|
Fireside Chat
|
|
FIRESIDE CHAT JULY 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome and Announcements
Believer's FireSide Kindling
Bidding with Bridgboy
Guido's Really Important Stuff
Hand of the Month
Dealing With Dann
Moogal's FireSide Log
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi all!
Welcome to the July, 2003 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! :-)
You can find current and past issues of this "FireSide
Chat" newsletter posted 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
sarastobbe@aol.com to be removed from our mailing
list.
===========================================
CURRENT FIRESIDE SCHEDULE
Day Pacific Time Commentator
MON 11:00 A.M. POOKA
MON 5:00 P.M.* BRIDGBOY
TUE 11:00 A.M. BRIDGBOY
TUE 5:30 P.M. WINTAKA
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
Commentators may change without notice,
according to their availability.
(*starts 1/2 hour earlier on Monday night)
*******************
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.
We want to thank our commentators for their dedication
and caring. Please, think of them when you are thinking
of taking private lessons, paying a professional to play
tourneys with you, getting involved in a group session
mentoring program... most, if not all, of our commentators
and contributors to this newsletter are available for those
services. Just think how much easier it is to learn
from someone who's already a friend!
*******************
All articles herein (c) 2003 by FireSide Chat.
All rights reserved.
===============================================
BELIEVER'S FIRESIDE KINDLING
============================
Hi all :-)
Well, I'm really starting to get excited about
my summer! In just a couple of weeks, I'll be
seeing some of you in Long Beach! I can't
wait :-)
Just to let you know, this newsletter will be a
little late next month, since I won't be home
from CA until after the first of the month. I
will get it emailed as soon as I can when I get
home. Can't take my laptop on this trip since it
konked out on me a couple of months ago, and I
haven't replaced it yet.
Then, I'll no sooner get home, get the newsletter
out to you, and maybe rest up for a couple of
days when I'm off to Calgary for a week of bridge
and good friends there! I surely am getting more
than my share of bridge this summer!
Enough about me, yikes! Bridgboy came up with a
great idea at a recent FireSide session -- he
suggested that every time someone overbids at
FireSide, they put aside a dollar for the FireSide
funds... and mail in a check at the end of each
month. I thought that sounded like a fun way to
add a little extra to the kitty -- think about it!
You can send a check to me at:
Sara Stobbe
20872 Brooklawn
Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
or in Canada to Colin at:
Colin Ward
685 Pritchard Ave
Winnipeg Manitoba
Canada R2W 2K6
Or email or talk to Colin about using your charge card.
Be sure to read Moogal's column for schedule changes
for July due to the Nationals. Several of our
Commentators will be attending -- wish them luck!
********************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
sarastobbe@aol.com
============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Luc for these giggles:
I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose
fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't
have signed up in the first place!
The worst thing about accidents in the kitchen is eating them.
Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able
to tell the difference.
Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could
simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over?
Stress is when you wake up screaming and then realize
you weren't asleep.
My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that's what
she said.
If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have
started with something called labor.
Brain cells come and brain cells go...but fat cells live forever.
Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about
all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear
about the way his mother cooked.
=================================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
Inform Partner, Not the Opponents
Bidding does two things: it conveys information to your
partner, but also gives information to your opponents,
sometimes sinking you by giving just enough info to competent
opponents.
The area where we are most guilty is when we compete too
aggressively and give the opponents a road map to the entire
distribution of the hand. Here is a classic example:
S 865
H Q8
D 104
C KQ9542
You hold this hand and hear this auction:
RHO You LHO Partner
1D P 1H 2S
3H ?
How many of us would bid 3S just trying to compete and push
the opponents around? It is almost like you make a bid but
hope no one hears you! Your bid of 3S allows your LHO to see a
stiff spade in his partner's hand whenever he holds 3 or more
spades. Thus without anyone doing anything special these
opponents now have inside information that will enable them to
see slam possibilities when they have a fit. See what our
noise did for them! LHO is looking at:
S xxx
H AQxxx
D Qxx
C Ax
Not a very special hand, except when he learns his partner has
a full opener with a stiff spade in his hand! Now all his
partner's values will be pulling their weight. Across from:
S x
H Kxxx
D AKxxxx
C xxx
Slam is almost ice cold and partner could have even a
much better hand for his opener.
Trying to be too aggressive will enable those players who
listen to hear exactly what you do not want to be telling
them, namely that their hands fit like a glove! If we had just
passed then I defy lefty to see that stiff spade. If he does
make a slam try it will be a guess not a sure thing!
Many hands are lost by overactive bidding. We have to learn
when to stay silent and take advantage of that pass card or
button! I suggest we pass more often, and I will bring this up
from time to time over the next year. It may not be as much
fun, but it will score better for us!
********************
You can find Bridgboy (Bob Lavin) doing his FireSide
sessions on Monday evenings at 5:00 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
We got this one from at least 1/2 dozen of you!
Famous Bridge Quotes
It is not enough to win the tricks that belong to you. Try also
for some that belong to the opponents.
-Alfred Sheinwold
The real test of a bridge player isn't in keeping out of trouble,
but in escaping once he's in.
-Alfred Sheinwold
If you have the slightest touch of masochism, you'll love this
game.
We believe that contract is particularly attractive to people
with a scrappy disposition.
-Frank Perkins
It's not the skill that drops off with age, it's the drive, the
killer instinct, and when a man isn't primed to kill, he makes
mistakes.
Bridge is a great comfort in your old age. It also helps you get
there faster.
One gets use to abuse. It's waiting for it that is so trying.
-Rueful Rabbit
Since the average person's small supply of politeness must last
him all his life, he can't afford to waste it on bridge partners.
-Alfred Sheinwold
Bridge is essentially a social game, but unfortunately it
attracts a substantial number of antisocial people.
-Alan Truscott
One advantage of bad bidding is that you get practice at playing
atrocious contracts.
-Alfred Sheinwold
Where's the hand you held during the auction?
-A comment Jan Janitschke has made when dummy hits.
South: Alert!
East: Yes?
South: I'm requested to further misdescribe my hand.
It is not the handling of difficult hands that makes the winning
player. There aren't enough of them. It is the ability to avoid
messing up the easy ones.
-Alan Sontag
Most bridge players prefer consistency in their partners rather
than brilliance.
-Matthew Granovetter
The sum of all technical knowledge cannot make a master contract
player.
-Ely Culbertson
A knowledge of the mechanics will suffice to put a player in a
commanding position in the post-mortem. To become a member of
the upper crust calls for more, much more. Resilience,
imagination, occasional flashes of inspiration, these are the
hallmarks of quality. And this transcends the realm of science.
-Victor Mollo
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has
its limits.
-Barry Crane
Card sense is when it's technically right to do something, the
little man that sits on my shoulder or anyone else's shoulder
says, "Don't do that." And you say to yourself, "Well, wait a
minute, that's the right way to play." And he says, "Yeah, but
you don't wanna play that way." That instinct is card sense.
It's almost an ability to feel where the cards are. It's
something that you can't buy, you can't find; you're born with.
The ability to do the right thing at the wrong time or really to
do the wrong thing at the right time.
-Barry Crane
I'm not sure whether glory or master points is first on the list,
but I know learning to play better is definitely last.
-Eddie Kantar
I'd like a review of the bidding with all the original
inflections.
The average defender operates in a fog of uncertainty.
-H. W. Kelsey
Regardless of what sadistic impulses we may harbor, winning
bridge means helping partner avoid mistakes.
-Frank Stewart
A player who can't defend accurately should try to be declarer.
-Alfred Sheinwold
The real secret of the expert is to make logic seem like flair.
-Hugh Kelsey
If you play bridge with your wife as partner, you need at least
20 points to open, and it wouldn't hurt to have 25.
-Joe James
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to
make them all yourself.
-Alfred Sheinwold
=====================================================
GUIDO'S REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF
==============================
Two Suited Overcalls
It seems as though everyone's favorite toy is Michaels. This
is just one of many two-suited overcalls in common use around
the world. Modern Michaels (the original version was rather
different, but old guys such as me even remember the original
version) works as follows:
(1C) - 2C or (1D) - 2D shows a hand with both majors.
Traditionally, the minimum suit length was five cards in both
majors. Depending upon vulnerability, suit texture, and
partnership agreement, minimum suit length is often 4-5.
(1H) - 2H or (1S) - 2S shows a hand with the unbid major and
one (either one) of the minors. Again, minimum suit length is
5-5 unless the partnership has a more aggressive agreement.
Over the major cue bid, 2NT asks for opener's major. Jumps in
a known suit are usually treated as preemptive.
Good points about this convention include: Ability to compete
with relative safety with hands which would be difficult to
bid naturally. This may lead to finding a useful sacrifice, a
making contract based more on distribution than on high cards,
or push the opponents too high or into the wrong contract.
Negative points include: As your distribution is shown almost
completely, life is easier for the opponents (either if they
play the hand or your hand becomes declarer). This is more
important than many people realize.
If you choose to use Michaels, take the following suggestions
into account.
The bid should be either weak or strong; never intermediate.
This gives partner an idea of when and how high to compete.
Intermediate hands can usually be handled by making a simple
overcall and bidding later if it seems right.
When holding five spades and four hearts, it is seldom useful
to use Michaels. With four spades and five hearts, it is much
more tempting to wheel out Michaels.
Have a reason to bid. You are giving the opponents quite a bit
of information. Do not do this without a good reason.
The standard approach of using 2NT to ask for the second suit
after 1Major - 2Major is sub-optimal. It is usually better to
make advancer, not the Cue bidder, the declarer. It is also
better to reduce the rounds of bidding and not give the
opponents extra bids and "free" doubles. I suggest that 3C,
3D, 4C, 4D, and 5C should be "pass/correct." That is, if the
cue bidder holds the suit you bid, he passes; otherwise the
cue bidder makes his cheapest possible call in a suit he
holds. For example, with hearts and diamonds after
(1S)-2S-(P)-4C, the cue bidder would bid 4D. If he had hearts
and clubs, he would pass.
When both suits are known (that is after a cue bid of a minor)
and the opponent doubles, you can use the double to make sure
that you land in your better fit. With a two card difference
(1-3, 0-2, etc.) bid your longer fragment. With a one card
difference (0-1, 1-2, 2-3, etc.) double when the lower suit
(hearts) is longer and pass when the higher suit (spades) is
longer. The cue bidder will now be able to pick the longer
combined fit. A similar approach can be used when only one
suit is known (after a cue bid of a major suit). Simply assume
that the cue bidder holds your shorter minor and apply the
same rules as above.
The most common two-suited overcall is the dreaded Unusual NT.
Everything said above applies here as well. Remember, please,
that as you hold the minors, your chances of outbidding the
opponents are rather small. Your intervention will often be of
more use to the opponents than to your side.
My favorite two-suited bid is the Astro Cue Bid. These cover
hands which are very difficult to bid using standard methods.
Also, both suits are known immediately at all times so your
partner can preempt when appropriate. These cue bids show a
sound opening bid with a major and a longer minor. The suits
held are hearts and clubs unless the opponent has opened one
of those suit. In this case, substitute the other suit of the
same rank. This is easier than it sounds:
(1C) - 2C: hearts and longer diamonds
(1D) - 2D: hearts and longer clubs
(1H) - 2H: spades and longer clubs
(1S) - 2S: hearts and longer clubs
This convention - particularly the minor cue bids - can be
extremely useful. A reasonable compromise is to use Astro in
the minors only.
Two-suited overcalls are particularly useful versus No Trump
openings and strong, artificial bids (e.g., 1C and 2C).
Another good use is versus preempts. If there is interest, I
can cover Leaping Michaels in a future article.
There are umpteen additional two-suited conventions. These
include Roman Jump Overcalls, Ghestem, Copenhagen, and
Colorful Cues. I prefer to use an approach which shows the two
suits immediately. But, then, I'm a wimp.
********************
You can email Guido at: paulfriedman@attbi.com
================================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to BobW for these:
Kids' quotes
"Everyone has feelings, except for snakes and principals."
Donna Maria G, age 9
"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; cry, and the world laughs
at you."
Rob P, age 8
"If life gives you nothing but lemons, make up a better shopping
list for it."
Steven B, age 8
"Moses came down with the Ten Amendments, which were God's Bill
of Wrongs."
Susie F., age 7
"Doctors automatically know what's wrong with you. They have a
sick sense."
Beau M., age 10
================================================================
HAND OF THE MONTH
=================
(A huge 'thank you' to Gail Wix for all her hard work putting
this together for us! We couldn't do it without her help!)
From The 2003 Daily Bridge Calendar. For more information
call 1-888-453-1976, or email: calendar@interlog.com
********************
Vul: Both North
Dlr: E S QJ76
H K2
D AKQ
C AJT4
South
S AKT92
H A854
D 9543
C --
West North East South
3H 3S
p 4NT* P 5C
P 7S all pass
*Roman Key Card Blackwood
Opening Lead DJ
Again, your values are minimum for coming in. Your
good controls and decent spade suit make it attractive
to do so.
Partner has employed Roman Key Card Blackwood. The 5C
response means 0 or 3 of the 5 aces (the trump K counting
as one). Some People might say that North should sign
off in 5S in case you have no aces and expecting you to
bid on with three. I [author] find the treatment tends to
create needless pressure on the partner of the 4NT bidder.
If you think there might be three aces missing, you should
not go looking for a slam!
The bidding warns you not to attempt to ruff hearts in
dummy unless you can draw trumps first. Is that the best
line of play?
********************
S QJ76
H K2
D AKQ
C AJT4
S 8543 S --
H -- H QJT8763
D JT82 D 76
C Q7653 C K982
S AKT92
H A854
D 9543
C --
Contract: 7S Lead: DJ
*******************
You count eleven sure winners and, unless diamonds break
nicely or a squeeze develops, ruff will need to make up the
balance.
If the enemy trumps fall two apiece, you can afford to pull
them and then ruff two hearts in dummy. Of course you prefer
not to rely on that sort of chance in a grand slam.
You have a ready-made void in clubs and plenty of big trumps
in hand. Does this give you a clue?
You need to play the hand on a dummy reversal. Having won the
diamond perforce, lead a small club off dummy and trump it
with the S9 -- you must save the S2 for later. Then lay down
the SA to test the water. If all follow, you next cross to
the SQ, but with the position marked you can safely finesse
against the S8. Then ruff another club, return to dummy with a
diamond and trump a third club. Finally you go back to the
table with a diamond and extract West's remaining trumps.
Note that you need not worry about the diamond tops being
ruffed since you know the D and the missing trumps are both on
your left. If by any chance West turns up with the singleton
spade, you are still all right ruffing clubs in hand. You
simply use the HK and a heart ruff as entries to dummy instead
of the diamonds.
********************
Hand and analysis by Julian Pottage, courtesy of the
Daily Bridge Calendar, published by Ashlar House Inc.,
Brampton, ON, Canada. Reprinted with permission.
(Special thanks to Lee Daugherty and Dann Kramer.)
===================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Tara for this giggle:
Why It's Great To Be A Dog
1. If it itches, you can reach it. And no matter where it
itches, no one will be offended if you scratch it in public.
2. No one notices if you have hair growing in weird places as
you get older.
3. Personal hygiene is a blast: No one expects you to take a
bath every day, and you don't even have to comb your own hair.
4. Having a wet nose is considered a sign of good health.
5. No one thinks less of you for passing gas. Some people
might actually think you're cute.
6. Who needs a big home entertainment system? A bone or an old
shoe can entertain you for hours.
7. You can spend hours just smelling stuff.
8. No one ever expects you to pay for lunch or dinner. You
never have to worry about table manners, and if you gain
weight, it's someone else's fault.
9. It doesn't take much to make you happy. You're always
excited to see the same old people. All they have to do is
leave the room for five minutes and come back.
10. Every garbage can looks like a cold buffet to you.
=====================================================
DEALING WITH DANN
=================
Stolen Bid Doubles
This month I was asked to write something on "STOLEN BID
DOUBLES".
I shall borrow a quote from Eddie Kantar, trying to understand
the motivation of players: "I'm not sure whether glory or
masterpoints is first on the list, but I know learning to play
better is definitely last."
The reason for the quote; just because X/Y/or Z plays a
convention doesn't mean it's good and that we should play it
too!
Any addition to our card/conventions played needs assessment,
we need to assess the worth of the tool we are adding, as well
as what we are losing! If we decide to play "stolen" we lose
penalty doubles (now if we really want to play something over
NT interference we should look at Lebensohl - a wonderful
convention that deals beautifully with interference over NT).
If those playing "stolen" have made the choice to give up
penalty doubles, then fine - but I suggest that as your game
improves you will not want to do without penalty doubles! (At
least at the 2 level.)
If we want to improve our overall game (see quote) - the path
of choice would not be a detour of losing a penalty double,
and then realizing we want it back. If partner wants to play
stolen bid doubles, then we must ask "Ok partner, as soon as
you explain to me how we punish the opponents for coming into
our auction while we are playing that convention". If partner
can't provide the answer, then we should be allowed to play it
as penalty!
To counter the usual argument for "Stolen", letting the strong
NT hand be concealed, we generally don't have as much to worry
about. Protecting the tenace is no longer a huge concern
since they have already gotten a lead directing bid in. Now
there's less advantage to concealing the strong NT hand than
in a regular non-interference auction.
So, while the sound of it is nice - we can still transfer then
- the cost is more than the gain. While we can still think
about the information the overcall has given us, there is no
overwhelming reason I can think of to let the opponents freely
interfere in our auctions at low levels (Trust me, some
opponents see Stolen X on a card, and it is a green light to
overcall 1NT for no particular reason except to take a call
since we have no resources to double. This creates a new kind
of "free bid" - not the usual definition but a darn good
descriptor).
And for those who like to learn from your own mistakes, please
enjoy your "Stolen" experiences!
Stay tuned, next month I will try to touch on Lebensohl.
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
Some thoughts on life from De:
"The positive side of life"
Living on Earth is expensive,
but it does include a free trip
around the sun every year.
How long a minute is
depends on what side of the
bathroom door you're on.
Birthdays are good for you;
the more you have,
the longer you live.
Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.
You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun
to only make once.
Don't cry because it's over;
smile because it happened.
We could learn a lot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty,
some are dull, some have weird names,
and all are different colors....but
they all exist very nicely in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who
can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
===========================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
======================
OKB Tourneys
Well done to all our Fireside friends who excelled in
the tourneys this past month!!
Sun Jun 8 16:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 hughie/ryleigh 3.11 26
Sat Jun 14 14:30 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 BRinker/captain 68.13 12
Sun Jun 22 11:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/moogal 2.18 26
Sun Jun 22 14:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 ecofin/mayes 74.34 10
Sat Jun 28 16:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Pringle/Unicorn 61.60 27
****************************************************************
NOVICE MENTOR TOURNEYS
Congrats to our winners of the two Novice-Mentor tourneys in
May.
And well done to all our top finishers:
Thu Jun 12 18:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Blindman/TheHun 62.98 20
2 de/Kaltica/TournNov 61.72 19
3 deb/pmh 61.41 20
4 edieysem/sati 61.26 20
5 bedouinf/craigl 55.78 20
6 marino1/ullahk 54.78 19
7 LFoss/pmd 54.27 20
8 slim/thinman 54.12 20
9 sha/wandaw 52.85 20
10 greta123/spednic 51.91 19
11 arrow/elvee 51.04 20
12 AndyEdw/anna2 50.10 20
Sat Jun 21 12:00 2003
Rank Team Score Boards
1 dutcho/greta123 62.46 20
2 chrisdo/t5thchr1/TournNov 58.60 19
3 dolbai/phil-1 55.19 18
4 dalper/pama 54.04 20
5 kontiki/MRM8 52.50 19
So, mentors and novices, join us this month on the 10th and on
the 19th - email Sandra at sandree@attbi.com if you would like
to find a partner ahead of time. We'll do our best to match
you up! I promise you a fun evening.
****************************************************************
MENTOR CUP GAME
June 1st: Team JW7: JW7, Grommet_, JJGass & ErichRWS
June 15th: Team BOBOWEN: Bobowen, Queenhrt, Pringle & Unicorn
June 29th:
1st Place Team ANDRE55: Andre55, JanetE, Jundith, and Hawes
2nd Place Team JFLOW50: Jflow50, Ximena, Toddy, and Judydee
Note: Two teams are listed for June 29th due to my error in
scoring at the table.
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!
****************************************************************
NABC Long Beach
Several of our commentators and TM's are heading off the
nationals in Long Beach this month. Not me, sigh, but much
good luck to Diane, Lynn, Bob, Sara, Gail and anyone else who
is going! Anyone who is headed there PLEASE PLEASE let me
know of any successes, any stories, anything! Our readers
love to enjoy the nationals vicariously!
There will be the following session cancellations during the
nationals:
Thurs July 17 5:30 PM
Mon July 21 5:00 PM
Tues July 22 11:00 AM
Wed July 23 5:30 PM
Thurs July 24 5:30 PM
Good luck to all!
****************************************************************
Double good news on Thursdays! Lynn (WISHTRIK) is back from a
lengthy recuperation, ready to give us her bridge wisdom
again. Welcome back, Lynn! We sure did miss you.
The other reason to cheer is that we have a wonderful new
table manager to introduce. Danilo (SHADE) is going to TM for
Lynn on Thursday evenings, and also to do every other Friday
with Colin.
Danilo was born and raised in Italy, where he was a single guy
enjoying a conservative lifestyle, writing software, swimming
competitively and staying out at rock clubs in Florence --
that is until he met his future wife, who was living in Grande
Prairie Alberta, in western Canada. A few years after moving
there in '96, during a rather tedious summer holiday away from
his wife, he decided to pick up bridge again - a game that his
grandmother predicted he was going to be good at. After
trying duplicate at the local club (a 3-table Howell game once
a week), he joined OKBridge and was thrilled to find so many
excellent players to kibitz -- and even more delighted that
some of them also volunteered to help new players improve
their bidding at Fireside.
Almost three years later, now no longer overcalling in a 4-
card suit with 8 HCP opposite a passed partner, he feels that
he owes so much to the Fireside folks that joining them as
volunteer TM only begins to balance the scale. His dream? "To
be able some day to contribute back in the role of commentator
as well, and eventually winning the first Bermuda Bowl for
Canada, in this life or the next."
We will cheer you on when that happens, Danilo!
A third reason to celebrate: I get to introduce another new
table manager, Nancy (NANCOR). For now she is filling in on
Monday with Dann (POOKA), and we are delighted. She tells us
a little about herself:
"My husband and I both retired 5 years ago -- Bernie from
Corporate Law and me from Nursing Administration. We moved
from Andover, Minnesota to Amery, WI to live on a golf course
and play golf. After deciding the season was too short we
bought a house at The Villages, Florida on a golf course and
spend our winters there. My other favorite hobby is playing
bridge on the net and of course Fireside! Maryann (TCBM) is
usually my partner but enjoy all partners willing to play with
me! Before I found the computer I did sewing, quilting and
reading but these hobbies (except for some reading) seem to on
hold since I found OKB! We have five grown children and nine
grandchildren all living in different parts of the country.
"This summer I will return to Port Angeles, Washington and
attend my 50th class reunion from High School -- this will be
the first time I have attended a reunion and I hope it won't
be too much of a shock. :) I'd like to mention one
ganddaughter who is leaving next week for England and Ireland
as part of the people-to-people Jr. ambassador program.
"I have found wonderful friends at Fireside and am especially
thankful for all who make it possible. A special thanks to
Pooka for letting me help by TM'ing for him. Someday I will
even learn how to play bridge! :)"
How lucky we are at Fireside to have two such "aces" as new
table managers! Please let Danilo and Nancy know how much we
all appreciate them!
****************************************************************
In response to Sara's column last month, in which she
discussed ways to make OKB a friendlier place, we received the
following from Jane (NEOPHYTE):
"I felt I had to write. For me, there is a vast difference
between some OKB'ers and a Firesider!
"Firesiders are patient, tolerant and understanding. I have
found that they do not openly criticize, and they are kind
hearted and generous in spirit. And no, I don't just mean the
Commentators or the TM's, as amazing as you all are!
"It is the entire Fireside family that make it a wonderful
place to play and meet people....to find a like minded soul,
and maybe construct a set game. I know I am lucky I did!
"I also know that it is up to me to help others --- usually by
telling them about fireside!
"The other day. I was waiting to host our set game, hanging out
in the lobby. I saw someone ask, "I am new to OKB what does NC
mean?" I wrote in red to her the third time she asked, and
when my group got together she was offered a place and we had
a good game!
"The point I am trying to get across is this, while OKB on
occasion can be unfriendly, Fireside never is! I feel proud to
be a Firesider, and to all out there, Thank you!"
Jane
Thanks Jane. We can all make a difference out there. Our
kindnesses do ripple through the entire membership.
****************************************************************
Gordon "gordonr" Rainsford, from Tuna's hometown of London,
England, is the Angelfish for July. Tuna reports in this
month's Spectator that our good friend Eric (ETSAND) made the
winning nomination! The halo chain continues. :)
"Who should be a better judge of angel-flesh than a previous
Angelfish himself! Eric "Etsand" Sandberg told me how
unfailingly courteous and diplomatic Gordon is in his approach
to the game. As just one example, on the heels of a poor
result, Gordon's partner asks his opinion if he should open 2c
(a commonly abused bid!) he replied "Most would, but I can
understand why you might not."
"It appears this is not just an isolated good day for Gordon.
Eric believes lurkers from the usenet newsgroup
rec.games.bridge know him to be a frequent voice of reason in
that forum, with patient answers to simple questions and
insightful comments to more difficult threads."
***
I neglected to mention here last month that three of our
Fireside friends were angelfish nominees: Congrats to JJH, PKV
and Wheels!
****************************************************************
Our friend Chuck (GUNNE) just returned from a successful
tourney at the Peducah regional, June 16-22. I had to twist
his arm, but he did send me this report:
"My daughter and I arrived Monday afternoon -- my 4th live
event ever and her first exposure to bridge of any kind!
DLOYE ran in about an hour before the first competition.
"We went down to meet our teammates who stood us up and then
very nicely provided alternative teammates -- a pair of 5000-
point guys who were as nice as you could ever imagine. They
rooted us on all week, how great is that? Soooo, we were
playing in top bracket of knock-out team play and I did not
expect to go very far in that company. Amazingly, we won the
first night knockout -- so a very good start:))
"Tuesday morning wasn't as successful -- we got crunched in
second round, but no problem, on to something else! D'Loye and
I played in side pairs and finished 2nd that night...which
I'll take anytime:)) Did I mention D'Loye is a great pd! Ty
D'Loye :)
"Wednesday afternoon I played in a novice event with my
daughter who had never ever played or seen bridge played
before and it was great...seeing the competitive fire and
concentration....trying to figure out this game from scratch.
"That evening D'Loye and I finished the second session
necessary to qualify for gold points from the night before.
"On Thursday, after losing three straight sections of a swiss
team event, we entered a stratified pairs that night and won!
Not a bad day after all! :)
"Friday was another good day with solid finishes in a KO in the
morning and a Swiss in the afternoon.
"Saturday morning, we made it through the second KO and ready
for the third -- made it thru to finals! I'm stunned....this
is not happening!! In the finals, we are ahead at the half,
but fade and lose by 6. Oh well.:)
"What a tournament!! Great fun and great people -- thank you
Paducah!
"But special thanks to D'Loye Swift, my partner, and to Mark
Smith (SHOTGUN), my teacher for the last two months who
eliminated some of my errors....Go Roth-Stone! :)"
****************************************************************
Expanded Tourney schedule, 12 games a day
A new and extended tournament schedule has gone into affect.
The new Mini's should suit everyone's schedule! You can get a
one- week trial tourney membership if you would like to try
them out.
For those of you who might be tourney-shy, give it a
try....they are fun, a great learning experience, and all
levels do participate. A poor finish? Trust me, I know all
about those and I still love the tourneys....you might also!
Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
6 a.m. MP mini
8:45 a.m. MP (mini)
11 a.m. IMP
11 a.m. MP (mini)
12:30 pm. IMP (mini)
2 p.m. MP (mini)
4 p.m. IMP
4 p.m. MP (mini)
5:30 p.m. IMP (mini)
7 p.m. MP (27 boards)
7 p.m. IMP (mini)
8:30 p.m. MP (mini)
Saturday and Monday
6 a.m. IMP (mini)
8:45 a.m. MP (mini)
11 a.m. MP
11 a.m IMP (mini)
12:30 p.m. MP (mini)
2 p.m. IMP (mini)
4 p.m. MP
4 p.m. IMP (mini)
5:30 p.m. MP (mini)
7 p.m. IMP (27 boards)
7 p.m. MP (mini)
8:30 p.m. IMP (mini)
No change: the two free Novice/Intermediate-Mentor tournaments
still take place at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday and at noon
on the third Saturday of every month. To participate, you and
your partner should look for the name "tournNOV" on the table
list.
****************************************************************
Hope you all are having a good summer. I'm leaving this week
for some relaxation at our vacation home in Pennsylvania...
do you think I can convince my husband we NEED high-speed
access up there?:)
See you next month! Hugs...Janice
***********************************************************
We know that it isn't always easy to find a 'friendly' game.
We hope this new site will be a plus in your OKB experience
by helping our friends schedule games with each other.
Visit:
http://www.firesides.net/playdate.htm
and follow the directions to set up a table others can join, or
to join a game someone else has scheduled. You'll receive emails
notifying you as others join the same games.
If you wish to reserve a seat in one of the listed mentoring
games, which are supported by the people attending, we
suggest you do so, and also contact the mentoring commentator
for info.
We have tested this site, but we won't be surprised to hear
of a bug or two. Please let us know at kaltica@mts.net if
you encounter any problems serving, joining, or canceling a
game, or if you have any suggestions.
Have fun!
********************
Have a comment you'd like to make about the FireSide program?
An event or announcement you'd like to share with the rest of
us? A question you'd like answered? Here's a great place for
us to visit every day and keep up with each other:
http://www.firesides.net/chatline.htm
********************
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
*********************
FIRESIDE UTILITY SITES
http://www.firesides.net/checker.htm
http://www.firesides.net/dealhand.htm
********************
And if you haven't had a chance to check them out yet,
here are some links to some of the 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.
**********************************************************
July Events: (All times Pacific)
===============================
NOVICE/MENTOR TOURNEY:
Thursday, July 10, 6:00 P.M. and Saturday,
July 19, at 12:00 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. July 13 and 27.
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.
OKbridge 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.
********************
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 Tuna for this one:
BENEFITS OF GROWING OLDER
1. In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released
first.
2. It's harder and harder for sexual harassment charges to
stick.
3. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
4. No one expects you to run into a burning building.
5. People call at 9 PM and ask, "Did I wake you?"
6. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
7. There's nothing left to learn the hard way.
8. Things you buy now won't wear out.
9. You can buy a compass for the dash of your car.
10. You can eat dinner at 4 PM.
11. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
12. You can't remember the last time you lay on the floor to
watch TV.
13. You consider coffee one of the most important things in
life.
14. You constantly talk about the price of gasoline.
15. You enjoy hearing about other people's operations.
16. You get into a heated argument about pension plans.
17. You got cable TV for the weather channel.
18. You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
19. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
20. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who
walks into the room.
21. You send money to PBS.
22. You sing along with the elevator music.
23. You talk about "good grass", and you're referring to
someone's lawn.
24. Your arms are almost too short to read the newspaper.
25. Your back goes out more than you do.
26. Your ears are hairier than your head.
27. Your eyes won't get much worse.
28. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning
to pay off.
29. Your joints are more accurate than the National Weather
Service.
30. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't
remember them either.
31. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable
size.
========================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
===================
Not Exactly a Slam Dunk
Early in June, I flew out to the beautiful, sun-drenched
Okanagan valley in British Columbia. I had various
entertainment options: frolicking on the beach, visiting the
local wineries and fruit orchards, playing on some of the
finest golf courses known to man or sampling the cuisine at
the excellent restaurants in the vicinity. And my choice
was......to sit inside for seven days perched over a bridge
table. Ah, well, they always said that insanity ran in my
family.
I was vying once more for the Canadian Teams Championships
with my band of indefatigable warriors, Dave McLellan, G.
Sekhar, Doug Fisher, Dave Sokolow and Simon Kan. Dave and I
were playing our souped-up 2/1 at the one extreme and on the
other end of the spectrum, Sokolow and Kan were employing
something akin to '40s Goren. They played four-card suits,
strong 2D openings, forcing jump raises even in competition,
along with negative doubles only through the one-level. In
one match, one of our adversaries tossed in a free-spirited 2C
overcall when Simon opened 1S. Double on his left, alerted by
his screenmate. When queried on the meaning of the double,
Sokolow wrote on his notepad "penalty". Not what you really
want to hear when you've made a two-level overcall on a KJ642
suit and an outside ace :)
The field of 22 teams played a four-day round-robin with
the top eight squads advancing to the knockout stage. Slam
bidding, for better or worse (usually the latter) figured
prominently in our team's results. In the first match out of
the chute, Dave and I were in splendid Colin (Kaltica) Ward
form, being unable to stand prosperity. Three times the
opponents went down in makeable games and each time, on the
VERY next board, we suffered a cerebral hemorrhage to hand the
IMPs right back. One hand was a huge loss that should have
been either a push or even a 13-IMP pickup. Your hand is:
S KQJ10xx H Jx D QJxx C x
Partner opens 1NT, 15-17 and you have both Jacoby and Texas
in your arsenal. Do you settle for game via a Texas transfer of
4H, or do you transfer at the two-level and look for slam?
Partner bid 2H and then jumped to 4S, which is a mild slam
invitation. Opener's hand was:
S Ax H Axx D AKxx C Qxxx
The upshot was that we reached 6S, which had no play. At
the other table responder had no slam ambitions and simply
placed the contract immediately in 4S, so we lost heavily on
the board. Looking at just responder's hand, you need an
absolute goldmine from opener for 6S to have ANY play
whatsoever. Note, however, that playing in the 4-4 fit, 6D,
WILL produce twelve tricks, if trumps divide 3-2. After
drawing trumps, declarer can run spades, pitching hearts from
hand, and subsequently ruff dummy's second heart. The object
lesson of this hand is that IF responder was going to make
a slam try on marginal values, he should have at least explored
all possible fits by introducing the diamond suit after the
acoby transfer.
Opener's control-rich 17-point hand was not enough to
produce twelve tricks in spades, but there will be a decent
play for a diamond slam opposite the right fitting minimum in
opener's hand. As a matter of fact, taking away the Q of clubs
from opener's hand has no effect on the odds of 6D making.
The first two sessions were pretty humdrum for us, but as
the sun broke through on a new day, we started to notch up
some wins to get us back into the race. This hand resulted in
a good pickup for us, as I held:
S Qxxx H 10x D AKxxx C Ax
The auction goes:
LHO Partner RHO You
2S 4H pass ?
I had opening bid values opposite a jump to game by
partner, but no spade control. I ventured 5H, trying for slam
but implying fast losers in the enemy suit, since I had not
asked for keycards. Partner now bid 5S, showing FIRST round
control in the suit. I had virtually promised both minor suit
aces on my previous bidding, so now I continued with 6D, to
show the extra strength in that suit. This was enough to
propel Dave into 7H, as his hand was:
S void H AKQJxxxx D x C KJxx
On the same auction at the other table, my hand passed
4H and so we gained a huge chunk of IMPs by reaching the grand.
Interestingly enough, in a different match, the contract was
4H at BOTH tables, for a rather undistinguished push.
Even at this level of competition, there are differing
views on what a jump to game in an unbid major over a weak
two-bid should mean. Some feel that it should be offensive
in nature, with a strong suit but not much on the side. Most,
however, decry the notion that you should follow the enemy
pre-empt with one of your own. Dave and I agreed long ago
that auctions like this should show sound values, although
a double followed by a jump to 4H would show an even better
hand.
At the end of the second day, we were sitting
reasonably well in 7'th, but we had some of our toughest
matches coming up. We started running the gauntlet in
good form, ringing up a convincing victory against the
Carruthers team (playing under the moniker of their
close friend Peter Nagy, who passed away earlier this year).
Next up were the leaders, Fergani, and we got blown out of
the water as Dave and I let a game slip though that we could
have beaten, got too high on another overly ambitious slam
try, and culminating with this hand, which I held as North:
S AJ10xxxx H AKx D QJ C x
The auction started tamely, but livened up
considerably after that:
East South West North
pass 1C pass 1S
3D 3S 4C* 4H
5D pass pass 5H
pass 6S pass pass
pass
Partner's hand was:
S Kxxx H Qxxx D A C Axxx
West's 4C was lead-directional with diamond support.
7S was laydown, and bid at the other table, so that was
another setback for us. I thought when partner jumped to
6S that he had most likely the Ace of clubs and SECOND-round
diamond control, so I was reluctant to bid the grand slam.
Dave thought that with his free 3S raise and forcing pass of
5D, that he could scarcely have any less than his actual hand.
That evening, we actually came up with the best bid for my
hand, which neither of us thought of at the time. After the
4C bid on my right, I should have jumped to 5S. Since there
are essentially two "worry" suits, diamonds bid by LHO and
the club strength promised by RHO with the 4C bid, the jump
to five of the agreed suit by me would say the MAJORS are
solid, but show fast losers in BOTH minor suits. That would
make it very easy for South to bid the grand slam, with
both the diamond and club aces, the King of spades, and the
Q of hearts, which now comes into it's own as a working
card.
We continued to lurch downwards in the standings
until by the end of the day, we were 14 VPs out of the final
playoff spot, needing to win all of our last five matches to
survive through to the knockout stage. Our next match was
against the other Winnipeg team captained by Bob Todd. We
came through with a pretty solid win, and this hand played
a role in the outcome:
North
S Axxxx
H K
D Qx
West C KQxxx East
S x S KQJ10
H A108xx H Q9x
D Kxx D AJxx
C A109x South C xx
S 9xx
H Jxxx
D 10xxx
C Jx
At our table, I opened 1C, as is our style with
5-5 in the black suits and a minimum hand. East overcalled
1S, and we were out of the auction as the opponents got to
4H and failed by a trick. The auction went quite a bit
differently at the other table:
North East South West
1S pass pass dbl
2C 2D 2S pass
pass dbl pass pass
pass
When you are vulnerable, get doubled in a partial
and have LHO lead the KING of trumps, that is generally
NEVER a good sign. Our partners chalked up +800 for a
handsome gain on our side of the ledger. In the post-mortem,
South drew considerable fire for the 2S bid, which smacked
more of matchpoints than IMPs. However, I'm not too fond of
opener's 2C rebid either. Partner has failed to respond to
1S and the takeout double has reduced the North hand to an
effective 9-count, so attempting to compete in the lowest
ranked suit is a not really a winning proposition.
This match drew us closer to the Todd team and
brought us back to the verges of contention, but there was
still a lot of work to be done. More on the CNTCs in next
month's Fireside Chat. 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 5:30 P.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 Benson for this one:
A woman went to a computer dating service and said she didn't
care about looks, income or background. All she wanted was a
man of upright character.
Then a man came in and told them the only thing he was seeking
in a woman was intelligence.
The service matched them together at once because they had one
thing in common - they were both compulsive liars.
===================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
Moogal Maxims
Most of us here are well aware of Moogal's abysmal
card-holding abilities. It is no accident that Firesiders
and Rainbowers refer to yarboroughs as "moogals". Having
partnered Jan for about five years now, I have learned two
simple rules about playing with Moogal:
1. "Don't let the table server switch to rubber bridge."
2. "Don't open anything you ain't willing to play."
If I held a flat 20-21 point hand with a 5-card
major, it would never occur to me to open 2NT.
S- AJxxx H- K10x D- AQ C- AQ10
Open 1S and wait for the lead.
But suppose you have a 4=4=2=3 13 count such as:
S- AJxx H- K10xx D- xx C- AJx
If we open with the systemic 1C and end up playing
there, is this likely to be good or bad? Well, we'll go
down, almost assuredly. But with 13 opposite 0-5 points
we should find some consolation in the fact that the
opponents had us outgunned. Surely they can make SOME
contract. Perhaps even a game? Here, then, we ignore
Rule #2 and open the "standard" 1C. But suppose we
strengthen this hand to 18-19 points:
S- AJxx H- KQ10x D- Ax C- AJx
With 19 flat now we *do* mind going down in 1C.
The odds of the opponents making anything are reduced.
Hence, given that Partner (Moogal) rates to have, on
average, three cards in any given suit, we should open
1H here rather than risk the ignominy of going down in
our 3-3 Club "fit".
POINT #1: Be more willing to open a 4-card major
with STRONG flat hands than WEAK ones.
POINT #2: Never open NT with a 5-card major if
you have ANY choice whatsoever.
Fair enough, but what if we are playing with
someone OTHER than Moogal? What happens if we open,
say, 1H or 1S with a strong flat hand and hear our
partner actually respond?
One level responses are not a problem. We can
rebid either 2NT (17-19) or 3NT (20-21).
But what if Partner were to make a 2-over-1
response? How do we show our strength now? Let's
break it down into the 18-19 versus 20-21 pointers.
We need to start by considering this auction:
1H 2D
3D
Because 2-over-1 Responder has not rebid yet,
this is forcing, regardless of whether we play SAYC,
SARC or 2/1-GF. This raise should show 16-21 points;
with 13-15 we should rebid our major as a marktime
venture and THEN, perhaps, support Responder's minor.
Hence, with 18-19 flat and 3-card (or 4-card) support
for Responder's minor, we can raise: 1H:2D:3D.
Holding 18-19 flat and only two cards in Partner's
suit, Opener must rebid a very descriptive 3NT.
S- AJx H- KQ10xx D- Ax C- AJx
After 1H:2C, we raise to 3C. After 1H:2D, 3NT.
POINT #3: This 3NT is called a "picture" bid: 18-19
flat with two cards in Responder's suit.
Okay. That takes care of the 18-19 pointers.
What about the 20-21 hands? Easy. We begin by
rebidding 2NT, which is forcing in both SAYC/SARC
and 2/1-GF, of course. If Partner raises to 3NT
and we hold 2 cards in Responder's suit we "re-raise" to
4NT!
1S 2C
2NT 3NT
4NT = 20-21 flat with 2 Clubs.
If the pair is playing 2/1-GF, 4NT is forcing
(since 20 + 13 = 33) to slam. If playing SAYC/SARC,
Responder will accept with 13+ points, Pass with 11,
and re-raise to 5NT with 12.
1S 2C
2NT 3NT
4NT 5NT = 12 points exactly. "6NT?"
If accepting, Responder can simply bid whatever
slam seems reasonable--even a grand if Responder
holds 16+ points. Some will show their Aces via
5C (No Ace), 5D (1), 5H (2) or 5S (3). If missing
2 Aces, 4NT bidder can now stop in 5NT by bidding
a new suit:
1S 2C
2NT 3NT
4NT 5D = 1 Ace.
5H 5NT = Forced.
Pass
If missing one Ace, Opener just bids a small
slam: often 6C to allow Responder to choose the
strain.
1S 2D
2NT 3NT
4NT 5D = 1 Ace.
6C 6D = "I choose 6D."
If the pair has all four Aces, Opener MUST
rebid 5NT to signal this to Responder--who might
yet be interested in a grand slam.
1S 2D
2NT 3NT
4NT 5D = 1 Ace.
5NT 7NT = "All 4 Aces? Great! 7NT!"
For more on how to proceed when we are going
to "pretend" that the quantitative 4NT asks for
Aces, check out "Backwood Blackwood" at:
http://www.firesides.net/rkc.htm
As with 1H:2C:3NT, the 4NT re-raise after
1H:2C:2NT:3NT shows 2-card support for Responder's
suit. With 3-card support, we show delayed support.
1S 2D
2NT 3NT
4D = 20-21 points, 3 Diamonds.
This is a slam force if playing 2/1-GF. In
SAYC/SARC, though, Responder can sign off in 4NT
or press towards slam via a cuebid of a major.
1S 2D
2NT 3NT
4D 4H = Cuebid, forcing slam.
How do we remember all of this? Easy. With
18-19 we rebid immediately at the THREE level.
With 20-21 we rebid at the TWO level (i.e. 2NT)
and then the FOUR level (4NT or Responder's suit).
Easy game, bridge.
**********************
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 Benson for this one:
This is why "Sports Scholarship" is an oxymoron . . .
"You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle"
- Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
"That's so when I forget how to spell my name, I can still find
my clothes."
- Stu Grimson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing, explaining why he
keeps a color photo of himself above his locker
"You guys line up alphabetically by height"
- Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
"I play football. I'm not trying to be a professor. The tests
don't seem to make sense to me, measuring your brain on stuff
I haven't been through in school."
-Clemson recruit Ray Forsythe, who was ineligible as a freshman
because of academic requirements
"I know the Virginia players are smart because you need a 1500
SAT to get in. I have to drop bread crumbs to get our players
to and from class"
- George Raveling, Washington State basketball coach
"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to
prison for three years, not Princeton."
-Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again with
promoter Don King
"I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."
-Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during
his visit to Greece
"The ballparks have gotten too crowded. That's why nobody goes to
see the game anymore."
-Yogi Berra
"I'm going to graduate on time, no matter how long it takes."
-Senior basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh
"Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy
like Norman Einstein."
-Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann
=====================================================
Fireside Chat Issues
|
F
|
I
|
R
|
E
|
S
|
I
|
D
|
E
|
S
|
Ocbober, 2001
|
November, 2001
|
December, 2001
|
|
January, 2002
|
February, 2002
|
March, 2002
|
April, 2002
|
May, 2002
|
June, 2002
|
July, 2002
|
August, 2002
|
September, 2002
|
October, 2002
|
November, 2002
|
December, 2002
|
January, 2003
|
February, 2003
|
March, 2003
|
April, 2003
|
May, 2003
|
June, 2003
|
July, 2003
|
August, 2003
|
September, 2003
|
October, 2003
|
November, 2003
|
December, 2003
|
|
January, 2004
|
February, 2004
|
March, 2004
|
April, 2004
|
May, 2004
|
June, 2004
|
July, 2004
|
August, 2004
|
September, 2004
|
October, 2004
|
November, 2004
|
December, 2004
|