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Fireside Chat
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FIRESIDE CHAT MARCH 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome and Announcements
Believer's FireSide Kindling
Bidding with Bridgboy
Winning With Wishtrik
Hand of the Month
Brush Up Your Bridge
Bridge for the Club Player
Moogal's FireSide Log
BridgeHands eMag Newsletter
Treble's Table Talk
And Finally Kaltica
=======================================
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome to the March, 2006 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 who attend. 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) 2006 by FireSide Chat.
All rights reserved.
===============================================
BELIEVER'S FIRESIDE KINDLING
============================
We'll start you off with a bidding quiz; the answer can be
found at the end of this month's Hand Of The Month column...
thanks, Gail :)
Bidding Quiz: N S
1D
1S ?
South holds:
S A H K764 D AT82 C QJT8
What do you think South should bid?
********************
Congratulations are in order for Kaltica this month!
Read Moogal's column for more information :)
********************
I need your help! My 'stash' of giggles for our "Giggle
Breaks" is getting awfully low... please remember to send
me any good, clean, non-offensive jokes that you run across.
********************
You can write to Believer (Sara Stobbe) at:
sarastobbe@aol.com or bb@wowway.com
===============================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Kaltica for this giggle:
THOUGHTS FOR THE MID-WEEK HUMP
1. I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-
fitting clothing. If I had any loose-fitting clothing, I
wouldn't have signed up in the first place!
2. When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just
"chunky dunk."
3. Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could
simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over?
4. Stress is when you wake up screaming and then you realize you
haven't fallen a sleep yet.
5. My husband says I never listen to him. At least I think that's
what he said.
6. Just remember...if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
7. If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have
started with something called labor!
8. Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live
forever.
============================================================
BIDDING WITH BRIDGBOY
=====================
Knowing how to create auctions that will allow you to milk
partner for more information is vital all the time, but even
more so when you have good hands. It will allow you to see
partner's unseen cards more easily and get to the best spot.
You pick up:
S K
H AKJ982
D AJ2
C J65
Partner opens 1C and you know game is easy and slam possible if
a good enough fit exists. So 1H is your first call. Partner
rebids 1S and here is your first decision. Those that play 3H
as forcing might choose that bid but that treatment is in the
minority so we are left with 2D, fourth suit game forcing.
Now both partners know that game is assured and we need more
room to find out exactly where we are headed. Partner's next
call is 2S. Now we know he has 5 spades and yet he started
with clubs, so he has 6 clubs. We can ignore hearts as a
possible contract and realize that our Jxx of clubs is
sufficient trump support.
Let's count losers now. There are no red suit losers as we
have 3 cover cards, and our stiff king of spades is huge, as
partner should be able to set up his spade side suit by ruffing
in our hand. Let's give partner a typical hand and see how it
plays.
S Axxxx
H x
D x
C AKxxxx
Opposite this hand, the only loser might be one trump
after he ruffs two low spades in our hand. If his clubs
are even better, say AKQxxx, the same two ruffs will
allow us to make all 13 tricks. Only he will know how good
his trumps are so we need to alert him of this potential
thru our bidding, so that partner will be able to make
the final intelligent decision based on his hand. How do we
do this? We set the trump suit by bidding 3C now and
allow cue bidding to begin, knowing we will be able
to tell partner about the most important card we have,
the king of spades.
Just think how nice this is -- we have all the room to
exchange information without fear of being dropped below
game. This is the power of establishing the trump suit early
and allowing the free and smooth exchange of information
back and forth.
So, from here the auction will go
3C-p-3D(first cue bid)-p
3H-p-3S-p
4S-p
Now partner will be able to look at his trumps and know
whether six or seven is biddable.
For your information, partner had S AJxxx H xx D VOID C AKQxxx
7C is makeable and easily biddable without guessing, as
long as the partnership engages in a dialogue, not a monologue.
********************
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 Benson for these giggles:
Children and Science
Almost better than a cup of coffee to start your morning. If you
need a laugh, read through these Children's Science Exam Answers.
These are real answers given by children.
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe
to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large
pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All
water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no
water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget
where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get
intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his
adultery.
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.
Q: What is artificial insemination?
A: When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g.,
abdomen.) A: The body is consisted into three parts - the
brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium
contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs,
and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E,
I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does "varicose" mean?
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section"
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome.
Q: What does the word "benign" mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
============================================================
WINNING WITH WISHTRIK
=====================
TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR DECLARER PLAY
Have you ever found that the worse your contract seems the easier
it is to plan the play? Why do you think this is so? The biggest
reason is that the worse the contract the fewer options you have
in the play. You may even be reduced to having to place the cards
in the only way which will allow the contract to be made. This
same principle applies when you are playing a grand slam. You
only have one objective which is to go plus and you must get all
13 tricks.
There are a few things that should always be done before playing
to the 1st trick. You need to decide whether you are in a
normal or an abnormal contract. This can be done by counting the
HCP's that your side owns and evaluating your distribution. Are
you in a 23 or a 27 point 3NT? Are you playing 3NT with an 8-card
major suit fit? This will help you determine your objective and
decide how many tricks to play for. Let's suppose you have a
combined 23 HCP's - then your objective is to take the safest
play to ensure 9 tricks. Overtricks are unimportant but if you
have 27 HCP's the overtricks may be important.
COUNTING WINNERS AND LOSERS
Start by counting your sure winners in high cards. This is good
for 2 reasons. The 1st is to avoid going down in a cold one at
trick 1. The 2nd is to know your objective, which will help you
to know how many winners to develop, which determines our best
line of play.
After you have chosen the line of play it is equally important to
review the order in which you plan to play the cards. This is
what you call timing.
You should try to do this on every hand and it is a lot easier
than you may think. It takes a lot of discipline and practice to
make yourself pause and think about this before playing to the
first trick on every hand.
When should you count your winners instead of your losers?
It tends to be more helpful to count winners in NT contracts and
to count losers in suit contracts but you should count whatever
is more comfortable for yourself.
Also the higher you are the fewer losers you have, which means
counting winners becomes more important.
DO THE LOSERS PLUS THE WINNERS ALWAYS ADD TO 13?
No, there is often work to be done to make the contract and there
are very few 100% plays which makes it impossible to get an
accurate total before the play begins.
DOES IT MATTER WHETHER YOU ARE IN NT OR A SUIT CONTRACT?
Definitely yes. Most people find it more useful to count winners
in NT and to count losers in suit contracts, but this is a matter
of personal preference.
SHOULD YOU COUNT YOUR WINNERS AS WELL AS YOUR LOSERS?
Yes, but this takes a lot of training so try counting winners on
some hands and losers on others. Pick the easier method for you
and try to do it on every hand.
WHAT IF YOUR WINNERS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE THE CONTRACT?
It is quite rare to have enough sure winners to guarantee your
contract at the beginning of most hands. However, knowing how
many more tricks you need to develop will help you plan the play.
There will usually be choices of play where you can take the best
combined percentage line to find those missing tricks
HAND ONE
S AQx
H xx
D xxxx
C Axxx
S KJTxxxx
H AKJx
D A
C x
1S 2D 3D p
4NT p 5S p
7S
Diamond lead
Plan the play
A grand slam is one of the easiest contracts to play because you
have one and only one objective which is to obtain a plus score.
So what is the safest line of play?
Whenever you are playing a grand, never play to the lead until
you have counted your winners and formulated a line of play.
The last thing you want to do is to make a careless play and
quickly go down in a cold contract. There is no need to count
losers because there will be none.
7 spades, 2 hearts, 1 diamond and 1 club only totals 11 tricks.
We need 2 more tricks but where do we get them? It has to be done
in hearts. But how?
You have several options so your job is to pick the best
percentage line.
We could try a heart finesse and ruff the 4th heart which
practically guarantees the contract 50% of the time. (The heart
finesse wins)
If we could ruff 2 hearts in the dummy we can avoid that finesse.
Now which way is superior? The 2nd one is way above 50% as we are
virtually cold if hearts break reasonably. Of course you should
play one round of trump before leading hearts, just in case
someone has a stiff heart as well as a stiff trump. This is
highly unlikely but it costs nothing to play that trump.
If you didn't take a few minutes to plan the play at trick one
you might have carelessly drawn two rounds of trumps. Now you
have to take the unnecessary heart finesse.
HAND TWO
S Qxx
H Q1098
D Qx
C xxxx
S AKx
H xx
D AKxx
C AKxx
Contract 3NT
Let's count our sure winners -- 3 spades, 3 diamonds and 2 clubs
which only totals 8. There are only 8 tricks, so how do you
intend to get that crucial 9th trick?
Leading a club, intending on establishing the suit, works a
majority of the time but you have a much better play. You
actually have a 100% line so claim.
Check out the heart suit, noting the rather large spot cards. You
will be able to establish one heart trick no matter where any of
the honor cards are or any possible distributions. This is a play
anyone should make but many declarers would quickly play a club
costing the contract on a fair number of hands. The hard thing is
seeing it, not doing it. This is not a tough play but it is
usually made only in the post mortem.
HAND THREE
S xx
H Kxx
D xxxxx
C Axx
S Qxx
H AQJxxx
D Ax
C Kx
CONTRACT 4H
3 Of clubs lead
Your plan?
Did you count your winners before playing at trick one? How about
your losers?
The winners are 6 hearts, 1 diamond and 2 clubs -- only 9 so we
need to build another winner.
How about setting up your diamonds, but what do you need for this
to succeed? You will only be able to ruff one diamond due to lack
of dummy entries. There are only two entries, one being used to
ruff a diamond and the other one to get to dummy to cash the good
diamonds. What do we need for this line to be successful? We
start with a 3-3 break in one suit as well as no 4-0 trump break.
The contract starts out at 33% and goes downhill from there.
Let's see if there is better line. How about ruffing a spade in
the dummy which works most of the time? (Barring horrendous
breaks) This is a much superior line of play. But now we need to
plan the play of the cards (timing) to maximize our chances. It
is tempting to instinctively play a low club from dummy. We may
be wishing for that hand entry later so just take the first
trick in the dummy and lead a spade. You can not afford even
one round of trumps because if the trump suit splits 3-1 the
person with the long trump is a tempo ahead of you and will
be able to win both spade tricks and pursue with trumps.
HAND FOUR
S J10xx
H Kx
D Kxxx
C Axx
S AKxxx
H Ax
D AQ10
C KJx
You arrive in 6S and receive a heart lead. You can claim at trick
one no matter where any of the outstanding honors are placed.
How?
What a great contract we are in.
As long as trumps break 3-1 or 2-2 you have a claim. Win the
heart ace and lay down a high spade. If both opponents follow,
cross to the heart king, eliminating hearts, and play the spade
jack. If RHO follows low, play low, which wins anytime RHO has
Qxx and if it loses to the Qx heart he is endplayed in 3 suits --
a heart lead gives you a ruff-sluff while either minor gives you
a free finesse. Of course, if he doesn't have the Q, life is good
too, and the club finesse or a 3-3 diamond split makes 7.
HAND FIVE
S AKx
H xx
D KQxxx
C Jxx
S Qxxxx
H x
D xx
C KQ10xx
You are only in 4S and the defense starts with 2 rounds of
hearts. You ruff the 2nd heart and how do we proceed from here?
We have 3 top losers but how many winners do we have? If trumps
aren't splitting we are down so let's assume a 3-2 break. Now how
many winners do we have? There are 5 spades, 4 clubs which means
one diamond trick will be enough to make our contract. The
problem is the defense has already tapped the long hand once and
we have to knock out two aces. We have to draw trumps before the
club suit can be enjoyed but the only way to avoid the 2nd tap is
to knock out one of the aces before trumps are drawn. Play a
diamond to the king, and if it holds, draw three rounds of trumps
and play on clubs. If they win the diamond ace, they can't force
with another heart since that would produce a ruff and a sluff.
HAND SIX
S Axxx
H AKxxx
D 10x
C xx
S ---
H xx
D AKQJ9X
C AKxxx
This time you are declarer in 6D and receive the K of spades
lead. This contract is almost a claimer if you make the right
play -- which is what? Hint: how many winners do you have?
It seems that there are 11 tricks in aces and kings with the 12th
one coming from ruffing a club with the 10 of diamonds. (1 spade,
2 hearts, 6 diamonds, 2 clubs and a club ruff with the diamond
10.) As long as one of your top tricks doesn't get ruffed you
will make the contract -- so what can you do to avoid that fatal
ruff? Playing one top club and just ducking a club may cost you
an overtrick on a few hands but at least the contract is
guaranteed.
********************
Wishtrik (Lynn Deas) presides at our Thursday evening
Fireside sessions, starting at 5:30 pm OKbridge time.
For lesson information contact Lynn at: lynn@lynndeas.com
=================================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Luc for this one:
Good for the mind
The answers are below, but don't cheat.
01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the
sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, "Who was that
masked man?" Invariably, someone would answer, "I don't
know, but he left this behind." What did he leave behind?
_______________________
02. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all
watched them on the ______________________show.
03. Get your kicks, _______________
04. The story you are about to see is true. The names have been
changed ___________
05. In the jungle, the mighty jungle,_________________________
06. After the twist, the mashed potatoe, and the watusi, we
"danced" under a stick that was lowered as low as we could
go in a dance called the_________________________
07. N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestle's makes the very best _______________
08. Satchmo was America's "ambassador of goodwill." Our parents
shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name
was____________
09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking?__________________
10. Red Skelton's hobo character was ________________________,
and he always ended his television show by saying, "Good
night, and______________."
11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam war did so by
burning their________________
12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk
in the front was called the VW. What other names did it
go by? ____________________&_____________________
13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, "the day the
music died." This was a tribute to ___________________
14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The
Russians did it; it was called ______________
15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large
plastic ring that we twirled around our waist; it was called
the __________
==========================================================================
==
Answers:
01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02. The Ed Sullivan show.
03. Route 66
04. To protect the innocent.
05. The Lion sleeps tonight.
06. The limbo
07. chocolate.
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch.
10. Freddy the freeloader, and "Good night, and may God Bless."
11. Draft cards (the bra was also burned)
12. Beetle or Bug
13. Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hula-hoop
=================================================================
HAND OF THE MONTH
=================
This month we are pleased to present our 'Hand of the Month'
feature, with a big "thank you" to Gail Wix for formatting it
for us.
Taken from The 2005 Daily Bridge Calendar. For more information
call 1-888-453-1976, or email: calendar@interlog.com.
********************
"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is
suggestive, but what they conceal is vital"
--Aaron Levenstein
Vul: Both North
Dlr: S S 75
H AQ6
D K63
C AJ963
South
S AK3
H K52
D QJ74
C Q74
West North East South
1S
P 2C* P 2NT
P 3NT All pass
*Two-Over One game forcing
Opening Lead S6
West leads a low spade and East plays the SJ. South
wins the SA and must try to bring in nine tricks. This
can be accomplished readily if clubs are dividing no
worse than 4-1. How should South proceed?
****************************************
S 75
H AQ6
D K63
C AJ963
S QT862 S J94
H 943 H JT87
D AT95 D 82
C 2 C KT85
S AK3
H K52
D QJ74
C Q74
Contract: 3NT Lead: S6
********************
My statistician advises that more than 80% of the bridge
population will mishandle today's club suit. Having been
forewarned, you can decide if you are in the top 20%.
South takes his SA and the hand looks easy. He leads a low
club to dummy and when West follows low, which club should
he play?
Most would play the CJ, making the game when ever clubs are 3-2
regardless of where the CK and DA might lie. In today's lay-
out, East wins the CK and continues spades to knock out South's
king, and the game fails when clubs break badly and West has
the DA.
What is a better way to play the clubs? A safety play is
available. South should refuse the club finesse, winning the
first club with dummy's CA instead. Next, he leads low to his
CQ, and East must duck to deny South four club winners. When
West discards, South switches to diamonds to guarantee two
more minor suit winners, and the game is ensured.
The correct play in clubs also wins when West has CKTxx. If
West takes South's CQ with his CK, South has a marked finesse
against the CT, once again ensuring nine winners.
==================
Quiz Answer: 2C. Without a known fit, this is just an above
average opening. Go slowly until you know more about partner's
hand.
********************
Hand and analysis by Bobby Wolff, 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 Benson for this giggle:
Dear Dog/Cat: The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain
your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please
note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does
not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I
find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't
help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very
sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the
couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up
in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep
perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent
possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having
tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing
but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom.
If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door
shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the
knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door
open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have
been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance
is not mandatory.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's
butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message
on our front door:
Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our
Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the
furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted
son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and
doesn't speak clearly. Dogs and cats are better than kids.
They eat less, don't ask for money all the time, are easier
to train, usually come when called, never drive your car,
don't hang out with drug-using friends, don't smoke or drink,
don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions, don't
wear your clothes, and don't need a gazillion dollars for
college -- and if they get pregnant, you can sell the
children.
===========================================================
BRUSH UP YOUR BRIDGE
====================
By Marcia West @ Fifth Chair Foundation
*******************
MODERN OPENING - NO TRUMP BIDDING
OPENING NOTRUMP BIDS PROMISE A BALANCED HAND, VIRTUALLY ALWAYS, a
hand that has no singletons or voids.
OPENING 1NT = 15 - 17 High Card Points
WITH 18-19 HCP open 1 of a minor, and jump to 2NT.
OPENING 2NT = 20-21 HCP
WITH 22 - 24 HCP - Open the STRONG 2C, artificial and forcing and
then rebid 2NT over partner's response. The NEGATIVE response to
the STRONG 2C bid is 2D. The POSITIVE response is given, bidding
2H, 2S, 3C or 3D. These bids show a 5 card suit, HEADED BY AT
LEAST 2 OF THE TOP 3 HONORS.
WITH 25 and more HCP, open the STRONG 2C, and then rebid 3NT.
OPENING 3NT - This bid is now used for a gambling 3NT, which
shows a 7 OR MORE MINOR suit, headed by at least AKJ. This
hand has NO outside high card points, as with other high card
points you open 1 in your long suit.
Bidding rules: Open NT on any hand that is balanced, 4-4-3-2 OR
4-3-3-3 that contains any of the point count listed above. If
the hand contains different counts, open either a major or minor
suit at the appropriate level. With a hand that is 3-3-2-5, or
3-3-5-2, we also open 1NT, if the 5 card suit is either Diamonds
or Clubs.
Quiz:
What is the correct NO TRUMP opening bid on each of these hands,
or the correct bid, if the hand is unsuitable for No Trump.
1. AQxx 2. xxx 3. Axx
Kxxx KQx KQJxx
Ax AQxx KQx
KJx KQJ AX
4. AQxx 5. AKx 6. Axx
KQx QJx KQJx
x KQJxx AKJx
KQxxx Ax AK
7. x 8. AQx 9. AKQx
xx KJxx QJx
AKJxxxx J10x KQJ
xxx AQJ Axx
10. AQJx 11. Ax 12. XXX
KQJ KJ10x XXX
AQJ KQxx AKQJ
AKQ Axx AKX
********************
Answers to Opening NT
1 1NT, 17 hcp
2 1NT, 17 hcp
3 1NT, 16 hcp
4 Cannot open No Trump, since a singleton - open this
one 1C
5 2NT, 20 hcp
6 2C, to be followed by 3NT, showing 25 and more count
7 Open 3 Diamonds with a 7 card suit, or gambling 3NT
with an 8 card suit.
8 1C, followed by a jump rebid in No Trump, as it's too
strong for a No Trump opener
9 2C, followed by 2NT, 22 hcp
10 2C, followed by 3NT
11 1NT, 17 hcp
12 1NT - even tho no high cards in the majors, you must
open this 1NT, in order to let your partner know your
count.
********************
Written by Marcia West, of Fifth Chair Foundation -
www.fifthchair.org
The Fifth Chair Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation,
run by volunteers. They do not charge for their information,
however it does cost to produce their work, so donations are
very welcome. Please send your check or money order to:
Fifth Chair Foundation
3055 80th Ave SE Su 102
Mercer Island, WA 98040-2954
USA
============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Pringle for these:
Kids' Wise Words
1. Never trust a dog to watch your food.
- Patrick, age 10
2. When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don't
answer him.
- Michael, 14
3. Never tell your mom her diet's not working.
- Michael, 14
4. Stay away from prunes.
- Randy, 9
5. Never pee on an electric fence.
- Robert, 13
6. Don't squat with your spurs on.
- Noronha, 13
7. Don't pull dad's finger when he tells you to.
- Emily, 10
8. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your
hair.
- Taylia, 11
9. Never allow your three-year old brother in the same room
as your school assignment.
- Traci, 14
10. Don't sneeze in front of mom when you're eating crackers.
- Mitchell, 12
11. Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac.
- Andrew, 9
12. Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.
- Kyoyo, 9
13. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
- Armir, 9
14. Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
- Kellie, 11
15. If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.
- Naomi, 15
16. Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.
- Lauren, 9
17. Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.
- Joel, 10
18. When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when
she's on the phone.
- Alyesha, 13
19. Never try to baptize a cat.
- Eileen, 8
===========================================================
BRIDGE FOR THE CLUB PLAYER
==========================
Are you trying for long shots?
A few years back, Nike had a series of commercials featuring NBA
icons Larry Bird and Michael Jordan playing "H-O-R-S-E", a
playground basketball game where players challenge each other to
duplicate shots, sometimes tricky ones. The commercials, of
course, featured over-the-top shots such as "through the window,
off the scoreboard, hitting the top of the backboard,
nothing-but-net."
These commercials come to mind sometimes when I am at the bridge
table. Vulnerable, a player will bid four clubs over their
opponents' three heart bid. After their bad result, they will
usually excuse/defend/apologize for their bid:
"I thought maybe they could make three hearts".
"If I was down only one, that would be OK."
"I had no defense against three hearts"
"If only the (blank) of (blank) was in the other hand...."
"I'm sorry I went for 200, but they can make three hearts"
(SO???)
I want to emphatically point out that the bidder was not only
hoping that three hearts would make, they were actually trying
for one of those very difficult shots. They may state what there
hopes and possibilities were, but they almost ALWAYS understate
what they were actually hoping for. Perhaps they truly did not
realize it, or think it all the way through. That's what I am
for -- grin. What they were ACTUALLY hoping was this:
I think they can make three hearts ("through the window")
--- AND ---
I think four clubs will be down exactly one ("off the
scoreboard")
--- AND ---
I do not push them to a making four hearts ("off the top of the
backboard")
--- AND ---
They will not double me ("nothing but net")
******************
No question that sometimes it is right to outbid the opponents
three-level bid. But make sure you know what you are truly trying
to accomplish. (ESPECIALLY when vulnerable!). As for me, I'll
wait for the lay-up.
Happy Bridging!
Jack Brawner
(Trojanowl@aol.com)
********************
Jack welcomes students of all levels for lessons.
Contact him for information at trojanowl@aol.com
=================================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Some interesting items from Moogal:
Alaska
More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in
Alaska.
Amazon
* The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen
supply.
* The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean
that, more than one hundred miles at sea, off the mouth of the
river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean.
* The volume of water in the Amazon River is greater than the
next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times
the flow of all rivers in the United States.
Antarctica
* Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by
any country.
* Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica. This ice
also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the
world.
* As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a
desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two
inches.
* Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.),
Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute
humidity lower than the Gobi desert.
Canada
* Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
* Canada is an Indian word meaning " Big Village."
Chicago
Next to Warsaw, Chicago has the largest Polish population in the
world.
Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1,
named so because it was the first paved road anywhere.
Damascus, Syria
Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years
before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest
continuously inhabited city in existence.
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey is the only city in the world located on two
continents.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles's full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina
de los Angeles de Porciuncula --and can be abbreviated to 3.63%
of its size: L.A.
New York City
* The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians
of the 1930s who used the slang -expression "apple" for any town
or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big
time - The Big Apple.
* There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland;
more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more
Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel .
North America - Africa
Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28. Percentage of North
America that is wilderness: 38.
Ohio
There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio , every one is
manmade.
Rome
* The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was
Rome , Italy in 133 B.C.
* There is a city called Rome on every continent.
Siberia
Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.
Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert , there is a town named Tidikelt, which did
not receive a drop of rain for ten years.
Roads
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A.: 1%, in Canada: 75%.
Texas
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas. It is as
deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.
United States
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one-mile in every
five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as
airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
Waterfalls
The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops
3,212 feet (979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara
Falls.
================================================================
MOOGAL'S FIRESIDE LOG
=====================
OKB Tourneys
============
Well done to all our Fireside friends who excelled in
the tourneys this past month!!
Mini Winners
============
Wed Feb 1 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 riggin/wr 51.38
Thu Feb 9 04:00 PM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 lucinha/wheels 1.90
Thu Feb 9 04:00 PM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 albertb/frank-1 57.49
Mon Feb 13 05:30 PM
Rank Team Score
1 bdugood/judydee 63.02
2 macx2/ravij 61.98
Tue Feb 14 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 ask1/narad 59.39
Tue Feb 14 11:00 AM
Rank Team Score
1 ask1/narad 71.39
Fri Feb 17 07:00 PM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 peter-1/sam143 2.20
Tue Feb 21 05:30 PM
Rank Team Score
1 andyh/mistyc 3.78
Sun Feb 26 11:00 AM Combo
Rank Team Score
1 fredw3/gasser 2.61
Sun Feb 26 12:30 PM
Rank Team Score
1 fredw3/gasser 3.62
********************
Some of our Flight B and C tourney stars:
albertb, analisa, arrow, ask1, birdie, desiree, ed4, elgringo,
frank-1, gmeier, hawes, julie, kitkat, lee-1, macavity, one236,
potts, riggin, sannick, todd
********************
And we wanted to include these games, which we think
deserve "honorable mention"!
Wed Feb 1 11:00 AM
2 jhbdel/Kaltica 60.00
Mon Feb 6 05:30 PM
2 Pringle/unicorn 2.84
Fri Feb 10 11:00 AM
2 jhbdel/Kaltica 59.92
Mon Feb 13 11:00 AM
5 lee-1/riggin 2.19
Mon Feb 20 05:30 PM
2 conroy/toddy 63.89
Sat Feb 25 12:30 PM
2 Leif/skillick 61.25
********************
"Well Done" to all of you! :)
************************************************************
FIRESIDE'S TEAM GAME
Our February winners are:
02-19-2006 Team GAUS271 Gaus271, Judydee, Bdugood & Birdie
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!
**********************************************************
I am tickled to the bottom of my toes about this news from
the Fifth Chair organization:
The Gold Star Award is given yearly to a Fifth Chair Volunteer
who has distinguished themselves in service to the Foundation
and the game of bridge.
The Fifth Chair Foundation proudly awards its 2006 Gold Star
Award to Colin Ward (KALTICA). He has been a moderator for the
SAYC Saturday morning team game for many years now. Each
Saturday, at 8 am pacific, finds him observing a table,
teaching the students both the correct bidding, and the
correct play of the hand after each is finished. We
appreciate all he has done, and continues to do in the
training of good bridge players.
Congratulations, Colin, this is well deserved.
Marcia West, President
Fifth Chair Foundation - www.fifthchair.org
We here at Fireside know that this is only a small portion of
the time and energy he gives to us students and that there is
no one more deserving of this award, or any award for service
to the novice/intermediate community on OKBridge. My only
question is how he manages to commentate Saturday at 8AM when
I *know* he is doing it while still asleep.:)
We're proud of you, Colin!
**********************************************************
A well done to our friends who competed in the recent
Canadian National Teams. Bill (WINTAKA) made it all the
way to semis, finishing 3/4. Marlene (NANTICA), one of
my Riko teammies, finished just out of the round robin
stage, finishing 4th in the women's event. And Dann
(POOKA) also made us proud in the open teams.
Congrats to all of you!
**********************************************************
Two nice pieces of news from Deb (FPDOC)......you
decide which is more important.:)
Deb and Richard are getting married on Friday....she
is trying to stay calm as she juggles the wedding with
real estate transactions in preparation for the move
after the wedding, but she is happy and looking forward
to married life! Best wishes and wedding bells from all
of us here at Fireside!
The second piece of news is that she is a new life
master! She went over 300 at the recent Nashville
regional, and was particularly happy to have D'Loye
and Dann there with her at the big moment. There
was a lovely party for her later when she got home,
with almost all her partners in attendance....good
bridge, friends, and lots of food and celebration
cakes. Congrats to the new LM!
******************************************************
I am saddened to have to tell you that JOY's husband
Ken passed away this month. He fought long and hard
but was unable to overcome the latest of infections.
He passed away very peacefully in the arms of Joy and
their daughters.
He was loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew
him, including his two children, five grandchildren,
and especially by Joy.
Joy draws comfort from the fact he is no longer in pain
and is in the arms of angels.
We send our heartfelt sympathy to Joy and to her whole
family.
**********************************************************
Fireside also sends it sympathy to Rose (JINNY), whose
husband passed away recently after a long battle with
heart problems. Rose was one of Colin's earliest
students, and we hope it comforts her to know we
think of her at this time.
**********************************************************
Fireside's favorite allergist, Eric (ETSAND), was quoted in
his local paper. Look at
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3633100.html
to see why we are all sneezing this month.
On a sad note, one of Eric's OKB partners, Leo Bernstein
(LIOWKA) passed away last month. They began playing
online as Leo is one of his father's friends, and Eric
met him in person for the first time just a month before
he died, when Eric visited his parents. One interesting
facet of Leo's life was that he was a translator at the
Nuremburg Trials. We send our condolences to his family
and friends.
Eric also reports that his parents, who recently took up
duplicate bridge, nervously traveled to their first
sectional and won a few silver points! What a nice way to
start their tournament career. Congrats to the Sandbergs!
**********************************************************
United State Wins Swiss by Richard Pavlicek
Swiss team events have been around for over 38 years, at least
in the United States. Can you remember your first? I can, but
that may have no bearing on this new bidding poll. Choose your
call on these six problems from a past tournament. Perhaps you
can even guess the venue from my clues. Try it! It's fun.
http://www.rpbridge.net/8w73.htm
Results of the February contest "The First Bridge Biathlon" will
be posted March 4, 2006 at 21:00 GMT. For these, and everything
related to the monthly events, go to:
http://www.rpbridge.net/rppc.htm
**********************************************************
Send me your news...I can't write a column without it!
Hugs, Janice
**********************************************************
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
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 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 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.
*****************************************************
March Events: (All times Pacific)
=================================
FIRESIDE MENTOR CUP TEAM GAME:
==============================
Sunday, 5:00 P.M. March 12 and 26.
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.
DISCUSS LIST
============
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.
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, 11:00 a.m.
Pacific. Novices are welcome in spectator mode.
Look for the words FIFTH CHAIR beside the server's name, in the
table notes, to attend either of these sessions
You can also go to the Fifth Chair Foundation webpage:
www.fifthchair.org if you have any bidding questions. After
clicking on the webpage, find the Ask Anything section. Write an
email to Lucy, and she will be most happy to answer your
questions.
********************
Moogal (Janice Kofman) stays busy collecting all sorts
of news about our FireSide family members to share with us.
Please help her out by emailing her any news or stories you
are willing to share with the group.
Janice's email address is moocake@bellsouth.net
=====================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind
him. The waitress asks for their orders. The man says, "A
hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's
yours?" "I'll have the same," says the ostrich.
A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That
will be $9.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and
pulls out the exact change for payment.
The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man
says, "A hamburger, fries, and a coke." The ostrich says, "I'll
have the same." Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays
with exact change. This becomes routine until, the two enter
again.
"The usual?" asks the waitress. "No, this is Friday night, so I
will have a steak, baked potato, and salad," says the man.
"Same," says the ostrich.
Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be
$32.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his
pocket and places it on the table. The waitress can't hold back
her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to
always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every
time?"
"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic
and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it a Genie appeared and
offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to
pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the
right amount of money would always be there."
"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would wish
for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich
as you want for as long as you live!"
"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce,
the exact money is always there," says the man.
The waitress asks, "But, sir, what's with the ostrich?"
The man sighs, pauses, and answers, "My second wish was for a
tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with
everything I say."
============================================================
BridgeHands eMag Newsletter
Reprinted with permission from Michael Nistler, editor
and owner of BridgeHands eMag Newsletter. Visit his site,
and subscribe to this excellent publication, by going to
http://www.bridgehands.com.
********************
Just for Fun, Part 1: Amnesia Double - For the hopelessly
forgetful...
On the lighter side of lead directing doubles, what does this one
mean?
(1C) - P - (1S) - P;
(2S) - P - (4N) - P;
(5C) - P - (5D) - X!;
(6S) - AP
Oops! The double over opponents' 5D cuebid was intended as lead
directing, but since the Right Hand Opponent is declarer, the
doubler is on lead!
You've got it - this is our (in)famous "Amnesia Double". If you
make this slip-up, tell partner you've been forgetful lately and
the double seems to help you remember what to lead... Seriously
though, avoid this feel-good impulse since you've just marked
honors in your hand - make them earn that slam without easily
finessing you (unless you are "Machiavellian", psyching declarer
into mistakenly thinking you hold the honors not really in your
hand).
==============================================================
GIGGLE BREAK
Thanks to Pooka for this giggle:
A young couple got married and went on their honeymoon. When they
got back, the bride immediately called her mother. "Well," said
her mother, "So how was the honeymoon?"
"Oh, mama," she replied, "The honeymoon was wonderful! So
romantic..." Suddenly she burst out crying. "But, mama, as soon
as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible language --
things I'd never heard before! I mean, all these awful
four-letter words! You've got to take me home..., Please, MAMA!"
Terri, Terri," her mother said, "calm down! You need to stay with
your husband and work this out. Now, tell me, what could be so
awful? WHAT four-letter words?"
"Please don't make me tell you, mama," wept the daughter, "I'm so
embarrassed, they're just too awful! COME GET ME, PLEASE!!"
"Darling, baby, you must tell me what has you so upset. Tell your
mother these horrible four-letter words!"
Still sobbing, the bride said, "Oh, Mama..., he used words like:
dust, wash, iron, cook..."
"I'll pick you up in twenty minutes," said the mother.
===============================================================
TREBLE'S TABLE TALK
===================
Pushy, Pushy
The prevailing trend in the world of bridge is towards more
aggressive bidding, especially in competition. That is all well
and good, and I have to admit that I have let the reins out
myself and taken some optimistic actions at the table. However,
there should be a tangible objective behind all the rowdiness,
and your actions should leave your side in a gain rather than a
loss position if the opponents venture on in the bidding.
In the recent Canadian National Teams Championships, there were
several hands that illustrated this point. One of the issues on
which I don't compromise in the slightest is that of limit
raises, either in unobstructed auctions or in competition. The
only results I've ever seen when a player fudges on limit raise
values are bad ones. Hopeless games are reached when opener
invariably goes forward on his unbalanced 13- or 14-count, only
to find a "juicy" 9 or 10 points in dummy that partner rosily
upgraded to a limit raise.
There is another way to reap a lousy result, as we take a look
at:
North:
S J109863
H AKQ
D J7
C 84
South:
S KQx
H J842
D K8642
C 3
Vul against not, the auction went:
South West North East
pass pass 1S dbl
2NT* 5C dbl pass
pass pass
* = limit raise in spades
With the Ace of diamonds sitting in the West hand, 5C was
unbeatable and NS went -750, a disappointment to their teammates
who had also reached the aggressive 5C at the other table. In the
post-mortem, North's double was questioned at first, but he
expected to cash two hearts for sure and partner had shown a
limit raise. The South hand is a very good constructive raise,
but nothing more, especially opposite a third seat opener. The
partnership actually played 2H as a transfer into spades showing
a 8-9 point single raise. The beauty of that treatment in this
case is that South can show the constructive raise and then take
further action if he decides the hand is worth it. At any rate,
if North gets a single raise from partner, he would be far less
inclined to double the final contract, which now rates to be a
one-trick set at best.
In the quarterfinals we played a Quebec team that were
indomitable competitors but also exuded class, friendliness and
sportsmanship. In the first segment of the match, another hand
came up that stresses the need for a clear objective in taking
competitive action.
Vul against not, I held:
S A7543
H A93
D Q4
C 753
My RHO opened 1C, and I decided to pass rather than overcall 1S
for these reasons:
I'm not desperate for a spade lead, possessing an honour in each
of the red suits.
Our partnership is fairly stringent on the quality of our
vulnerable overcalls.
I have the "death holding", three small in opener's suit.
The bidding continued thusly:
North East(me) South West
1C pass 1H 1S
dbl* 2H pass 2S
3C 3S pass pass
pass
* = three-card heart support
Partner held:
S KQ9xx
H Qxx
D Kxx
C Jx
3S made, just barely, when the K of hearts was onside. At the
other table, my hand overcalled 1S, briskly raised to game by
West with his five-card support and 11 HCP. I had a kibitzer
that walked away in disgust when I failed to bid, but I was the
one recording a 6-IMP gain when the score comparison was done.
Shift East's diamond value over to either major suit and a 1S
overcall now becomes a shade more tempting.
Next, from the same quarterfinal, we had a hand that shows the
importance of following through on an offbeat action to reap the
gain you were hoping for.
East holds, both sides vul:
S x
H 10xxx
D 109xx
C Aqxx
This auction heated up quickly:
South West North East
1C 1H 1S 3NT*
pass 4C 4D dbl
4S dbl pass pass
pass
* = pre-emptive five-card raise with one defensive trick
outside the heart suit.
Not one of East's teammates believed his claim that he'd
missorted his hand. In fact, he knew the opponents had at least
an eight-card fit in spades and wanted to get to 4H in a hurry
and show his defensive trick to give the opponents as much of a
headache as possible. The key juncture of the auction was after
North bid 4D. Overcaller's 4C cuebid had all the earmarks of a
void in clubs, and if advancer lazily passes, West intended to
bid on to 5H, which is at least -500. By sending out a warning
flag with the double, implying wasted values in clubs, we can
steer partner onto the right track of sitting the eventual 4S
contract that is destined to fail by one or two tricks. This was
an example of being pushy with the 3NT and then recognizing the
need to alert partner that we should be defending rather than
declaring when he bids the ominous 4C.
The final hand of the month is a neat little example of taking
the scenic route and resisting the urge to blast.
As North, we pick up:
S Axx
H Axxxx
D Kxx
C Kx
There were two auctions that started out similarly but branched
out at responder's second turn:
Table 1 Table 2
South North South North
1H 2NT* 1H 2NT*
3S* 4NT 3S 3NT*
5S 6H 4C 4D
4H pass
Opener had:
S-- x
H-- KQxxxx
D-- Qxxx
C-- AJ
Slam is not good, requiring a doubleton Ace of diamonds in one of
the defenders' hands and an astute guess by declarer. There were
no miracles, so 11 tricks was the limit of the hand.
At Table 1, responder keycarded upon finding about opener's
singleton spade. At the other table, North rebid 3NT, which is
"rolling", with some interest in bigger things but no minor suit
ace to cuebid. Opener showed the Ace of clubs and responder
co-operated with 4D, to show second-round control. At this
point, opener can't really move on without the 10 or Jack of
diamonds, and reluctantly brings the auction to a halt in 4H.
Again, the pushy course led to an unsavory result for the NS pair
at one table, whereas the delicate probe enabled the other team
to stay out of the losing slam.
That's about it for this month, we'll have another set of hands
from Bridge Week next month to entice you with.
********************
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 Bezel for these:
I have a feeling you will smile at a few of these.Will Rogers,
who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably
the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy
the following:
1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.
2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither
works.
4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
5. Always drink upstream from the herd.
6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put
it back in your pocket.
8. There are three kinds of men:The ones that learn by
reading.The few who learn by observation.The rest of
them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for
themselves.
9. Good judgment comes from experience,and a lot of that comes
from bad judgment.
10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every
now and then to make sure it's still there.
11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n
puttin' it back.
12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good
he started roaring.He kept it up until a hunter came along
and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep
your mouth shut.
===================================================
AND FINALLY KALTICA
===================
Opening Bids
What constitutes an opening 1-of-a-suit bid as opposed
to a Pass or a pre-empt?
Some old-fashioned types go by a Quick Trick count: two
and a half such tricks would constitute an opening.
Others use the Loser Trick count: assuming LHO is always
on lead how many "Culbertson" losers will the hand hold? If
seven or less, we open. Responder counts his or her own losers
and subtracts the partnership's total from 24 to arrive at the
number of tricks the pair can make in their fit. For example,
two openers would have 7 losers; 7 + 7 = 14. 24 - 14 = 10.
Thus, the pair would force game.
The most common method used is the Work Point Count. We
add our High Card Points to our Distributional Points to arrive
at our total. The problem is that Distributional Points are
calculated in one of two ways:
1. Long Suit Points
- add one point for every card above 4 in any suit.
2. Short Suit Points
- add 3 for a void, 2 for a singleton, 1 for a doubleton.
When do we use Short Suit Points and when do we use Long
Suit Points? In general, if we have "major suit length" (however
we define this) Opener should expect to play in a SUIT contract
much more often than No Trump. In such a contract shortness
will be assets. Thus, with major suit length we count SHORT
Suit Points. Without major suit length, though, we will often
be headed for NO TRUMP, where shortness are a LIABILITY and
only LENGTHS an asset. Thus, without major suit length we count
LONG Suit Points.
SAYC cites 13 points as a minimum for opening with a bid of
1-of-a-suit. Many novices seem to think that if a 1-suited hand
is not quite strong enough to open at the one level is must be a
candidate for a pre-empt. Not so! Consider this quote from the
SAYC notes:
"Weak two-bids show a six-card suit of reasonable quality and
5-11 HCP."
Leaving aside the suit quality requirement, there might be
a gap or overlap here. If we have a 6-card suit we have at least
two Distributional points. 11 HCPs + 2 DPs = 13! This makes no
sense!
If we read the "HCP" reference as meaning "points" there is
a gap for 12-point hands. Note, too, that 5-11 is the METARANGE.
If we are not vulnerable versus vulnerable opponents the real
range might be 5-8 points, creating a gap of four points (i.e.
9 to 12) between our pre-empts and our 1-level opening bids.
So what do we do if we have a hand too strong to pre-empt
and yet not strong enough to open at the one level? Open light?
Pre-empt heavy? Neither! We PASS!
Are there other reasons to avoid pre-empting when we have
a long suit? Yes. Tend NOT to pre-empt in first or second seat
when you have:
1. A 4-card major.
- it will be very tough to find a 4-4 fit after any
pre-empt.
2. 2+ likely defensive tricks.
- Partner may make phantom sacrifices, expecting less from
you.
3. A void.
- If this is their suit it will break badly; you may be
pre-empting them OUT of a disaster!
For more on the subject of Opening Bids check out Rainbow
Lesson #1 at: http://www.firesides.net/rainbows.htm
**********************
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 Bezel for these too :)
ABOUT GROWING OLDER...
First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying
about your age and start bragging about it.
Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in
line for.
Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I
want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long
way and some of the roads weren't paved.
Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to
youth, think of Algebra.
Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries
up or leaks.
Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to
the top.
Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is
that it is such a nice change from being young.
Eighth ~ You don't have to wait until the end of the day to know
how splendid the day has been.
Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.
Tenth ~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks,
it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.
And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't
have anything to laugh at when you are old.
=============================================================
Fireside Chat Issues
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Oct., 2001
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Sept., 2002
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Dec., 2002
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August, 2003
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Sept., 2003
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Dec., 2003
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January, 2004
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February, 2004
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Dec., 2004
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January, 2005
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February, 2005
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March, 2005
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April, 2005
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May, 2005
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June, 2005
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July, 2005
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August, 2005
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Sept., 2005
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Oct., 2005
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Nov., 2005
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Dec., 2005
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January, 2006
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February, 2006
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March, 2006
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April, 2006
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May, 2006
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June, 2006
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July, 2006
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August, 2006
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Sept., 2006
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Oct., 2006
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Nov., 2006
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Dec., 2006
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