The Santa Fe Bridge Newsletter Volume 5: Number 9 June 2021

Monday 9:00 a.m. “Santa Fe Carolyn’s 0-50 Game” 12:30 p.m. “Santa Fe Open Pairs” Tuesday 12:30 p.m. “James’ Santa Fe 299er Pairs” Gary Rodenz Wednesday Janis Roller 12:30 p.m. “Santa Fe Aces Open Pairs” Polly Wotherspoon Thursday No scheduled games. Gregory Geller Friday 9:00 a.m. “Santa Fe Aces 199er Pairs” 9:30 a.m. “Santa Fe Aces Open Pairs” Barbara Strange

Saturday NOTE From Su Gibbs: Supervised 12:30 p.m. “Santa Fe Carolyn’s 499er Game” Play is thrilled to announce we are Sunday returning to live, face-to-face play at the 10:00 a.m. “499er Champagne Brunch” club beginning June 3, 2021. Please come to the club (front door only) at 9:30, and 2:00 p.m. “James’ 99er Game” bring your vaccination card (required), masks optional. You may also bring a Big Games beverage (and take your container home) but no drinks or snacks will be provided, 5/17: Joe Durlak/Fred Blosser 73.33% and no eating allowed at this time. Cost is $7.00, payable in cash, check, or Venmo. Join us for a brief talk about a bridge topic, and then play practice hands until 11:30, asking questions about bidding or play as you wish. All skill levels are welcome, and you do not need to bring a partner. Thanks to everyone who supported virtual supervised play for these Newsletter Contributors: Carolyn Anderson, Kathy Adelsheim, Su Gibbs, Cheryl Graham, Dennis Dawson long 14 months, and we hope to SEE YOU on June 3 and every Thursday afterwards.

Santa Fe Bridge Center News

(Leonard Helman Bridge Center)

Dear members of the Santa Fe Bridge Center (SFBC);

The Board of Directors of the SFBC is looking forward to seeing everyone playing face to face (F2F) at the club as soon as possible! Dennis Dawson has already begun a fabulous series of classes on defense in the clubhouse on Wednesdays. Thursday, June 3rd, Sue Gibbs will resume the equally exciting F2F Supervised Play at 9:30 a.m. Our club directors are learning the new “ACBL Score” computer program and are scheduled to take two training classes from ACBL online June 10th and 12th in preparation for running F2F games. As soon as the directors are ready to hold the games back in the clubhouse, announcements will be sent out confirming the days and times. Until then, the directors will continue to run the virtual games, except for the Thursday afternoon open game which has not been drawing enough players to hold a game and is cancelled. Only those who are fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to opening will be allowed to play so now would be a good time to take care of that detail. The SFBC Board of Directors thanks everyone for their continued support in the form of donations and playing in the virtual games.

Sincerely;

Carolyn Anderson, Bob Hilgendorf, Rick Rosenthal, Tom Carr, Dennis Dawson and Sandy Lemon

I/N* Tip of the Month from Kathy Adelsheim

When responding to partner’s 1 NT opening bid, we use 2 bidding conventions— Stayman and Jacoby Transfers. These are usually referred to as NT Systems. The question is, if our opponents interfere (bid between the NT opener and her partner), when are systems on? Or to put it another way, after which interfering bids do we continue to use Stayman and Jacoby Transfers? It’s pretty clear that it’s important for partners to be on the same page about this. You may already have a specific agreement with your partner but if you do not, a good guideline is: Still use Stayman and Transfers when the interfering bid is either a Double or 2 Clubs. Here’s how: If they Double nothing changes, NT Systems are on since the opponents have not used a bid that takes up any room on the bidding ladder. If they bid 2 Clubs and if you were planning to use Stayman, then you bid “Double” which in this case is another convention called “Stolen Bid Double”. The opener will know you wanted to say 2 Clubs (Stayman) and will rebid accordingly. If they make any bid higher than 2 Clubs, systems are “Off” and bids by responder are natural. Usually with a balanced hand responder will continue in NT and with a 5 card major and sufficient points will bid it. This only works if your partner knows exactly what you are doing. Think about what works for you and be sure to talk to your partner about it.

*Intermediate/Newcomers (I/N) players is generally defined by ACBL as players with less than 500 masterpoints and includes a spectrum of playing skills from novice to intermediate/advanced.

Dennis Dawson Presents: Is It Forcing? - Part Two

Last month you were left with the question of how to create a forcing auction. Let’s say you hold as East:

Responder’s Hand 4 ♠ K Q J 9 8 7 ♥ 6 4 3 ♦ A 5 ♣ A 2

The auction starts:

West North East South 1 ♦ Pass 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♣ Pass ?

2♠ is not forcing, nor is it even invitational. 3♠ is invitational, but opener might pass. What bid can the responder make that is 100% forcing? To answer that question, let’s review Bridge 101. The cardinal rule about forcing bids is new suits by the responder are forcing unless 1NT has been bid or responder passed initially. Reread that. Commit it to memory. “New suit” means a suit that hasn’t yet been bid, not NT. For example,

West North East South 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ is forcing, as is

West North East South 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥ but West North East South 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2NT is not forcing. “Responder” means responder, not opener. For example,

West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 1♥ is not forcing because it is a new suit by the opener, not the responder. But

West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠ is forcing because it is a new suit by the responder. “Forcing” means forcing one round, not to game. Partner can’t pass this bid, but he can pass the next one, unless you continue to make a forcing bid. “1NT has been bid” – by either opener or responder. For example,

West North East South 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 1NT Pass 2♥

2♥ is not forcing because 1NT has been bid. East has a hand such as

Responder’s Hand 5 ♠ Q 9 7 5 3 ♥ K J 4 2 ♦ 8 5 3 ♣ 10

East wants to play 2♥ or 2♠. West should pass or bid 2♠. Period. Raising hearts is not an option. With a better hand, East would use a convention such as XYZ or New Minor Forcing. Here’s another example when 1NT has been bid, this time by the responder:

West North East South 1♠ Pass 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥

East is too weak for a Two-over-One response, which in today’s bidding is forcing to game. This auction shows roughly a Weak Two Bid, six or more hearts and 6-9 points, with less than three spades, and less than four clubs. For example:

Responder’s Hand 6 ♠ Q 7 ♥ K J 10 9 4 2 ♦ 8 5 3 2 ♣ 10

If opener has

Opener’s Hand 3 ♠ A J 10 5 3 ♥ 7 ♦ K Q 8 ♣ A 6 4 2

Opener should pass 2♥. Get out before the doubling starts. No double, no trouble! If the red suits were reversed opener can raise to 3♥ with a hand that revalues to at least 17 support points:

Opener’s Hand 4 ♠ A J 10 5 3 ♥ K Q 8 ♦ 7 ♣ A 6 4 2

Now the singleton diamond is worth 3 points because you have a fit in hearts. “Responder passed initially” means responder is a passed hand. For example,

West North East South Pass Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ is not forcing. Don’t distort your distribution to make a 2/1 in an imaginary suit just so you can force to game! If partner opens 1♦, do not bid 2♣ to create a game force with the hand below. Partner will never figure out you have five spades. Bid 1♠, then create a forcing bid depending on the opener’s rebid. Do not start with 2♣, two-over-one.

Responder’s Hand 7 ♠ A Q 10 3 2 ♥ 10 6 3 ♦ K J ♣ Q 9 7

New Class! Do You Hate to Play Notrump? With Dennis Dawson, National Champion

Santa Fe Bridge Club 4 Wednesdays June 16, 23, and 30; July 7 9:30 – 11:30 am

Are you tired of being terrified to play a hand in notrump, especially the dreaded 1NT? Enough is enough! Stop distorting the bidding to avoid becoming declarer in notrump and don’t panic when you are. Most of all, stop playing by instinct! That can only take you so far. What you need is a firm foundation, and a way to approach every hand. Learn to say, “No sweat! I’ve got this.” Learn to conquer notrump by dividing the hand into smaller, manageable pieces. Develop the habit of using this step-by-step process on every notrump hand you play. This will give you the confidence you need to attack any notrump hand, no matter how overwhelming it may seem at first glance. • Count your sure winners; what’s your target? • Look for all the possible ways you can create more winners. • Choose your best chance or, even better, combine your chances if you can. • Consider the order of play, paying special attention to entries. • Practice putting it all together with many hands-on examples. Notes are included. And you don’t need a partner. Money-back guarantee if not satisfied.

1. Register by emailing [email protected]. Please specify which classes you plan to attend. $40 per class or $119 for all 4 (save $41). 2. Send a check for the appropriate amount made out to Dennis Dawson to 105 Michelle Dr, Santa Fe, NM 87501. or 3. Pay using PayPal or your credit card by pressing Control and clicking on https://paypal.me/dennisdawsonbridge?locale.x=en_US Then click Send.

ACBL Unit 383 of Santa Fe Santa Fe Fall Sectional October 15th,16th,17th, 2021 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) St. John’s United Methodist Church 1200 Old Pecos Trail. Santa Fe, NM

Friday, October 15th 9:00 AM 2:00 PM Stratified Open Pairs (single session) Stratified Open Pairs (single session) Stratified 299er Pairs (single session) Stratified 299er Pairs (single session) Bracketed Teams (Round 1) Bracketed Teams (Round 2) Saturday, October 16th 9:00 AM 2:00 PM Stratified Open Pairs (single session) Stratified Open Pairs (single session) Stratified 299er Pairs (single session) Stratified 299er Pairs (single session) Bracketed Teams (Round 1) Bracketed Teams (Round 2) Sunday, October 17th 10:00 AM Bracketed Teams ( 2 Sessions) - Lunch included with play through a short break

Sanction #2110366 Stratified Open Pair Events A= 2000+; B= 750-2000; C=0-750 299er Pair Stratification D= 150-300; E= 75-150; F= 0-75

Top bracket of teams on Friday and Saturday may be handicapped at discretion of director.

Tournament chair: Neil Hunter [email protected] Partnerships: TBD Director in charge: TBD

Fees: ACBL member $13 per session; Unpaid ACBL members $17 per session Sunday Teams: $116 per team ALL players must have an ACBL number. All ACBL members with less than 5 points play FREE.