*********************************************************
August Events: (All times Pacific)
===============================
NOVICE/MENTOR TOURNEY:
Thursday, August 8, 6:00 P.M. A low-key introduction
to the tourney experience, sponsored by Fifth Chair...
see www.fifthchair.org for more info on this and
their other services, including getting a mentor.
MENTOR CUP TEAM GAME:
Sunday, 5:00 P.M. August 11 & August 25.
See www.firesides.net/mtc.htm for info and lists
of past winners. To get on the mailing list for
this game, email me at moocake@aol.com.
OKSCRIPT SEMINAR:
OKScript seminars are held as demand warrants.
Email Kaltica to schedule a session, usually available
on the same Sunday as the Mentor Cup Game, at 2:30 p.m.
OKScript is an add-on program that saves you many
keystrokes while playing on OKB by sending
prepared text to the table, opps, or lobby at the
push of a button. Try to download the program BEFORE
the seminar by going to www.firesides.net/okscript.htm.
For more information, email Colin at kaltica@mts.net.
FIFTH CHAIR INSTRUCTIONAL EVENTS:
=================================
Interested in getting a mentor to play with you periodically
in your learning of this wonderful game? Please contact
tarsh1@mindspring.com and ask for a mentor.
SAYC Novice Team Game:
Saturdays, at 8:00 a.m. PACIFIC. Newcomers very
welcome! In addition to the team game, there will be
an open table for those waiting to join the team game.
This table will also have a commentator.
(This team game on hiatus until September, however there
will be a teaching table open at 8:00 a.m. until the team
game resumes.)
2/1 Team Game for intermediate players:
Saturdays, 1:30 p.m. Pacific. Novices are welcome in
spectator mode.
Look for the words FIFTH CHAIR beside the server's name,
in the table notes, to attend either of these sessions
You can also go to the Fifth Chair Foundation webpage:
www.fifthchair.org if you have any bidding questions. After
clicking on the webpage, find the Ask Anything section. Write
an email to Lucy, and she will be most happy to answer your
questions.
********************
Moogal (Janice Kofman) stays busy collecting all sorts
of news about our FireSide family members to share with us.
Please help her out by emailing her any news or stories you
are willing to share with the group.
Janice's email address is moocake@aol.com
====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thank you to DeniseB for this giggle:
A woman asks her husband, "What are you doing?"
He answers: "Hunting flies."
"Killing any?" "Yep, 3 males 2 females."
Intrigued, she asks "How can you tell?"
"3 were on beer can, 2 on the phone."
========================================================
HAND OF THE MONTH
=================
From The Daily Bridge Calendar. For more information call
1-888-453-1976 or email calendar@interlog.com
This month we are thrilled to present our 'Hand of the Month'
feature, with a big "thank you" to Laura Brown for formatting
it for us.
********************
S AKQJ2
H 852
D QJT
C T4
S T7
H K9
D K532
C AKJ2
West North East South
1H
P 1S P 2H
P 4H All pass
Opening Lead... CA
Against 4H you start off with the CA, followed by
the CK. Your partner plays the C3 and the C7 while
declarer contributes the C6 and CQ. How do you plan
to beat declarer's game contract?
S AKQJ2
H 852
D QJT
C T4
S T7 S 9843
H K96 H 4
D K532 D 764
C AKJ2 C 98753
S 65
H AQJT73
D A98
C Q6
Contract 4H Lead: CA
You have such a strong hand that you surely cannot
rely on your partner to provide anything in the way
of high cards. However, at least you can see where
the four defensive tricks might come from. The
trouble is that declarer is likely to be able to
discard any diamond losers he may have on dummy's
good spades.
What you must do is attack dummy's spade suit
immediately. This will guarantee defeat of the contract
provided he has no more than a doubleton spade. Switch
to a spade at trick three.
Declarer will win in dummy and surely take a heart
finesse. Win your HK and play a second spade. Declarer
then has no more entries to dummy so he has to cash
his spades now or lose them forever. If he tries to
cash a spade you will make a second trump trick.
If declarer takes a diamond finesse, the DK will be
the setting trick.
********************
Hand and analysis by Sally Brock, courtesy of the
Daily Bridge Calendar, published by Ashlar House Inc.,
Brampton, ON, Canada. Reprinted with permission.
===========================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Obraven for this giggle:
Thoughts on Housekeeping
Vacuuming too often weakens the carpet fibers. Say this with a
serious face, and shudder delicately whenever anyone mentions
Carpet Fresh.
Dust bunnies cannot evolve into dust rhinos when disturbed.
Rename the area under the couch "The Galapagos Islands" and claim
an ecological exemption.
Layers of dirty film on windows and screens provide a helpful
filter against harmful and aging rays from the sun. Call it an
SPF factor of 5 and leave it alone.
Cobwebs artfully draped over lampshades reduces the glare from
the bulb, thereby creating a romantic atmosphere. If your husband
points out that the light fixtures need dusting, simply look
affronted and exclaim, "What? And spoil the mood?"
In a pinch, you can always claim that the haphazard tower of
unread magazines and newspapers next to your chair provides the
valuable Feng Shui aspect of a tiger, thereby reducing your
vulnerability. Roll your eyes when you say this.
Explain the mound of pet hair brushed up against the doorways by
claiming you are collecting it there to use for stuffing handsewn
play animals for underprivileged children.
If unexpected company is coming, pile everything unsightly into
one room and close the door. As you show your guests through your
tidy home, rattle the door knob vigorously, fake a growl and say,
"I'd love you to see our Den, but Fluffy hates to be disturbed
and the shots are SO expensive."
If dusting is REALLY out of control, simply place a showy urn on
the coffee table and insist that "THIS is where Grandma wanted us
to scatter her ashes..."
Don't bother repainting. Simply scribble lightly over a dirty
wall with an assortment of crayons, and try to muster a glint of
tears as you say, "Junior did this the week before that
unspeakable accident...I haven't had the heart to clean it..."
Mix one-quarter cup pine-scented household cleaner with four cups
of water in a spray bottle. Mist the air lightly. Leave dampened
rags in conspicuous locations. Develop an exhausted look, throw
yourself onto the couch, and sigh, "I clean and I clean and I
still don't get anywhere..."
========================================================
BOB'S BITS
==========
Eight Times Not To Make A Take-Out Double
First and foremost, it is important to know that a take–out
double is made with the equivalent of an opening hand, when
there is no other clear action. You would like partner to bid
their best suit. You count dummy points, since you plan on
being dummy. When they open 1H and you have Axxx x Kxxx Kxxx,
you have an opening bid, certainly adequate to make a take-out
double. Mind you, if they open anything else we would be
passing.
Eight times when we do NOT want to make a take-out double then,
are:
1. Hands with a good 5 card suit overcall at the 1 level --
in the range of 8-18 HCP, maybe lighter.
OR
Hands with a 6 card suit overcall at the 1 or 2
level, about 12-18 HCP for 2 level.
So, with:
S AKxxx H xx D Kxxx C xx
They open 1H, you overcall 1S
and with:
S xx H AQJxxx D Axxx C x
They open 1S, you call 2H.
2. With a NT overcall:
15-18 HCP, a stop in their suit, and a balanced
hand:
S KJxx H KJx D AQxx C Kx
They open 1H, you overcall 1NT.
3. They opened your best suit:
They bid 1H, and you have:
S xx H AQJxx D KQxx C Qx
You must pass.
4. Hands with a doubleton in the unbid major.
A take-out double promises at least 3 card support
in the unbid suits, especially the majors.
They bid 1 diamond, you hold:
S 10x H AJ98 D KQx C AQxx
You bid 1NT
S xx H AKJx D xxx C AJ98
You bid 1H
S Qx H Axxx D KQx C Qxxx
You pass
S Ax H Axxx D KQx C AKxx
You double, then bid NT at your next turn
5. Hands with a singleton in one of the unbid suits.
Over 1 heart, with:
S AJ10x H Axx D x C Kxxxx
A bid of 1S is frankly a better call than
2C, as you have Heart control
S Axxx H xxx D x C AKQ10x
Bid 2C
S AJ10x H Axx D x C AKJ10x
Bid 2C, intending to bid Spades next
S x H Axxx D AJxx C KQxx
Pass, lets wait and see
6. Hands with 6 card suits or longer, even when they meet the
requirements of a take out double.
Over 1 heart, with:
S AKxxxx H x D Axx C Kxx
Bid 1S
S AQxx H Qx D x C AQ10xxx
Bid 2C
S AKJxxx H Axx D x C AQ10
double, and then bid Spades (an exception*)
(*I do not believe in making a take-out double just because I
have 17+ HCP. When I double and rebid my own suit, I am quite
prepared to play opposite little support. I would never double
when I have a good hand with Hearts and no Spades if they open
a minor, unless I was prepared to play 5H should my partner
vault to 4S.)
7. Hands with a good or chunky looking 5 card major. It is
difficult to find the 5/3 major fit in the majors when you
make a take-out double.
Over 1 diamond, with:
S AKxxx H Axxx D x C Axx
Bid 1S
S QJxx H AQxxx D x C Kxx
Bid 1H
8. Hands with 2 five-card suits.
Bid the higher one first and then the lower one if
your hand is good enough. Take-out doubles have support
for all the unbid suits. Again, it is difficult to find
the 5/3 major fit when you begin with a take-out double.
Over 1 diamond, with:
S AKxxx H xx D x C AQxxx
Bid 1S, then Clubs if needed.
************************
Bob Mcphee and Allan Graves (Allan's team came in second in the
recent Spingold, and he is also a member of the Canadian Team
Trials winning team) will be presenting a series of classes on
Defense starting September 9. For more information, or to sign
up for this class, contact Bob at:
bobmcphee@hotmail.com
================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Benson for this one:
The Water Pistol
When my three-year-old son opened the birthday gift from his
grandmother, he discovered a water pistol. He squealed with
delight and headed for the nearest sink. I was not so
pleased.
I turned to Mom and said, "I'm surprised at you. Don't you
remember how we used to drive you crazy with water guns?"
Mom smiled and then replied....."I remember."
==================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
====================
Spills and Thrills at Bridge Week
In the early summer of each year the Canadian Championships,
known as “Bridge Week” are held over a one-week span. There are
four major events, the Canadian National Teams Championships
(CNTC's), the Canadian Women’s Teams (CWTC.s), the Flight B
Canadian National Teams (CNTC-B), and the Canadian Open Pairs
(COPC's). The round-robin portion of the events consumes the
first three to four days, and the qualifiers then play off in
day-long knockout matches until a winner is decided. As the
knockout stage of the team events gets underway, the two-day
Canadian Open Pairs also begins, with the field consisting of
local qualifiers and any eliminated players from the team events
that wish to play. The top half of the field, plus any pairs
that failed to advance from the first day’s knockout play in the
team events, would then battle it out to determine the COPC
winner. That pair would get handsomely rewarded in coinage of
both “gold” and silver.
The host city for 2002 Bridge Week was Edmonton, Alberta.
Having been to the Wild Rose Province on several previous
occasions and making friends with many of their players, I knew
they would do a wonderful job of putting on the event. The
chairperson was Kizmet Fung of Edmonton, and she had the entire
bridge community support her with verve and gusto in putting on a
first-class operation all the way. It was good old-fashioned
Western hospitality all the way, and everyone who attended
enjoyed themselves immensely.
The main objective, of course, is to achieve success in the
CNTC's, as it brings with it a chance to represent Canada
internationally. Winnipeg sent FIVE teams to Bridge Week, two
for the CNTC's, two for the CNTC-B, and one for the CWTC's.
Colin “Kaltica” Ward took part in the Flight B teams, and his
squad was just a hair's breadth away from advancing to the
semi-finals. I played in the CNTC's with Dave McLellan of
Thunder Bay as my partner, and Doug Fisher/Dave Brough of
Winnipeg as our teammates.
Since this is a fairly long event, most teams go with six
players so as to avoid fatigue and burnout, and to have the
option of changing lineups when a pair seems to be labouring or
just a bit off-form. A few teams go with just four players, most
notably the defending champions of Nick Gartaganis from Alberta.
To play as a four-bagger, the players need to have a mutual
respect, deal with the inevitable bumps in the road in a composed
manner while maintaining their equanimity, and be supportive of
each other at all times. Although we arrived in Edmonton with
high expectations, as the week proceeded it was evident that our
team did not have the qualities that are essential to the success
of a four-man team. After a decent first day, our fortunes
turned abruptly on the second day, and instead of regrouping and
charging back, we gradually unraveled. We stayed on the fringes
of contention for awhile, but never really got clicking on all
cylinders, and a resounding defeat on the opening match of the
fourth day eradicated the remnants of whatever faint chance we
had of making the playoffs.
Our CNTC hopes dashed on the rocky shoals of misfortune and
sporadic play, Dave and I turned our attention to the COPC's, an
event we'd previously won in 2000 in Halifax. We had two nice
games the first day to ensconce ourselves in second place going
into the finals, but slipped to a 52% game in the afternoon to
tumble all the way to 10th. The evening session was over average
but hardly scintillating with half the boards played. Then we
caught fire over the last fourteen boards, racking up a string of
tops or near-tops, and edged into first place at the end by about
half a board.
The CNTC's always feature a plethora of challenging and
entertaining bridge hands, and right off the bat Dave and I got
a hand that nicely fit into our system methods:
South(Dave):
S AK63
H Q7
D K10987
C A10
North(Bill):
S QJ4
H A2
D A654
C KQ32
South North
1D 3NT*
4D 4NT
6D
* 14-16 points balanced, exactly four-card diamond support
A few years ago, I suggested that a 3NT response to a minor suit
opening show a balanced four-card raise with opening points, a
hand not suited to an inverted minor raise, which normally
promises at least five trumps. This served us very well here, as
Dave asked for keycards with 4D and then bid the small slam when
I showed two without the queen. It turned out diamonds were 2-2
and the hand makes thirteen tricks. Although the grand slam is
NOT desirable, our adversaries at the other table bid 7D and we
lost 13 IMPs for our good bidding. It turned out this result was
a harbinger of things to come, although we did rally to win this
particular match.
I had a nice hand in the second match that illustrates the
benefits of making an enquiry of the opponents prior to deciding
on the line of play:
E-W Vulnerable
North(Bill)
S AKQ9753
H Q5
D K
West C A53 East
S J82 S 104
H J3 H K62
D 8532 D AQ10976
C KQ108 South(Dave) C 74
S 6
H A109874
D J4
C J962
North East South West
1S pass 1NT* pass
4S pass pass pass
The lead was the 7 of clubs, and I put in a hopeful 9, covered
by the 10 on my right. There are four possible losers, but the
fourth club MAY establish for a heart discard. At this point, I
asked LHO what they normally lead from three small against a suit
contract, and was told that low was the usual lead from that
holding. Armed with this information, I now realized I had to
make other plans as clubs looked to be 4-2. I ducked the first
club and RHO continued with the King, won by my ace. I now
peeled off six rounds of trumps. RHO could not throw a heart or
a club, and had to throw off three diamonds. I now exited with
the K of diamonds, hoping RHO would have the ace and be
endplayed. Alas, LHO scooped up the trick and now exited with the
Q of diamonds. The end position was now an open book, as LHO
would probably have exited a heart if he did not have the King.
As I ruffed the diamond, RHO squirmed and pitched his fourth
club. I exited with my last club and now guessed to play low on
the enforced heart return. Discarding a heart is no better, as
I’d now play the QUEEN of hearts from my hand to the next trick,
pinning the Jack on my right. 4S making, but alas, all my
efforts were in vain, as the hand was played in the wrong
directions at the other table, so the board was thrown out.
Again we still persevered in the match, but the trend was vaguely
disturbing.
On the second day, we faced off against one of the four main
contenders, the Fergani team from Montreal/Toronto. A couple of
interesting hands popped up in this match, one a disaster for our
side and the other an opportunity for a major gain that was not
seized.
E-W vul
North (Bill)
S J10654
H KQ2
D void
West C A9842 East
S AK9 S 7
H 10963 H J7
D 85 D KQ109632
C J1053 South (Dave) C KQ7
S Q832
H A854
D AJ74
C 6
North East South West
pass 2S* pass 3D
dbl pass pass pass
* pre-empt in DIAMONDS
After I passed in first seat, my LHO trotted out a conventional
2S, a “two-under” pre-empt with diamonds as his real suit. RHO
converted to 3D, which I doubled for takeout and everyone passed.
Unfortunately, I reflexed out the natural-looking J of spades
lead, one of dummy’s heart losers went away and declarer got out
for down one. As so often happens when the opponents pre-empt,
it’s reasonable to lay down an ace and take a look at what’s on
dummy before proceeding. Here, perfect defense nets down THREE
and a sizeable +800 score for our side. Ace of clubs, club ruff,
heart back, another club ruff, another heart return and a fourth
club to uppercut dummy and set up two tricks for partner’s
remaining AJ of diamonds. Even if we don’t find our club ruff
immediately, we’ll still get +500 against a non-vul game. As a
friend of mine that regularly hustled me in pool once said to me,
“opportunity comes like a snail and runs like a racehorse”. So
true, especially in a high-level team event.
In the same match, both E-W pairs had a bidding foul-up:
East:
S void
H AQJ76542
D 3
C KQJ8
West
S AKJ97652
H 8
D K96
C 6
At our table: Our partners’ auction:
East West East West
1H 1S 1H 1S
4H 6S 3C 3S
4H 4NT
5D* 5NT
6D* 7S
(dbl) pass
* 1 or 4 keycards
At our table, the opponents bid 6S off two aces and with the
trumps 4-1, Q10xx on declarer’s left. I should probably have
doubled but even so, we were destined to lose IMPs as responder
assumed FOUR keycards in hearts after the 5D reply to 4NT. East
contended that West should not have jump-shifted, but opener
retorted that he had a three-loser hand which is surely worth a
3C bid. An interesting sidelight is that a jump shift by
responder to 2S, my choice, was not available because our
teammates use it as a fit-showing jump, promising heart support.
East was much too rambunctious in bidding the grand slam, but
it’s not that easy to subside at the game level. Perhaps a
useful tool in the kind of auction where opener jump shifts is
to use the fourth suit by responder as “noise”, asking for a
description of the nature of the jump shift. Opener can
regurgitate one of his suits if bidding on shape only, 3NT with
high cards and a semi-balanced hand, and “raise” the fourth suit
with high cards AND shape. To illustrate:
1H 1S 3C 3D* asking about the jump shift, and now opener
will continue with:
3NT– high-card jump shift with a diamond stopper
3H– natural, extra values
3S– a spade preference
4C– five-plus clubs, ambiguous as to strength
4D– GREAT hand, diamond control
4H/ minimum jump shifts, done on
4S/ shape rather than on high cards
5C
Of course, if E-W had been using this treatment and the 3D
enquiry was used by responder, opener jumps to 4H as a
discouraging bid, revealing that his jump shift was made ENTIRELY
on shape and not on high-card values. That MIGHT have given the
partnership a chance to slam on the brakes.
In the first match after dinner break on the second day, we
engaged our drinking buddies from Winnipeg, captained by Bob
Todd, in a slugfest, getting nipped out 40-39. Bob’s team went
on to qualify for the playoffs and had the Gartaganis defending
champions sweating in the quarterfinals, down a mere 14 IMPs with
16 boards to go. However, Nick’s squad turned on the afterjets
and cruised to a 70 IMP win after all was said and done. Here’s
an interesting hand that Barry Senensky and Bob Todd bid in their
match against us:
West(Barry):
S 84
H void
D AQJ4
C AJ109432
East(Bob):
S AK97
H AKJ10632
D 6
C K
West East
1C 1H
2C 2S
3C 3H
3NT 4NT
5H 6H
6C is a very good contract with lots of chances. A spade lead
is best, but there is still lots of play and declarer’s trump
spots are so good he may even be able to afford to ruff a
diamond, pitch two more on the AK of hearts, and then trump back
to hand and force out the Q of clubs. 6H got a spade lead,
however, and when the Q of hearts did not fall, declarer needed
the diamond K onside, going down two when the finesse lost.
I think East should agree on clubs as trump. Once opener bid
3NT, he promised a diamond stopper, so the only reason he would
have bid 3C instead of 2NT on his previous turn is because he has
either a seventh club or six very good ones. Assuming that to be
the case, it now looks right to agree opener’s suit as trump
rather than to insist on playing the slam in hearts. A tough
bidding problem, though, and there were predictably a number of
different results, including our partners stopping in 5C in the
replay of the board.
On the morning of the third day, we played the Maxsymetz team
from B.C., who emerged the Canadian champions at the end of the
week. They certainly showed their stuff in this encounter,
mashing us up convincingly. Dave and I bid normal aggressive
games and they invariably took ALL their tricks, defending with
unerring accuracy. It was the sort of match you feel badly about
losing but it was more a case of the opponents playing well and
earning their victory rather than us giving it away.
Dave and I opted for a change of directions after that and we
became the E-W pair. Our fortunes turned momentarily and we had
a narrow win, then had our best card of the event so far and
picked up a near-blitz. In the next round, we played another of
the favourites, the Lebi team, and overcame a couple of early
soft results to win yet again. There was still a chance to get
back to the middle of the pack with a win in the last match of
the day, which actually would leave us in fair position as the
last day’s schedule was not overly testing. This was probably
the most frustrating match of the event, as I made a point of
mentioning to my teammates that our opponents would bid game at
the drop of the hat and were usually at least two tricks beyond
the level they could make. Instead of heeding my advice, our guys
took two sacrifices against games that were down in flames and
handed a narrow win to our adversaries in a match that we dearly
needed.
Now we had to pretty much win all five of our matches on the
last day to have any sort of chance at qualifying. The next hand
pretty much typified our results of the week, and put to rest any
faint hopes we had left.
As South, vul against not, you hold:
S J865
H 4
D 10753
C 10863
The auction proceeds:
North East South West
3S 4H pass 4NT
pass 5S pass 6H
dbl pass pass pass
You KNOW partner has doubled for an unusual lead, meaning he
most likely has a minor suit void. But which one? Our guy
flipped a mental coin and led a club, resulting in the contract
making with an overtrick. A diamond lead would have resulted in
down one and a huge pickup as partners are chalking up +1100
against the vulnerable save in 6S the opponents took at the other
table. The auction was identical except that West made a
semi-bluff redouble and South couldn’t take the pressure and
eased out into 6S. The Treble rule about what to lead if you
don’t have an obvious choice or a gut feeling DAS (diamonds
against suits) and CANT (clubs against notrump) would have
worked like a charm on this hand.
Anyway, I have to fire this off to the editor, so we’ll continue
the story next month with the conclusion of the CNTCs and the
progress of the Canadian Open Pairs event. See you then!
********************
You can write to Wintaka (Bill Treble) at: bbtreble@mts.net
You will find Bill doing his FireSide sessions on Tuesdays
at 11:00 A.M. OKbridge time, and on alternating Saturdays at
11:00 A.M. OKbridge time.
Wintaka and Kaltica present classes on: SAYC (Rainbow
Series) 2/1 (Spectrum series) Precision (Prism Series), and
other selected bridge topics (Kaleidoscope series).
They also offer private/group lessons and/or supervised play
sessions. Email Bill (bbtreble@mts.net) or Colin
(kaltica@mts.net) for more information.
==============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to BobW for this giggle:
A Woman's Ultimate Fantasy
In a recent Harris On-line poll, 38,562 men across the US were
asked to identify a woman's ultimate fantasy. 97.8% of the
respondents said that a woman's ultimate fantasy is to have two
men at once. This result was so nearly unanimous that a
sociological study was conducted, and it confirmed that the men
are correct. However, it appears that most men do not realize
that, in this fantasy, one man is cooking, and the other is
cleaning.
=================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
The Tour Guide Principle
We are all familiar with the Principles of Fast and
Slow Arrival. Slow Arrival shows a better hand, giving
rise to our "Tour Guide Principle":
"When you've got the tickets, take the scenic route!"
This Tour Guide Principle ("TGP" or "POSA"--Principle
Of Slow Arrival) has many applications. The simplest of
these is any non-preemptive raise. 1S:4S is weak, while
any and all OTHER ways of getting to 4S are stronger.
We also see the TGP over takeout doubles, where:
- Immediate Raise is weakest
- Pass the Raise is medium strength
- Redouble then Raise is strongest
The same structure is seen if RHO makes an artificial
cuebid in one of our suits (e.g. 1S-2S where 2S may be
Michaels or a strong hand). Instead of a redouble, a
double followed by a raise will show the strongest type.
Why are Redoubles and Doubles considered "slower"
than Passes? The reason is not that they *are* slower
but that they *can be* slower. To wit:
i) Pass 1H Dble Pass
1S Pass Pass 2H = medium strength (9 points)
ii) Pass 1C Dble Rdbl
1D Pass Pass Dble = Penalty.
Pass Pass 1H Pass = Forcing.
Pass Dble Pass Pass
1S Pass Pass 2C = Unable to double 1S, we
FINALLY raise Clubs.
Novices are most familiar with the TGP in game
forcing auctions. Some are not aware, though, that the
TGP applies to No Trump as well as suits. Look at these
two Fourth Suit Forcing SAYC auctions:
i) 1D 1S
2C 2H = ONE round forcing in SAYC.
2NT = Weak (else 3NT).
ii) 1D 1H
2C 2S = Reverse, game forcing.
2NT = Stronger than 3NT here.
We also see the TGP pop up in Lebensohl auctions,
where "slow shows" and "direct denies".
i) Pass 1NT 2H 2NT = Forcing Opener to bid 3C.
Pass 3C Pass 3NT = SHOWS a Heart guard.
ii) Pass 1NT 2H 3NT = DENIES a Heart guard.
My partners and I like to use the same approach if
our Staymanic Club bids are doubled; No Trump Opener
passes with a stopper in Clubs (forcing Responder to
redouble to ask for a major) while direct bids DENY a
guard in Clubs.
i) ---- ---- ---- 1NT
Pass 2C Dble Pass = Shows a Club stopper.
Pass Rdbl Pass 2D = No major, artificial.
ii) ---- ---- ---- 1NT
Pass 2C Dble 2D = No major OR Club guard.
The most complex TGP situations come at or near the
slam level in forcing pass situations. The opponents
have made some high level sacrificial bid and we must
decide if we have sufficient general strength to press
on to a small or a grand slam. The quickest example of
this would come after a traditional Jacoby 2NT response
(16+ HCPs, 3+ card support, slam try):
i) 1S Pass 2NT 5H = Sacrificial pre-empt.
Here, the general rule is that, in addition to
the option of penalty doubling, one can either bid
our suit directly (no interest in slam) OR make a
forcing Pass and THEN cuebid or bid our agreed trump
suit (stronger, showing interest in slam). This often
involves pulling Partner's Double, giving this method
the name "Pass-then-Pull":
i) 1S Pass 2NT 5H = Sacrificial pre-empt.
Pass Pass Dble Pass
5S = Stronger than:
ii) 1S Pass 2NT 5H
5S = No interest in defending
5H doubled OR bidding 6S.
Direct bids are weaker than Pass-then-Pull Slow
Arrival calls. Sounds easy enough. So where is the
complicated part?
Well, the TGP has to work in tandem with another
rule in these high level anti-sacrificial auctions:
"If we lack a first or second round control of
the enemy suit our ONLY options are Pass and Double."
After 1S-Pass-2NT-5H, if Opener has two or more
quick Heart losers (e.g. H-Qx or worse) Opener MUST
Pass. With 2+ Heart losers as well Responder will
Double and, again, Opener must Pass. Yes, we might
well miss a good save in 5S but perhaps the opponents
with their 9 trumps will be beyond their LOTT level.
And, who knows? Maybe 5S would go down?
Here is an interesting hand from a recent OKB
tourney:
IMPs south Pairs Board 2
Dlr: East Kaltica
Vul: N-S S AT84 east south west north
H K7 Kaltica Moogal
D J96
C 9864 pass pass pass 1S!
pass 2S 3D 4D
east west 5C 5H?? pass 6S
S 3 S Q76 (all pass)
H T9863 H 2
D 5 D QT8743 Opening Lead: D5
C KJT732 C AQ5 Result: +6
north Score: 1430
Moogal IMPs: 9.53
S KJ952
H AQJ54 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
D AK2 E D5 3 C2 8 3 7 C3 6 9
C - S 6 A-S4 K-H7 4 8 D9 DJ
W 7 6 7 2 SQ-CA D3 D4 C5
N A-S2 K-H4 5 S5-SJ-HA-HQ
My 5H cuebid was an error--especially in light
of the fact that West was introducing a new suit.
Pass is correct with my C-9864. Now Jan will cuebid
5D and THEN I can cuebid 5H in comfort. No matter.
Partner had me "covered" this time and we found the
Spade slam anyway. My failure to double 5C implied
a lack of wastage there, allowing Jan to infer that
I probably had two useful cards for my 2S raise.
Jan posted this hand as a problem to the
rec.games.bridge newsgroup. Only one of the
experienced contributors found the right call
(i.e. Pass) over 5C--and he did it for the wrong
reason! He thought it merely showed slam interest.
In fact, Pass often serves to deny a Club control.
This discussion of the TGP reminds me of an
interesting story. I held a 5=1=2=5 moogal. S-7
was my highest card. Partner opened 1S and, with
us vulnerable, the auction proceeded:
Pard RHO Me LHO
1S Dble Pass 2H
Pass 2S Pass 3C
Pass 3D Pass 3H
Pass 4H 4S Dble
Pass Pass Pass
After Partner chalked up +790 against their
cold 5D or 5H game, RHO turned to me and demanded
to know what my delayed 4S call was.
"Slow shows," I replied.
"Slow shows what?" he roared. "You have
nothing!"
I didn't reply immediately so he pressed
his question once more--this time louder.
"Well? What did 'slow show' here?"
I shrugged and retorted: "Chutzpah?" :)
**********************
You'll find Kaltica (Colin Ward) doing his FireSide
sessions on Friday evenings at 5:30 P.M. OKbridge time.
Kaltica and Wintaka present classes on:
SAYC (Rainbow Series)
2/1 (Spectrum series)
Precision (Prism Series),
and other selected bridge topics (Kaleidoscope series).
They also offer private/group lessons and/or supervised
play sessions. Email Colin (kaltica@mts.net) or
Bill (bbtreble@mts.net) for more information.
=====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
GROANER OF THE DAY:
A bunch of cows and bulls are standing in
a field. A huge gust of wind comes along
and all the cows fall over, but the bulls
just stand there, bracing themselves
against the gale. So all the cows stand
up and go back to their chewing.
Pretty soon, a tornado blows through and
all of the cows are knocked to the ground,
but the bulls just munch on the grass.
Next, a hurricane comes through and all
the cows are knocked into the next pasture.
The bulls just say "moo."
Finally, one of the cows walks up to one
of the bulls and says, "Moo? What's the
mooing deal? How come the wind always
knocks us for a loop and you just stand
there unharmed ?"
"Isn't it obvious?" the bull replies.
"We bulls wobble, but we don't fall
down."
========================================================