Bridge News:
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 or neill.goltz2@gmail.com with your questions and preferred time and location!
Here is a wild hand from the July 16 ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint game. This is an incredibly distributional hand! As you might expect, the auction got very high, very fast.
This is board #18. East is the dealer and N/S is vulnerable.
East is the dealer, and will open with 1♠, South has a natural 2♥ overcall, and with a distributional hand and favorable vulnerability, West very reasonably preempts to 4♠.
Now it gets interesting! With 13 cards in the minor suits, and after hearing partner overcall at the 2-level, there must be someplace where N/S can play with a reasonable chance of success. North’s best call at this point is 4NT. That’s not an ace asking bid in this auction, but it is a request for partner to bid his/her best minor suit. Hearing all of this, East has no defense against either minor suit and should sacrifice at 5♠. This should probably be doubled and end the auction. Down 1 for -100. Should N/S be allowed to play in 5♣ or 5♦, either of these contracts will make for +600, so West’s sacrifice bid is well worth it!
Against a 5♠ contract, E/W will lose 1 diamond and 2 hearts for down 1. Against a club or diamond contract, N/S will likely lose only one club and one diamond. How bold a bridge player are you?
When this hand was played locally, one pair played in 6♦/N doubled down 1, another pair played in 5♠/E down 1doubled, a 3rd pair played in 5♣/N making 5, and a 4th pair played in 4♠/E down one.
The Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club games are held at the Betty Ehart Senior Activity Center (BESAC) starting 12:45 p.m., Wednesdays, and at 12:45 p.m. at the White Rock Senior Activity Center (WRSAC) Mondays.
Check out the Los Alamos Duplicate Bridge Club’s new website at www.ladbc.net to learn