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Fireside Chat
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FIRESIDE CHAT DECEMBER 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome and Announcements
Believer's FireSide Kindling
Bidding with Bridgboy
Hand of the Month
Ian's Partnership Stuff
Bridge For the Club Player
Moogal's FireSide Log
Special Treats
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hi all!
Welcome to the December, 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/FIFEE
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 :) Happy Holidays to all of you! I'll be traveling to
Minnesota for Christmas this year, visiting family in the Duluth
area. I should be home in time to get January newsletter out by
Jan 1, but just in case I'm not, you'll know why it's late!
This month our book winner is Riggin! Congratulations, Bob :)
Enjoy your book, "Why You Lose at Bridge", by S.J. Simon, and
thanks so much for supporting the Fireside programs :)
We have some fun things to share with you this month :) See
Moogal's column for "OKbridge sayings" sent to us by Bezel,
and some stories from the Orlando Nationals from various
participants, plus a neat bidding discussion generated by a
hand played in Orlando. Sounds like everyone really had a
good time in Florida :)
We are also thrilled to have received a "Special Treats"
submission this month from our old friend Captain :) We're
sure you will enjoy hearing from him again!
Ian also sent us an article on Losing Trick Count that I hope you
find very helpful. Ian taught me how to use LTC, and that was
the first time I really understood how it worked.
I've been encouraged to share some of my latest bridge playing
experiences with you this month. I couldn't go to Orlando, but I
did play in a local sectional here with Mslizzzy (Judi). We had
a lot of fun, and even won a couple of silver points :) We had a
few memorable experiences that I thought I'd share with you....
First I want to commend the directors for running a wonderful
event. Dave, in particular, was simply awesome the way he dealt
with the players, never making them feel bad for making a
mistake. He was gentle, understanding, and corrected the
situation in a way that made you feel "taken care of". He told
me a really neat story about when he played in a tournament 20+
years ago. Oswald Jacoby and Barry Crane wound up being partners
in this tourney, and they both gave lectures that day. Jacoby
talked about a neat little gadget he liked to play -- when
partner opens 1H, you automatically bid 1S no matter what your
holding is. Then you go on to bid your hand out, but this 1S bid
was very disruptive to the opps, as you can imagine.
As it turned out, later on that same day, Dave wound up sitting
down at the table where Jacoby and Crane were playing. Quaking
in his shoes, Dave picks up his cards. His partner opens,
"1H"... Crane passes... Dave bids "1s!" Jacoby hems and
haws... looks at Dave's convention card where he has added this
gadget that Jacoby lectured about that very morning, and says to
Dave "how long have you been playing this convention?"
Dave grins, and says, "Since your lecture this morning."
Jacoby passed, and Dave wound up with a top when Jacoby/Crane
missed a cold spade game :)
Fun story. Just remember that the gadget is alertable!
Judi and I had a couple of experiences of our own that stand out,
though nothing like Dave's adventure :)
There was the lady who thought and thought and thought about her
first bid.... at least 2 minutes went by and finally she jiggled
the cards in the bidding box a bit, then made her opening bid.
We pass, her partner thinks a bit and responds, we pass, and then
she tanks again. She wiggles, she mutters and shakes her head,
she almost has smoke coming out her ears.... finally she takes
a card out and bids...we pass...her partner thinks for a minute
and bids...finally they wind up in a small slam. "Director!"...
Judi calls the director over, we want protection. We wind up
setting them for a top, so no damage done to us, but these two
ladies had NO clue why we called the director. They didn't know
there was anything wrong with the way the bidding had gone. So
remember, tempo is sooo important. You can think all you want,
but remember that it puts your partner in a difficult spot as
far as their next bid goes. Your partner can NOT take any
inference from your hesitation, and must bid his/her hand as
if you had not done anything unusual.
Judi kept laughing at me because I'd offer advice after the hand
if the opps were discussing the bidding/play. She kept saying to
me "You're not at Fireside, Sara!" :) You commentators are
rubbing off on me, but probably not the way you want to!
We did successfully bid and play a 6NT hand, and a 7C which no
one else found. That was really fun :)
Of course, there was the hand where I forgot Lebensohl -- sorta.
Judi opened 1NT, opps bid 2C.... and I grabbed 2H card to
transfer to Spades before I remembered Leb... had it halfway to
table and then realized what I had done (my bid was supposed to
be 3S here, forcing with good spades). OOPS! I made it
perfectly clear by my body language that I'd goofed, but realized
I couldn't change it now since I'd already grabbed the card and
everyone was aware there was something going on... so I placed
the 2H bid on the table. Opp passed... and Judi of course had to
pass since I was so blatant with my actions (and since 2H in leb
is a shutout bid). RHO passes and I have it for 2H, with 3
little H's in my hand and 2 on the board. Ugly :( Obviously, NO
ONE else was in 2H :) That was only one of our several bottoms
for the day.
My latest new adventure is neighborhood Club play :) Frank (Mr.
Believer...) and I have started playing at a weekly duplicate
game -- I wanted to start playing more with him and we
never seem to play together online for some reason. I've heard
that Club play is 'special'.... no one told me it's so different
though!
The first night, we're getting to know folks, playing a very
simple SAYC without many of the standard conventions, and just
generally trying to have a nice time. Then this hand comes up...
and I do it again! Opp opens 1NT, Sara looks at her hand, hmmm,
6 nice Diamonds, AKJTxx, and nothing else. Ah, what the
heck..."3D"... except when I looked down at the bidding card I'd
just placed on the table, it said "3H"!! Uh oh... well, too late
now (I thought, but I found out later I could correct it if I
accidentally grabbed wrong card). MY LHO tanks... squirms,
fiddles, grunts, shakes his head, and finally bids 3NT. Pass by
Frank, Pass by RHO, and Pass by me (feeling mortified that I'd
grabbed wrong card). I proceed to lead DA, dummy comes down with
great Hearts, and Qx in Diamonds. Feeling like a jerk, I still
proceed to run my 6 Diamond tricks. Poor Declarer, he just
looked at me and said, "HOW could you bid 3H with that hand?"....
and he asked me that question about 6 more times through the
evening! I tried to explain to him that it was a mistake and I
didn't know I could fix it.... but he was NOT a happy camper.
Evidently not much psyching goes on in that group :) I still
cringe when I sit down to play against him -- I'm sure he doesn't
believe anything I bid now.
Lastly, there was the pair we played against this last Tuesday
evening. LHO opens 1D. Frank passes. RHO bids 4C. I look at
LHO and ask "is that a splinter bid?". She looks at me like I'm
really stupid, and says, "No, that's asking for aces. Gerber."
Hmm, I think. First, I need to learn to ask "What does that bid
mean." but beyond that.... Gerber over 1 of a minor? Ok,
whatever. It really makes me appreciate OKbridge and Fireside
though, and the things I've learned by attending the Fireside
sessions and playing with folks on OKb.
So, while it's fun playing face-to-face bridge, and getting more
comfortable with that form of playing, I still prefer and enjoy
playing online at OKbridge the most.
********************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
sarastobbe@aol.com
===============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Bezel for this giggle:
A Parrot with Attitude
A young man named Kenny received a parrot as a gift. The parrot
had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out
of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious or laced with profanity.
Kenny tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by
consistently saying polite words, playing soft music, reading the
Bible and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the
bird's vocabulary. Finally, Kenny was fed up and he yelled at the
parrot. The parrot yelled back.
Kenny shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.
In desperation, Kenny threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and
put him in the freezer.
The parrot squawked and kicked and screamed for a few minutes,
then there was total silence. Not a peep was heard for over a
minute.
Fearing that he'd killed the parrot, Kenny quickly opened the
door to the freezer.
Out steps the parrot, and he calmly stepped out onto Kenny's
outstretched arm and said, "I believe I may have offended you
with my rude language and behavior. I'm sincerely remorseful for
my inappropriate actions and I fully intend to do everything I
can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
Kenny was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was
about to ask what had made such a dramatic change in his
behavior, the parrot continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
===============================================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
When we bid, we should aim not to torture partner, but to
find out the information we need and then make an informed
decision. That is why we exchange information between
partners, and then let someone make the final decision about
where to place the contract. Indecision is not a good thing at
the bridge table! Both players must understand the concept of
captaincy and realize that as soon as one player has limited
his hand, partner is usually the captain. Now, there may be
exceptions to the rule but basically one hand will take over
and initiate asking the questions during the auction, and the
other will just answer questions until the final contract is
reached.
Here is a hand to demonstrate this principle in action:
S KQ H KJ10xx D x C AK10xx
We deal and open 1H, partner responds 2D, and we follow up
with 3C, showing our extra values. Partner now shows his
preference between our two suits, and bids 3H. Having already
told partner about our hearts, clubs, and extra values, we
have no more to say and end the auction from our point of view
with 4H. It is now up to partner to decide what to do, if
anything. Now he bids 4S, a cue-bid showing the A of spades
and slam interest.
The ace of spades fills in our hand nicely, eliminating our
spade loser and possibly giving us a discard of our diamond on
his ace of spades. We could bid 5 clubs, cue-bidding our next
ace, which is not wrong, but that is exactly what we should
not do! We are in a position to take the reins with all side
suits controlled, and just ask for aces and trump strength
via key card Blackwood. Is that not exactly what we need to
know -- namely, partner do you have the ace of diamonds and
the ace and queen of hearts? Why do we have to torture partner
with further cue bidding when we now know exactly what
information we need and we can make the correct informed
decision once we discover the rest of the story. I repeat,
bidding 5C is not wrong but it does not help partner or us. If
he signs off in 5H then what? If he bids 5D, then what? Why
torture partner!
My message is simple -- one player must take control and find out
exactly what he needs, then make an informed decision. Passing
the buck will only allow us to win in the post mortem when
partner gets it wrong, rather than get it right for us at the
table when it really counts.
********************
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
Thanks to Luc for this one:
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU CROSS ....
... a Collie and a Lhasa Apso? A Collapso, a dog that folds for
easy transportation.
... a Pointer and a Setter? A Poinsetter, a traditional
Christmas pet.
...a Rabbit and an Amoeba? An Amoebit, an animal that can
multiply and divide at the same time.
...a Lion and an Ocelot? A Lialot, a political animal.
...a Chicken with a Pit Bull? A Pit Bull.
===========================================================
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: Both North
Dlr: North S 764
H 863
D AQJT8
C KQ
East
S K32
H A542
D 763
C 962
West North East South
1D P 3NT
P P P
Opening Lead: HT
South's 3NT bid was announced as showing about 15 points, give
or take.
West's HT lead looked nice for a second but when East took
the HA, South played the HK. Since South was marked with the
HJ too (West's lead denied that card) it was obvious that
South had the HKQJ.
How should East plan the rest of the defense?
***********************
North
S 764
H 863
D AQJT8
C KQ
West East
S AQT9 S K32
H T97 H A542
D 54 D 763
C T853 C 962
South
S J85
H KQJ
D K92
C AJ74
Contract: 3NT
Opening Lead: HT
Many defensive Problems are not clear and this is one of them.
You have some inferences to work with but some of them are not
as solid as you would like.
One of the inferences is that declarer did not bid spades. If
he had four of either Major he might have chosen to bid it.
You can see that declarer is a favorite to have at least nine
tricks since the DK is finessable, if South is missing that
card.
The most likely play that will set 3NT if one exists, is for
East to switch to a spade. If he does this, the defenders
might take four more tricks.
Note that South made life easy for East when he played the HK.
East could draw the correct conclusion that South had the
HKQJ. Has South played the HQ or HJ, East would have a
legitimate guess about what South had in hearts. South might,
after all, have bid 3NT with the QJ doubleton and a bit of a
prayer.
*******************
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 Gail37 for this giggle:
Real Women -
Martha Stewart: If you accidentally over-salt a dish while
it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will
absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."
Real Women Say: If you over salt a dish while you are cooking,
what's too damn bad. Please recite with me the "Real Women's"
motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad
it tastes."
******************
Martha Stewart: Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in
half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Real Women: Take a lime, mix it with tequila, etc., chill and
drink. You might still have the headache, but who cares?
*********************
Martha Stewart: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of
a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Real Women: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the
cone, for Pete's sake. You are probably lying on the couch,
with your feet up, eating it anyway.
*********************
Martha Stewart: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple
in the bag with the potatoes.
Real Women: Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix and keep it in
the pantry for up to a year after the expiration date.
******************
Martha Stewart: When a cake recipe calls for flouring the
baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there
won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Real Women: Go to the bakery. They will even decorate it for
you.
*********************
Martha Stewart: Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust
before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Real Women: The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not
include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I just don't do
it.
***************************
Martha Stewart: If you have a problem opening jars, try using
latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non slip grip that makes
opening jars easy.
Real Women: Go ask the very cute neighbor to do it.
*******************
And finally...the most important tip:
Martha Stewart: Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze
into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Real Women: Leftover wine????????
============================================================
IAN'S PARTNERSHIP STUFF
=======================
Losing Trick Count
(A very brief outline)
Copyright (c) Ian M. Wilson 2004
Hands where the high cards are concentrated in the long suits
are considerably more powerful than those where the high cards
are located in the short suits. For example, look at:
a) AKxxxxx x x AKxx
b) Kxxxxxx A A Kxxx
On (a) you would expect to make 4s opposite a dummy containing
little more than either black Queen. On (b) you would need
considerably more help than this to make 4s.
The Losing Trick Count (LTC) is a method for assessing the
trick-taking potential of hands that takes into account the
honor distribution, rather than just the total number of High
Card Points in the hand.
[Note: From bridgeguys.com: A method of hand valuation as set
forth in the book "The System the Experts Play", as portrayed
by Mr. F. Dudley Courtenay in 1934.]
How to use it
-------------
ONCE YOU HAVE FOUND A TRUMP SUIT, take the Losing Trick Count
for your hand and your partner's hand. Add them together.
Subtract the total from 24. The result is the number of tricks
you can expect to take under normal conditions.
Example: you and your partner both have "7-loser" hands (i.e.
hands with a Losing Trick Count equal to 7). You have
identified a spade fit. Subtracting 14 (7+7) from 24 leaves
10; in other words, you can expect to take 10 tricks.
Therefore you belong in game.
If you have a 7-loser hand (or better) and partner opens,
drive to game. If you have a 5-loser hand (or better) and
partner opens, investigate slam.
When to use it
--------------
To determine the trick-taking potential of distributional
hands. It doesn't work as well for NT contracts as simple
point count methods.
Basics of the LTC
-----------------
- each suit has a maximum of 3 losers
- the maximum number of losers in a suit is its length
(up to 3)
- subtract 1 loser for each A, K, or Q you have in a suit
- add the loser count for all 4 suits to get the total
for the hand
The fewer losers you have, the better the hand. So a 6-loser
hand is better than a 7-loser hand.
Minimum opening bids are around 6-7 losers.
Hands with 4-5 losers are 1-openers followed by a reverse
or jump shift.
Hands with 3 or fewer losers are extremely powerful (you
are very close to having game in your own hand).
Example: AKxxx Kxxx Jx Jx.
Spades = 1 loser
(maximum of 3, minus 1 for the A and 1 for the K).
Hearts = 2 losers (maximum of 3, minus 1 for the K)
Diamonds = 2 losers (maximum of 2 for the 2-card suit)
Clubs = 2 losers (maximum of 2 for the 2-card suit)
Total = 7
Example: Axxxxxx x x Axxx
Spades = 2 losers
Hearts = 1 loser
Diamonds = 1 loser
Clubs = 2 losers
Total = 6
Note that by Losing Trick Count standards, this hand with 8
HCP is better than the previous hand which has 12 HCP.
Example: AKQxxx KQxxx x x
Spades = 0 losers
Hearts = 1 loser
Diamonds = 1 loser
Clubs = 1 loser
Total = 3
This last hand is worth game opposite a vestige of a fit in
either major; yet it "only" has 14 HCP.
Adjustments
-----------
Queens are not worth their full LTC value unless accompanied
by a higher honor. So a holding such as Qxx in a suit should
be counted as 3 losers rather than 2.
Aces are worth more than their LTC value suggests. A hand
containing mostly aces should be upgraded.
Reminder: you need to ensure that an adequate trump fit exists
before LTC arithmetic will deliver a sensible answer!
Advantages and Drawbacks
------------------------
Pro: LTC gives you a much better idea of the trick-taking
power of distributional hands than do point-count methods.
People who like to open light, shapely hands will be pleased
to know that they have the blessing of LTC .
Con: Some regulating bodies, ACBL included, take a dim view of
opening hands such as Axxxxxx x x Axxx with 1s without some
sort of prealert about "very light openers". If you are going
to use LTC as a criterion whether to open hands or not, you
will need to consult your regional ruling body's rules (or
just prealert; or just add a rule for yourself about needing
2-and-a-half defensive tricks for a 1 opener).
Pro: To my mind, opening light shapely hands is more fun than
sitting waiting for the next deal. It depends what you want
:). Have fun, whatever your chosen methods.
--ian
==================================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Wheels for this giggle:
Why the idiot's application for Medical School got
rejected...
QUESTION: DEFINE THE FOLLOWING TERMS
Antibody: against everyone
Artery: the study of fine paintings
Bacteria: back door to a cafeteria
Benign: what you have after eight
Cardiology: advance study of poker playing
Coma: Punctuation mark
Diagnosis: person with slanted nose
Duodenum: couple in jeans
Enema: not a friend
Lactose: person without digits on
Liposuction: a French Kiss
Lymph: walk unsteadily
Microbes: small dressing gowns
Protein: a favor of teens
Secretion: hiding anything
================================================================
BRIDGE FOR THE CLUB PLAYER
==========================
"BOGUST"
Following the "modern" style, I like for my weak-two bids to
have a fairly wide range. If this isn't for you, read no
further! If you would like to be both more aggressive AND more
accurate with your weak-two bidding, though, give this article
a good read.
My opening weak-two bids range from 5 to 11 high-card points
and will frequently be a five card suit. There are NO
standards for the quality of the 6-card suit, but a 5-card
suit in first or second position will include 2 of the 3 top
honors and have a singleton somewhere in the hand. My personal
style (with five-card preempts) is NOT to have three or more
cards in the other major. I feel that AKxxx, xxx, x, xxxx has
too much potential to play in a heart game. BUT -- give me
AKxxx, x, xxx, xxxx and I will cheerfully open two spades. If
the opponents have hearts, I want them to have a hard time
finding out about it (and get a bad split if they do), and if
my partner has hearts, I want to warn him!
Understand, this is just one person's style. Jeff Meckstroth,
in a teaching discussion at our club, says he opens his weak-
two bids with virtually no rules at all. ("Five card suits,
bad suits, four of the other major, whatever . . . . you will
find that you do it with weaker and weaker suits until you
find the level that works for you...")
In the past, the major drawback of having such a wide range of
hands for a weak-two bid is that your poor partner, who
occasionally has a good hand, had no way to find out which
kind of hand you have!
OGUST was invented by Harold Ogust many years ago for just
that situation. 2NT was used as an asking bid, asking partner
to describe his hand. The responses were:
3C = bad suit, bad hand
3D = good suit, bad hand (NOTE: many players reverse
3H = bad suit, good hand the two middle responses)
3S = good suit, good hand
3NT = solid suit
A "good suit" was generally defined as 2 of the 3 top honors.
A "good hand" usually related to point count. But lately, this
set of responses has been gaining in popularity:
3C = 5 card suit
3D = 6 card suit, bad hand
3H = 6 card suit, medium hand
3S = 6 card suit, good hand
3NT = solid suit
I am going to propose that you try the above response system.
(If it's good enough for Eric Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth... )
You will get to open the bidding with a weak-two bid MUCH more
often and have LOTS more fun. You don't even need to sacrifice
your bidding accuracy!
Before I go any farther, though, remember that the responder
should still continue the preempt by raising one level (to
three) with three trumps and raise two levels (to four) with
four or more trumps. The 2NT asking bid (along with whatever
response system you implement) should only be used if you are
investigating for game (or slam).
But how do you define those nebulous terms "good", "medium",
and "bad"? One way would be to use the losing trick count! My
regular tournament partner and I starting using this system
some years ago and it has worked quite well for us. I started
sharing it with others, and one of my students dubbed it
"BOGUST" ("Brawner-Ogust").
If you use an LTC response system to your weak two bids, it
might work like this:
3C = 5 card suit (still!)
3D = 6 card suit with (about) 8 or more losing tricks
3H = 6 card suit with (about) 7 losing tricks
3S = 6 card suit with (about) 6 losing tricks
((I am using the word "about" because I want you to realize
you can always upgrade or downgrade a trick. Certainly AJT932
is a better suit than KT5432 even though they both are "two-
loser" suits.))
Now that partner knows how many losers you have, they can see
how many winners they need to "cover" your losers, and bid
accordingly! What fun! You get to preempt more often AND more
accurately! (Well, in theory, anyway . . . )
In addition, playing this way helps me with one of my personal
challenges. I asked several top players this question: "How do
you know when to bid 3NT and when to bid 4 of your partner's
major when they start with a weak two?" The best and most
succinct answer I got was from Jeff -- "You are getting your
bad results when you try for 3NT." "Yes." "That's your
answer."
Hmmm. Well, I can take a hint. So I decided to overreact and
NEVER try for 3NT if my partner's suit is a major. And I am
convinced that I am WAY ahead in the game.
Here is one more wrinkle in the system. If your 2NT bid
elicits a 3C response from your partner, showing a five-card
suit, you can STILL ask about the quality of his hand, using a
3D bid. The responses are:
3H = 8 or more losers
3S = 7 losers
I cannot create a hand with 6 (or less) losers and a five card
suit that is not worth opening at the one level. If I ever
have one, AND the bidding proceeds like this, I guess I would
jump to four of my suit over the 3D bid. I am not holding my
breath . . .
Happy preempting!
Jack Brawner
(TrojanOwl@aol.com)
PS. I wrote this article some years ago, and as I review it I
find that I really have not changed a thing over the last few
years, but I have gradually gained an additional benefit. I
have a reputation of being crazy with my weak-two style, and
my bidding gets NO respect from my regular opponents. This
means that they keep climbing into the bidding with marginal
hands, and I am getting good boards because they are
overbidding. (Of course, now many of them will read this...)
********************
Jack welcomes students of all levels for lessons.
Contact him for information at trojanowl@aol.com
============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Tuna for this one:
The power of the human mind
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was
rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht
oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be
a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but
the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought
slpeling was ipmorantt.
===============================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
=====================
OKB Tourneys
Well done to all our Fireside friends who excelled in
the tourneys this past month!!
Tue Nov 2 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 rex1/wheels 52.77
Fri Nov 5 12:30 PM
Rank Team Score
2 riggin/stavros 62.40
Wed Nov 10 11:00 AM
Rank Team Score
1 Kaltica/moogal 67.11
Fri Nov 26 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 bewitch/tuna 63.50
Tue Nov 30 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 lucinha/wheels 2.66
Desiree, ElGringo, MaryS, Riggin
We encourage you to change your flight to B or C so that you
are competing on an appropriate level -- you can do this on
the OKB website home page. Look for "Change my flight" in the
box where your icon appears. This is OKB's way of letting
everyone have a chance to get some pond points. And, as more
and more of you change your flights, the flighted results will
be more realistic. And, remember, if you do place in the
overalls, you are still eligible for the higher awards!
I know I must have missed a few of your names here. I can't
check every result -- believe it or not I do have a day job
:)) Please email me and let me know about your good results.
We want everyone's name up here in lights!
**********************************************************
NOVICE MENTOR TOURNEY
Well done to all our top finishers:
Thu Nov 11 06:00 PM
Rank Team Score
1 believer/turtle12 71.59
2 macavity/nimadevi 66.36
3 eudora/mrtngail 65.21
4 alan1/maree 62.92
5 elvee/Tara 55.00
Be sure to show up on the second Thursday each month (Dec 9th
this month) for your chance to play in this fun, easy-going
session of an OKB mini. You may be encouraged to try the daily
ones!
**********************************************************
FIRESIDE'S TEAM GAME
Our November winners are:
11-14-2004 Team Hawes Hawes, Shade, Garyi and Jimm
11-14-2004 Team JanetE JanetE, Jimm, Hawes and Jundith
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!
**********************************************************
Congratulations to Kathy (ITSME) on her recent marriage. Our
best wishes to the bride and groom!
**********************************************************
Congrats to the following folks who were Angelfish nominees in
November:
Chilli, Garyi, Vox.
**********************************************************
Let Your Heart Be Light by Richard Pavlicek
"Faithful friends, who are dear to us, gather near to us,
once more." There are too many heavy hearts in the world
today, so this is your chance to be light -- with the ace
of hearts! Partner leads the heart king. Do you signal?
Or do you overtake with the ace? Try it! It's fun.
http://www.rpbridge.net/8x09.htm
Results of the November bidding poll "A Large Gala Occasion"
(ending Nov. 30) will be posted December 4, 2004 at 21:00 GMT.
For these, and everything else related to the monthly polls
and contests, go to:
http://www.rpbridge.net/rppc.htm
A big well done to Richard, and his son Rich, who won the Life
Master Pairs in Orlando! I ran into Richard the next day, and
could barely get a hello in, as everyone stopped by to
congratulate him.
We Firesiders add our congrats, as we thank him for letting us
use the wonderful material from his website each month.
**********************************************************
Susan (BEZEL) has collected the following assortment of wit
and wisdom from OKB stat cards. Thanks for noting them and
sending them on to us!
If you are my partner, God be with you.
Not everyone can be a hero. Someone has to sit on the curb and
cheer as I go by.
Miss Piggy says "Be nice...OR ELSE!"
Kermit says "Time is fun when you are having flies."
Need one chronic overbidder, preferably drunk.
Need one truly inept player, pulse optional.
How can I miss you if you won't go away?
From a player with an alligator picture:
Wet cards, wild bids and a large row of teeth.
Hug a Gator..keeps the doctor away.
"If I ever have a child, the first word I will teach him is
'Pass.'" Charles Goren
**********************************************************
Congrats to two ex-OKBers and good friends Shelagh (SHEP) and
Laszlo (SYL) who played in the recent WBF Olympiad in
Istanbul. Shelagh played on the Canadian women's team, while
Laszlo played on the open Hungarian team, reaching the final
16, where they beat France and lost a close match to Russia.
The Hungarians were celebrated on their return home in the
newspapers and on TV for their highest placement ever. Well
done to my two dear friends.
***********************************************************
Hand from Orlando
We received the following email from an OKB friend after the
Nationals -- with an interesting bridge problem. We sent it on
to several expert friends, and have gotten some really
interesting answers. We've edited and shortened them... and
decided to include it this month because it really is neat to
see the different ways these folks tackle the same issue --
and the similarities!
---------------------------
Monday, November 29, 2004
Bridge tournaments are a pretty big investment of time and
money. So I've done my thing to support the ACBL. Question
is one of priority. I'll have to sort out how much I want to
continue to invest in something I'm pretty good at, but will
never be top flight. Then again, it's a game that doesn't
lend itself to some sort of mastery. The best you can do is
keep cutting down the errors.
Here's a typical bridge player's lament. "You hold....."
So here are the hands that cost us a match:
My hand
S AKx
H A9xxx
D x
C KQJx
Partner's hand :
S QJxx
H Kx
D QTxxxx
C x
In a 2/1 system, how do you get to a heart game? Do you want
to? I was in 2H making 5 on a defensive slip and the
opponents were in 4H making 4, for a nice swing for them. My
partner is still sure there is some way to get to the game
comfortably. Ideas?
----------------
The responses:
---------------
1H:1S:3C (game force strong jump shift promising 18...I call
it 18 with the nice spade support..
now 3H..(often 2, as "co-erced", and then 4H.. however the 3H
bidder might also consider 3NT. I prefer the 3H route as you
have ruffing value (stiff club). However, it is probably a
coin toss and I expect 3NT has about equal chances.
-----------------
1H-1S
3C-3N
4S
Maybe :)
3C: probably worth a game force because of the strong spade
support
1H - 1S
3S - 4S
is perfectly reasonable if your partner won't faint on a 3-
card jump raise.
4S looks better than 4H (I think). If the opponents do not
fail to take their aces, you need to play that Heart suit for
1 loser That is clearly against the odds.
It IS dangerous to bid 1S obviously. After 2C what are you
going to bid? 2H shows 3 card support with better than a junky
single raise, 2D is 4th suit.
1H - 1N
2C - 2H
2S - 3S
4S
is possible, but requires considerable partnership faith.
--------------------
And from the above player's partner, interesting to see their
thought patterns :)
-----------
Let's see..
You have a club and a diamond loser that you can't do anything
about.
So making 4H or 4S depends on being able to hold the trump
losers to 1.
In 4H: you need a 3-3 split. And if they are 4-2, you are
probably down more than 1.
In 4s: this looks a lot more flexible. I'm not sure which line
to pick, though. I'd guess this is significantly better than
the 36% for 4H.
So I think that at IMP, I'd like to be in 4S. And since I'm
sure I'll have protection from the opponents, I don't mind
being in a 36% 4H since I expect it to be bid at both tables.
Playing 2/1, I assume it starts 1H:1S. Opener rebids 3C (this
was a 5-loser hand, and the 1s response makes it even better).
Responder bids 3NT I assume (3H seems a close second). Opener
corrects to 4S.
All this assumes that you realize that a 4-3 fit is a
wonderful thing :)
--------------------
Off two minor Aces game will require a 3-3 Heart break (else
there are two sure trump losers--or more!), which is a 35.53%
chance. This is an example of Ward Rule #13: "No good bid
ever went unpunished!"
You were greased. :(
---------------------------
This is not an easy game to arrive at, and in fact 4H is anti-
percentage - needing a 3-3 heart split for it to make
We need to lose two aces off the top so 4H is no picnic. As to
how an expert pair might bid this hand I suggest this auction.
1H - 1S
2C - 2H
2S
At this point opener has shown 3-5-1-4 and a 16-18 point hand.
He cant do any better than that without overbidding badly. Now
it is up to responder to decide, not opener. In fact the two
games that look promising are 3NT and 4S. Responder may shoot
out 3NT with his Q10xxxx of diamonds or even 4S before he bids
to 4H. Either bid is possible and would have votes, so
blasting to 4H would be a distant third choice here. Opener's
hand is not good enough to jump shift even though there might
be some who would, and thus arrive in game thru momentum.
Bridge is a wonderful game full of these complex decisions -
that is what keeps us coming back for more.
---------------------------
I am not sure I want to be in 4H, but I surely want to be in
game.
Here are three possibilties, assuming that opponents pass
1H - 1S
3S - 4S
1H - 1NT
3C - 3NT
1H - 1NT
3C - 3H
4H
The latter auction is my least favorite. I actually think
that 4S is the best contract.
--------------------
I'm not sure it's possible to reach game without
one partner overbidding. The auction should
probably go:
1H 1S
2C 2H
3H pass
Responder has the Kx of hearts but the pointed
Queens look nebulous and the singleton club
is of some value but how much when opener
likely has strength in that suit?
4H rates to lose two trumps, a diamond and
a club on normal splits and even the three-level
could be in jeopardy. The game bidders at the
other table got a lucky result, in my opinion.
-----------------
Not sure why they're not wanting to play 4S or 3N...
but 4H... okay...
imaginative bidding commences...
1H-1S;
1N-2H;
2N-3H;
4H
but admittedly it is an awful auction...
do I want to be in game? yeah baby....somewhere!
************************************************************
Adventures in Orlando
When it comes time to leave an ACBL National tournament, I
start thinking that I could never possibly have as good a time
at the next one. But fortunately that has not yet happened,
each one is wonderful! The Fall NABC in Orlando this past
month was no exception.
This year the trip was a breeze, a mere 28 minute flight from
Fort Lauderdale. Our team started to gel when I met Eric
(ETSAND) at the airport and we were picked up by his Houston
buddy Jonathan (JHARRISH). The next step was finding Colin
(KALTICA) and his wife Denise at a hotel where they stayed
before moving to the tournament host hotel. There were a lot
of big hugs (Eric and Jonathan had not met Colin previously),
giggles, and too many suitcases for the car. With time to
spare we made it to the site relatively unsquished -- ready
for our first match that afternoon.
The four of us planned to play in the regional knockouts
(KO's), switching partners along the way. I wish I could say
we played brilliantly, but we suffered from a slow start
exiting in the first round of first KO and then the second
round of a second KO. On the third day we managed to win a
consolation compact KO. However the real consolation was the
camaraderie at meal time and the sips of wine after the evening
sessions.:) Later in the week Eric had to head home to go back
to work, and as our NPC telepathically led us to victory in a
bracketed KO, as we added Ken (KEN_B) and Raj Seth (both also
from Houston) to our team.
The new experience for me at this tournament was witnessing
the ACBL zero tolerance (ZT) policy up close and personal.
Most of the players you meet are lovely and the atmosphere is
generally pleasant whatever the result. Colin was quite
successful at charming the opponents. We were lucky he didn't
take up any of their offers to join other teams. Sadly there
were a few exceptions to the friendly atmosphere. In the
Board-a-match (BAM) competition, opponents rotated every two
boards and sometimes patience was stressed when the time limit
had been reached. One round exceeded our allotted time after a
protracted director call over a penalty card and the next
round started in a catch up mode. When the next set of
opponents started in with snide comments about the pace, the
director quickly took control and issued a player warning. In
a later session another pair presented some unusual ideas on
what needed to be alerted. Even the director failed to fully
convince them that their approach was outside the mainstream.
The director told me privately that the opponent's comments
would normally merit a ZT violation, but she choose to try to
pacify the situation and set up camp near our table to monitor
the situation. It was quite impressive how quickly and
efficiently the directors acted, carefully assessing the level
of the players with skillful questions in each situation
before making a ruling.
Of course there are some fun memories of good bridge that come
to mind. Jonathan refused to give up when his nearly laydown
6S contract was jeopardized by news of the "full-Hawaii" a 5-0
trump split. With some perseverance and friendly defense he
managed to reel in that contract. Eric and Jonathan put
science to good use to find an excellent 6D slam rather than
settle for the mundane 3NT on one board. But Eric's jaw
dropped when we compared scores and he learned the effort was
worth a mere 2 additional imps as Colin and I had preempted on
that board causing the opponents to misjudge the normal
contract. Later in the BAM, Eric chose to shoot it out in 3NT
on one board after their preempt. A pair of strong opponents
failed to find the best switch at trick 2 and he extracted an
overtrick with a pretty squeeze. Again, the denouement when we
compared scores was not as expected. When Eric cheerfully
announced that we "probably" won that board, Colin looked at
his scorecard and said, "oh, did you bid a slam?" That is what
we would have needed to beat -1100(!).
We were delighted to see Bill (WINTAKA) and his table-manager-
bride Sue (SAM143). Bill played in the prestigious Blue
Ribbon Pairs with Dave McLellan, a grueling 3 day event. They
had a fabulous 28th place finish out of hundreds of top notch
pairs. Congrats to them, and well done!
Again, congrats to Richard Pavlicek and his son for winning
the Life Master Pairs.
We had most pleasant visits with Jim (JBOT) and Judy (JKH),
Sandra and Mike (DUALS and GOFISH), Deb (FPDOC), Lynn
(WISHTRIK) and DLOYE. Eric spied Barry (BARMAR), PATRICIA and
Vicky (LEAF), but I missed them, and never located Fred
(FredW3), Diane (DIANEW) or Jack (NIGHTOWL). Colin introduced
us to Ken (KSIRED) and Sekhar, two of his buddies from
Winnipeg that we hear stories about at Friday night Fireside
sessions. I finally tracked down Paul (GUIDO) -- so glad I got
to meet him. Socializing at the bridge site, with relaxing
dinners and late night talks.... how could you not enjoy this
chance to play bridge and hang out with truly good friends.
*******************
To see some pics from Orlando, cut and paste the following
link into your browser:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/view?i=EeBMmLhu3ctWJ4&open=1&x=1&
sm=1&sl=1
and then click 'view as slideshow' or click on the first
picture and click "next".
We'll work on getting Colin to post these to the Firesides
website, so if you have a problem viewing these hopefully
you can see them later at website.
********************************************************
While we list the lessons offered by the commentators who
write for The Chat, we want to note that some of our other
commentators and newsletter contributors 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
Patricia/Fifee andersonscorner@atlanticbb.net
Nightowl/Jack trojanowl@aol.com
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!
**************************************************************
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 Team Game 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 with PAYPAL! 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.
*****************************************************
December Events: (All times Pacific)
===============================
NOVICE/MENTOR TOURNEY:
Thursday, December 9, at 6:00 PM, OKb time. 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 TEAM GAME:
Sundays, 5:00 P.M. December 12 only (due to holidays).
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 Dloye for this neat submission written by her
aunt's friend who lives in a retirement home.
"I'm a Gonna"
by Sadie Bramble
I'm a gonna write me
a New Year's resolution.
I'm a gonna walk me
a mile or two a day.
I'm a gonna change my
whole way of thinking.
I'm a gonna find me
a much better way.
I'm a gonna make me
a part of conversations,
Even if I don't have
a thing or two to say.
I'm a gonna learn me
how to get a move on.
I'm a gonna get me
up and out of bed.
I'm a gonna laugh at
all my shortcomings.
I'm a gonna keep me
at least one step ahead.
I'm a gonna try to
be more optimistic,
Even when I know
I'm in the red.
I'm a gonna grant me
a few more limitations.
I'm a gonna chance me some
limps along the way.
I'm a gonna curb my
daily expectations.
I'm a gonna take life's
surprises day by day.
I'm a gonna try to
show appreciation
Life at ninety still
has a lot to offer
And that's all I've got to say !!
========================================================
SPECIAL TREATS
==============
This month we have a very Special Treat for you from
our old friend, Captain :) Andy, we've missed you --
great hearing from you again!
---------------
If you have a weak suit playing in a NT contract, one tool you
may never have considered is throwing away the ace of that
suit!
Look at this hand -- defence starting with 4'th best club, the
ten holding.
Now clubs were my biggest fear, the defence poised to take 3
clubs plus a couple of hearts if I started on the hearts.
The line I took was 2 rounds of spades, a diamond to dummy, a
3'rd spade -- pitching club ace!! Now if the defence wants
club tricks they will have to give me 2 spade tricks in
return!! Making my total 9 tricks. Still not out of the
woods, I had then to hope that they switched to hearts -- a
good chance with them not knowing of my 6'th heart -- and I
was rewarded. Whew!
IMPs east Pairs Board 9
Dlr: North neophyte
Vul: E-W S J8742 north east south west
H 5 neophyte captain
D A763
C QT4 pass pass pass 1H
north south pass 1S pass 3NT
S Q63 S T95 (all pass)
H Q83 H KJT Opening Lead: C7
D QJ D T842 Result: +3
C KJ872 C 953 Score: 600, IMPs: 6.19
west Playing time: 4:29
captain
S AK
H A97642
D K95
C A6
==============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Benson for this giggle:
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes!
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose is certainly not meese!
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren!
And the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim!
================================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
===================
Into the Great Wide Open
"Oh, Preacher won't you paint my dreams
Won't you tell me where you've been
Show me what I haven't seen
To ease my mind
Yes I will learn to understand
If I have a helping hand
I wouldn't make another demand, all my life"
As you can see, we've switched from sci-fi themes back to
music for this month's article. Specifically, an album by
Tom Petty and a song ("Tuesday's Dead") by Cat Stevens. They
relate to bridge in the sense that the game is a landscape and
a canvas on which you can apply your own distinctive
brushstrokes to create the image that you hope your partner
(or the opponents) will see..
Let's begin with two auctions that appear to have the
identical meaning, but there is a subtle difference between
them. NS are vul against not, and we have:
South West North East
1H pass 2H pass
3D pass 3H pass
4H pass pass pass
Opener made a help-suit game try, and went on even when
partner declined. South therefore had to be looking for slam
rather than just game to have bid this way. Now we move on
to:
South West North East
1H 1S 2H pass
3D 3S pass pass
4H 4S
So this auction should be a bird of an identical feather,
right? Not quite. The difference is that the opponents are
competing here, so while South may indeed have a slam try, he
might also have a hand like this:
S-void H-AKJ9xx D-KJ97 C-QJx
It would be nice to bid 4H and be allowed to play there, but
that won't happen when the opponents are at favourable
vulnerability. Now we have to involve partner and give him
the information to decide whether to move on to the five-
level. This hand came up in a knockout teams this morning and
at one table South bid 4H instead of 3D and now pressed on to
5H when the opponents bid 4S. At our table, South was able to
leave the ball in partner's court after showing his
distribution.
Responder had:
S-Q10x H-Qxx D-xxx C-Kxxx
Both 5H and 4S were down one, so while this wasn't a huge
swing, the more descriptive auction was sufficient to give N-S
a plus result instead of a minus.
This is another hand that our team gained on, with South again
being in the limelight:
S-KJx H-Kx D-J109x C-Jxxx
This hand turns out to be a mixed bag, as the auction
illustrates:
West North East South
1H 1S pass 2S
pass 3C pass ?
Advancer signed off in 3S at the other table, ending the
auction. Our South issued a counter-try with 3H. Shouldn't
partner expect the Ace of hearts rather than the King? If we
had that card, a known trick, South would most likely have
gone directly to 4S. Partner should expect us to have a high-
card value such as the King or Queen. Overcaller had:
S-A109xx H-Qxx D-AQ C-Axx
4S was by no means a laydown, but with the bulk of the missing
high cards in opener's hand, it managed to flutter home. The
thoughtful 3H rather than a unilateral 3S signoff was the key
to reaching game in this instance.
Finally, we have a good hand from a Swiss teams event, with us
occupying the East chair with:
S-Qxxxx H-Qx D-AKQJ10 C-A
Partner opens 1S, much to your surprise and delight. Both
responders went for a Jacoby 2NT response. 2D was the other
choice. It would be an excellent hand for strong jump shifts
but alas, with both E-W pairs, a jump to 3D would have been
pre-emptive and weak. At any rate, partner bids 4S over your
2NT, confirming an minimum hand with no short suit. Clearly
it's worth another try, but do we keycard and hope partner has
a heart control, or probe with a cuebid?
Both East's cuebid, but in different ways. One bid 5C, and
West had:
S-AKxxx H-Kxx D-xx C-Qxx
With no Ace to show, opener signed off in 5S. Colin "Kaltica"
Ward, is a vociferous proponent of European style cuebidding,
where any first- or second-round control can be shown. East
would now bid 5H, and responder carries on to 6S. North
American style cuebidding requires Aces for the initial
cuebid, and so this hand puts opener in a quandary.
At the other table, East cuebid 5D, using a favorite Bill
"Wintaka" Treble precept, that of endplaying partner in the
bidding by leaving hearts as the only available cuebid for
opener. West duly admitted to having a heart control with
5H, and responder now bid 6C, trying for the grand slam, which
opener quickly declined.
It occurred to me recently that I've been subconsciously
applying the concept of help suit game tries to slam-going
auctions, which may be a fairly valuable tool. Take the
following hand, you sitting West:
S-AQx H-109xxx D-AKJxx C-void
And what panorama do we have unfolding before our eyes? Well,
here goes:
East South West North
pass pass 1H 3C
4H pass ?
Your passed-hand cohort has gone on to game opposite a third-
seat opener. There might easily be a slam your way if partner
has good trumps, but how to find out? Keycard isn't going to
solve anything as the Ace of clubs would be a useless card for
you. In help-suit game tries, you'd have no interest in any
suit you bypass. This could also be extended to higher-
level auctions. If the partnership has that agreement, West
could bid 5H, bypassing spades, clubs and diamonds as help-
suit asks and thus implying that opener is interested solely
in responder's trump quality. For the record, West had:
S-Kxx H-Axxx D-xx C-A10xx
A good hand, but not quite the right tickets. Hearts are 3-1
and 11 tricks is the limit of the hand. Change the spade or
club value to a trump honour, and now 6H is a fairly
reasonable proposition.
Well, I've run out of gas for this month, so I hope you
enjoyed American Thanksgiving and the Canadian Grey Cup
football championship. Happy Holidays, and we'll see you
again in January.
********************
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 Pringle for this giggle:
A Choice of Hymns
One Sunday a pastor told his congregation that the church needed
some extra money and asked the people to prayerfully consider
giving a little extra in the offering plate.
He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out
three hymns.
After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanced down
and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in offering.
He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with his
congregation and said he'd like to personally thank the person
who placed the money in the plate.
A very quiet, elderly, saintly lady all the way in the back shyly
raised her hand. The pastor asked her to come to the front.
Slowly she made her way to the pastor. He told her how wonderful
it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to
pick out three hymns.
Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed
to the three handsomest men in the building and said, "I'll take
him and him and him."
===================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
Orlando
*******
Denise and I had been looking forward to going to Orlando
since our last trip, to Montreal. Denise would be checking
out the many wonderful tourist attractions while I hoped to
meet many of you at the tourney site. The latter was a slight
disappointment: we got finished "touristing" too late to meet
MQ26 and Jundith, and didn't stay long enough to meet the
latecomers. Still, we were delighted to meet the few
OKBridgers that we did encounter.
Our trip down was not without incident. While walking
through the lobby of our local airport a female security guard
stopped us and asked if we owned a corgi. Huh? My first
thought was: "Darn! These people are G-O-O-D!" It turned out
that the lady was a corgi owner herself. She and my wife
chatted for five minutes without us asking the obvious question:
how did she know? Later Denise explained that the woman must
have seen the picture of a corgi on our handbag.
At Customs we were surprised that the allowed us through
so easily--two known Cat Stevens fans! It turned out that the
Customs official was originally from Orlando. I commiserated
with him having been sent to the ends of the earth (i.e.
Winnipeg) to work. He would have none of it; he loved it
here! What followed was a "man-bites-dog" scenario: I cross-
examined the official for five minutes, asking about any
history of insanity in his family, until Denise dragged me off
to our flight.
Jan "Moogal" Kofman and Eric "Etsand" Sandberg didn't
arrive until Saturday so Denise and I spent Thursday and
Friday on a death march through Epcot and The Magic Kingdom.
By the time we arrived back at our hotel I was tempted to have
room service replace our bed with a Stryker frame.
On Saturday I met Eric and Jonathan "JHarrish" Holmes for
the first time. I played with Jonathan in four Knockouts and
thoroughly enjoyed it. Jan didn't seem to be having quite as
much fun at the other table. I'll let her fill you in on the
details, but suffice it to say that her opponents might
benefit from reviewing the ACBL's Zero Tolerance guidelines.
While Jan had TDs camped out at her table Jonathan and I were
fielding invites from our opponents to play with them in
subsequent events! LOL!
Oddly, Janice didn't seem to appreciate the humour in
this. :)
As you may know, Jan and I don't often play in ACBL
events. I'm sure that some of the caddies had more
masterpoints than we do. This being the case, we played in a
group so low that our Bracket number had to be expressed in
exponential notation. So you would think that we might have
a string of victories to brag about, right?
Well, no. We lost our first three to opponents who kept
passing forcing bids (e.g. 1NT-2S-3D and 2C:2D:2S) without
making overtricks. We bid five good slams--all ran into 5-0,
4-0 or, in one case, 4-1 trump breaks. Only one made (with
some help from the defence).
On Tuesday we lost the driving force of our team, Eric,
so we added two of his Houston team: Ken Brantferger and
Rajesh Seth. Without our star player the rest of us had to
pull up our socks. Sure enough, we won our last Knockout to
keep Jan's record alive. She has never failed to win her final
event of a regional or national.
The only complaint I had with the tournament organization
was the Hospitality: pretzels and spring rolls for a wine and
cheese crowd while lounge acts sang 80 year old showtunes in a
room where even a bridge tournament would sound bad.
Everything else was a great credit to the ACBL. Free
orange juice in addition to water and coffee was a nice touch.
The TDs were excellent--especially after the terrible WBF ones
that we ran into in Montreal. The playing site was marvelous:
largest Marriott in the world.
The bridge was interesting, too. We had this simple
auction:
Opener Overcaller Responder Advancer
1S 3C 5NT Pass
6C
5NT is a Grand Slam Force, asking Opener to bid 7S with
two of the top three Spades, 6S with fewer. So what is 6C?
When I posed this question to experts they answered: "It
shows S-Axxxxx (in case Responder has S-Kxxx) or S-Kxxxxx (in
case of S-Axxx from Responder). Unhappy with this answer, I
rephrased the question: "What does 6C show that 6D or 6H
would not?" Now the answers changed.
Fortunately, Jonathan and I were on the same wavelength.
His 6C was a brilliant call, showing the two top Spade honours
BUT wastage in Clubs (in case I was counting on three goodies
outside Clubs--which I was!). With the C-Ace Jonathan knew
that I was void for my invite to 7S. His 6C call allowed us
to stop in 6S, making, despite our combined S-AKxxx/S-Q10xxx
trump holding.
Alas, the fun could not last. Five hours of flying took
us from palm trees to fresh snow--and the barbarians made us
deplane onto the tarmac! Suffice it to say that my sandals
were not the recommended footwear.
Orlando will remain one of our fondest memories in large
part due to the graciousness, generosity and good humour of
our partners, Janice, Jonathan and Eric, as well as the
camaraderie and great play of our team mates, Raj and Ken.
Thank you all!
**********************
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 Arrow for these:
Subject: PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
1. If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don't worry about what people think; they don't do it very
often.
3. Going to a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than
standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. It isn't the jeans that make your butt look fat.
5. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is
serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government
program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the
trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel
good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway. (Just remember how lucky you
were to get a free trip around the sun.)
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of
the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three
weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize
a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make the ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the
real world.
25. If you must choose between two evils, chose the one that
you've never tried before.
=============================================================
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