North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 05/30/2022

From the Club President

Pat Andrews

I am happy to report the turnout for the Memorial Day lunch and game was terrific! Everyone enjoyed the food, the game and the camaraderie.

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

COVID. Montgomery County is still rated in the HIGH category for COVID risk. Club policy is that masks be REQUIRED when we are in the HIGH category.

June Schedule:

May 30 - June 10 - Super Club Championships, triple points.

June 1 - Newcomers game at 9:30 a.m.

June 5 - Bobbie Gomer Memorial team challenge. Team entries still available.

June 11 - the ever popular Robot Individual.

June 6 - 17 - North American Pairs (NAP) qualifying.

NAP Qualifying events are held for two weeks in June, July, and August. There are 3 flights: non-Life Master <500, 2500, and open. To qualify you must get at least a 50% game or finish in the top half of your strata. Qualifiers play in the fall for the chance to represent District 4 at the Spring NABC. It’s a great event and the district will help pay expenses if you make it to the NABC.

June 20 - 24 - Club Championships.

June 22 - Longest Day. Please come out and support Alzheimer’s research. We will be providing lunch between our morning and afternoon sessions. (See details for donating later in this email.)

June 27-July 3 - Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge. Click this link for a schedule of events:

https://4acbl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/VF-Regional-Schedule-2022.pdf.

(Most F2F games this week at the club will be cancelled.)

If you are interested in volunteering at the Regional, please contact Cathy Strauss at cathy.strauss@gmail.com.

Do You Need A Partner?

Let us know in advance and we’ll do our best to arrange one for you. Either send us an email at northpennbridge@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at the Club’s number 215-699-4932. Both are monitored on a regular basis. Even if it’s the day of, our directors will check for messages when they arrive at the club an hour prior to the game starting. You can also place a partner request on North Penn’s website calendar.

Stand-by Partners Needed

Do you live within 5-10 minutes of the club? Would you be willing to play at the last minute if we needed someone? Your card fee will be waived if you play!! Please contact the club by email at northpennbridge@gmail.com or by phone at 215-699-4932 so we can put you on a stand-by list.

Education

Bridge Lessons with Joann Glasson, President of the ACBL. Joann is giving lessons on a variety of topics for intermediate players Monday mornings on Zoom at 10:00 a.m. for one hour. She is an amazing teacher and her lessons are terrific! On Sunday, Joann emails the Zoom invitation and the entire lesson along with a summary sheet, quiz and quiz answers. If you are interested, click here to review the next series.

Joann can be reached by email at:

If you didn’t get a response from her using the Comcast address, please try again using one of the addresses above.

Donations For the Longest Day

Progress Report

To date, $1650 has been received.

We are on our way to passing our 2021

total of just over $3000.

With several weeks remaining until our game,

it would be wonderful if all our members would consider contributing to this worthy cause!

Here are the donating options:

Online by clicking here: NP Longest Day Fundraiser

By check made out to the Alzheimer’s Association. Checks may be dropped off at the Club or mailed to Pat Andrews, 6624 Old Carversville Road, Lumberville, PA 18933.

By cash in the designated receptacle at the Club.

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

“Do not double an artificial cue-bid or an artificial bid in a relay system sequence without a very good reason.”

From 100 Winning Bridge Tips (new edition)

by Ron Klinger

Deal of the Week

by John Dickenson

A Bobbie Gomer Hand

We used to have a colorful bridge player in these parts by the name of Arnold Selig. He had names for different types of hands, and after a hand had been played, he would announce “That was an Ellie Goldman hand” or something of that ilk.

The following deal is what Arnold called a Bobbie Gomer hand:

-----NS 4♠; NS 3N; NS 2♥; NS 3♦; NS 3 ♣; Par +620: NS 4♠=

Bobbie Gomer was a legendary bridge teacher and used to stress to her students that a two level overcall showed both an opening hand and a good suit. Too many players subscribe to the Woolworth style of two level overcalls – for those who remember, Woolworth was a “Five and Dime” store, and adherents to the Woolworth style believe one can overcall at the two level with any five card suit and a ten count.

South opened 1H and West overcalled 2C. North passed as did East, and South reopened with a double. Since NS played negative doubles, it is incumbent on opener to reopen with a double on any hand short in the overcalled suit with support for the unbid suits.

Opener’s double is takeout, but on this deal North was happy to convert it to a penalty double. As you can see, NS can make 9 tricks in clubs, so when the smoke cleared, EW were held to 4 tricks and -1100.

I have seen people overcall far worse hands than this one at the two level. You may get away with it, or you may have to explain to your teammates why you were -1100 vs their vulnerable game, or worse, versus their part score. Shape is also important, and a 5332 shape should give you pause.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Alvin Roth a very ethical player is defending 7NT, vulnerable, in a money rubber bridge game where the declarer reduces to a three card ending. Dummy has the Axx of spades and declarer the KJ10. The lead is in declarer's hand and he leads the SJ. Second hand has xxx and Roth Qxx. Second hand goes into an act trying to make declarer think he has the queen and finally plays low. Declarer, taken in by the hesitation, also plays low. Roth, holding the queen, also plays low allowing the jack to take the trick and the declarer to make 7NT. When Roth's partner asks him why he didn't take the SQ, Roth says: "Because I thought you had it!"