Unit 206 Chit Chat

BRIDGE TIP FOR APRIL LIBRARY CORNER After partner opens and second hand over- The Bridge Player’s Dictionary calls 1NT (natural), double for penalty with Compiled and Edited by Randall Baron 9+ HCP. Bidding a new suit is not forcing and a jump is preemptive. With 9+ points, The dictionary begins by defining A.B.A. and double first. ends with a definition of Zip Swiss. Between these two terms are definitions for more com- monly known terminology such as Blackwood, distribution, pulling trump, and support doubles. You hold: S. 10x H. KJxx D. AJxxx C. J10 More esoteric terms such as obligatory finesse, guard squeeze, and tartan two bids are also among the more than 1400 terms defined in the North East South (you) West book. New players who want to learn what cer- tain terms mean will find this book a handy ref- 1S 1NT ? erence for learning the jargon used at the duplicate bridge table. All definitions are concise and easily understood, making this a great reference Double. You have them outgunned. You should be able to de- for new—and experienced—players. great refer- feat 1NT easily. If you bid 2D, you are showing fewer than 9 ence for new—and experienced—players. HCP typically with six diamonds. It is very misleading to bid your suit directly with a strong hand in this sequence. Double first. ATTENTION BRIDGE PLAYERS You can buy an online bridge lesson for a friend and Eddie Kantar their partner for just $15! To order, please send requests www.kantarbridge.com through bridgeinga.weebly.com. Jack Gillispie UNIT 206 CHIT CHAT \Volume 8 Issue 4 Publication of ACBL Unit 206 April 2017 Email: [email protected] KEITH’S KORNER Something for Everyone - Especially for the New Player!! Whether you're a beginning bridge player or have a great deal of experience, we have a lot of activities geared for you to enjoy across our Unit #206 bridge clubs. We are blessed to have a host of people dedi- cated to providing education and bridge playing experiences for you. Each week we have 3 regularly scheduled events for new players. We have a lesson and a bridge game at each of these events providing great opportunities to learn bridge from the beginning. On Tuesday nights, the lessons and games are held for new players with less than 20 Master Points (MP's); on Friday mornings, the games are limited to players with less than 99 MP's; on Monday nights, the games are limited to players with less than 500 MP's, who are nonlife masters. In addition to the regularly scheduled weekly events for our new players we have special events through out the year. Dan Chandler spearheads our Learn Bridge in a Day events which are held several times each year. For many years now Bill Adams and his capable helpers have been instrumental in the recruit- ment and education of new bridge players. Countless other folks regularly conduct lectures and learning sessions that are geared just for you. For the past two years Unit #206 has hosted an ACBL Sectional Tournament for all players with less than 500 MP's. This provides a great opportunity for newer players to experience tournament play. You do not even need to be an ACBL member to play! If you are a newer player and want to learn more about bridge and become more confident in your playing ability, you have many choices to do so. For the most up to date information on our upcoming events, you should regularly check the calendar on our Unit #206 website: www.unit206acbl.org. Bridge playing is the common bond between all of us. It brings people from all walks of life together to do the same thing - play bridge. It's a fun game and you never learn all there is to learn. Our most accom- plished players will tell you that they learn something new nearly every time they play. As a new player, you've just begun the learning process. Take advantage of the many opportunities that we've made avail- able for you. If you think we need to do something we aren't doing to help your game or make it more fun, then tell your director, tell your instructor, tell your partner, or tell me. We will work towards making it happen. Thanks, Keith Honnold, President SAVE THAT DATE!!! April 24-28, 2017 Charity week. All games are $6. April 27, 2017 ACBL Wide Charity game at 6:30 pm May 6, 2017 Derby Day! Lunch and game starting at 11:00. $6 May 15-21, 2017 Grass Roots Charity week. All games are $6. May 21, 2017 Sundaes on Saturday at 1:30. More info to come on games in June. June 2017 Team game where you come alone...you will be matched at the club! June 21, 2017 The Longest Day Three sessions of Bridge, Morning, Afternoon and Evening Playing By the Rules By John Friedl Are you a dogfighter or a boomer? Competitive golf tournaments are governed by a complex set of rules. Sometimes the application of those rules may seem punitive and even draconian, but players usually agree that it is necessary in order that everyone can have an equal chance of winning, and that skill, and sometimes luck, will be the only determining factors in the outcome. At the local golf club where I play, there is a group of mostly elderly gentlemen who play under a looser set of rules. We call this game the “dogfight.” If your ball is sitting in a divot in the fairway, no problem – just move it onto the grass. Find your ball behind a tree? That’s ok, just move it out to where you have a clear shot. Ball two feet away from the hole? Pick it up, it’s good – nice par! The dogfight is a five dollar game, and no one cares much who wins or loses. For the more serious golfers, we have a different game where the rules are strictly enforced. We call it the “boomers.” It’s a twenty dollar game, and you play the ball where it lies, hole out all puts, and assign yourself a penalty for any infraction. There may be a very few players who bend these rules, but everyone knows who they are and they are the object of serious opprobrium. Competitive duplicate bridge tournaments are also governed by a complex set of rules. Like golf, everyone agrees that although the application of those rules may seem draconian at times, it is necessary to ensure that skill, and sometimes luck, are the only factors in determining the outcome. The dogfight is a first cousin to what we sometimes call “party bridge.” Party bridge players more or less follow the rules, but we all know the difference between bidding “a club” and “one club.” Lead out of turn? That’s ok, just pick it up. Failed to follow suit two tricks earlier? Just go back and play it over and we’ll take it from there. Duplicate bridge is the cousin of the boomers. And while everyone wants our bridge club to be a warm, friendly, forgiving social environment, we also want the game to be fair. Even the fellows in the dogfight won’t tolerate kicking your ball out of a sand trap or picking up a ten foot putt. In my experience, few players have a good understanding of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, with the result that they frequently violate the rules without even being aware of it. We teach newcomers about bidding conventions, declarer play, less about defense, and almost nothing about the complex rules that govern the game. I’ve been drafted to write a monthly column for our newsletter, and I’ve decided to dedicate it to educating our players about some of the more common rules that apply. I also believe that it should be the responsibility of the more experienced players in our club games to point out to the intermediate and novice players when there is a violation of the rules. Sometimes that can be done with a gentle comment, but often it may require calling the director to rectify an unfair result. If that happens to you, don’t blame your opponent – it is each player’s responsibility to know and understand these Laws and to follow them. In future columns I will illustrate specific rule violations with examples I have observed. In the meantime, I urge every reader to become familiar with the Laws of Duplicate Bridge. You can read about them online at the ACBL web site, or you can pick up the copy on the director’s shelf at the local club and browse through it during your sit-out or if you arrive a few minutes early. You’ll find it is time well spent. Next month: “The 2 ½ Heart bid” JF Lettuce Play Bridge Come join us at the next Mentee/Mentor game on Friday, April 28 beginning at 11:30 with lunch furnished and served by the Mentees. Lunch will consist of various choices of salads and “healthy” desserts – Chocolate is considered healthy, correct!! The sanctioned game will begin at 12:30 and should end by 4. There will be a few minutes between table movements for Mentors to briefly “mentor” mentees. In the past, the Mentee/Mentor Games have been very successful! We would love to beat the 38 ½ tables at one of these events! Mentees are always very complimentary of how enjoyable these games are and that it is definitely a learning experience.

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