FIRESIDE CHAT DECEMBER 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
Mezzie Lends a Hand
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi all!
Welcome to the December, 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 believer@firesides.net 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! :-)
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
If, for any reason, you do not wish to receive
these mailings, please write to Believer at
believer@firesides.net to be removed from our mailing
list.
===========================================
CURRENT FIRESIDE SCHEDULE
Day Pacific Time Commentator
MON 11:00 A.M. POOKA
MON 5:30 P.M. BRIDGBOY
TUE 11:00 A.M. BRIDGBOY
TUE 5:30 P.M. MEZZIE
WED 11:00 A.M. FREDW3
WED 5:30 P.M. DIANEW
THU 11:00 A.M. POOKA
THU 5:30 P.M. WISHTRIK
FRI 11:00 A.M. BLUEBEE
FRI 5:30 P.M. KALTICA
SAT 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 believer@firesides.net
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 :-)
Happy Thanksgiving! I sure hope you all had a great holiday!
Our OKb user-name story for this month comes from Sam, BQ80 at
OKbridge:
"Thanks for adding me to your Fireside list. I enjoy getting
the newsletter. I attended a few Fireside sessions when I
first signed on to OKB, but I've never been a regular attender
because my on-line time is limited and I like to play!
"If you want, you can publish my name story:
"My OKB photo is the epaulet shield worn by members of the
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band of Texas A&M University. I was in
the band from 1976 to 1980 when I graduated.
"The Aggie Band is unique in that it is the largest marching
band in the country that marches in the military style - using
traditional march music and military steps. All the members of
the band must also be members of Texas A&M's Corp of Cadets.
A&M is one of only a handful of schools outside the service
academies that maintains a student military organization that
operates essentially continuously (that is, members are subject
to military discipline continuously, including living quarters,
dining, etc.).
"There's an ongoing rivalry within the Corps between band
members and the rest of the Corps. We call them Corps Turds
(CT for short) and they call us Band Queers or BQs. It's an
epithet we wear with some pride and have incorporated into
our lore (the band's unofficial song is "We're the Aggie Band
Queers" with appropriately offensive lyrics). So it was a
natural for me to use bq80 as my ID.
"In case anyone's interested, I played trombone...and still
play when the opportunity arises. I was a part of the reunion
band that was on the field when the Aggie Band was presented
with the 2001 Sadler Trophy as the best college band in the
country last year."
Sam
********************
I have a couple of other name stories tucked away for
January/February, but sure could use some more! Come on,
you guys... I know there are more GREAT name stories out
there! Send 'em in, we'll use 'em soon!
==============================
A note from a friend that I wanted to share, just as a
reminder that it takes all kinds -- and hopefully we can
all find the humor in a situation like this. Ya gotta
wonder if this lady was just having a bad day, if her
sinus meds weren't working, or if being in control was
really more important to her than enjoying a pleasant
evening at the local bridge club...
..................
There seem to be more mean bridge players than the world
needs. Last Sunday, after drifting down to the bottom
of the Swiss movement, we sat down against an elderly
couple. The woman, North, stacked up the nine boards we
were to play in the middle of the table, and pulled out
her cards. My partner asked gently if we could move some
of the unused boards to the side so he could see better.
North didn't react to the request. My pard tends to be
programmed for low volume output, so I assumed that the
opponent's hearing aid was on low and I reached up to
remove some of the boards for her. She snapped at me,
"I am North, and we will leave the boards the way I
want them." I said, "My partner asked you to move them
so he could see." She blasted back, "You are taller
than everyone, you can see fine."
I just smiled and called the director. As the director
walked up she removed most of the boards. I told the
director that we had negotiated a settlement. He said
I was required to state "Undirector." Three of us smiled,
but North just glared and said to the director, "He is
taller than all of us, he should be able to see the board
fine."
Not too surprising that we won that match by 29-0. :)
=====================================
To end this month, I want to thank Lucy (LUC) for sending
me the following. It's a repeat, but I love it, and I
think it's a great reminder of the things in life we really
should be thankful for :-)
A group of students was asked to list what they
thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World.
Though there was some disagreement, the following got
the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one
quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet, so she
asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.
The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite
make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe
we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders
of the World are:
1. to see
2. to taste
3. to touch
4. to hear
She hesitated a little, and then added,
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. and to love
The room was so full of silence you could have heard a
pin drop.
Those things we overlook as simple and "ordinary" are
truly wondrous.
This is a gentle reminder that the most precious things
in life cannot be bought.
We have them already.
---------------------
Happy Holidays to you all :-)
********************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
believer@firesides.net
============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
A little late, but I think we can still all relate!
Thanks to Benson for this one:
T'was the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might
Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees....
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.
==============================================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
Opening Leads
Making an effective opening lead is a challenge at best, and
a struggle at the very least. We try to logically picture
the hands based on the bidding, see where the weakness may
lie, and attack!
Because each trick can be so dear on defense, we always have to
balance striking power vs. safety when considering our opening
leads!
Here is a problem I faced at a live tournament a while back:
S Qx
H KQ10xx
D Axx
C KJx
The auction:
LHO Partner RHO Me
1D P 1S 2H
2S 4H 4NT P
5H P 6S (all pass)
Surprisingly, they have bid voluntarily to a slam, and given us
the opening lead with our fifteen points. What can this mean?
They certainly do not have the 33 points expected for a slam,
so that must mean a lot of shape is floating around this
table. To justify Blackwood, I think RHO must be looking at a
diamond fit.
The heart is clearly not cashing, so the only two leads I can
think of are a club to try and set up a trick before we get
the lead with the ace of diamonds, or a diamond lead trying to
give partner a ruff! I think diamonds must be 5-4-3-1 around
the table, so without trying to be too smart I am going to lead
the ace of diamonds, and try and give my partner a ruff for the
setting trick. That seems our best choice. Logical and simple.
We were rewarded by partner ruffing the second trick, and I
had a smiling partner and scowling opponents. Now that is a
combination I can live with forever!
********************
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
A Navy Admiral (which Navy will go unspecified) was
being court-martialed for an incident where he was
found to be chasing a young lady through the hallways
of the hotel in which they were both staying.
Neither of them were wearing anything. One of the
charges was that of "being out of uniform."
The Admiral's lawyer argued that the officer was not
out of uniform, as the regulations read: "A Naval
officer must be at all times appropriately attired
for the activity in which he is engaged."
The Admiral was acquitted.
===================================================
GUIDO'S REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF
==============================
Strange Bids
You and your partner are cruising along reasonably comfortably,
when all of a sudden your partner makes a strange bid. Nothing
truly insane -- just a sequence that you never heard before.
Let's see if we can figure what he/she/it is showing. A few
examples might help you reason out other sequences by giving
you a framework, a modus vivendi, a road map through the
thorns and briers of existence, a... oh, never mind.
First, though a general thought; I suggest that you also
assume that your partner has NOT:
1) Missorted the cards and suddenly discovered he has only
4 suits rather than the 5 he thought he had.
2) Miscounted her points and suddenly noticed that those
five deuces are really two aces and three queens.
3) Gone completely insane.
Obviously, any (all) the above are quite possible, but it is
usually better to assume that there is a valid bridge reason
for a selected call.
OK, here goes a few examples:
(1H) - 2NT - (P) - 3C
(P) - 3S
Your partner's 2NT supposedly shows 5-5 (or better) in the
minors. All of a sudden he bids three of the unbid major.
Is he 5-0-5-5? Not likely. What do you think is going on?
Your worthy partner should be looking at a good hand with
three spades and five-five in the minors.
Maybe AQx-void-KQJxx-AKJxx
Here's another one:
1S - (P) - P - (X)
2C - (2H)- 3S
Hmm, partner could not even scrape up a raise to two, and now
he is JUMPING to the three level. Your guess?
I think partner has honor doubleton in spades, long clubs, and
short hearts. Maybe QT-x-xxxx-Qxxxxx. He has reevaluated his
hand on the bidding, and is offering you a choice of contracts
(3S,4C,4S, or 5C).
If you have something like AKJxx-xx-xx-AKxx, his clever 3S
is the only way you will get to the excellent 4S game. Think
about it, what else can 3S possibly mean?
1H - 1N
2C - 2S
Your partner denied holding 4 or more spades by bidding 1NT,
and now he tries 2 Spades.
To some (most?) forcing NT players, the 2S call is defined as
a good club raise. For them, this shows better than a 3C call,
or perhaps more high cards and less distribution, or maybe
undefined, just "better."
Even if you do not have this agreement; even if you do not play
1NT forcing, 2S by logic simply has to show stuff in clubs. If
I made the 2S call, I would have an honor in spades and good
clubs. If partner can stop diamonds and holds something better
than a minimum, we can get to 3NT. If not, we can play in 3C.
1N - (P) - P - (2D)
P - (P) - 2H
2D is a natural overcall. Partner has presumably denied
holding 5 or more hearts when she passed 1NT rather than
bidding 2D Jacoby.
Partner should hold 4 decent hearts, and a second place to
play. This might be four spades or it might be five clubs.
If opener has four hearts, or 3 reasonable ones, he passes;
if not, he can advance to 2S and the scramble is on.
Now that you KNOW I am crazy (you only thought so before,
right?) I'll stop so that you can read some normal stuff.
********************
You can email Guido at: paulfriedman@attbi.com
==================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
The taxi stopped for a red light. As the light changed,
an elderly woman was on her way across the street in
front of the cab. Naturally the taxi didn't start up,
but the driver of the car behind it, seeing only that
the light was now green, let go with a series of furious
blasts on his horn.
The cab-driver opened his door, stepped out, pointed to
the driver's seat he had just vacated and said calmly
to the horn-blower. "You get in and drive over her,
Mac, I haven't got the heart."
====================================================
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING
Reverse Drury
Last month I talked about how to decide when to open a light
opener in 3'rd chair. This month we will talk about opening a
major suit with minimum (and even worse than minimum) values in
3'rd chair, while allowing pard to learn whether your opener
was "sound".
Reverse Drury
Reverse Drury is used by a passed hand when pard has opened
one-of-a-major and opponents have remained silent, in these
two situations only:
Pass-Pass-Pass-1H/1S
Pass-2C!
or
Pass-Pass-1H/1S-Pass
2C!
The alerted 2C says nothing at all about clubs, but is Reverse
Drury, and is a statement saying:
"Good hand..9+ points. PLUS I have at least 3-card support
for your major suit, pard"
Opener, with no game interest (10+ - 13) rebids the Major.
(Rebidding the Major showed a good hand with the original
version of "Drury" but no one plays "Drury" anymore, only
"Reverse Drury". Because of this Reverse Drury is now often
referred to simply as Drury!)
Pass-Pass-1S-Pass
2C!-Pass/2D/2H (by opp)-2S! No game interest
If opener has game interest (14-15) over the Reverse Drury
limit raise, opener will bid a new suit, as a help suit game
try, suggesting game interest, and with a better hand (16-18)
will just bid game.
I know you have a question! What do I do with 5 or 6 clubs,
9 points and no major fit? The answer is to bid 1NT. If you
are playing 2/1 this is "semi-forcing", the same way as you
would have bid had you not been a passed hand.
That's it!
Do not read further!
2-way Reverse Drury:
2C shows 3-card support but 3D is also incorporated to show
4-card support.
2-way Reverse Drury up-side-down: (didn't I tell you not to read
further!)
2C shows same with 4-card and 2D shows same with 3-card support.
This is the Lexus of Drurys, the others are Kias.
-Captain of a new Kia
********************
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 - capta@accesscomm.ca
========================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
A man is giving a speech at his lodge meeting. He gets
a bit carried away and talks for two hours.
Finally, he realizes what he is doing and says; "I'm
sorry I talked so long. I left my watch at home."
A voice from the back of the room says, "There's a
calendar behind you."
===================================================
JUST JILL
=========
The Knowledge Store
I walk into the Knowledge Store
Intending *not* to buy;
The "extras" fall into my cart
No matter what I try!
The Store is like a fountain
Where I go to take a sip;
But once I've turned the Faucet on
I'm forced to take a DIP!
I try to ask for just one drop
But somehow once it falls,
I cannot turn the Faucet off...
It's running down the halls!
Sometimes when I am there to browse
And don't request a thing,
The Faucet comes on by itself
To share an offering...
"No thanks," I say, and turn around
To go the other way;
I'd like to stay and browse awhile;
Instead, I run away!
I like to tap the Faucet for
A tidbit now and then;
But first, I have to find a way
To turn it off again!
Sometimes the information flows
Too fast for me to take;
I cannot stop or slow the flow
Or BREATHE, for goodness sake!
I like that there is so much here
For me to learn and use;
Perhaps if I am careful in
The questions that I choose...
"What are my bidding options here?"
Might yield too much to parse;
"How many points does Double show?"
Has answers much more sparse.
The Knowledge Store is full of tools
And lots of gifts for me;
A wealth of information is
Available for free!
(C) Copyright 2002 Jill Wilson
********************
You can email Jill at ilovechocolate@earthlink.net
==================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Luc for these:
TEACHER: Why are you late?
WEBSTER: Because of the sign.
TEACHER: What sign?
WEBSTER: The one that says, "School Ahead, Go Slow."
TEACHER: John, how do you spell "crocodile"?
JOHN: "K-R-O-K-O-D-A-I-L"
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
JOHN: Maybe it's wrong, but you ask me how I spell it!
TEACHER: What is the chemical formula for water?
SARAH: "HIJKLMNO"!!
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
SARAH: Yesterday you said it's H to O!
TEACHER: George, go to the map and find North America.
GEORGE: Here it is!
TEACHER: Correct. Now, class, who discovered America?
CLASS: George!
TEACHER: Willy, name one important thing we have today that we
didn't have ten years ago.
WILLY: Me!
TEACHER: Tommy, why do you always get so dirty?
TOMMY: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground then you are.
SILVIA: Dad, can you write in the dark?
FATHER: I think so. What do you want me to write?
SILVIA: Your name on this report card.
TEACHER: Ellen, give me a sentence starting with "I".
ELLEN: I is...
TEACHER: No, Ellen. Always say, "I am."
ELLEN: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."
TEACHER: Now, Sam, tell me frankly do you say prayers before
eating?
SAM: No sir, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook.
TEACHER: Desmond, your composition on "My Dog" is exactly the
same as your brother's. Did u copy his?
DESMOND: No, teacher, it's the same dog!
TEACHER: What do you call a person who keeps on talking when
people are no longer interested?
PUPIL: A teacher.
===================================================
DEALING WITH DANN
==================
Two Suited Overcalls
Hi, all.
This month I will talk about two-suited overcalls.
First, our two basic tools to show a two suited hand within SAYC
and 2/1 GF are the Unusual No Trump, and the Michaels cuebid.
First, we will look at Unusual 2NT. A jump to 2NT shows a
two suited hand. The suits are the two which are the lowest
ranking, and unbid in the Auction.
e.g.: if opps open 1C, and we bid 2NT, we are showing diamonds
and hearts. Similarly, if we bid:
1D - 2NT - we show clubs and hearts
1H/S - 2NT - we show clubs and diamonds
Note that if we have spades as one of our suits, we do not use
the Unusual 2NT bid.
The Michaels Cuebid is a direct cuebid of openers suit,
showing partner that we have a two suited hand. We hold either
both majors, or the other (unbid) major and one of the minors.
e.g.: 1H - 2H -tells pard spades and a minor
1S - 2S -tells pard hearts and a minor, and
1C/D - 2C/D -shows hearts and spades.
After partner shows us one specific major and one
undisclosed minor, we use 2NT (or the cheapest available NT bid)
to ask for the minor. So:
1S - 2S - P (or Double) - 2NT
says, "please bid your minor pard." If we bid a minor after
pard uses a Michaels cuebid, we tell partner (the Michaels
bidder), "this is our suit. We want to play here, and we don't
want to know your other suit."
e.g.: 1S - 2S - P - 3C/D
tells pard we want to play C/D's, because we have no fit for the
major, and a long string of the bid minor(6+).
This covers the bare basics on the two bids. There are a lot
of extras that can be added to the toolbox when/if we are
ready to take it a little further.
Just to give you some ideas, first a simple addition to Unusual
NT. If we ever use it as a passed hand, no jump should be
required. Pard knows we couldn't open, so 1NT ain't no
"sorry, I forgot to open my 15-17 points," it's Unusual!
e.g.: P - P - P - 1D
1NT -
we already passed, therefore this shows pard the 2 lowest unbid
suits (hearts and clubs.)
Getting further into advanced stuff, and moving on to
the Michaels Cuebid, there is a treatment available
over weak two bids which allows both two-suited calls and
Western Cuebids.
(Western Cuebid - cue of opponent's bid suit, asks pard to bid
NT with that suit stopped.)
This requires the use of Super Michaels (extra jump.)
This promises a good hand to pard - we are forcing game!
First, over weak 2 Diamonds:
2D - 3D (Western Cue)
2D - 4D (Michaels - both majors)
Over a major suit weak two, we jump to the four level in our
minor, showing pard that minor and the unbid major.
e.g.: 2H - 4C (clubs and spades)
2H - 4D (diamonds and spades)
2H - 3H (Western cue bid)
Or if spades are the opponents suit:
2S - 3S (Western cue bid)
2S - 4C (clubs and hearts)
2S - 4D (diamonds and hearts)
There really isn't a big cost to adding this to our arsenal --
when we are ready! When is the last time you leapt to the
four level in a minor over a weak 2?
These calls help pard evaluate immediately what cards are
really working cards (we know both suits) so we can push
on -- Double/Bid a slam even -- with more comfort!
My final modification for Michaels Cuebids allows us to invite
pard to bid game if he likes his call.
i.e.: Responder can invite the Michaels caller to go on,
alleviating any questions/problems arising from a jump into a
major after partner bids Michaels (jumps become preemptive!)
After partner makes a Michaels cue bid, (showing major/minor)
we can ask for their minor suit with cheapest NT, and after they
tell us, we bid the major - thus showing pard an invitational
hand. This treatment requires never trying to correct partials
(we can't check out the minor then decide to play in three of
the major.)
e.g.: 1S - 2S - P - 2NT
P - 3C/D - P - 3H (invites 4H from pard if they
like their hand)
The last few concepts are new -- don't feel you have to
play them or should play them. I brought them forward to
show some possible modifications (all of which are alertable)
which help with pretty specific hands -- a small percentage
that we come across, but when they arise it is nice to be
able to handle them easily.
As usual, Happy Bridging All! And email any questions.
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
Staying with the seasonal theme, another great one
from Benson!
Black November
When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three,
"And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin;
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
"Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald
'n pink, And scoop out all your insides and leave ya
lyin' in the sink; "And then comes the worst part" he
said not bluffing, "She'll spread your cheeks and pack
your rear with stuffing".
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes;
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap;
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said "Christmas is coming..."
===================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
======================
FIRESIDE NEWS
Due to so many of our staff being in Phoenix for
the Nationals the first week of December, please
note the following FireSide schedule changes.
Monday Dec 2 NO SESSIONS
Tuesday Dec 3 11:00 AM NO SESSION
5:30 PM Mezzie
Wednesday Dec 4 NO SESSIONS
Thursday Dec 5 NO SESSIONS
Friday Dec 6 11:00 AM Bluebee
5:30 PM Kaltica
Saturday Dec 7 11:00 AM Captain
Monday Dec 9 11:00 AM NO SESSION
5:30 PM Bridgboy
************************************************
OKB TOURNEYS
Sat Nov 9 11:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 kristena/wheels 62.49 20
Karen (WHEELS) continues to put together wins when she isn't
busy sending us giggles! Congrats to her and Kristena!
Wed Nov 13 11:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/Ulli3 2.55 24
Well done to Colin and his star student, Irmgard! A very nice
result!
Mon Nov 18 11:00 2002
Rank Team Score Boards
1 imogene/jbrogan 64.78 26
So proud of our Angelfish Imogene and her partner Jbrogran for
this win!
****************************************************************
NOVICE MENTOR TOURNEY
Congrats to Pascha and Nodd, and all our top finishers in the 5th
Chair Novice-Mentor Tourney this month:
Thu Nov 14 18:00 2002
Rank Team Score
1 nodd/pascha 66.73
2 Kaltica/Tara 63.14
3 k/richli 60.99
4 aboroni/LeonT 60.27
5 dee/yafeng 57.72
6 gandalf/jundith 55.91
7 curls/gladys 55.46
8 brando/DeniseB 54.48
9 andre55/hawes 54.43
10 cohner/luc 53.56
11 icewater/sbg1 53.19
12 Petunia/uky3 52.99
13 gaus271/LBrown 52.19
14 de/hec1 51.91
15 elsie204/tar30 50.77
Mentors and novices, join us this month on the 12'th - email
Sandra at sandree@attbi.com if you would like to find a partner
ahead of time. I promise you a fun evening.
****************************************************************
MENTOR CUP GAME
November 3: Team ANDRE55: Andre55, JanetE, Hawes and Jundith
November 17: Team DLOYE: Dloye, Frodo, Ed4 and Gwen1
Team TODD: Todd, Peter_5, Leeann and Nikafl
A tie on the 17th! Well done to all!
Our scheduled games for December will be at 5pm OKb time,
December 1, 15, and 29.
Visit our website at www.firesides.net/mtc.htm for info and
lists of all our top placing stars. To get on the email reminder
list for these games, contact me moocake@aol.com - all welcome!
****************************************************************
I badgered Laura (LBROWN) into sending me this report of a
tourney she recently attended:
Jan wanted me to drop you guys a note about my recent
attendance at the Lancaster, PA regional... I wish I could
report excellent results, however, that is not to be, nor is
it of prime importance, believe it or not!
I must say that the people of district 4 really know how to be
hospitable, and the Amish Country in the Lancaster area is
neat. This really was one of the best regionals I've ever
attended - and some of the most fun I've ever had playing
bridge without coming in first! You can't really beat free
beer and snacks every evening, now can ya? (and yeah, for
those beer snobs, it wasn't that "watered-down stuff they call
beer in America" - it was pretty good beer!)
My partner came down from Toronto, Max (MVAIGHT) and we had
some pretty average results until Sunday. We ran into Bob
(BRIDGBOY) and Olivia (BAOL), who were having a good time in
the continuous pairs, and some nice results as well! Later
that weekend I ran into a very good friend of mine whom I
haven't talked to in a while - Melissa (MORAINE) and her
partner Jim, and we decided to change our plans of skipping
the Swiss teams when they asked us to team up with them for
the Flight B Swiss. That was the best time! We had some great
results, coming in 5'th overall, with 5+ gold, and Max is now
one gold point, one silver point and 78 points shy of becoming
a Life Master.
For those of you who can't travel to national tournaments,
don't skip the regionals! You can have as much fun there, see
many friends, and not have the huge traveling expense you
might incur to go to a national tournament. Every regional has
a pretty good INT/NOV program - usually with free lectures
from experts and very calm and reassuring directors. Give it a
try - and if you run into me at one of em, let's meet up and
go over a couple hands :)
Laura
****************************************************************
Many of our own Firesiders have been Angelfish (no surprise
there!) and they will cheer for this month's winner, who sent
them a beautiful Angelfish certificate at her own expense! Here
is Tuna's write-up:
Anna Marsh, from my hometown of London England, is our
Angelfish for December. I saved our special "ana" for the
holiday season! Cheers!
Perpetually cheerful and helpful, it is no wonder she is so
well liked on OKb.
During the almost 7 years that this title has been awarded she
has assisted me by posting the pictures and mailing the
winners a full color certificate that she designed herself and
at her own expense.
On request, she mails SAYC and 2/1 booklets that she herself
was instrumental in developing!
(http://www.annam.co.uk/sayc.htm).
In return, she requests a donation to Fifth Chair Foundation
(www.fifthchair.org) of which she is a staunch supporter. She
does not even ask for her expenses. The donations have helped
the foundation continue their wonderful work with novices and
intermediate players.
Congrats also to Alex (GAUS271), a previous winner, who is
nominated AGAIN this month.:)
***********************************************************
New!! The Chat Challenge!
Ok all you clever folks out there, here is one for you! Maybe
you feel you can't win a bidding contest, but you all *can* shine
in this one!
Take a book or movie title, change one letter, and give us a
synopsis of that bridge story we don't want to miss.
I am definitely *not* clever (you can do much better) but here is
an example:
"West Ride Story"
Rival bridge teams rumble at the world championships after West
lets his J ride to bring home an unmakeable slam.
Send me your contribution (moocake@aol.com), sign it with your
OKB name and we'll all enjoy the submissions next month, along
with another challenge. Please put Chat Challenge in the
subject line.
Also, send me your suggestions for next month's Challenge!
Have some fun with this!
****************************************************************
Margie (MQ26) picked up some masterpoints coming in 5'th in a
tough game vs great competition in her club! She continues
to praise FireSide and her lessons with Colin (KALTICA) in
her continuing progress. Well done Margie!
****************************************************************
Bill (WINTAKA) had a successful tourney at a regional held in
Winnipeg this month. He was first in pairs with Andrew Petrick,
second in pairs with Marlene Pontifiex (NANTICA), first in teams
playing with Kai Cheng, first in KOs playing with Bob Todd
(BOBTODD) and third in open pairs playing with Bob Todd
again. Well done, Billy!
****************************************************************
Visions of Sugar Plums by Richard Pavlicek
What could be sweeter than a friendly lead? Six of them!
As declarer, you may think it is Christmas after seeing the
first trick -- and in some cases, you may need all the help
you can get. But be careful! What looks like a sugar plum
might actually be a Greek gift.
All bridge players are invited to participate in this play
contest, which opens December 1 (GMT) and ends at the stroke
of the new year. Try it! It's fun.
http://www.rpbridge.net/7x09.htm
Results of the November bidding poll "Stanwyck Role and Sixty"
will be posted by December 3.
Quiz: http://www.rpbridge.net/7y09.htm
Scores: http://www.rpbridge.net/7y15.htm
Analyses: http://www.rpbridge.net/7y16.htm
Speaking of the upcoming Christmas holiday, a re-print of
one of my favorite items from Richard's web site
(www.rpbridge.net)
********************
'Twas the Mabel Before Christmas
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, 'cept me and my spouse
And one other couple who came over to play
In a rubber bridge game that had lasted all day.
The night lingered on and the cocktails they came
As my wife was declarer in a contract of game.
Our bidding was awful and very much troubled,
But the ultimate bid was left undoubled.
The opening lead saw my hand hit the table;
My thoughts at the time were, "Come on, Mabel!"
She handled the play with the greatest of ease,
And scored up her contract as swift as a breeze.
The defense, I might add, was top of the line;
Not one trick was dropped, unmistakably, fine!
So here is the deal that made us a winner,
And gave Mabel's eye that perpetual glimmer.
Richard
S A97
H 87
D A6432
West C K52 East
S 86543 S KQJ
H 92 H QJ106
D 95 D QJ87
D QJ107 C 94
Mabel
S 102
H AK543
D K10
C A863
What was the final contract?
Solution:
The puzzle could also be stated, "What is the only game
contract that is makeable against best defense?"
The most obvious candidate is 3NT. There are seven top
tricks, and declarer can establish an eighth by playing on
hearts or diamonds; but there is no way to come to a ninth
trick against proper defense. No matter how well you play,
it can't be made.
What about 4H in the 5-2 trump fit? Nine tricks are easy -
besides the seven top tricks, South can always score two
ruffs in hand. Indeed, after an original spade or heart
lead, South can succeed by ducking a spade and scoring all
three of his small trumps. Alas, this is foiled with a club
or diamond lead; declarer cannot survive the attack on his
entries. Four hearts cannot be made. Try again.
Five clubs? Or five diamonds? Either seems highly improbable
since an additional trick is required. And you're right;
five of a minor is out of the question.
Well, what's left? You guessed it! After a few cocktails,
Mabel was feeling a little tipsy and accidentally opened the
bidding in the wrong suit. The auction went:
Richard Mabel
West North East South
1S
Pass 2D Pass 2H
Pass 4S (all pass)
Yes, the game in spades is the only one that makes - on a
3-2 fit! The opening lead was a trump (best) and Mabel won
the ace in dummy. She cashed the top cards in each side suit
ending in her hand, then ruffed a heart with the 7S, ruffed
a diamond with the 10S, and ruffed a heart with the 9S. The
defense was helpless to stop it.
Now, if you believe this story. . . :)
****************************************************************
DINNER AT THE PHOENIX NABC
Maybe you are reading this on your laptop in Phoenix! Don't
miss the OKB dinner.
OKbridge members attending the Phoenix Nationals will be
gathering for dinner at the Terrace Cafe at the Hyatt Hotel
at 4:45 pm on Tuesday, December 3. Members of the OKbridge
team, including founder Matt Clegg, will be in town and look
forward to meeting everyone. Please spread the word to your
OKbridge friends and join us there!
And if you are in Phoenix, make sure you send me a note about
your experiences...the people you saw, the fun you had, and
some bridge results (though the last is optional!)
****************************************************************
Dear Billy Giveaway
OKBridge is giving away a game with Billy Miller, a noted bridge
professional, teacher and columnist known for mixing humor with
his expert advice. Billy will play in a tournament as the
winner's partner and then contact the winner to discuss the
details of the game. All OKbridge members are automatically
entered to win.
Do you know someone who would enjoy this private lesson with
Billy? Have friends join OKbridge by December 24 to be
included. No purchase is necessary, have your friends sign
up for a trial membership to be eligible! If they have been
putting this off, this is a good reason to sign up now.
Spread the word!!
****************************************************************
ZIA!
Don't miss your chance to watch ZIA play online! Zia will be
playing with Paul Soloway vs. Marinesa Letizia & Carlyn Steiner
on Saturday, December 14th at 11AM OKB Time. Look for table
GOLDWAY. Well, just look for the crowds. :)
****************************************************************
Now if I can be a tad sappy, an email I received that pretty
much sums up for this Thanksgiving season why I shouldn't be
as cranky as I sometimes am!
I am thankful for the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight
because she is home with me, not with someone else
...for the husband who is on the sofa who is being a couch potato
because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
...for the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes,
because that means she is at home, not on the streets.
...for the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.
...for the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I
have been surrounded by friends.
...for the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means
I have enough to eat.
...for my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out
in the sunshine.
...for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and
gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
...for all the complaining I hear about the government, because
it means that we have freedom of speech.
...for the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been
blessed with transportation.
...for my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
...for the lady behind me in church that sings off key, because
it means that I can hear.
...for the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have
clothes to wear.
...for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day,
because it means I have been capable of working hard.
...for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours,
because it means
that I am alive.
...and finally...for too much e-mail, because it means I have
friends who are thinking of me!
To those who celebrated Thanksgiving this week, to our friends
currently celebrating Hanukah, and to our friends who are
looking forward to Christmas....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Hugs....Janice
************************************************************
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
********************************************************
BIDDING POLL
The Fireside Bidding Panel
Starting this month we have the first in what we
hope will be a regular feature: the Fireside Bidding
Panel. The questions were posed on our web site at:
http://www.firesides.net/bidwhat.htm
To join us as a respondent, go to that site
sometime next week (when we have the new set of
problems posted) and register your choices!
Panelists: Respondents:
Dann Kramer Björn Frimodig
Bob Lavin Eric Sandberg
Colin Ward Sheila Dickie
Richard Ternouth Glenn Roberts
J.R. Mayne Bruce Olsen
Fred Williams
---------------------- Panelists ---------------------
Pooka 4S 1S Grbr Pass CmpX 1NT 3C H4
Bridgboy Pass 1S 5404 3D-3NT CoOp 1C 3C H4
Kaltica 4C 1S STOD Pass Pen 1C 3C DA
Onedown Pass 1S STAS 3D-3NT Pen 1NT 4S H4
JRMayne Pass 1S 5404 3C Pen 1NT 3H H4
Fredw3 4S 1S Grbr 3D-P T.O. 1NT 4S HA
--------------------- Respondents --------------------
Björn Pass 1S MSST 3D-3NT T.O. 1NT 3C H4
Eric Pass 1S STAS 3D-3NT T.O. 1C 4D H4
Sheila Pass 1S DONT 3D-3NT T.O. 1NT 3C CA
Glenn Pass 1S STAS 3D-3NT T.O. 1NT 4D CA
Bruce 4S 1S STAS 3D-3NT Pen 1C 4S DA
--------------------------------------------------------
Legend: DONT = Diamonds Or No Trump
Grbr = Gerber
MSST = Major Suit Slam Try
STAS = Slam Try in Any Suit
STOD = Slam Try Outside Diamonds
=========== Responses to Problem #1 ============
1. You held: S- 9842 H- 108765 D- 63 C- 107
You LHO Pard RHO
--- --- 1S 3S
???
Answers:
Pass: Bridgboy, OneDown, JRMayne, Bjorn, Eric, Sheila, Glenn
4S: Pooka, Fredw3, Bruce
4C: Kaltica
Comments from the Passers were short and to the point:
Onedown: "Where am I going?? Match points I could be
going for 500+ at 4S!"
Bridgboy: "With zero points I am alerted to pass, aren't I?
If I can't pass here what happens when I do have
something? Am I allowed to bid then? Anyone who
wants to be creative be my guest."
...except for the eloquent and effusive:
Eric: "I think opponents are very likely to make 5m, 6m
or 3NT on this layout, depending on LHO's spade
holding and general strength. Bidding 4S has the
advantage of taking away the 3NT option. The
downside of 4S bid is that partner may bid 5S over
5m. This would give the opponents two winning
options, 5SX or 6m. 4S by itself may also push
opponents into slam. I like Larry Cohen's advice
that we 'will try to win it on the next board.'"
The 4S bidders were no less blunt:
Pooka: "We are white (not vul). They rate to make at
least game. Take some of the opps' space (Pard
didn't open 2C or 2N). We should worry how much
they can make."
Sheila: "4S indicates strength and may prevent a search for
6 of a minor by opps. 5S simply invites a double."
JRMayne: "With 3-1 in the minors, I'd be tempted, but 4S is
too rich. Doubling 3S is poor; it should show
values rather than suggest a sacrifice."
Fredw3: "I hear my teacher screaming on this one. 'WHAT?
YOU HAD 4 CARD SUPPORT AND DIDN'T RAISE ME? HOW
DARE YOU?' This should be a good sac against 3NT
and we just might be able to beat 5 of a minor."
Heavily outvoted, the voice from the wilderness cries:
Kaltica: "4C. Remarks: We clearly have to psyche whatever
RHO's long minor is here, in order to sew confusion
into the enemy ranks. 4C is my best guess. It
also has a Maxi-Flex benefit; 4C allows Opener to
rebid 4D so that I can rebid 4S."
Hey, none of us expected Colin to be BRIEF, did we? :)
============ Responses to Problem #2 ===========
2. You held: S- J109874 H- void D- AK63 C- KJ9
LHO Pard RHO You
--- 1D Pass ???
This one was unanimous: 1S. Onedown spoke for all:
Onedown: "I want A LOT of room here to explore a possible
diamond slam--2s cramps it and it is a bad suit."
============ Responses to Problem #3 =============
3. What is 4C here?
LHO Pard RHO You
Pass 1S Pass 2D
Pass 2H Pass 3NT
Pass 4C
Responses were all over the lot on this one! The
plurality was for "a slam try in any suit". Speaking for
this group we see:
Onedown: "I haven't necessarily denied diamond support,
but 3NT certainly makes life a bit more difficult
if I do have diamonds. Once I probe with 4C, no
bid by pard can hurt me."
Bruce: "East is denying spades and likely has 2=3=5=3.
West is advertising a strong hand and wants
slam somewhere."
Two took the hard line that 4C was 5=4=0=4:
Bridgboy: "It is a weird sequence so I play it as
natural and hoping partner has 4 clubs.
He will pass 4NT I think! Good hand,
of course!"
JRMayne: "This is a big 5=4=0=4 hand; this is a slam try
(else pass 3N.) So, it's a little bit of several
of these, but most importantly, it's shape-showing.
(Partner's 4N response will be natural and signoff.)
One respondent insisted that 4C was a slam try in a
MAJOR suit. Slightly less committal was the "slam try in
any suit" crowd-of-one:
Kaltica: "Opener might be 5=4=0=4, I suppose, and I'd
expect Opener to bid 4D if playing in Diamonds
were an option. Hence, 4C should be a slam try
in some suit OTHER than Diamonds."
4C as Gerber had two supporters:
Fredw3: "This should be Gerber as I feel like we need
an ace asking bid here. 4NT here should be
quantitative, asking pard to bid slam with a max."
Pooka: "There is one advantage to obvious GERBER!!!
Undiscussed-pard has a 5-4-0-4 Moose. We're
looking for slam."
=========== Responses to Problem #4 =============
4. You held: S- J97 H- 85432 D- A104 C- 72
LHO Pard RHO You
Pass 2NT Pass ???
How should you respond to Partner's 2NT?
All five respondents and two panelists transferred into
Hearts and then rebid 3NT to give Opener a choice between
games. Some just wanted to be with the field--but is it
clear where the field will be here?
Onedown: "I'll take a very safe route in this hand. Everyone
will bid game. I have a very bad heart suit, but
few entries to use it for NT if we have a heart
fit."
Speaking for the passers:
Pooka: "How's the wind blowing? What does your gut say? Has
Pard just gone down in an easy one? We don't want to
tax Pard. Way easier if IMPs. At MPs we do okay
taking 9 tricks if it's a tough play problem."
Most interesting was the 3C bidder in our midst:
JRMayne: "You only want to play in hearts if you catch Partner
with four of them. Pass is my second choice at this
form of scoring. The D-10 sways me to bid."
========== Responses to Problem #5 =============
5. Is Partner's Double Takeout or Penalty here?
LHO Pard RHO You
--- Pass Pass 1D
Pass 1S Pass Pass
Dble Pass 2H Pass
Pass Dble
Three of six panelists went with "Penalty" while four
of five respondents said "Takeout". Our resident Albertan
straddled the fence with "Competitive":
Pooka: "Yes. Perfect answer: It's competitive, asking
Opener to do something intelligent (no wonder my
pards never use 'em!)."
Similarly, we had a vote for "Co-Operative":
Bridgboy: "This is neither, really, but it tends to be a
co-operative double, asking for Partner to do
something, tending to pass if he can. Not
purely takeout."
The takeout advocates found their voice in:
Sheila: "Hard to imagine that a passed hand opposite a
partner who couldn't even take a second call
would be wanting to defend a 2 level contract.
I assume the spade bidder is asking Partner to
clarify his hand."
The penalizers chose to let their lawyer do the
talking:
JRMayne: "This is a close decision, and many expert
pairs play this as takeout. Still, the utility
of a takeout double is limited, since the 1S
bidder had an opportunity to bid prior to now
to show diamond support. Further, a takeout
double is likely to lead to a Law violation.
Also, while I think the double is penalty,
Partner is not barred from pulling with a
suitable hand."
=========== Responses to Problem #6 ============
6. You held: S- A752 H- KQ D- AJ5 C- J875
LHO Pard RHO You
Pass Pass Pass ???
Sheila: "1NT. 15 flat...what's the problem?"
This was the sentiment of the 1NT bidders. But
there were no less than four 1C openers, including
two unexpected bedfellows:
Bridgboy: "I can live with 1NT but prefer 1 club,
planning on a 1S rebid to show my suits."
Kaltica: "1NT will encourage 2NT on 9-10. Why
encourage invites I plan to decline? And
what if Partner has 4 Spades and 6-8 HCPs?
We'll miss our 4-4 Spade fit! I open 1C
and rebid Spades. If Responder can't jump
at this point we will not have missed game."
============ Responses to Problem #7 ==============
7. You held: S- A108764 H- KJ104 D- void C- A72
LHO Pard RHO You
Pass 1D Pass 1S
Pass 2S Pass ???
The investigative 3C won out 5-3 over the signoff
in 4S. Speaking for the majority:
Pooka: "3C. Should this elicit diamond wastage from
Pard I will then leap to 4S...hopefully getting
the opps to lead the unbid heart suit."
Close to the 3C bidders was:
JRMayne: "3H. Wandering up to slam for sure. It's just
a question of what ask is right. Both 3C and
3H have a lot of merit. 4D frightens me, since
it requires a further Diamond bid to clarify
the void. I just think the 3-0 fit may not
play well. 4S and 4N are clearly wrong."
Countering for the 4S minority:
Onedown: "Pard opened my void and made a single raise of 2S.
Good luck to those who want to bid slam. 4S may
be tough to make on a spade lead!"
The 4D splinter group found a spokesman in:
Eric: "If Partner has a perfect minimum, Kxxx Q9x AKxx xx,
slam will rarely fail."
=========== Responses to Problem #8 =============
8. Pard has: S- 3 H- Q85 D- 109653 C- 5432
You held: S- A1042 H- A4 D- A C- AKQJ98
LHO You RHO Pard
Pass 2C Pass 2H (Step Response: 0-3 HCPs)
2S 3NT 4S Pass (Forcing)
Pass Dble Pass 4NT (Takeout)
Pass 6C Pass Pass
Pass
Trick One: S5, S3, SQ, SA. You now play...?
Play problems rarely have so many different paths
as this one! A small Heart towards the Q85 was the
most popular choice, championed by:
Onedown: "H-4. Am I missing something here?"
JRMayne: "This is a timing hand. It's not entirely
free to check the H-Q status, but it's cheap,
and you've got a heart loser all day."
C-Acers were represented by:
Sheila: "...[I] will have to play for spades to be
5-3 and ruff 2 of them. Then [my] only
hope will be to run clubs and hope for LHO
to have to hold S-K and H-Kx for endplay."
The D-Acers disagreed with JRMayne, and felt
that Sheila would be endplaying the wrong opponent,
since it was RHO who bid 2S, suggesting 5 Spades.
Kaltica: "Diamond Ace should come FLYING out of our
hand here. We need to ruff two Diamonds
in case RHO has D-KQJ and in order to find
out more about this hand. We can likely
only trump 2 Spades before LHO ruffs. If
we figure 2S overcaller (i.e. RHO) has
H-King we can trump two of each pointed
suit and then run all our Clubs to endplay
RHO with S-K and H-Kx via our 4th Spade."
Scoring
*******
The scoring is "matchpointed", with each participant
getting 2 points for each panelist and 1 point for each
respondent that concurs with their choice.
---------------------- Panelists -------------------------
Pooka 3 15 2 2 0 9 6 6 = 43
Bridgboy 8 15 2 7 7 4 6 6 = 55
Kaltica 0 15 0 2 7 4 6 1 = 35
Onedown 8 15 3 7 7 9 3 0 = 52
JRMayne 8 15 2 0 7 9 0 6 = 47
Fredw3 3 15 2 0 4 9 3 0 = 36
--------------------- Respondents ------------------------
Björn 9 16 0 8 4 10 7 7 = 61
Eric 9 16 4 8 5 5 1 7 = 55
Sheila 9 16 0 8 5 10 7 1 = 56
Glenn 9 16 4 8 5 10 1 1 = 54
Bruce 4 16 4 8 8 5 4 2 = 51
------------------------------------------------------------
We congratulate our winner, Björn Frimodig ("bf_4711"
on OKBridge) from Sweden. We hope to have him back next
month as a panelist. Well done, Björn!
If you have an interesting bidding or play problem
for us, please email it to Colin at: kaltica@mts.net
Maybe we'll use it in next month's poll!
********************
Everyone loves bidding polls, so we added one! Give us
your opinion of the best bids on the featured problems and
watch this space for a compilation of the responses with
commentary by a guest expert!
www.firesides.net/bidwhat.htm
And if you haven't had a chance to check them out yet,
here are some links to some of the other quizzes that
Colin has developed to enlighten us:
www.firesides.net/staymantest.htm
www.firesides.net/sayctest.htm
www.firesides.net/sarctest.htm
www.firesides.net/spectrumtest.htm
www.firesides.net/bidstest.htm
www.firesides/net/IGITSAP.htm
(Note that IGITSAP must be in CAPS.)
Give them a try! They are fun and instructive.
**********************************************************
December Events: (All times Pacific)
===============================
NOVICE/MENTOR TOURNEY:
Thursday, December 12, 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:
Sundays, 5:00 P.M. December 1, 15, and 29.
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.
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
Thanks to PamA for these:
25 Signs you are Living in the year 2002
1. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.
2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family
of three.
3. You call your son's beeper to let him know it's time to
eat. He emails you back from his bedroom, "What's for
dinner?"
4. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
5. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South
Africa, but you haven't spoken with your next door
neighbor yet this year.
6. You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle
soup to see if it contains Echinacea.
7. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of
your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
8. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone
to see if anyone is home.
9. Every commercial on television has a website address at
the bottom of the screen.
10. You buy a computer and 6 months later it is out of date
and now sells for half the price you paid.
11. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you
didn't have the first 20 or 30 years of your life, is
cause for panic and turning around to go get it.
12. Using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a
purchase would be a hassle and take planning.
13. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food
bags out of the back seat of your car.
14. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is
that they do not have e-mail addresses.
15. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
16. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.
17. Your idea of being organized is multiple-colored
Post-it notes.
18. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in
person.
19. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls.
20. You disconnect from the Internet and get this awful
feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
21. You get up in morning and go online before getting your
coffee.
22. You wake up at 2am to go to the bathroom and check your
E-mail on your way back to bed.
23. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
24. You're reading this.
25. Even worse; you're going to forward it to someone else.
================================================================
MEZZIE LENDS A HAND
===================
A "Safe" Loser
The bidding:
On the following hand, you hear your partner open 2H
weak in 1'st seat, and you hold:
S AK98765
H
D QJT6
C A6
What should be running through your mind? 1'st of all,
we don't want to play hearts. In sayc, a bid of 2S
would be forcing. What would 3S mean? This is a key
point. A bid of 3S here would NOT be preemptive. A
general rule is "Don't bid weak over weak". Your
partner already did the job of preempting. Here, a 3S
bid would show a very strong hand, aiming towards
slam. Well, we're really not quite that strong. What
would a 2S bid tell us? Likely, our partner will rebid
3H, or perhaps a minor suit. Will that help us? Not
really. What we really want to play is 4S, so let's
just bid it and be done with it.
The auction: 2H p 4S all pass
Simple, sweet and to the point.
The play
Dummy greets you with:
S JT4
H QJ6432
D 52
C Q9
S AK98765
H
D QJT6
C A6
The opening lead is the diamond king, followed by the
ace, followed by a 3'rd diamond. East signals high-low.
Plan the play!
1'st of all, count our losers. We expect no trump
loser, no heart loser, 2 diamond losers and a club
loser. Great. Is there anything that can go wrong?
What happens if we ruff the 3'rd diamond high in dummy?
Let's give it a try and see what happens. Uh-oh, east
overruffs with the queen and returns the club 7. What
next? Well, assuming east ruffed from a 2-card trump
holding, we're still fine, as we can throw a club on a
diamond and ruff a club. If we try running the club to
our queen, we could go down immediately, so we hop up
with the club ace and try the ace of spades. Our fears
are realized as west discards! Now, if we try to draw
trumps, we have a club loser, while if we try to throw
a club on a high diamond, east will ruff. Down 1.
Where did we go wrong?
Ruffing the 3'rd diamond was clearly the wrong play.
Although we might have gotten away with it if west
held the queen singleton or doubleton (a little less
than 50% of the time), it couldn't gain us any tricks.
We'd still have a club to lose, and we're jeopardizing
the contract when east holds all 3 trumps. What could
we do instead? Why not throw a club from dummy on the
3'rd diamond, planning to ruff a club in dummy. In
other words, trade a loser we already expected to lose
(the club), for a loser in another suit. A "safe"
loser, so to speak. See for yourself what happens if
you throw a club on the 3'rd diamond. If east ruffs and
returns a club, we can hop up with the ace, draw the
outstanding trumps (only 2 left!), throw a club on a
diamond, and ruff a club for our 10'th trick. Neat!
The complete hand:
IMP-47 North Dlr: North
Board 11 S JT4 Vul: None
H QJ6432
West D 52 East
S - C Q9 S Q32
H AT87 H K95
D AK943 South D 87
C JT82 S AK98765 C K7543
H -
D QJT6
C AT
********************
You will find Mezzie doing his FireSide sessions on Tuesday
evenings at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time.
James is available for on-line instruction, and is also
available to play in OKb tourneys. You can email him at:
james_mesbur@yahoo.com for more information.
================================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Blame JustJill for this one!
As a young boy, Joe was completely obsessed with tractors. He
had pictures of tractors all over his bedroom walls; he had
tractor toys, tractor T-shirts, a tractor carpet, and duvet
cover, the whole works. He ate, drank and slept tractors. On
his 17th birthday he was thrilled to get an invitation to go
to a tractor factory nearby and test-drive a brand new
tractor.
His excitement was incredible as he told his family and
friends. The great day came and he went to the factory for the
test-drive. Unfortunately something went terribly wrong with
the tractor when Joe was driving it and it flipped over,
trapping and breaking Joe's leg and fracturing his skull.
He was so upset and tried to sue the tractor company for
negligence. But the company would have none of it and told
there was no liability and He could get lost!
You can imagine he was very annoyed with tractors after this
and vowed to shed them from his life completely and forever.
All the posters came down, the toys were given away - tractors
were GONE.
Many years later, Joe went into a bar for a drink. Inside, the
cigarette and cigar smoke was terrible but through it he saw a
beautiful girl seated at the bar on her own. Tears were
streaming down her face.
Joe asked her what was wrong and she said that the smoke was
making her eyes sting and stream with tears.
With that, Joe looked around and then took a huge breath,
sucking in all the smoke. He then walked outside into the car
park and blew all the smoke out again. He goes back into the
bar where the air is now clear and sweet and sits down next to
the girl.
"That was amazing!" she said, "How did you do that?"
"No problem", said Joe.................
"I'm an ex-tractor fan!"
=================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
==================
It's a Puzzlement
In my bridge experience, I've experienced the very quick and
somewhat dizzying turnaround from an exhilarating success to
the rude jolt of a bad result that seems to appear out of thin
air. There's a very fine line between a triumph and a
disaster, and it's worthwhile to closely examine the root
cause of an adverse swing. Sometimes, looking more deeply at
a hand will confirm there was in fact an error or questionable
decision that contributed to the fiasco, whereas you might have
initially attributed it to bad luck. There are other hands in
which a one of the players arrives at a crossroads in the
bidding or play, and selects a reasonable but losing option,
although partner may argue to the contrary. Finally, there
are some hands in which the optimum contract is not reached,
and even a review of the hand cannot find a plausible way to
reach the best spot. This month, we'll take a look at three
hands that were played here in Winnipeg recently that serve as
good examples of the three "bad result" scenarios.
North
S 98xx
H Kxx
D 98xx
West C AJ East
S 10x S KQJxx
H x H xxx
D 109xx D J
C 10xxxxx South C KQxx
S Ax
H AQJ10xx
D AKQx
C x
North East South West
pass 1S 4H pass
pass pass
Once East opened, South gave up on a possible slam as it
seemed unlikely that partner could hold the right cards.
Declarer winced as hi saw dummy, but hir expression brightened
when diamonds split 4-1 and there were two eventual losers.
When the results were compared after the match South was
pleasantly surprised to find that his teammates had chalked up
down one against a 6H contract. The difference at the other
table was that the dog-eared East hand was NOT opened 1S (our
teammates did not face my wrath in the postmortem knowing
full well my distaste for light major suit openings)
Consequently, South opened 1H, got raised and now was
propelled into a reasonable but ill-fated slam. IF East had
passed, hir side will have a fair chance of registering a plus
result. I grant you there are probably a fair number of 1S
openers lurking out there in our teeming bridge populace, but
I'm for passing the first time around, confident that I can
compete in spades later on. That style may be too conservative
in some people's minds, but I'll endure the naysayers and
quietly chalk up a likely 13 IMP gain, thank you.
Next up, we have the following hand in which most tables
reached a somewhat inglorious contract:
North:
S KQJxxx
H 109xxx
D xx
C void
South:
S x
H AKx
D AJ
C AKQJ10xx
The auction was identical at both tables:
North South
2C
2S 3C
3H 3NT
4S 4NT
5C 6C
After the natural and positive 2S response, South bid hir
clubs, then attempted to play 3NT. North showed a major two-
suiter, and now opener had to decide whether to pass 4S or
move on towards slam. Since responder has shown values, to
pass might easily miss a slam. North could easily have an ace
and another working card, and even QJxx of hearts, a suit he's
freely introduced, would be enough for 6C to succeed. My
suggestion after the hand was that North show the two-suiter
by emphasizing the spades with 3S, then if hi so chooses,
remove 3NT to 4H. That should logically show a fine six-card
spade suit and mediocre to downright poor hearts. That MIGHT
have convinced South not to venture past either 4S or 5C. The
actual North bidding SOUNDS stronger, even though it doesn't
necessarily promise extras.
Two aspects of the hand are worth noting. First, control
responses to a 2C opening, a method I generally dislike, fares
well here as opener will find out partner lacks an ace and
will take a very dim view of slam prospects once partner shows
long spades. Secondly, N-S were playing 1430 here, as you
would guess from the 5C response to 4NT, which is keycard in
spades. Kantar, in his book on Roman Keycard, actually
mentions that some partnerships that use 1430 in most auctions
will revert to 3014 in 2C auctions, since the 0/3 response is
probably the most common and the extra space may be needed to
ask for the trump queen.
Finally, we have this rather baffling hand:
North:
S KQ10xx
H Axx
D AKx
C xx
South:
S void
H KQxxx
D 109xxxx
C Ax
Most tables reached a contract of 4H, some after a 1NT opening
by North, some after a 1S foray instead. At our table, the
bidding went:
North South
pass
1S 2H
4H pass
On a club lead, eleven tricks is the limit of the hand as
diamonds split 3-1. Still, 12 tricks can be made by trying
the ruffing finesse in spades to pitch a club loser but alas,
the Ace is on declarer's left. What no one really noticed,
either during the hand or in the post-game discussion, was
that 6D makes. It's also the better contract, as 6H cannot
withstand a 4-1 break, whereas 6D might still come home.
Presuming the defense leads clubs against 6D as well, South
will try two rounds of trumps, finding out the bad news. Now
hi needs the hand with the outstanding trump to have three or
more hearts as well. Sure enough, East has to follow to three
rounds of hearts, and now declarer can toss a club from dummy
on the fourth heart and ruff a club at hir leisure, to produce
twelve tricks in the diamond slam.
Obviously, 6D is the best contract, especially at IMPs, but
how to get there? Here are three possible routes the auction
might take:
North South
1H
1S 2D
3C 3D
North South
pass
1NT 2D
2H 3D
North South
pass
1S 2H
4H
I don't really see any way to avoid hearts no matter how the
auction begins. Opener will generally opt for the higher-
scoring contract, especially at matchpoints. Responder, on
the other hand, will show the goodish five-card heart suit
rather than introduce the weakish diamonds right away. So
this is one of those rare instances in which there's no real
way the bidding can be improved on,, although a makeable slam
goes by the wayside. Just one of those things.
Anyway, that's a wrap on this month's report. We should have
some interesting hands from my week at the ACBL Fall Nationals
in Phoenix for us to sink our teeth into next month.
********************
You can write to Wintaka (Bill Treble) at: bbtreble@mts.net
You will find Bill doing his FireSide sessions on 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 Gail37 for this one:
It figures!
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, both
male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each
year. Male drop their antlers at the beginning of winter,
usually late November to December. Females retain their
antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore,
according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's
reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolf to Blitzen,
had to be a girl.
We should've known. ONLY a woman would be able to drag a
fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one
night and not get lost.
===================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
Face To Face
Last month we discussed the advantages of online
bridge play over Face-To-Face (i.e. live or "F2F") play.
This month let us consider the advantages of live play
and how it can survive into the Computer Age. The
question is: What will your local bridge club look
like in five, ten or twenty years? Will it survive?
The biggest advantage of F2F bridge is the social
aspect. Some of this is due to the ease of speaking
rather than typing. Much of it, though, is a function
of being among people--especially partners--with whom
we are familiar. Rarely do we just show up at our local
club without a partner in tow. Contrast this to online
play were we might very often find ourselves playing
with a complete stranger--not from across the table but
from across the world. Most of our online conversations
are liable to be system agreements with our new partner.
This leaves far less time for the pleasant chit-chat
that we might see in a live rubber or duplicate club.
Hence, we might say that in F2F bridge the match ups
are "serious" (i.e. arranged in advance, more likely to
be long-standing partnerships, always with a filled out
convention card; see what happens if you try to join late
or leave after a bad board!) but the play is very social
("Pass me the munchies, please."). Postmortems are
usually group affairs ("What did you two do on #12?").
This is the opposite of online play, where the
pairings are very loose ("Need tourney partner!" or
"Lobby: Need anyone with a pulse here!") but the game
is more serious ("There's people in the Spec loft
watching...and remember our Lehmans!"). Postmortems
are typically one-on-one with partner at a hidden table
rather than in a party scene.
The successful bridge clubs of the future will
be those that incorporate some of the aspects of online
play while capitalizing on the advantages of actually
"being there". Club operators will endeavour to find
ways to get their patrons to stick around afterwards
for drinks, munchables, postmortems, socializing and
the announcement of winners. Why is this important?
If one's last impression of being somewhere is going
for -2600 and/or finishing dead last they might not
return. If their last moments are spent relaxing,
joking, stuffing their faces and giggling about how
helpful they were to the eventual winners--the very
mistakes that they were glowering at their partners
for just minutes earlier--they WILL come back.
A performance rating (e.g. Lehmans) would only be
accepted by the masterpoint-oriented live players if
they are private. Only the top few rating earners
would be listed publicly. So why is this important?
It is very helpful for the players to measure their
progress. Encouraging this interest in development
promotes the club's lessons--a significant source of
revenue at many establishments.
Computer overhead projectors (i.e. which project
what normally appears on a computer monitor onto a
wall or white stand-up screen) will be standard
equipment. This is because spectating is a vital
aspect of online play (witness Goldway matches,
tourney crowds and our own Gator event) largely
missing from live bridge. These will also prove
invaluable for education purposes.
Imagine a "live" Fireside. Four players play at
terminals while a fifth computer projects the hands
for everyone else to see. After each auction the
commentator goes over the bidding--TALKING being so
much easier than TYPING--before moving onto the next
board. Three deals later four more players would be
shanghaied from the audience and plunked in front of
the four terminals for the next round.
Important international events can be broadcast
using the same technology, with a local pundit
commentating on the action as it proceeds. Hey, who
said that bridge isn't a great spectator game?
F2F bridge clubs will continue to face a pressing
need to recruit newcomers to the game. One such club
posted advertisements in a home for the elderly
directed not so much at the octogenarian residents but
at their retirement age visitors. Within weeks they
started seeing retirees bringing in their mothers and
fathers for an afternoon game--some of the latter in
wheelchairs. British clubs have succeeded at bringing
in a younger crowd by presenting the game as a way to
meet other youngsters--including those of the opposite
gender. Certainly no one entering a North American
bridge emporium would mistake it for a singles club!
Clearly, promoters of the game in the near future will
capitalize on bridge's sex appeal--as the originators
of the game did in its heyday. Another club "took its
show on the road" by setting up a table in a local
mall. Shoppers who showed any interest in what was
going on would be invited to sit down and play their
first hand of bridge (with help from the operator).
Most of us know a friend or relative who may be
interested in taking up the game but may balk at its
rather long learning curve. Some of our local clubs
found an innovative way to exploit this potential
source of new players. In conjunction with a
sectional tournament newcomers were offered a "crash
course". Friday night they learned the rudiments
(e.g. rank of suits, bidding and playing in rotation)
and played their first few practice hands. All day
Saturday they learned the fundamentals of bidding
and play. On Sunday they got their "baptism of fire"
in a novice team game. Exit polls indicated that at
least 80% of the students intended to continue to play
duplicate bridge. One club owner commented candidly
that if even 20% of those enrolled become regulars
the project would be deemed a sparkling success.
What one aspect will be the most stark and vital
distinction between the F2F club of 2002 and that of
2012 or 2022? My answer is: attitude towards online
play. Currently, most live clubs view computer play
as a competitor threatening to draw off their present
clientele. The most successful clubs of the future
will be those who are quickest to understand the
cross-promotional and interdependent nature of the
two supervenues and are best able to exploit the
new technology to expand their horizons and
membership lists. In this way bridge may well grow
exponentially as the success of one avenue builds
on that of the other.
**********************
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
Thanks to Joy for this giggle (most of us can identify
with it, I am sure!)
I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Rick the
computer guy, to come over. Rick clicked a couple of buttons
and solved the problem. He gave me a bill for a minimum
service call. As he was walking away, I called after him,
"So, what was wrong?" He replied, "It was an ID ten T error."
I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired: "An
ID ten T error? What's that ... in case I need to fix it
again?"
The computer guy grinned.... "Haven't you ever heard of an ID
ten T error before?" "No," I replied. "Write it down," he
said, "and I think you'll figure it out."
So I wrote out...... I D 1 0 T
=====================================================