North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 11/06/2023

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

Board of Governors. Our club is run by our Board of Governors. There are 11 members of the board, 9 elected and two appointed. Elected members serve three-year terms and we elect three members every year in December. Please let Mike Carver or me know if you wish to serve on the Board and we will put you up for election. If no more than three people are up for election, they are elected by acclamation.

Spooky Nook Regional. Congratulations to our members who did well at the Regional with apologies to anyone I missed:

Monday

Bracketed Teams (by bracket)

1 Second: John Dickenson, David Cohan, Sue Lan Ma, Peter Petruzzellis
2 Third: Tom Salter, Ken Salter, Dave Dresher, Dave Dodgson
3 Third: Rex Saffer, Judy Robbins, Betsy Cutler, Debbie Schenkel

Tuesday

Bracketed Teams (by bracket)

1 Fourth: Mark Cohen, Mark Henderson, Carl Berenbaum, Barbara Kepple
2 Third: Tom Salter, Ken Salter, Dave Dresher, Dave Dodgson
4 First: Roger & Beth Milton, Donald Park II, J Alan Bricker
5 First: Ellen Luchette, Marc Topaz, Steve Binnick, Bob Grinwis
6 Second: Linda Blickman, Emily Losciuto, Deborah Hold Weil, Anne Pelak

A/X Open Pairs

A First: Lisa Mita, Pat Civale
X Second: Steve Gewirtzman, Clifford Wilson Jr.
X Third: Dennis O’Brien, Sheldon Per

Wednesday

Bracketed Teams (by bracket)

2 First: Tom Salter, Ken Salter, Dave Dresher, Dave Dodgson
2 Third:., Sheldon & Carolyn Per, Steven Gewirtzman, Clifford Wilson Jr.
5 Third: Roger & Beth Milton, Donald Park II, Alan Bricker
6 First: Ellen Luchette, Marc Topaz, Jackie Topaz, Bob Grinwis
8 First: Barbara Daly, Karen Batchelder, Renee McMenamin, Joan Walters

A/X Open Pairs

A Third: John Dickenson, William Ravreby
A Fifth: Carl Berenbaum, Barbara Kepple
X First: Bill Bauer III, Betty Youmans
X Second: Al & Estelle Ronderos

Gold Rush Pairs
Third: Jane Pelullo, Gail Kirrstetter

Thursday

Bracketed Teams (by bracket)

1 Second: Mark Cohen, Mark Henderson, Carl Berenbaum, Barbara Kepple
1 Fourth: John Dickenson, Andy Kaufman, Barry Gorski, Ken Chatzinoff
2 First: Tom Salter, Ken Salter, Dave Dresher, Dave Dodgson
4 First: Catherine Strauss, Deborah Holt Weil, Jill Kolody, Karen Pollak
5 First: Ellen Luchette, Marc Topaz, Brendan O’Malley, Bob Grinwis
5 Fourth: Rex Saffer, John ORouke, Becky Levinson, Judith Cronin
7 Fourth: Eileen Vass, Anne-Marie Corner, Sharon Harrington, Katharine Link

A/X Open Pairs

A Fifth: Bill Bauer III, Betty Youmans
X Fourth: Steve Gewirtzman, Clifford Wilson Jr.

Mid-Flight Pairs

B Seventh: Larry Plotkin, Joel Myers

Friday

Bracketed Teams (by bracket)

2 Third: John Dickenson, Tom Salter, Ken Salter, Bill Bauer III
3 First: Susan Morse, Lisa Mita, Deb Crisfield, Alison Shoemaker
6 Second: Eileen Vass, Anne-Marie Corner, Sharon Harrington, Katharine Link

A/X Open Pairs

A Third: Andy Kaufman, Kelley Hwang

Gold Rush Pairs

Third: Joyce Levin, Peggy Michaud

Mid-Flight Pairs

B Third: : Larry Plotkin, Joel Myers
C Second: Rex Saffer, Cheryl Rouge

199er Pairs I

First: Jane Bonenberger, Kristen Fireman

199er Pairs II

First: Jane Bonenberger, Kristen Fireman

Saturday

Bracketed Teams

2 Second: Dave Cohan, Karen Sylvester, Marianne Goff, Margaret Coe
4 First: Mark Cohen, Kurt Engleman, Pamela Scalamandre, Karin Schwenk

Sunday

Bracketed Teams

2 Third: Susan Morse, John Dickenson, Tom & Ken Salter
4 Third: Steven Gewirtzman, William Petkun, David Chinn, William Shapiro

Gold Rush Pairs

A Third: Barbara Bickel, Terry Bullen-Smith
A Eighth: Peggy Michaud, Ross Currie

November Schedule

November 6-10 is Club Championships week
November 7 NO SHUFFLE AND DEAL TONIGHT
November 8 is the morning 0-50 game – no shuffle and deal
November 11 is the afternoon Robot Individual
November 13-17 is StaC week
November 23-24 CLUB CLOSED

From the Membership Chair

Mitch Snyder

Dues for 2024 are now being accepted. If you join or rejoin before Thanksgiving just think of the peace of mind you’ll have not worrying about this while you enjoy the holiday.

You can pay the $20 anytime until the end of the year in person, by mail or online at our website.

Upcoming Tournaments:

November 23 to December 3 is the winter NABC in Atlanta
December 8-10 is the Wilmington Sectional
December 15-16 is the I/N Regional in Allentown
December 19-22 is the Online Regional

Education

Sunday Shuffle & Deal from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Open to anyone who wants a casual learning opportunity. Come out and hone your skills!

Joann Glasson Lessons. Monday, November 13. Click here for details.

New Lesson Series Tuesday Nights. Beginning November 28, Linda O’Malley will teach Overcaller’s Forcing Bids. Check flyer for details.

King of Prussia Bridge Club (KOP) Lessons. Details at kopbridgeclub@gmail.com.

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.

Ask the Expert

You are west holding this hand:---94

----

--KQJ

--AQJ98532

Your partner, east holds:----------KQ10

--KJ754

--A83

--10

Can you get to 7C or 6N?

1C - 1H, 3C - 3S. 4D - 4S, 6C - all pass

1. I don't feel that there is a "scientific" way to bid this freakish hand. The hand with the long clubs has to take a reasoned guess as to what is the best spot. With East having extra values beyond what was shown in the auction, I would not fault a correction to 6NT at matchpoints. At IMP's, I would not "correct to 6NT.”

2. 1H-2C

2S-3C

3N-4C (among strong players, pulling 3N to 4m is a slam try in the minor)

4D-4H (Q,Q)

5C-6C

3. 1H 2C

2S 4C

4D 6C

When partner opens and reverses you are immediately thinking slam. Ordinarily I would not jump with the C hand but I want to tell my partner that I have a self sufficient suit as well as a good hand. After the 4D control bid, I would just go to 6.

I don’t know why you would take a chance on 7C when you’re probably missing the trump K and 6NT looks like a very risky contract. When bidding a slam I’d prefer to be in the safest contract.

Email your questions, or a pesky hand, or something you’d like to know about bidding or playing to Toysie at toysiewalker@gmail.com. She will forward them to the panel, one will be chosen, and the question and answers will be printed in the following week’s newsletter.

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

“Although forgoing a finesse is often the correct play, there are times when a finesse is necessary:

When there is no alternative;
When the finesse is odds on based on the bidding or early play;
When the finesse offers the best chance to develop the key suit."

From Points Schmoints!

by Marty Bergen

Deal of the Week

by John Dickenson

Bridge Can Be So Discouraging

Playing in a sectional in Cherry Hill NJ with Alison Shoemaker, I picked up Q9xx JTxxxx Axx void, all vulnerable. LHO opened 1C, alerted as “could be as short as zero” and Alison jumped to 2D, a weak jump overcall. A negative double on my right and I advanced the preempt to 3D – always good to jam up the auction when responder knows nothing about opener’s hand. The opps ended up in 4S by South and I led the diamond ace.

Here is the whole hand:

On the first trick Al played the diamond 9, which we play as discouraging. Has she preempted vulnerable on a suit missing the ace and king? Unlikely, so what is up? Looking at my hand and dummy, she must be void in hearts! So I dutifully led the deuce of hearts for her to ruff, asking for a club back. Heart ruff, club ruff, heart ruff, club ruff, cash the second diamond – you get the picture. Down 3 for +300 was worth 86% of the matchpoints.

It turns out that double dummy we can hold them to five tricks – underlead my diamond ace at trick one, club ruff, heart ruff, club ruff, heart ruff, club ruff, underlead my diamond ace again, and then a club ruff with my 4^th trump. But who is going to find that defense?

Here is another hand where third hand must discourage at trick one (credit to Barbara Seagram and David Bird for this one)