North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 02/19/2024

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

March Schedule:

March 4 to 8 - Club Championships

March 7 - Handicap Swiss Team Game

March 9 - Robot Individual at 4 p.m.

March 13 - Four is Enough

March 22 - 0-500 Swiss Team Game

March 25 to 29 - Club Championships

March 27 - 0-50 Game

Sectional Tournament at Clubs. Congratulations to the following players who played at North Penn and did well in STaC week:

Monday Open Pairs

7: Dave Dresher & Mitch Snyder

14: Tom Salter & David Dodgson

C5: Jack Willgruber & Jeff Rohrbeck

Wednesday Open Pairs

C3: Gail Kirrstetter & Jane Pelullo

Thursday Open Pairs

7: Elaine Clair & Tony Zacchei

9: Bob Muhlhauser & Ed Leach

11: Bruce Schwaidelson & Larry Umphlet

Friday 0-500 Teams

1: Lisa Lamanson, Kristen Fireman, Lori Flynn & Jane Bonenberger

2: Peggy Michaud, Patricia Blackman, Anne Cheney & Josephine Ferguson

3: Gail Kirrstetter, Jane Pelullo, Arlene Lessack & Cheryl Berman

Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs, REVISED. This award is given to players for points earned at clubs over the course of the year. Congratulations to the following members who won their group for Unit 141: Ellen Luchette in the 300-500 group; Everette Harris in the 1500-2500 group; Judy Robbins in the 2500-3500 group; and Elaine Clair in the 5000-7500 group. You can get the full list of everyone in the club who finished in the top 5 on the Member Achievement section of our website.

Partnership

If you need a partner for a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday Open game, please email northpennpartner@gmail.com. We will do our best to match you with others who are looking for someone with whom to play.

Requests for Tuesday and Friday limited games should go directly to Mitch Snyder.

Upcoming Tournaments

February 23 - 25 the Wilmington Sectional.

March 5 - 8 Online Regional

March 13 - 24 NABC in Louisville, KY

March 26 District 4 Online Game

Education

NEW TIME FOR Sunday Shuffle and Deal. 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Joann Glasson’s Classes Return. Joann’s next zoom lesson is Monday February 26 at 10:00 a.m. Click here for details.

Tuesday Evening Classes Resume Starting March 19^th. Be sure to mark your calendars for Linda O’Malley’s continuing Tuesday evening series on forcing bids. Click here for details.

King of Prussia Bridge Club Lessons. For lesson details go directly to the Latest News item on their website: https://www.bridgewebs.com/kop.

Calendar

Click here to see a file you can enlarge.

Ask the Expert

At pairs, you are 2nd seat, red vs white, holding: ♠2 ♥K43 ♦AK98632 ♣A3

The auction goes:

P - 1D - P - 1S

P - 3D - P - 3H

P - ?

What do you bid? Would your bid have been different if it was imps?

Elaine Claire: This is an interesting hand. I’d be reluctant to bid 3nt with the one club and you’ll most likely get a club lead. It sounds as though partner’s hand is distributional. If the diamond suit doesn’t run you could get killed in clubs, especially not knowing if you have an entry. I’m torn between bidding 4D or 4H. Even though I don’t like Moysian fits, I think I would bid 4H. I would hope partner might be able to figure out that I only have three hearts since I didn’t reverse into hearts but jumped in diamonds instead.

John Dickenson: Well for starters, 3H is forcing. It is a cardinal principle of bridge that we don't try to improve the contract at the 3 level. 3N may not make if partner has no help in clubs and diamonds don't run. I will bid 4D and pass 4H if partner rebids hearts. I don't think partner will pass 4D.

Bill Bauer: This bidding problem has only two possible answers -- 4H & 3NT. To me 4H is the clear choice. I expect partner to have five hearts since I did not rebid 2H for which I had the values as evidenced by my 3D jump rebid. Also, I have a ruffing value (in the short trump hand.) And one of my firm beliefs is that if partner offers a choice between two suits, pick one. Now, imagine playing 3NT with partner holding a singleton or, worse yet, a void in diamonds. And, of course, you are going to get a club lead. My logic and choice do not change in IMP's.

Mitch Snyder. I'm bidding 3NT. If partner doesn't have anything in the minors then his majors are pretty darn good and should provide enough tricks to go with my three minor suit tricks. With 5-5 or more in the majors partner can pull.

Dennis O’Brien. After partner's 3H bid we should be in a game-forcing auction. Thus I would bid 4C hoping partner could bid 4H which I would pass. After any other bid (except 4NT) I would bid 5D.

Email your questions, or a pesky hand, or something you’d like to know about bidding or playing to Toysie at toysiewalker@gmail.com. She will forward them to the panel, one will be chosen, and the question and answers will be printed in the following week’s newsletter.

We update our Facebook page regularly so be sure to check it out. It’s a great way to stay in touch with all the happenings at North Penn.

Tidbits

“Tips to Avoid Mistake 16

(Taking the wrong finesse)

One question to ask when considering an early finesse is: ‘What will the residual chances be if the finesse loses?’
On many contracts the choice of finesse will be affected by the damage a defender might do if the first finesse loses.
By finessing into the safe hand, you many have time to take a second finesse (or duck a trick) later.”

From 52 Bridge Mistakes to Avoid

by David Bird

Deal of the Week

by John Dickenson

Ain't life grand - bidding a grand slam with

Exclusion Keycard Blackwood

Exclusion Keycard Blackwood is one of those conventions that comes up once in a blue moon, but when the opportunity does come up to use it, it is invaluable.

Playing online with Mitch Snyder, I held AKQxxx x Axx xxx. I opened a spade, and pesky LHO jumped to 3C. 3H by Mitch and I rebid 3S. Now Mitch jumped to 5C – experienced players recognize this as a special form of Blackwood asking for me to show my keycards NOT INCLUDING the club ace if I hold it. We play 0314 responses to EKB, so I bid 5D to show 0 or 3. Now 5H by Mitch was, of course, the queen ask, to which I responded 6S (have queen, no side king to show) which Mitch raised to 7S.

Here are the hands: