Mark Your Calendar for Double Points

Four games with double black points are coming up. Mark your calendars for Jan. 11 and 15 and Feb. 15 and 19. See details below.

We have lessons this month designed to improve partnership communication. What partnership agreements do you need? In many cases, it doesn't matter what the agreement is. You just need to know what your partner's bid means.

Happy New Year! We hope to see you online soon at a game or lesson.

--Chuck Abramo and Jo Murray

Improve Your Game with These Upcoming Lessons

• Martin Luther King Holiday - Jan. 16 - No lesson
• What Partnership Agreements Do We Need? Part 1 - Monday, Jan. 23, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain
• What Partnership Agreements Do We Need? Part 2 - Monday, Jan. 30, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain
• Revisiting the Rule of 11, Part 1 - Monday, Feb. 6, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain
• Revisiting the Rule of 11, Part 2 - Monday, Feb. 13, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain

Contact Jo for reservations.Cost is $125 for a package of 5 online lessons or $27 for an individual lesson.

Some Tips from Our Lessons

• If responder has 8 HCP, responder owes the opener a second bid. Remember that the opener may have as many as 18 points and be unable to make a jump shift, showing a big hand. A jump shift, of course, requires 19 high-card points.
• The maxim "Lose your losers" early applies to defenders as well as to the declarer. This is particularly true in defending against a notrump contract, which is usually a race to see which side can set up its long suit first.
• If you have a minimum opening hand (usually 12-14 points but sometimes an unbalanced hand with 15-16 points,) you are entitled to two bids. You may make a third bid with extra distribution.

Put Double-Point Games on Your Schedule

Double black points will be awarded in our games this week, Wednesday, Jan. 11, and Sunday, Jan. 15. We'll have more double point games on Feb. 15 and 19.

The cost will be $8. This week's games will benefit the American Contract Bridge League Junior Fund, which promotes youth bridge. The February games will benefit the ACBL Educational Foundation.

The cost of our regular online games, every Wednesday and Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. Mountain, is now $6.50. This reflects an increase in the ACBL charges to clubs for online games.