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Fireside Chat
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FIRESIDE CHAT MARCH 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome and Announcements
Believer's FireSide Kindling
Bidding with Bridgboy
Hand of the Month
Fifee's SolidGold
Dealing With Dann
Moogal's FireSide Log
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi all!
Welcome to the March, 2004 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@bellsouth.net.
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@bellsouth.net,
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) 2004 by FireSide Chat.
All rights reserved.
===============================================
BELIEVER'S FIRESIDE KINDLING
============================
Hi all :-)
It's that time of year again -- time for our annual Gator
Tournament. We have a lot of fun with this event, plus it's our
top fund raiser for the year, so please participate if you can.
We have several celebrities that are still available. Just go to
www.firesides.net/gator.htm to check it out and sign up.
If you'd like to participate without purchasing shares in a
celebrity, we'll have need of folks to fill out the teams on the
first day of the event -- March 6. Just let Colin know you'd
like to be involved and he'll get you on a team if he can.
Looking forward to seeing you there :-)
Sara
********************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
sarastobbe@aol.com
===============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to BobW for this giggle:
Responses given to science questions, reportedly taken from
the tests of fifth and sixth graders:
The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back
down.
You can listen to thunder and tell how close you came to
getting hit. If you don't hear it, you got hit, so never
mind.
Someday, we may discover how to make magnets that can point in
any direction.
A vibration is a motion that cannot make up its mind which way
it wants to go.
There are 26 vitamins in all, but some of the letters are yet
to be discovered.
There is a tremendous weight pushing down on the center of the
Earth because so many people are stomping around up there
these days.
Genetics explains why you look like your father, and if you
don't, why you should.
Vacuums are nothings. We only mention them to let them know
we know they're there.
The cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation. Evaporation
gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top
on.
I'm not sure how clouds are formed, but clouds know how to do
it, and that's the important thing.
Water vapor gets together in a cloud. When it is big enough to
be called a drop, it does.
Rain is saved up in cloud banks.
It is so hot in some places that people there have to live in
other places.
Mushrooms always grow in damp places, which is why they look
like umbrellas.
Momentum is something you give a person when they go away.
A monsoon is a French gentleman.
The word "trousers" is an uncommon noun because it is singular
at the top and plural at the bottom.
To keep milk from turning sour, keep it in the cow.
Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun,
but I have never been able to make out the numbers.
When planets run around and around in circles, we say they are
orbiting. When people do it, we say they are crazy.
In some rocks, you can find the fossil footprints of fishes.
For asphyxiation, apply artificial respiration until the
patient is dead.
Blood circulates through the body by flowing down one leg and
up the other.
Thunder is a rich source of loudness.
The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
The alimentary canal is located in the northern part of
Indiana.
One of the main causes of dust is janitors.
The inhabitants of Moscow are called Mosquitoes.
A census taker is a man who goes from house to house
increasing the population.
A city purifies its water supply by filtering the water and
then forcing it through an aviator.
The spinal column is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on
the top, and you sit on the bottom.
=================================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
Sometimes we take a questionable action that leads us to the
edge of disaster. To avoid that depressing zero we must keep
our wits about us and stay focused!
Here is a hand to illustrate:
S KQT7
H K7
D K2
C QT975
You hear RHO open 1C. Believing you should take away as much
bidding space as possible you overcall 1 spade and hope
nothing bad happens. LHO makes a negative double and partner
raises to 2S. Now it goes pass-pass-X-all pass.
LHO Partner RHO You
1C 1S
X 2S P P
X all pass
You wait with trepidation as the opening club lead is made
and you see:
S 864
H J10853
D A10954
C VOID
opposite your:
S KQT7
H K7
D K2
C QT975
There is so much work to do here! I suggest you try and count
winners instead of the normal method of analyzing your losers.
So ruff a club, come back to your hand with the king of
diamonds, ruff a club, ace of diamonds, ruff a diamond back to
your hand, and ruff a club. OK, so far we have 6 winners and
can make this with a spade guess or heart guess. We know that
one if not both of the aces must be in the opening bidder's
hand so we feel pretty confident that we can sneak in two more
tricks somehow!
When the trumps are thin, try and cross ruff back and forth.
Instead of drawing trumps and keeping control, scramble for
your winners! Throw caution to the wind and cross ruff.
Sometimes we have to count winners to make our less-than-
marginal actions appear sane.:)
In this case, making 2SX scored very well! We try not to step
out of line too often, but when you are in a shaky contract,
don't lose focus!
********************
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
Actual Newspaper Screw Ups!
"The license fee for altered dogs with a certificate will be
$3 and for pets owned by senior citizens who have not been
altered the fee will be $1.50."
"The accident occurred at Hillcrest Drive and Santa Barbara
Avenue as the dead man was crossing the intersection."
"Dr. Benjamin Porter visited the school yesterday and
lectured on "Destructive Pests". A large number were present."
"The sewer expansion project is nearing completion but City
officials are holding their breath until it is officially
finished."
"The ladies of the county medical society auxiliary plan to
publish a cookbook. Part of the money will go to the Samaritan
Hospital to purchase a stomach pump."
"The father was employed at the Seabrook nuclear power
plant, and commuted for some months. Then the family moved to
Seabrook, where they are happily living."
"This coming Sunday evening, the President and his wife will
deliver a joint television address on the subject of drug
abuse."
"Columbia, Tennessee, which calls itself the largest outdoor
mule market in the world, held a mule parade yesterday headed
by the Governor."
"A whimsical number titled "London Derriere" was played by
Stein as his salute to St. Patrick's Day."
"The assembly passed and sent to the senate a bill requiring
dog owners in New York City to clean up after their dogs, in
penalty of $100 fine. The bill also applies to Buffalo."
"The attorney general's office said yesterday that an
autopsy performed on the headless body of a man found in Mason
failed to determine the cause of death."
"The bride elect was showered with pieces of her chosen
china."
"He called on the Kentucky legislature to clarify the state
abortion statute to define whether it applied to pregnant
women."
""Moby Dick," the great American classic by Herman Melville,
will be seen again next week, with veteran actor Victor Jory
in the title role."
"Weight Watchers will meet Tuesday at 7pm at the First
Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the
side entrance."
"Hear Paul Lucas. The complete dope on the weather."
"Weather: Sunny with a few cloudy periods today and
Thursday, which will be followed by Friday."
"Gene Autry is better after being kicked by a horse."
"The women included their husbands and their children in
their potluck suppers."
"Migraines strike twice as many women as do men."
"The bride was wearing an old lace gown that fell to the
floor as she came down the aisle."
"Yesterday we mistakenly reported that a talk was given by a
battle scared hero. We apologize for the error. We obviously
meant that the talk was given by a bottle scarred hero."
"In a recent edition we referred to the chairman of Chrysler
Corporation as Lee Iacoocoo. His real name is Lee Iacacca. The
"Gazette" regrets the error."
===========================================================
HAND OF THE MONTH
=================
This month we are thrilled to present our 'Hand of the
Month' feature, with a big "thank you" to Gail Wix for
formatting it for us.
From The 2004 Daily Bridge Calendar. For more information
call 1-888-453-1976, or email: calendar@interlog.com
********************
Vul: N/S North
Dlr: S S Q62
H KJ2
D KQ
C KJ543
South
S AKJT7
H Q83
D AJ
C A62
West North East South
1S
P 2C P 3NT
P 6NT All pass
Opening Lead CT
You can read all the books you want about bridge. You can
play until you wear the spots off the cards. One thing that
you have to learn in addition to how the game is played is the
personal equation.
South got to 6NT on a simple enough auction and it would have
been cold if either dummy or declarer had another diamond. The
duplication of shape meant that declarer's 10 high-card points
in diamonds would take only two tricks. If 6NT was to make it
would require a third club trick without losing one first.
How should South play when West leads the CT?
****************************************
S Q62
H KJ2
D KQ
C KJ543
S 9 S 8543
H AT54 H 975
D T752 D 98643
C T987 C Q
S AKJT7
H Q83
D AJ
C A62
Contract: 6NT Lead: CT
********************
I know that more than a few declarers went down in 6NT. Since
the CQ drops singleton it looks like there should be twelve
tricks but some declarers did not get them.
Do you see what happened? When West led the CT, declarer
played the CJ, thinking he was getting a free finesse. It was
not free at all. East covered with the singleton CQ and
declarer hand only eleven tricks.
South should have asked himself if West would really lead away
from the CQ, a suit North had bid. South's proper play was
low from dummy. In this case the queen would pop up like a
carnival Whack-A-Mole and south would capture it and take
twelve tricks.
In the event that East played a low club, South would have
enough information that he probably should reject the club
finesse and hope that East had started with two clubs only.
Playing the CA and the CK will succeed if East's queen is
singleton or doubleton, and that looks more likely than the
club finesse winning.
********************
Hand and analysis by Michael Lawrence, 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 Catnap for this giggle:
One night a police officer was staking out a particularly
rowdy bar for possible DUI violations. At closing time, he saw
a fellow tumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his
keys in five different cars before he found his. Then he sat
in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several
minutes. Everyone else left the bar and drove off.
Finally he started his engine and began to pull away. The
police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver,
read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test.
The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer
demanded to know how that could be. The driver replied,
"Tonight I'm the designated decoy.".
============================================================
FIFEE'S SOLIDGOLD
=================
How to Handle Your Opponent's Unusual Notrump Bid
By Patricia Anderson
When opponents bid Unusual Notrump, the partner of the opening
bidder has some decisions to make. His first thought should be
to ask himself if he holds an OFFENSIVE hand (wants his side
to declare) or a DEFENSIVE hand (wants to let the opponents
play it).
The following are some of the defensive bids after Unusual No
Trump Overcall.
Partner Opponent
1S 2NT
You hold:
96 A953 KT643 K4
This is a defensive hand. Opponents are showing Clubs and
Diamonds, we have defensive tricks in their suits. We have Spade
A, definitely a plus, and shortness in partner's suit, so no good
fit. DOUBLE! The double says that you are prepared to punish one
of the minors.
Now partner with
AKT74 K72 9 QJ98
is able to cooperate. If the responder bids 3C, partner must
double this to tell you he can defend against this contract, and
if 3D is the call, you are prepared to double that.
We see on the OKB 2/1 convention card, Unusual vs Unusual. This
is a convention used to help responder describe his/her hand
after opponents have bid Unusual Notrump. For example,
Unusual vs. Unusual
Partner
1S
Opponent
2NT
You hold:
QJT3 A863 73 K43
Bid 3C. This is unusual over unusual. Certainly you have NO
desire to play 3C in view of the bidding.
Thus bidding the lower of their suits shows a limit raise or
better in spades. Partner can now make an intelligent decision.
He can sign off in 3 or bid four if his hand warrants it.
What do you do when partner opens 1H and there is a 2NT overcall?
You have a limit raise or better in hearts. Bid 3C. Same
principle. The lower of their suits shows a limit raise or
better.
When you don't have partner's suit:
How about when partner opens 1S and opponent overcalls 2NT. Now
you have hearts and an invitational or better hand:
A7 AKT83 8 T8732
Bid 3D!
The higher cuebid shows the 'fourth' suit. 3D says "I have an
invitational hand or better, no 3 card support for Spades, and I
have a Heart suit." Partner can now make an informed judgment.
When the bidding is:
1S - 2NT
3S Since we use a cuebid of their lowest minor to show limit
raise or better in Spades, 3S would be a competitive raise of
spades. We call it a "constructive raise," showing at least 3
card support, less than limit raise, so less than 10 points.
Probably a good 1S 2S bid with no interference.
What would
1S 2NT
4S show? Certainly not a limit raise or better-we have
unusual over unusual for that hand, so it must be
preemptive.
AT976 96532 7 32
or
A9765 Q643 9 T95
The same hand that you would have raised 1 to 4 if they had
not bid.
Let's look at another auction:
We are vulnerable and they are NV
Part Opponent
1S NT (diamonds and clubs)
Now you bid 3NT. Can't be unusual, so it is to play.
Might look like:
7 KQ4 K84 KQJT85
Use Unusual versus Unusual wisely! These bids keep you from
getting shut out of the auction by disruptive calls. When
you have a bad hand, PASS is available!!
So to summarize:
When opponents bid Unusual Notrump, we use Unusual Vs.
Unusual Defense against this.
The responder bids:
Double if he wants to penalize at least 1 of overcaller's
suits.
Cue lower of opponent's suits limit raise or better of
opener's suit.
Cue bid higher of opponent's suits shows no fit with
partner, shows the unbid major or 4th suit, too.
Raise opener's suit to 3 shows less than limit raise and 3
or 4 card support.
Raise to 4 of opener's suit same as above with longer
trump.
Bid NT showing balanced hand with stoppers in their suits.
UNUSUAL Versus UNUSUAL QUIZ
Bidding is:
Partner Opponent
1S (2NT unusual)
Then your bid. What do you bid with the following hands?
1) S Q875
H A9532
D A9
C AT
2) S T8
H 8542
D AQ753
C A7
3) S 742
H QT98
D K63
C 865
4) S KT8
H K632
D K5
C 9875
For the next set of problems, the bidding goes:
Partner Opens 1H, then opponents bid 2NT
What is your call with the following hands?
5) S A84
H 43
D T98
C K7542
6) S A5
H 6
D 864
C QJT8653
Would you consider this a defensive hand?
7) S 97
H AT
D KJ8
C KQT876
8) S KQJ976
H 85
D A9
C K98
I will look forward to receiving your answers to this quiz.
Will be happy to respond to anyone who sends me their
answers. Remember that all bids are not written in stone !
Think about the message that partner is trying to convey and
give him the same respect.
Please email any questions or comments to
AndersonsCorner@charter.net. Good luck at the tables!
============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Luc for this giggle, sorry we didn't get it in
last year!
YEAR OF 1903: - - - This ought to boggle your mind, I know it
did mine! The year is 1903, one hundred years ago ... what a
difference a century makes.
Here are the US statistics for 1903:
The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47).
Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven
dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of
paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more
heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million
residents, California was only the 21st most populous state
in the Union.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a
dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and
$4,000.
More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at
home.
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a
dozen.
Coffee cost fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax
or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the
country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the US were: 1. Pneumonia
and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5.
Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New
Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union
yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.
Canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
One in ten US adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high
school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the
counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist,
"Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,
regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a
perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one
full-time servant or domestic.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
Everything has changed.. Including the way we think...
Can you imagine 3003?
============================================================
DEALING WITH DANN
=================
Smolen, Smolen, Smolen, RAWHIDE!
Well O.K. so there is only so much you can do to make a bridge
convention exciting.
Smolen is for hands with 1- 4 card major and 1- 5 card major
when we respond to partners opening 1NT or 2NT. Smolen
comes into use over NT, but more specifically after we have
started with Stayman and not found partner with a major.
so 1NT-2C or 2NT-3C
2D- 3D- now we can use our little toy!
What does it do, we might ask - hopefully we all asked that.
Remember with any convention always consider what it does; what
we lose by using it, and then and only then, decide if we want
to put it into our arsenal of preferred toys.
Smolen is like a delayed transfer - instead of bidding our 5
card major we bid our 4 card major (remember we used stayman
first) at the 3 level so the NT opener can still play the
contract in our hoped-for 5-3 fit.
Note - we use Smolen at the 3 level to allow the use of Garbage
Stayman over 1NT (1NT-2C-2D-2H! - tells pard we have weak
hand and want to play in openers longest major!)
So the losses of this convention are none - the "natural" jump
to 3H or S over 1NT/2C/2D is replaced, not lost, and we still
can use Garbage Stayman over 1NT. OK, so after our cost/benefit
analysis we decide to look at it!
Say we hold S-A1082 H-KQ1063 D-A92 C-6 and partner is kind
enough to open 1NT! So we start with Stayman, and opener
responds 2 Diamonds (big surprise it's an example hand!) now
using Smolen we bid 3 Spades! showing pard 4 spades and 5
Hearts looking for a 5-3 fit while allowing the NT opener to
still possibly be on play.
Smolen is game forcing so no worries about pard passing!
Similarly over 2NT we can use Smolen reaping the same
benefits. After 2NT-3C-3D-we hold
1) S-K10832 2) S-QJ42 3) S-KJ95 4) S-1043
H-AJ98 H-K10974 H-AQ43 H-J932
D-4 D-J2 D-KJ D-109753
C-Q32 C-96 C-Q62 C-3
Hand 1- We bid 3H - showing pard game values and 5 spades
Hand 2-We bid 3S - showing opener 5 hearts
Hand 3 We bid 6NT! - don't forget to think and count still just
because we are looking to use our new toy!!!
Hand 4 Pass! we are still allowed to use the old standby
Stayman and pass!
Now also note while we look for a 3 card support from the NT
opener we can still use Smolen with a 6-4 or 7-4
distribution, trying to get the NT hand concealed.
Happy Bridging!!
********************
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: pspeard@telusplanet.net
===========================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Pringle for this one:
The word UP
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning than
any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the
top of the list, but when we waken in the morning, why do we
wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and
why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the
secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends, we use it to brighten UP a room,
polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP
the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old
car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning:
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an
appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but
to be dressed UP is special.
And this is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is
stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning, but we close it
UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP. To be knowledgeable of
the proper uses of UP, look UP the word in the dictionary. In
a desk size dictionary, UP takes UP almost 1/4th the page and
definitions add UP to about thirty.
If you are UP to it, you might try building a UP list, a list
of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your
time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred
or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the
sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets
UP the earth. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now ..my time
is UP, so I'll shut UP
=============================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
=====================
OKB Tourneys
Well done to all our Fireside friends who excelled in
the tourneys this past month!!
Sat Feb 7 11:00 AM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 DCorn/MMK 4.60 12
Sat Feb 7 05:30 PM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/moogal 78.78 12
Mon Feb 9 11:00 AM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 hester/mono 3.78 10
Fri Feb 13 11:00 AM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/moogal 4.11 24
Sun Feb 15 04:00 PM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Kaltica/moogal 2.31 27
Tue Feb 17 05:30 PM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 hester/tar30 71.27 12
There are now 9 mini-tourneys a day, not possible for me
to check each one....so if you win a tourney, let me
know! We want everyone's name up in lights!
****************************************************************
NOVICE MENTOR TOURNEYS
Congrats to our winners of the two Novice-Mentor tourneys this
month.
And well done to all our top finishers:
Thu Feb 12 06:00 PM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 sha/wandaw 65.00 12
2 de/srbell 65.00 12
3 Desiree/frodo67 57.00 10
4 Kaltica/txbridge 56.67 12
5 DavidRG/ecofin 55.00 12
6 alchilds/vicster 54.58 12
7 aldin/Pumpkin 51.67 12
Sat Feb 21 12:00 PM
Rank Team Score Boards
1 Mafalda/skillick 71.67 15
2 hepa/veijom 68.33 15
Mentors and novices, join us this month on the 11th
and on the 20th - 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 game.
****************************************************************
FIRESIDE'S MENTOR CUP GAME
Our February winners are:
02-08-2004 TEAM FIFEE: Fifee, Taxlady, Badboy & Janwa
02-22-2004 TEAM BOBOWEN: Bobowen, Queenhrt, Pringle & Unicorn
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 us at firesider@aol.com
- all welcome!
****************************************************************
Fireside sends its sympathy to Jane (MEERKAT) on the recent
death of her husband, Ernie, after 47 wonderful years
together.
Prior to moving to Arizona, they lived in Minnesota where
Ernie was a civil engineer at the University of Minnesota.
Dance was their shared passion and they were dance
instructors for ten years. As Ernie deteriorated, Jane
found duplicate bridge to fill the hours, where in the past
they would have been dancing. OKB now is helping her get
through those tough evening hours, and she wants us to know
how grateful she is to the many friends and acquaintances who
have reached out to her.
Our prayers are with you, Jane, and we hope it helps a little
knowing all your friends here grieve with you. May his memory
be a comfort and a blessing.
****************************************************************
***GATOR 2004***
Haven't gotten your bid in yet? Hurry, time is getting short!
There are still some fabulous celebrities just waiting for you
-- the fun will commence on Saturday, March 6!
Visit the website
www.firesides.net/gator.htm
to see who is still available....please help us make this a
total success with your participation. We depend on this
event to keep quality bridge education available to everyone
on OKB!
Any questions? Just email me, Sara or Colin. We'd be happy
to provide any additional information you might need.
****************************************************************
Reno Nationals
If you are heading to Reno to rock in the spring nationals, we
wish you the best of luck! Please take notes and send me a
report, and if you have taken any pictures, send them along!
***Note: Many of our commentators will be away during that time
and you can expect some session cancellations. Remember to check
the stats of Believer and Moogal for info on any session
cancellations.
****************************************************************
The Beast of Velvet Cave by Richard
Pavlicek
Welcome, spelunkers! I will be your guide. Before we begin I
must warn you to stay with the group! Your safety cannot be
assured if you stray into the catacombs. Keep your lanterns
lit at all times while you take this bidding poll based on six
problems from a past tournament. As a side challenge, you're
invited to guess when and where the tournament was held. Try
it! It's fun.
http://www.rpbridge.net/7y73.htm
Results of the February play contest "Distribution Most Foul"
will be posted March 3, 2004. For these, and everything else
related to the monthly polls and contests, go to:
http://www.rpbridge.net/rppc.htm
*****
We also send our congratulations to Richard, who announces
that he is "finally" a grandfather -- Born February 7, 2004:
Seth Pavlicek, 7 lbs. 3 oz. Welcome to the new baby and our
best wishes to the entire family...I bet he is already
learning to count points! :)
****************************************************************
I'm off to Houston this weekend to play in the Lone Star
Regional with Eric (ETSAND). As this issue is going to press
I will be flying back home...I am sure I'll have some
interesting stories to tell you next month.:)
One thing for sure -- I'm gonna keep an eye on him this time
when he lists our masterpoints on the entry :)
A very special happy-every-fourth-year birthday to any of our
friends celebrating on February 29!
Hugs....Janice
**********************************************************
While we list the lessons offered by the commentators who
write for The Chat, we want to note that our other
commentators also give lessons in most shapes and
sizes....mentoring games, tourney play, partnership coaching,
just about whatever type of lesson you could envision.
Please feel free to contact any of them for lessons:
Colin/Kaltica kaltica@mts.net
Bill/Wintaka btreble@shaw.ca
Lynn/Wishtrik lynn@lynndeas.com
Dann/Pooka pspeard@telusplanet.net
Bob/Bridgboy bridgboy@charter.net
Diane/DianeW diane@walkersweb.org
Bernard/Bluebee Bernardh@btinternet.com
Fred/FredW3 Please msg on OKB
The lessons can be more affordable than you might
think, especially mentoring games. We think our
commentators give you your money's worth when you
choose private lessons, and they really value your
business. Maybe you can hint to a loved one what
you would like for your next birthday!
***********************************************************
Rainbow and Spectrum Series Online!
The popular Rainbow (SAYC and play) and Spectrum (2/1-GF)
series have been automated for your convenience. You can take
any of the lessons at your leisure simply by clicking on
either of these links:
http://www.firesides.net/rainbows.htm
http://www.firesides.net/spectrums.htm
Enjoy!
**************************************************************
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.
*****************************************************
March Events: (All times Pacific)
===============================
NOVICE/MENTOR TOURNEY:
Thursday, March 11, 6:00 P.M. and Saturday,
March 20, 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.
FIRESIDE MENTOR CUP TEAM GAME:
Sundays, 5:00 P.M. March 14 and 28.
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 firesider@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@bellsouth.net
=====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Mattahew for this giggle:
Bungee Jumping in Mexico
Boudreaux says to Thibodeaux, "You know, we could make a lot
of money running our own bungee-jumping service in Mexico.
They don't have it there."
Thibodeaux thinks this is a great idea, so they pool their
money and buy everything they'll need; a tower, an elastic cord,
insurance, etc. They travel to Mexico and begin to set up on
the square.
As they are constructing the tower, a crowd begins to assemble.
Slowly, more and more people gather to watch them at work.
When they had finished, there was such a crowd they thought it
would be a good idea to give a demonstration.
So Thibodeaux jumps. He bounces at the end of the cord, but
when he comes back up Boudreaux notices that he has a few
cuts and scratches. Unfortunately, Boudreaux isn't able to
catch him, and he falls again, bounces and comes back up again.
This time, he is bruised and bleeding, and again Boudreaux
misses him. Thibodeaux falls again and bounces back up.
This time he comes back pretty messed up... he's got a couple
of broken bones and is almost unconscious. Luckily, Boudreaux
catches him this time and says, "What happened? Was the cord
too long?"
Barely able to speak, Thibodeaux gasps, "No, the bungee cord
was fine. It was the crowd. What the hell is a piņata?"
========================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
===================
Cluttered Minds
Last November, I happened to be watching the last 16 boards
of the Bermuda Bowl final between the U.S. and Italy on
Bridge Base Online. It was an extremely spine-tingling
finish that went down to the final board. Unfortunately, is
was punctuated by gaffes on both sides, and in the aftermath
several of my friends wondered why the quality of play was
not as high as in, for example, the heyday of the Italian
Blue team and the Dallas Aces.
Well, to begin with, the idea that bridge was at a higher
level back then is quite debatable. The fact is that the
grind of a 10-day event IS going to show, regardless of the
era we're talking about. Modern bridge can be of very high
quality, as witness the France-U.S. Bermuda Bowl final of
1997, whereas the "oldies but goodies" were often capable of
real stinkers, like the U.S.-Italy final of 1983, in which
the two pre-eminent teams in the world engaged in a comedy of
errors.
Another factor is that the combatants have a lot more to
remember in the way of system. Bidding methods are far more
sophisticated now that 40 years ago, with mixed results.
There's a lot of giggling when a pair has a total mix-up and
suffers a disaster as a result, which certainly happens on
occasion. However, in reading accounts of World Championships
from the '50s and '60s, I see scores of missed games and
slams that would be reached in a breeze by any reasonably
good pair today.
The advances in bidding methods are quite evident to see,
whether you are playing bridge live or online. On OKB, if
you look at a player's stats and preferences, it's content is
about the equivalent of a full-page newspaper article. At a
club game, reading even an average convention card would
probably take at least as much time as the Gettysburg
Address. And when we get to the system notes of a
Meckstroth-Rodwell, Versace-Lauria, or the like, now we're
talking about a multi-volume work along the lines of "War and
Peace". Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but
it's not far off the mark either.
As often happens in an environment that is brimming over with
new ideas and theories, you have to separate the wheat from
the chaff. While most of the new gadgets have merit, there
are some that are generally accepted but may not be that
valuable or useful. That's where I'm heading in this month's
article, to offer my perspective on a "slim-fast" diet that
sheds some of the excess fat on both your convention card and
your general bidding style.
1) Lead-Directing bids and doubles. If you cut these by
about 40%, your results will probably be much better. They
can be a useful tool, but people often go off the deep end
and can't resist the urge to trot them out. Take my
favourite, a double of a Stayman 2C bid in a 1NT
auction.....1NT-p-2C-?
Hand 1: S-- Ax H-- xxx D-- 10xx C-- AJ109x
This is an ideal hand for a lead-directing double. With good
clubs and an outside entry, you have a seething desire for a
lead of that suit.
Hand 2: S-- Qxx H-- xx D-- Qxx C-- AJ9xx
Most people would also double 2C with this hand. Here, it's
not quite as clear, and could easily divert partner from
making the normal lead, which could be more productive for
your side. This hand was from OKB tournament play, and Hand 2
made the lead-directing double. The upshot was that partner
led a club from his doubleton and table had Qx opposite
declarer's K108x and 3NT came rolling home. If this player
held his tongue and took no action in the bidding, partner
leads a spade from KJxxx and with Ax in dummy, 3NT would have
gone down in flames.
Now let's move over to the bidding, where a couple of hands
arise where you are considering taking action. RHO opens 1D.
Hand 1: S-- KQ109x H-- xx D-- Ax C-- xxxx
This hand is a fairly clearcut 1S overcall. You have a good
suit, might be able to buy the partscore, and really want to
attract a spade lead from partner.
Hand 2: S-- A10xxx H-- Qxx D-- xx C-- Kxx
Here, I would be far more reluctant to overcall, even though
I have 9 HCP as I did on the previous hand. I can easily
stand a heart or club lead from partner. Yet many people
would overcall on this hand as well. I'm not trying to
dissuade you from taking action with Hand 2 (ok, maybe I am).
However, if you DO bid 1S and partner dutifully leads a spade
against a notrump contract instead of from his long suit,
grin and bear it. To overcall a mediocre suit and then berate
partner for making that lead is a surefire way to torpedo a
partnership.
2) Settle on your overcall range. Since the overcall is a
way of competing in an auction that could become fairly
spirited, anything more than a 7-point range just doesn't
work. Without tight parameters for the overcall, it becomes
very difficult to reach a sensible contract, especially if
the opponents continue to bid. If your partnership style is
to overcall at the one-level on as few as 8 points, the upper
limit should be 15 or maybe an awful 16. With anything more,
you have to double first and then bid your suit. On the
other hand, if decide that 10 points is required to overcall,
then the upper range can be as much as 17 points. Personally,
I think 8-10 point overcalls are vastly overrated. I'm not
saying I've never done it myself, but they are the exception
rather than the rule. Essentially, light overcalls have the
upside of interfering with the opponents and may be useful
for lead direction. The payback is that the objective of
buying the contract now takes a backseat and if advancer has
to decide whether to take the push at the three-level, he'll
likely sell out rather than bid on.
3) Unless you are nonvulnerable, two-level overcalls should
be rock-solid. I was given this hand a couple of nights ago,
with a 1S opening on the right:
Hand 1: S-- x H-- Qxx D-- AQxxx C-- K10xx
My response was that the choice was between pass and a
takeout double, and with partner an unpassed hand, I elected
to remain silent. I pretty much like to have four-card heart
support for a takeout double. The person that gave me this
hand overcalled 2D. It now went pass, pass, double on her
right, all pass. Partner had:
Partner: S-- Qxxx H-- K109xx D-- xx C-- xx
and, well, I'll spare you the gory details of what the final
result in 2D doubled was. Now, contrast this with:
Hand 2: S-- x H-- Jxx D-- AQJ10x C-- AJxx
In this particular instance, 2D is clearcut and won't be a
total disaster even if the opponents double. The moral here
is that is that suit quality is paramount if you are going to
make a two-level overcall. Without a good suit, you need
extra length to make bidding palatable. For example:
Hand 3: S-- xx H-- AQx D-- KJ9xxx C-- Qx
The suit quality here is not spectacular, but you DO have six
of them and the hand could easily belong to you in at least a
diamond partscore. Change our holding to:
Hand 4: S-- Qxx H-- AQx D-- KJ9xx C-- xx
and you won't be getting any sympathy from me at all when you
collect your -800 after overcalling 2D.
4) Weak two-bid style. I began life as an advocate of
disciplined weak two-bids in first and second seats. I've
since loosened up somewhat, and now will jump in with some
borderline hands. Your response structure for weak two-bids
absolutely depends on which of the two styles you employ.
Disciplined weak two-bids can employ 2NT to ask for a feature
and, if you want, 3C to ask for a short suit, because the
quality of opener's long suit is pretty much a given. With
undisciplined weak two bids, on the other hand, there are
more unanswered questions, including in the prospective trump
suit itself. So here you must use 2NT as Ogust, after which
the weak two-bidder describes both the strength of the hand
and the long suit. I often see undisciplined weak two-
bidders use 2NT as a feature as rather than Ogust, and it
always makes me wince in pain.
5) Notrump openings. Were you curious as to why 16-18
notrump openings shrank to 15-17? Quite simply, it was the
result of people starting to open a fair number of 12-point
hands. If a 1NT rebid after a suit opening could be 12-15
points, that made it kind of tough on responder. Since we
pretty much need at most a 3-point range on our notrump
openings and rebids, lighter opening bids brought with them a
downward shift in the notrump range.
Now ask yourself this: Does your partnership have the
tendency to open quite a few balanced 11-point hands? If the
answer is "yes", then you should strongly consider a shift
even further downwards to a 14-16 point 1NT opening. That
will keep you in a 3-point range when you open a suit and
rebid 1NT, which can now be 11-13. Again, it's cause and
effect. If you do not open with less than 13, then 16-18 is
the correct range for 1NT. Frequent 12-point openings now
require 15-17 point no-trumps, and ultra-light openings on
balanced 11-counts should prompt a move to 14-16 no-trumps.
There is a particular headache with the 15-17 notrump, which
crops up on this type of auction:
Opener Responder
1D 1H
2NT ?
Opener is showing 18-19 balanced, and if responder has 6-7
points here, often whatever choice is made is going to be
wrong. Pass seems to inevitably result in +150 or +180, and
bidding to game nets a minus score. Contrast this auction to
16-18 notrumpers, where this rebid shows 19-20 and we'd be
committed to reaching game. Similarly, the 14-16 notrumpers
will be showing 17-18 with the 2NT rebid, and responder has a
an easy pass, as he'd need at least 8 points to move any
further.
6) Responding to an opening 2C bid. Again, I've changed
stance on this from my original thinking. I became wedded
to the waiting 2D response and the concept of a suit
positive showing two of the top three honours. Colin
"Kaltica" Ward is a virulent opponent of this treatment,
insisting that we are BIDDING, not cuebidding. He suggests
that with a five-card or longer suit and a decent hand,
responder bids his suit irrespective of quality. I have an
"in-between" preference on this issue. Let's say partner
opens 2C and you have:
Hand 1: S-- KQxxx H-- Qxx D-- xx C-- xxx
Hand 2: S-- K10xxxx H-- Axx D-- xx C-- xx
Hand 3: S-- KJxxx H-- Axx D-- xx C-- Jxx
Hand 4: S-- Jxxxx H-- Kxx D-- Ax C-- xxx
Most would respond 2S only on hand 1, and a "waiting" 2D on
hands 2-4. The next largest constituency would vote for 2S
on hands 1-2, 2D on hands 3-4. I would choose 2S on hands
1-3, and 2D only on hand 4. Colin would bid 2S on all four
of these hands.
Now, in addition to the requirement of at least 2 of the top
three honours for the positive suit response, we have
something else. Namely, the demon seed of a 2H artificial
negative response, the purpose of which is to describe a bad
hand immediately. That also enables a 2D responder to make
his subsequent bids in a natural vein. I don't mind that,
but where they lost me was in saying that:
S-- xxx H-- Kxx D-- xxx C-- xxxx
is TOO GOOD for a 2H negative response and that we have to
bid a "waiting" 2D with this pile of trash instead. So when
you combine the 2 of the top 3 honours for a suit positive
with insisting that a bare king is good enough for the more
encouraging 2D bid, let's see what we have. Well, now the
default response on 85-90% of the hands will be 2D over the
2C opening. And that can show anywhere from 3 to 15 points
and just about any distribution. Bidding to the optimum
contract should be a snap for us now, right? Somehow, I don't
think so, given the limited amount of operating room for the
partnership. The main difficulty is that the 2D response is
now overworked, and has far to large a range. My feeling is:
a) If you are playing an artificial 2H response to a 2C
opening, it should deny an ace and be a hand that would not
consider responding to a one-bid. If you have 6 points or a
5-point hand where you would have likely dredged up a
response to a one-level bid, that qualifies it for the 2D
response.
b) Let's say that the our guidelines for a suit positive are
more liberal than the rigid insistence on two of the top
three honours. Responder's suit should be good enough to
contemplate a slam if opener has Qxx the partnership has
adequate outside controls. That means you can bid 2S on
K109xx or AJxxx, but not on a five-card suit with only one
honour and no intermediates.
By loosening slightly the requirements for a suit positive or
an artificial 2H, you now define the hands that would respond
2D a bit more sharply. Instead of having an overloaded 2D
response, we shift the weight more equitably to the suit
positives and the negative 2H bid.
7) Preemptive raises in competition. Nowadays, the jump raise
of either a major or minor suit opening when the opponents
intervene would be pre-emptive. I agree with this principle
over a takeout double, and also will go along with it if we
open a major suit and they overcall. After all, a pre-
emptive raise here allows opener to go on to four of his
suit, whether as a sacrifice or as an intended make. Also,
it may have some obstructive value if the opponents might
have a fit in the unbid major and it hasn't been mentioned
yet.
Where I differ on the mainstream view is where we open a
minor suit and the enemy overcalls in a major. I would say
that pre-emptive raises are less effective here for two
reasons. One is that the opponents have probably already
located their fit. The other is that we have to take our
sacrifice at the five-level if we think they can make their
game. There isn't really an appreciable upside to pre-emptive
minor suit raises when the hand belongs to the opponents. Now
consider the downside, which occurs mainly when the hand
belongs to US:
a) Let's say responder has 5-card support with 9-10 points.
Door #1 is that you raise to the 2-level, either missing a
possible game or being jammed by the opponents leaping to
game in their suit, putting the question to your side. Door
#2 is stretching for whatever bid shows a limit raise, and
now partner at end of the hand says in an anguished voice, "I
thought you had a bit more."
b) A cuebid normally shows a limit raise or better, but again
if the opponents jam the bidding, your side will be facing a
high-level decision.
My suggestion here is to completely drop pre-emptive raises
when your side opens in a minor and the opponents overcall in
a major. One treatment would be to use the three-level jump
as exactly a limit raise. That would make the cuebid
explicitly a forcing raise. In that way, you'll be in a far
better position to reach the right contract or deal with any
further interference from the yahoos that decided to barge in
on your party.
The alternative method is to keep the cuebid as a limit raise
or better. The jump raise in the minor would now be
constructive, with five-card support and a good 8 to 10
points. A single raise is therefore 6-7 points with five-card
support or a 8-10 points with four of opener's minor. Of
course, if your heart is really set on making a pre-emptive
raise, you can jump to four of opener's minor if the hand has
good shape and/or the colours are right.
Anyway, that about does it for this month. See you again in
the April issue.
********************
You will find Bill doing his FireSide sessions on Tuesdays
at 5:30 P.M. OKbridge time.
Bill is available for private/group lessons and/or
supervised play sessions. Email Bill at (btreble@shaw.ca)
for more information.
================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Benson for these:
ONE LINERS!
The speaker began by saying, "I am so nervous this morning I
think I could thread a sewing machine with it running. --
Lawrence Brotherton
A young person knows the rules but the old person knows the
exceptions.
Only a lack of imagination saves me from immobilizing myself
with imaginary fears.
A computer DOES save time at work. Now I can play solitaire
without having to spend all that time shuffling real cards.
Childhood: That period when nightmares occur only during
sleep.
A college jock is someone who minds his build instead of vice
versa!
Medical insurance is what allows people to be ill at ease!
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be
lazy.
Anarchy is better than no government at all.
Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces.
I love giving homemade gifts. Which of my children would you
like?
M is for Mom, not Maid!
I'd like to talk to someone who's smart.
Does the noise in my head bother you?
I will work for big bucks.
===================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
European Style Cuebids
**********************
One of our students asked for some information about
how cuebids work. Here we go:
Cuebids have two styles and two tones.
Tones:
Cuebids are either voluntary or involuntary. If
you have defined your hand into a narrow (let us say,
three point) range and Partner begins a cuebidding chain
you MUST comply; failure to do so will DENY a control in
any suit other than trumps or the one Partner has bid.
i) 1H 3H = Limit raise, 10-12 points.
3S 4H = No control in either minor.
If you have not limited your hand to such a narrow
range any cuebid by you becomes part of a co-operating
venture. That is, it becomes "voluntary".
ii) 1H 2NT = Jacoby, 13+ points, 4+ Hearts, GF.
3D 3S = Cuebid, suggesting slam.
4H = Minimum. Could have minor controls.
iii) 1H 2NT = Jacoby, 13+ points, 4+ Hearts, GF.
3D 3S = Cuebid, suggesting slam.
4C = Voluntary cuebid, 16+ points.
As a forcing partner (i.e. "Captain"), then, the
faster we can settle trump and have Partner limit hir
hand the sooner we can force Partner to reveal hir controls
in a cuebidding chain. Generally, the more involuntary
cuebids that you are making the better your results will be.
Styles:
There are two distinctive styles to cuebidding:
1. North American
The North American approach has a strong preference
for cuebidding Aces before voids, Kings or singletons.
Hence, "control" generally means "Ace" when speaking of an
original cuebid if playing this style. This works well
if the forcing partner has a long, strong suit and needs
to find the Ace of that suit in Partner's hand in order
to run it. The style also works significantly better if
the Captain is thinking of a slam in No Trump. Voids make
such poor stoppers in No Trump! :)
The order that one cuebids in the North American style
is not necessarily "up the line". The cuebidder might
"prepare" their cuebids in a manner so as to show them in
a convenient manner.
During subsequent levels of cuebidding the pair,
having shown their Aces, will begin to reveal their other
controls: voids, Kings and singletons.
2. European
Euro-style cuebids are much simpler and better suited
to the main purpose that cuebids serve: confirming first
or second round control of the plain suits before driving
toward slam (as via Blackwood). Aces, voids, Kings or
singletons are cuebid indiscriminately UP THE LINE. Thus,
skipping a suit denies ANY control there.
Subsequent levels of cuebidding may delineate first
from second round controls. Thus, the two styles are
opposite: NA-style pairs show FIRST (i.e. Aces) round
controls then general (i.e. 2nd round) controls. The
Euro-stylers show general controls first, THEN clarify
FIRST rounders.
Consider this hand from Moogal's winning effort
in the 2004-01-30 tourney:
Pairs moogal Dlr: North
Board 21 S AJ73 Vul: N-S Moogal Responder
H AT5 1NT 2D
RHO D K2 LHO 2H 3D
S 986 C A986 S KT52 3H 4C
H J43 H 98 4D 4H
D QJ94 Responder D T73 4NT 5S!
C J42 S Q4 C T753 6H
H KQ762
D A865
C KQ
After 1NT:2D:2H, 3D forces game. Thus, 3H shows
more than a dead minimum (Principle of Slow Arrival).
It doesn't necessarily show the full maximum that
Responder needs, though. Playing Euro-style cuebids,
Responder tries 4C: Ace, King, void or singleton in
Clubs.
Question: Is this now a VOLUNTARY or an INVOLUNTARY
cuebidding situation?
Answer: Involuntary, since Opener has defined her
hand into a very narrow (i.e. 16-17) range.
Moogal rebids 4D, showing a Diamond control AND
a Spade control.
Question: Huh? WHY does 4D promise a SPADE control?
Answer: Responder's 4C over 3H DENIED a Spade control,
since the pair cuebids controls UP THE LINE. If Moogal
didn't have a Spade control either, why bother continuing
with a slam effort? 4H!
4D, then, confirmed that the pair had control of
all three plain suits.
Question: So why is Responder now trying to stop in 4H?
What more could Responder possibly want?
Answer: A maximum Opener. With 16 HCPs, prime values
and a doubleton Diamond, Moogal wisely continued on with
4NT (Roman Key Card Blackwood in her methods). With half
the field missing slam, this won her 8 IMPs. I guess
when you hold the kind of hands Moogal USUALLY holds you
have to make the best of the good ones! :)
**********************
You'll find Kaltica (Colin Ward) doing his FireSide
sessions on Friday evenings at 5:30 P.M. OKbridge time.
Colin is available for private/group lessons and/or
supervised play sessions. Email him at (kaltica@mts.net)
for more information.
Rainbow and Spectrum Series Online!
The popular Rainbow (SAYC and play) and Spectrum (2/1-GF)
series have been automated for your convenience. You can take
any of the lessons at your leisure simply by clicking on
either of these links:
http://www.firesides.net/rainbows.htm
http://www.firesides.net/spectrums.htm
Enjoy!
=====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Benson for these giggles:
The following are different answers given by school-age
children to the given question:
Why did God make mothers?
1.-She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2.-Think about it, it was the best way to get more people.
3.-Mostly to clean the house.
4.-To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1.- He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2.- Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3.- God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just
used bigger parts.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1.- We're related.
2.- God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms
like me
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1- God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and
everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2.-They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they
mostly use string. I think.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1.- My mom has always been my mom and none of that other
stuff.
2.- I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be
pretty bossy.
3.- They say she used to be nice.
How did your mom meet your dad?
1.- Mom was working in a store and dad was shoplifting.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1.- His last name.
2.- She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does
he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did
he say NO to drugs and YES to chores.
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1.- My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom
eats a lot.
2.- She got too old to do anything else with him.
3.- My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
What makes a real woman?
1.- It means you have to be really bossy without looking
bossy.
Who's the boss at your house?
1.- Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dads
such a goofball.
2.- Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff
under the bed.
3.- I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do
than dad.
What's the difference between moms and dads?
1.- Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just got to
work at work.
2.- Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3.- Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real
power 'cause that's who you gotta ask if you want to sleep
over at your friend's.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1.- Mothers don't do spare time.
2.-To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What's the difference between moms and grandmas?
1.- About 30 years.
2.- You can always count on grandmothers for candy. Sometimes
moms don't even have bread on them!
Describe the world's greatest mom?
1.- She would make broccoli taste like ice cream!
2.- She'd always be smiling and keep her opinions to herself.
Is anything about your mom perfect?
1.- Her teeth are perfect, but she bought them from the
dentist.
2.- Her casserole recipes. But we hate them.
3.- Just her children
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1.- On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think
some kind of plastic surgery.
2.- Diet. You know, Her hair. I'd dye-it, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it
be?
1.- She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean.
I'd get rid of that.
2.- I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my
sister who did it and not me.
=============================================================
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