The more fascinating bridge hands often lead to a disastrous result, as most of those who played the following will readily attest:
VUL:None
S-KQJ64
H-T98432
D-
C-53
S- S-T98
H- H-AKQJ75
D-Q98532 D-AJT7
C-KQJ9862 C-
S-A7532
H-6
D-K64
C-AT74
N E S W
P 1H 1S 2C
4S?
I was sitting East, and had a very difficult rebid after that
nasty lady on my right took away most of my bidding space. I
wanted Phyllis Profita, my partner, to know that I had an
excellent six card suit and I would have liked to mention my
diamond suit later, too. The last thing I wanted to hear was
another club bid, so I bid 5H.
Played eleven times, five of the E-W pairs reached the same
contract. One declarer persisted all the way to 6H doubled and
went for -1400. Two pairs played in 5H doubled and recorded
scores of a mere -1100 and -800. Another was down five undoubled
for -250, while one East played in 3H undoubled for -200.
Two West players insisted on playing in 6C, dutifully doubled.
Both fared better than the Easts in 5H doubled because they only
went down two for -300.
Two other E-W pairs found the very satisfactory diamond fit. One
played in 5D making six for a top score of +420. The other pair
was less fortunate because they were pushed (or fearlessly
leaped) to 7D doubled and went off one.
The remaining E-W pair elected to double 4S and South managed to
bring the contract home. Usually, when you are doubled and make
the contract you have the top score. However, South's +790 was
only fourth best and would have been no better than average if
the two other declarers in hearts had also been doubled.
Phyllis and I were more fortunate. After I bid 5H, I'm
reasonably sure my right-hand opponent would have found a penalty
double among her assortment of available bids. She didn't get
the chance because the cavalry in the form of my left-hand foe
arrived in time to bid 5S. After two passes, I doubled.
Partner led the KC, which I trumped. I won the ace of hearts and
continued with the king, which declarer ruffed with the ace. She
then pulled two rounds of trump, won the AC and cross-ruffed for
a total of nine tricks. Except the E-W that made 5D, we were the
only others to register a positive score in our direction.
We had not done anything brilliant. Sometimes, it's better to be
lucky than skillful.
Back to newsletter index
Elk Sextet Undefeated Tod Thorgersen
The Nelson Reitman Double Knockouts have reached the stage of a
final round robin. The field now consists of two once-defeated
teams and an unvanquished squad captained by Roz Elk. Beginning
in January, teams play until they are defeated twice.
Last year's champions, led by Charlie Friedman and including
Carole Wardell, Frank Mirchin, Julian Schulman, Dave Kunstler and
myself are still hanging in there. Barkley Calkins, wife Glenda,
Faith Eckberg and Richard Rosner are the other powerful force in
the mix. Nick Hartung, Billy Rosenbaum, Gene Prosnitz, Ira Ewen
and Steve Ehrenworth comprise the Elk club.
Back to newsletter index
Our Members Score
San Antonio NABC (July)
3-C Campbell Open Prs Sandy Johnson-Dick Hoffman
4-A 1st Fri Senior Prs William Alexander-Arnold Bergen
34 NABC LM Pr Irina Levitina
14 Flt A/X Sw Tm Andy Muenz-Bob Zehm
-Nicholas France
6-C Jaeger B/C/D Sw Tm Miyoko Boswell-Lee Ohlinger
-Noriko Kobe-Saeko Hisayama
2-B Gardiner BAM Tm Kara Beck-Suzanne Greer
-Phyllis Profita-Marie Speziale
2-B Mon/Wed Cont Prs Saeko Hisayama-Miyoko Boswell
6-A Mon Morn Side Prs Sarah Wiener
3/4 McCormick Zip KO Sarah Wiener
15 NABC Red Ribbon Pr Nicholas France
3-C Tues Women's Prs Roslyn Rosen-Judith Goldrich
3-A Tue Morn Side Prs Andy Muenz
18-A Tues Open Pairs Andy Muenz-Bob Zehm
19-A Stasha Cohen
6-A Wed Strat IMP Pr Frances Cohen
2-A Wed Morn Side Pr Andy Muenz
5 Mon-Wed Morn Prs Andy Muenz
5-B Glass Mixed Pairs Caryll & Harris Schenker
3/4- III Morning KO - 1 Norma Gartner-Janis Rush
-Roslyn Rosen-Judith Goldrich
6-B Prev Med Senr Prs Roslyn Rosen-Judith Goldrich
6-C Suzanne Greer-Kara Beck
5-A Thurs Strat Open Pr Stasha Cohen
2-A Prev Med Senr Prs Roslyn Rosen-Judith Goldrich
4-A 2nd Sat Open Prs Stasha Cohen
33 NABC+ Mixed BAM Tm Kerri Sanforn
Hauppauge Regional (July)
4-B Fri B/C Pairs Paul Rau-Henry Stadelmann
6-B Edward Wilson-Paul Fagan
4 Sat IMP Pairs Judith Weisman
3-A Sun Senior Swiss Neale & Jo Ann Van Delft
-Kay & Wayne Roelke
Somerset Regional (August)
7-A Thurs Senior Prs Ira Starer-Martin Zucker
3-B Al Pagan-Jean Mazouat
1-C Marvin Brown
6-C Thu Eve Newcomer Pr Felicitas Higham-Beverly Millman
2-II Fri Compact KO Kara Beck-Suzanne Greer
-Ann Muldoon-Mary Manilych
1-III Robert & Elizabeth Broadfoot
2-A Fri Open Pairs Stasha Cohen
9-A David Weisman
5-C Doree Sobel-Janice Migliorato
6-B Fri Senior Pairs Paul Rau-Henry Stadelmann
3-A Fri Aft Cont Prs Jesse Reisman-Cheryl Angel
1-A Fri Aft Nwcmr Prs William Lambert
4-A Fri Eve Cont Prs Sidney Kanter
4-A Fri Eve Nwcmr Prs Barbara Fingerhut-Mary Giannella
3-B Fri Nt Fast Cont Pr Natalie Cohen
3-C Marek Kozlowski
1-A Sat A/X Pairs Sidney Kanter
2-A Mark Cohen
4-C Sat B/C Pairs Pamela & Mark Gorbics
3-A Sat Senior Pairs Rosemarie Whitmore-Gerald Goodman
7-A William Alexander-Arnold Bergen
4-B Irwin Stein-Eugene Barrack
4-A Sat Aft Cont Prs Cheryl Angel-Jesse Reisman
4-A Sat Eve Cont Prs Jesse Reisman-Cheryl Angel
5/6-A Robin Tuck-Sherman
1-A Sat Aft Nwcmr Prs William Lambert
4/6-A Mary Giannella-Ralph Meyer
4-A Sat Eve Nwcmr Prs Mary Giannella-Ralph Meyer
12-A Sun A/X Swiss Tms Andy Muenz-Bob Zehm
-Linda & James Conroy
Back to newsletter index
The Novice Corner
More on Card Combinations Al Pagan
I was kibitzing recently where the declarer was trying to make an
ambitious small slam in hearts. The trump holding was:
DUMMY: Ax
DECLARER: QJ97xx
There was another obvious loser of the ace of clubs, so the
problem revolved around the trump suit. How would you bring it
in without losing a trick?
After some thought, our heroine led the queen, covered by the
king. She then properly led from dummy and finessed with the
nine, which won. She would have been home free, but left-hand
opponent showed out and there was a loser to the guarded ten on
the right.
In the postmortem it was pointed out that had she led small from
her hand, the king would have fallen. Then, finessing for the
ten on the right would have landed the slam and all the
matchpoints on the hand. That, of course, is a double dummy
analysis.
Leading the queen is the right play, barring any other available
information. She needed the king to be a doubleton on her left
to succeed. That chance is only 10%, but it was better than
nothing. I calculate that the chances of a singleton king
specifically on her left to be about 5%, so the first round
finesse is the superior play.
If you want to improve your game, it pays to learn as much about
probabilities as you can reasonably absorb. Although the right
play lost this time, over the long haul it will pay off.
Back to newsletter index
Schenken for the Defense Fred Weidmann
A friend of mine showed me a hand he played in the Vanderbilt
Knockouts many years ago. His left-hand opponent was none other
than Howard Schenken. Since I have never seen it in print, I
thought you might enjoy it here.
S-Q653
H-K62
D-QJ4
C-K64
S-K7 S-JT92
H-83 H-JT97
D-K9872 D-653
C-T987 C-52
S-A84
H-AQ54
D-AT
C-AQJ3
South, my friend, arrived at a contract of 6NT and Schenken led
the 10C. South won and took stock. Four clubs, three hearts, a
diamond and a spade made nine. Hearts could break 3-3 and the
king of spades must be with West so the queen can score. Also,
that card could put West on lead to force a diamond, avoiding the
finesse.
He cashed four clubs, throwing the diamond four from dummy. Next
came three rounds of hearts, but West's diamond discard revealed
the bad break there. On the four club tricks, East was forced to
throw two diamonds. Now came the ace and another spade to West's
king, leaving this position:
S-Q6
H-
D-QJ
C-
S- S-JT
H- H-J
D-K987 D-6
C- C-
S-8
H-5
D-AT
C-
Now the forced diamond return is won in dummy. A diamond lead
now squeezes East in the majors. A very nice 6NT, bid and made.
But wait a minute! Schenken didn't lead just any diamond, he
lead the king. That meant that the second diamond trick would be
won in dummy, and the timing for the squeeze was destroyed.
My friend lamented that he should have thrown the jack of
diamonds from dummy on the fourth club, and now the second
diamond can be won in South no matter what card West leads. Now
the squeeze still works. Howard said "If you do that, I will
simply drop the king of spades under the ace and you can't throw
me in." Here we all thought Lawrence Taylor was the Secretary of
Defense.
Back to newsletter index
Once upon a Time, There Was the Good Bridge fairy Who . . . Wayne Roelke
This tale should inspire all of us. It's Cinderella, sugar plums
and all those other good stories rolled into one.
Bernard Kaufman, a Life Master residing in a castle in Fort
Lee, took the bridge infant Bill Spiegel to duplicate at
Maywood. Bill enjoyed it very, very much. So when Bernard
went to the Hyannis Regional, Bill went along to see what a
tournament was like.
In Hyannis, Bernie helped Bill get his membership card, and
pick up a team at the Partnership Desk. Bill played in the
Newcomers Swiss Team event. And they came in first. And
Bill got a trophy. And he came home on Cloud Nine.
Congratulations, Bill. You're probably as hooked as the rest of
us now. Thanks to Bernie for telling us this story, but most of
all for going out of his way to bring along a new member. Who's
the next Bernie Kaufman? Wouldn't you like to do a favor for a
friend and introduce duplicate into their life?
Back to newsletter index
President's Letter
Not available to web site
Back to newsletter index
No June Swoon In 106 Helen Wallach
Eighty-six tables in six clubs competed in the June bi-unit wide,
and Unit 106 players grabbed the brass ring ten of the seventeen
tries, even though only two local clubs joined in.
Leading the way in A strat were S. Weil and J. Mancini with a
70.45% game at Maywood. Rockland contributed with H. Horowitz and
A. Rosenblum posting a second place finish. Then Maywood takes
control of third with F. Buchthal and M. Atlas and fourth in the
persons of H. Schenker paired with J. Rabbiner.
Not to be outdone, Rockland placed three of the six overalls in B
strat. Third went to M. Boswell and S. Hisayama (they were also
first in C), fourth to L. and J. Aronson (also second in C) and
D. Galos and F. Grunwald in sixth.
Rockland also dominated C strat, with three of the five overall
slots. In addition to first and second reported above, P. Hall
and S. Durlach collaborated for fifth.
Back to newsletter index
Return to the Unit's main page