North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 03/13/2023

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

March 16: 0-299 game at noon. Please sign up in advance as follows:

Email Pat Andrews at pat@andrewsartworks.com
Email the club at northpennbridge@gmail.com
Sign up in the book at the club, specifying that you want to play in the 0-299 game

March 18 Robot Individual. 4 p.m.

March 25 Andrews Appreciation Game. Be sure to come out and celebrate Pat Andrews, who made many contributions to North Penn during her time as president of the board. There will be a potluck lunch at 11:30 followed by an individual tournament at 12:15. This is also a SUPER Club Championship game. Pat has asked that all proceeds go to the club. Please sign up in advance!

ACBL Tournaments. The next Unit 141 Sectional is March 31 thru April 2 at the King of Prussia Bridge Club. Sign ups are required; tables are filling up fast! Click here for flyer.

Grand National Teams. Sign up for Championship and C Flights of the Grand National Teams is still open. See our website for details.

Recognition

Beth Dimler---------------Silver Life Master

Jane Bonenberger--------Sectional Master

Jacqueline Zelle---------..Sectional Master

Education

Shuffle and Deal. Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. and Wednesday mornings from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Everyone welcome!

Joann Glasson’s Bridge Lessons. Click here for details regarding March and April classes

Online Bridge Lessons with Lisa Mita. Click here for details regarding Lisa’s Play of the Hand classes beginning March 27.

Partnership

To add your name to the player list or to request a partner for a game, please send an email to northpennpartner@gmail.com.

Calendar

Click here to see a file you can enlarge.

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

“When the opponents open the bidding at the 3 or 4 level, all suit overcalls are good hands (14+ points) with 5+ cards in the suit bid. We no longer have the room to double and then bid a suit to show a good hand.”

From Princeton Standard Defense

by Joann Glasson

Deal of the Week

by Mitch Snyder

Have You Seen This Before?

When I was a teenager, before I played bridge, I read the newspaper every day. I read the sports page, looked at lots of stats and I read the features section with the comics, word games, crossword puzzle, dear Abby and the bridge column.

I didn’t understand most of what was written by the likes of Charles Goren and Al Sheinwold but I kept reading. I eventually started to understand some of it and even recognized some repeating themes like the one illustrated in the hand below.

The Bidding:

North opened a routine 1C and I jumped to 2D. (The robots play strong jumpshifts). When my partner showed support, I decided to look for slam. It pays to be aggressive in a robot game but this hand is worth it anyway. It also helps if you can take charge of the auction because leaving the robot in charge is a crap shoot.

Enough about the robots.

Now, with first or second round controls in all four suits, Blackwood seemed in order. Even a robot can answer accurately. (I couldn’t resist). Anyway, having all the keycards, I bid 5NT letting my partner in on the good news and asking about kings. The 6D response denied the king of diamonds (specific kings) and ended the auction.

If north had shown the king of clubs, I would’ve bid 6NT. There would be eleven known tricks (2S, 1H, 6D, 2C) and at least a heart finesse to try for the twelfth.

The Play:

Leading away from an unguarded honor against a slam doesn’t usually work out well. West led a diamond. A spade would have been okay too.

I counted eleven tricks and noted that the twelfth trick would have to come from hearts. A simple finesse of the king is 50-50, either opponent could have it. But I saw a better way, an endplay alluded to above. So I set about clearing the black suits to reach this end position with the lead in dummy.

A heart to the 9, or the queen if east plays the 10 or jack, will endplay west. He’ll have to lead into the heart tenace or give up a ruff and sluff.

Contract made.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

This elderly gentleman goes to the Dr. for his annual checkup. The Dr. is impressed that this man is in even better health that he was the year before. Curious, he asks him what he does for mental stimulation. The man answers that he plays duplicate bridge. The doctor, a bridge player, tells him that's great. "And what do you do for physical stimulation?" ''I sit East-West" is the reply.

Bridge humor from

Eddie Kantar