North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 01/17/2022

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

COVID Response. We will be running online games January 17 through January 21. The club will reopen Monday January 24 for F2F games. (See Schedule below.)

Silver Linings Week. All the online games the week of January 17 award double silver points.

Royal STaC. All the scores for F2F games at the club the week of January 24 will be compared across the District and all points awarded are ¼ gold, ¼ red, ¼ silver and ¼ black.

See //web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/clubs/ROYAL_forplayers.pdf for details.

Bobbie Gomer Club Challenge. On Thursday February 10, Yorktown Bridge Club will be hosting the first of several local interclub competitions honoring the great bridge teacher, Bobbie Gomer, who passed away in 2020. Here is your chance to represent North Penn against other clubs in the area -Yorktown, King of Prussia, AMI and Hamilton. It’s a team game, using 8 is enough format. See the details regarding stratifications and time on our webpage. If you can put together a team or just want to play, please send us an email.

Proof of vaccination and face masks will remain a requirement at our F2F games until further notice.

Calendar (click here to see a file you can enlarge):

Education

Shuffle and Deal. This popular event with Deb Crisfield begins again on Wednesday, January 26 at 9:30 am. Deb is looking for volunteers to assist her in mentoring these up and coming players. Please email Deb at dwickcris@yahoo.com or look for the sign-up sheet which will be posted on the bulletin board at the club.

GNT Is Coming Soon

Click here to view the

District 4 GNT event email.

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

Some tips on third hand play in a suit contract:

“Just as the opening lead is partner’s ‘big moment,’ so it is with your play to the first trick. A significant number of contracts are decided by third hand play at trick one. Even though you may think you have an obvious play, it pays to take your time and review what you think you know about declarer’s hand, etc. Taking a few seconds also gives partner a chance to get organized and do a little counting. In order to make the right play at trick one, you must have some idea whether partner is leading from length or shortness, weakness or strength. Do not be a slave to ‘third hand high’ and ‘always return partner’s suit.’”

From Defensive Tips

by Edwin B. Kantar

Deal of the Week

by Mitch Snyder

The Dummy's Not So Dumb

Today’s hand was played in the Doodyville Championships many years ago. Sitting north was the lovely Princess Summerfall Winterspring and her partner was the silent Clarabell, seltzer bottle by his side. East was the inscrutable Howdy Doody and his partner was, of course, Buffalo Bob. Phineas T Bluster was directing, nobody wanted to have to call him to the table.

The auction:

Bob opened 1NT with his good 17. After a long pause Howdy put 2C on the table and paused again after Bob bid 2D. Howdy finally pulled the 3H card. (This is the ‘Smolen’ convention. 3H shows a game going hand with 4 hearts and 5 spades. Conversely, a jump to 3S over 2D would promise 5 hearts and 4 spades). Bob bid 3S confirming an 8 card fit and a non-minimum. (A jump to 4 spades would show a minimum no trump opener).

Now Howdy wanted to make a move towards slam but it wasn’t clear how to proceed. Using Blackwood with a void and a suit with 2 quick losers didn’t seem right. A cuebid seemed best. Howdy bid 4D. He later explained he was concerned that since this was matchpoints Bob might convert a final 6S contract to 6NT if he thought Howdy had a club control. ‘I made my cuebid in diamonds and hoped it would work out.’

With the high-end 1NT opener, Bob was happy to cooperate and he bid 4NT, RKC Blackwood. (A 4H cuebid is better here. It costs nothing and gives partner another chance to tell you something and Blackwood would still be available after a 4S call).

Howdy was thrilled to be able to show his void. 6C showed a club void and an odd number of keycards. (This is a very aggressive slam. The declarer should realize that not many pairs will be here, so you must pull out all the stops to make it).

The play:

Clarabell led the 3 of clubs.

Bob counted 11 tricks. 2 clubs, 4 diamonds, 1 heart and 4 spades after losing to the A. The 12^th trick can’t come from diamonds. And in hearts you’d have to lose one to get one and you always lose the A of trump too.

Bob turned his attention to clubs. If they’re 4-4, no problem, he could set up the 5^th one. If they’re 5-3 or worse he can try to ruff 3 of them. (This technique is called a ‘dummy reversal’ because you get an extra trump trick with the longer trump suit and pull trump with the shorter suit).

Bob ruffed the opening lead and returned to hand two times in diamonds to ruff clubs leaving this position:

----------------AT4

----------------K94

------------------

----------------T9

-----QJ-----------------K87

-----QT75--------------A8

-----AK----------------&9

------------------------&AK

----------------62

----------------J632

----------------T6

------------------

Now Bob led the spade Q, taken by the A. The princess led a club

and Clarabell squirted Bob as he ruffed. Bob couldn’t recover, he had to lose a heart or a second trump.

Later at the bar in the Doodyville Tavern, Howdy explained to Bob how to make the slam.

You take the AK of clubs and ruff the 3^rd round, play a diamond to hand and ruff another club. (South shows out, so you know the distribution). Now you lead a high spade from this position:

----------------AT4

----------------K94

----------------7

----------------T

-----QJ5----------------K87

-----QT-----------------A8

-----AK8----------------J9

------------------------&2

----------------62

----------------J63

----------------T64

------------------

If North takes the ace:

Win a spade return in dummy, come to hand with a diamond, ruff the last club, back to hand with the heart, pull the last trump and claim.
Or win a diamond or heart return in hand, ruff a club, cash a trump, back to hand with the other red winner, pull the last trump and claim.
Or ruff a club return in dummy, cash a trump, back to hand with either red winner, pull the last trump and claim.

If North ducks the ace; Play a diamond to hand, ruff a club and lead dummy’s last trump. When North wins, she only has hearts and spades which you win in hand, pull trump if necessary and cash the good diamonds.