This Week At North Penn

All games are Stardust offering 25% Gold points.

Mon, 12/15

Tue, 12/16

Wed, 12/17

Thu, 12/18

Fri, 12/19

Open Holiday Party (11:30 lunch, 12:00 game)

0-1500 Holiday Party (10:00 game, ~11:30 lunch)

Open

Open Handicap Swiss Teams

0-750 Holiday Party (9:15 breakfast, 10:00 game)

SE Carolina Collective

The club recently joined the SE Carolina Online Bridge Collective, a group of almost 200 clubs from all across the country. The revenues generated when members play in their online games are shared.

If you can't play face to face at the club, you may want to consider playing in one of their online games. 20-40% of the game entry fee is shared with member clubs each month based on the average game size during the month.

Games are ACBL sanctioned and offer regular pigmented points.

You can check out their website and schedules here.

Education

Joann Glasson's last December Zoom class will be held on Monday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m. See flyer for details.

Deal Analysis

by John Dickenson

What We've Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Any experienced declarer knows that when declaring a no trump contract, one sometimes needs to execute a “hold up” maneuver in order to cut the communications between the two defenders. Sometimes when defending a no trump contract, it is necessary for a defender to give up a trick early in order to maintain communications!

The following hand came up during the NABC+ Mixed Swiss Teams at the San Francisco Fall North American Bridge Championships:

West dealt and opened 1C and my partner bid 2C, a Michaels cuebid showing both majors. East jumped to 3N, pass by me and LHO, and now partner bid 4H! Pass, pass, 4N, all pass. I led the deuce of hearts, low from a holding of three small. Dummy played the stiff jack, partner won the king, properly playing lower of touching honors. Now a critical decision – what to play at trick 2. Partner knows I have started with an odd number of hearts – had I held 82 or 62 doubleton, I would have led high. If I have led a singleton 2, declarer holds 5 hearts and the contract is ironclad. But if I have led from three pieces and hold the club ace, a LOW HEART at trick two will beat the contract. And playing IMPs, we don’t care about overtricks, we must strive to beat the contract. Unfortunately partner followed up with the heart ace and a low heart and when I was in with the club ace could not reach her hand – “failure to communicate”.

Another anecdote about a 6-6 hand, this one from regional top flight teams. A pro was playing with a client who was obviously in over her head in the strong field. Partner opened 1D, the client overcalled 1S and I, holding a 7 count with T9xx of hearts and a spade void, made a negative double. Partner bid 2H and the client now bid 2S, I bid 3H, all pass. Turns out the client held: AKJTxx x – AKJTxx, 6-6 in the black suits and is cold for 4 spades opposite a yarborough. After the hand was over, the pro said with astonishment, “You were 6-6?” She replied, “Yes I was 6-6 and I had a void”. I tried hard not to chuckle at this comment or the follow up by the pro, which was “You can’t sell out to the opponent’s partscore when you have game in hand”. Hard to argue with that statement.

Ask the Expert



1. In a MP game, as dealer, what is West showing in this auction? 1C -1S - 2C - P

2N 

Comments from the inquirer:  I believe west is showing a hand too strong to open 1NT looking for 3NT if east has a good 8-10 raise to 2C. East can pass or correct to 3C with a weaker 2C raise depending on his distribution. My partner thinks that since we are playing match points, west is looking just for a higher scoring partial. What does the panel think? If they agree with my partner, what do you bid over 2C with  3-3-3-4 shape and 18 hcp including K-x-x of spades? Partner could have 5-6 hcp and some distribution.

2. In a MP game, west is dealer and the bidding goes:

1H - P - 1NT - P

2H - P - 2S

2S is the impossible 2S bid showing at least 5-5 in the minors. Is this bid alertable?

3. In a MP game, west is dealer and the bidding goes

1H - P - 1NT - P

2D/C - P - 2S

2S is the impossible 2S bid showing a limit raise in the minor, denying 3H. Is this bid alertable?

John Dickenson. 1. anytime you bid 2NT in this sort of auction you’re promising the partnership has at least 23 high card points so I agree that this bid shows 18 hcp and you’re asking partner to go on to 3NT with the maximum club raise. 2. yes; 3. yes.

Bill Bauer. 1. I agree with the "inquirer" 18-19 hcp with a spade stopper. 2. most definitely alterable. 3. most definitely alterable.

Mitch Snyder. I agree on 1 & 3. I've never heard the sequence on #2 before. If it is a “standard" as in #3 then alert it. If partner has just invented a “forcing" bid, then no.

Elaine Clair. 1. I agree that 2NT shows a hand too big to open 1NT and that opener is looking for game if responder has top of range. 2. I’ve never heard of the impossible 2S bid used this way but if it’s not natural it should be alerted. 3. Yes.

Dennis O’Brien. 1. I agree that the 2NT shows 17+ hcp, otherwise the opener would pass 2C or bid 3C sort of as a blocking bid. 2. I'm not a practitioner of the impossible 2S bid, but as a director it is definitely alertable. 3. Yes.

Email your questions, or a pesky hand, or something you’d like to know about bidding or playing to Toysie Walker. 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.

December Birthdays

Don Adams

Susan Bailey

Michael Carver

Vincent Coll

Ross Currie

Ellie Davis

Doug Goldberg

Peggy Jennings

Pradip Khan

Arlene Lessack

Dennis Parenti

Joan Regenbogen

Rex Saffer

Judi Shinberg

Ann Tuteur

Erma Waters