BRIDGE News:
With this edition, the Los Alamos Bridge Club wishes everyone in Los Alamos County a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season! The game on Dec. 22 will be our last duplicate bridge game of 2025.
Open winners on Monday were Jerry Fleming and Martin Cooper. Flight B winners were Laurie and Bob Walker. Wednesday winners were Bobby Haynes and Neill Goltz.
Here is an interesting hand that turns one way or the other depending on West’s 3rd bid.
Board 7: South is the dealer and both sides are vulnerable.
After North passes, West opens with 1♥. After North’s pass, East will bid 1♠. West has a natural 2♦ rebid, and East should now bid 3♣. Now comes West’s crucial call. Many Wests would now simply bid 3NT, and that would end the auction. But why not bid 3♠ to show partner that you have three of them? Now partner will bid 3NT with only a 4-card spade suit, but if he/she has 5, East should at last consider a slam with the powerful 2-suiter he/she holds.
A bid of 4NT asks West how many aces he/she holds. When West shows 2, a slam is not unreasonable, and East may very well bid 6♠. As you can see, 6♠ can be made. However, with the defenders’ clubs distributed 5-2, declarer will have to take a diamond finesse in order to discard a small club, otherwise there may be a trump loser.
When this hand was played locally, one pair played in 3NT/W making 6, 1 pair played in 3NT/W making 5, 2 pairs played in 3NT making 4, and one pair played in 4♠/W making 5.
The Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club games are held at the Betty Ehart Senior Activity Center (BESAC) starting at 12:45 p.m., Wednesdays, and at the White Rock Senior Activity Center (WRSAC) 12:45 p.m., Mondays.
Check out the Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club’s new website at www.ladbc.net to learn what it’s all about, contact the club to get involved, join the fun, and much more. Perhaps you’ve seen the old card game “Bridge“ mentioned in a book or seen it being played on the Orient Express in an old Agatha Christie black-and-white movie. Maybe you’ve even tried to play it in the remote past with Mom and Dad (or even more likely Grandma and Grandpa) around the kitchen table. Well, it hasn’t quite gone the way of the typewriter or film cameras, yet – and, in fact, it has a substantial Free-on-the-Internet presence. LEARN TO PLAY BRIDGE!
That being said, it is a game that needs new and younger Face-to-Face players and, here in Los Alamos the local club is ready to bring you on board with nighttime, after work or weekend, FREE lessons, and playing opportunities.
We have four locations available – the game store in White Rock, the Mesa game store on Central here in Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Public Library, or Smith’s Market!
What we need from interested folks is some indication of interest and what day of the week and location would be most convenient. Please reach out to Neill Goltz at 641.236.1170 (neill.goltz2@gmail.com) or Bobby Haynes at 505.753.3249 (rsh@valornet.com) with your questions and preferred time and location!