Newsletter - 4 February 2022

 

From the President

 

If you are playing in person at the Club, please remember to  wear your face mask at all times, except if you are eating or drinking, and then replace your mask immediately. Remember mask wearing protects you and others from both catching COVID and spreading it.

Please stay safe and enjoy your bridge both in the Club and on RealBridge.

Margaret

 

 

Promotions January 2022

Congratulations to the following members promoted at the end of January!

                         

                         Promoted to                                                     Promoted from

Heather McLoughlin                                Local                                                                  Club

Sue Pushak                                             Bronze Local                                                      Local

Simon Grant                                            State                                                                  Regional

 

Sessions in the club and on RealBridge are outlined below. NB There may be possible changes from time to time but if any of the advertised sessions below change we will send another email advice.  

Upcoming Sessions

Our weekly sessions

• Monday morning 10.00am at the club
• Monday 10.15 am RealBridge
• Monday 2.00 pm (24 boards) RealBridge
• Monday 7.00 pm RealBridge
• Monday 7.15pm RealBridge event
• Tuesday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
• Wednesday morning 10.00am at the club
• Wednesday morning 10.15am RealBridge
• Wednesday evening supervised at the club 7pm (18 boards following lesson) commencing 2 Feb
• Wednesday evening 7.15pm RealBridge
• Thursday morning 10.00am at the club - Butler and walk in duplicate
• Thursday afternoon 2.00pm (24 boards) RealBridge
• Friday morning supervised 10am at the club (18 boards following lesson) commencing 4 Feb
• Friday afternoon 1.00pm at the club
• Friday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge
• Saturday afternoon 1.15pm RealBridge

Watch the newsletters and website for advice on face-to-face sessions at the club, and RealBridge sessions as these are fluid, depending on COVID developments and demand.  At this stage it is intended that the Monday and Thursday afternoon RealBridge sessions will continue.  

Member table money will be deducted from players CBCPay accounts. Visitors' fees will be paid for by their member-partner, or via prior arrangement by emailing the office.

Cost: face-to-face $10 members/ $13 visitors, concession $9.  RealBridge $8 members and $7 concession (including event).

Links to sessions are on our RealBridge page.

 

 CBC Pay Statements for the month of January were emailed out this week.  Please remember to put your ABF number in the reference field otherwise we will be stumped on where to deposit the funds. 

 

Supervised Sessions happening Wednesday nights and Friday Mornings at the Club

If you know the basics and just want to refresh your bridge knowledge come along on Wednesday nights at 7pm or Friday Mornings at 10am for an 18 board supervised session.  Come individually and we will match you up or come with a partner if you have one. Learn from the pros and develop your confidence with bidding and play.  We are very grateful to Brian Thorp and Bob Cox who are assisting with these sessions.  

 

Master the Basics

Master the Basic lessons are back on Zoom Thursday's at 9.00am sharp!   These are half hour lessons worth a zillion to your knowledge, bidding and cardplay! The topic list is here. Next week's topic is Advancing a Takeout Double.  If you want to register, the cost is $6 for members and $8 for nonmembers. Please email barb2e48@gmail.com if you want to be added to the notification list and get on Zoom.  

 

Competitive Bidding and Play

If you are new to duplicate bridge and find competitive bidding a challenge this 4 week course is a must.  Over 4 weeks we will cover doubles, overcalls, leads and signals.    These sessions start on Tuesday February 15 and finish on Tuesday March 8.   The classes run from 10am to 12 noon. We start with a lesson and then play practice hands.

This course will be run face-to-face in the club rooms.  Cost is $15 per lesson or $55 for all 4 paid in advance. EFT to BSB 032730  Acct 355176.  In the Reference field please put "Compbidplay" and ABF number please

 Upcoming Events

February Pairs RealBridge Mondays 7.15pm

Find a partner and enter the two week competition on 7 & 14 February 2022.  Please enter by 10am 7 February. 

Later in the month the Hugh Hudson Pairs Club Championship will be kicking off.  This  is a Butler Imps scored event to be held over several weeks on either Monday evenings via RealBridge or Tuesday evenings face-to-face.  The decision on which format will be determined in mid February.  

Gold Coast Congress

Quite a few club members are physically competing in the 60th Annual Gold Coast Congress from 18 to 26 February.  They are even welcoming double vaccinated New Zealanders to the event!.  A full program and entry form is here. Earlybird entries close soon.  For those less physically able there is always the other extreme - the Beijing Winter Olympics on the tube.

 

Coping with Weak Two Opening Bids with Joan Butts

• • Remember, number 1 rule, the preempting side is trying to upset YOUR bidding
  • Number 2 rule, DON’T let them. It is generally better to bid than to pass
  • If you bid over the preempt in the direct seat, 2♠ (3♦️) you need at least 14+, but ok to be weaker in balancing seat 2♠ P P 3♦️ (10+)
  • SHAPE is vital in deciding whether you bid or not (ie shortage in their preempt)
  • When their partner raises the preempt, it makes it even harder for your side
  • Doubles are useful when you don’t have an obvious bid, eg 2♠ X 3♠ X would show a hand that wants to compete
  • If you held four hearts you would bid hearts (eg 2♠ X 3♠ 4♥️)
  • It is very difficult to guess correctly every time they preempt against you, so on some hands you will be “fixed”

 

Developing a Suit In No Trumps with Ian Morison

Declarer must develop a plan to play the hand from the outset. Of course, that plan might evolve as play goes on and cards are revealed. Nevertheless, you must have a plan of attack.

As an example, the following hand is instructive on which suit should be set up to make your NT Contract:

                                    A94

                                     J4

                                  Q73

                               109764

Q532                                                      K1076

3                                                              KQ1098

A108542                                                 6

K5                                                           AQ2

 

                                J8

                              A7652

                             KJ9

                            J83

The Contract is 3NT by West, 6C is led by North. Nil Vul.

[You can well argue that a better Contract is 4S, losing just 3 tricks – 2 Spades and HA. That’s easy to see with hindsight. But the counter-argument during bidding is that 1 more trick is needed to make 4S than 3NT, and if 3NT makes the same number of tricks as 4S (say 10 tricks each), then 3NT gives a better score. I think the jury would favour 4S here, and I agree - though if West has better intermediate Spades than 532, this becomes an easier choice.]

Anyway, 3NT is the Contract. Declarer needs to take stock when the lead hits the table.

There are 3 Club tricks, DA and either SK or SQ and either HK or HQ as certain tricks. That’s 6.

So where might 3 more tricks come from?

Having a plan at the outset is imperative. Do not cash your 6 easy winners – anyone can do this. You need to develop winners in prime secondary suits, using the 6 easy winners as transfers between the hands as you develop suits through finesses, or to access the ultimate long suit winners. Also, these serve as blocks to stop the Defenders running their remaining winners if they get in.

So, let’s look at the options for which suit (or suits) to develop:

• There are no more than 3 winners in Clubs, that’s easy. Keep them as entry and blocking cards.

• Diamonds can be rejected straight away – even if they break 3-3 (about 36% chance) there may not be enough entries to enjoy your long Diamonds. [Here with North sitting over SQ, there is no chance of getting in to West 3 times on the lucky 3-3 break]

• What about Spades? Declarer has already counted 1 sure Spade trick, so making 3 more, missing both SA and SJ, is not realistic, so reject Spades.

• So, Hearts it is for 3 extra tricks (4 Hearts in total). Is this possible? Yes, it is highly likely as the only top cards you are missing are HA and HJ. Your intermediate Hearts are very important – 10,9 and 8.

[When trying to pick which suit to develop, these intermediate cards are game changers!]

So, win the C6 lead with CK and lead H3, playing H8 to finesse the HJ (or cover with HQ if North puts up HJ). Keep playing Hearts from the top. South can win HA whenever South wishes to, but nothing stops you making 4 Hearts on the lie of the cards above (plus 5 others = 9 tricks).

If South has HJ, then your prospects are bleaker, but you still should be able to enter Dummy twice, knock out HA and make 3 Hearts = 8 tricks. You then look for a 2^ND Spade trick hoping to finesse or drop SJ.

 

Ian Morison Bridge lover

02 02 2022 (I can’t wait for 22 Feb 22 – does anyone know why?)

 

Garden Transformation

While many of you have been playing online you might have not yet have had the chance to see the transformation of the CBC gardens, planned and executed by Club member John Kelly.  Over the past few weeks, John and a team of workers from Kylie and Matt's Gardening Services have trimmed, mulched, and planted a number of new trees and shrubs to enhance the surroundings of the Club.  I am sure members join the Committee in thanking John for all his hard work.