g the 188 in g counties id r B www.bridge-wcba.com Vol. XLVIII No. 1 Published by Westchester Contract Bridge Association March 2006 SEE YOU THERE ! WCBA BOB KATZ SPRING SECTIONAL § ¨ © ª § ¨ © ª § ¨ © ª § ¨ § APRIL 28 - 30, 2006 ¨ ¨ Westchester County Center © March © 198 Central Avenue, White Plains, New York ª Feb. 28- STAC Week ª § § Friday, April 28 Mar. 6 Various Clubs Stratified Open Pairs 1:00 PM ¨ 30 NABC ¨ Stratified Women’s Pairs 1:00 PM © Dallas, TX © Stratified Newplicate Pairs 1:00 PM Stratified Open Pairs 7:30 PM ª ª Stratified Newplicate Pairs 7:30 PM § April § Knockout Teams: Random Draw; 7:30 PM ¨ ¨ Bracketed if possible, Handicapped if necessary. (Continues Sat. 1:00 & 7:00) 1-9 NABC © © Saturday, April 29 Dallas, TX ª ª Stratified Open Pairs 1:00 PM 5 ACBL Charity Game Stratified Newplicate Pairs 1:00 PM § Various Clubs § Knockout Teams (continued) 1:00 PM ¨ 28-30 WCBA Spring Sectional ¨ Stratified Open Pairs 7:00 PM © County Center, © Stratified Newplicate Pairs 7:00 PM White Plains, NY Knockout Teams (continued) 7:00 PM ª ª § § Sunday, April 30 May Stratified Open Swiss Teams 11:00 AM ¨ ¨ Playthrough; Seven 7-board matches © © Stratified Senior Swiss Teams 11:00 AM 12-13 Jane Hill Future Masters Four 7-board matches ª (0-100 MPs) Sectional ª Stratified Newplicate Swiss Teams 11:00 AM § Methodist Church, § Four 6-board matches ¨ White Plains, NY ¨ Stratified Open Pairs Charity Game 11:00 AM © 20 District 3 © Grand National Teams Open game strats are: A, infinity; B, 2000; C, 750 (non-life master) ª ª Newplicate strats are: 0-50, 50-100, 100-200 First Qualifying Day Tournament Chairperson: Marshall Frank (914) 238-9379 [email protected] § Flights: Championship, § Pairing Chairperson: Michael Otte (914) 631-3111 [email protected] ¨ A (5000), B (2000), ¨ Caddies: Ed Zuckerberg (914) 693-6633 [email protected] © C (500/non-life master) © Mahwah, NJ DIRECTIONS: ª 21 Grand National Teams ª From Tappan Zee Bridge: Thruway to Exit 8, then I-287 East to exit 5. County Center is § § 1/4 mile on left. Second Qualifying Day From CT: I-287 West to exit 5. Left turn toward Rte. 119. Left turn onto Rte. 119. ¨ Flights: Championship, A ¨ County Center is 1/2 mile on left. © and B. (No Flight C.) © From Central Avenue: North to Rte. 119. At intersection, County Center is on left. South Spring Valley, NY From Long Island: Hutchinson River Parkway to Cross-County Parkway West to Bronx ª ª River Pkwy North to Central Ave. exit. County Center is on left, parking on right. § ¨ © ª § ¨ © ª § ¨ © ª § ¨ § From NYC: Major Deegan Expressway to exit 5, Central Ave. 10 miles, on left. Metro North: White Plains Station is walking distance to County Center. g PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE in the g I’d like to start my message welcoming our While I’m on the subject of increasing id counties newest Board member, Betty Heller. I think membership, I’d like to remind you that we r she is a terrific addition to our Board, and are looking to recycle our ACBL Bridge B look forward to working with her. I’d like to Bulletins. Carol Laufer has made labels for share the makeup of our Board with you. It us to affix to these bulletins. Please bring in BRIDGING THE COUNTIES (ISSN 1059-3586) is is comprised of 22 Board members, including old bulletins. We will attach a label and ask published (quarterly) four times a year in March, June, four officers. As with most volunteer everyone to pick one up and bring it to a September and December by the Westchester Contract Bridge Association, 2 Carriage Way, White organizations, there are many jobs to be local doctor’s or dentist’s visit and leave it Plains, NY 10605. Periodicals postage is paid at White shared. We also ask other Unit members to with the other office magazines. Plains, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes help us when we are in need. Please feel free I would like to share some upcoming to: Bridging the Counties, 2 Carriage Way, White Plains, NY 10605. to volunteer your assistance; you don’t need Unit and District 3 events: to be a Board member to lend a hand. In this April 28th - 30th is our Bob Katz Spring WESTCHESTER CONTRACT issue is a list of all our Board members. Sectional at the Westchester County Center BRIDGE ASSOCIATION I have some good news for those in White Plains. Betty Fleischer, President members of our Unit who have let their May 12th - 13th are the NEW dates for ACBL membership lapse. The ACBL has the Jane Hill Future Masters Sectional. Editor ..............................Jason Fuhrman 21 Alkamont Avenue, Scarsdale, NY 10583 declared the period from January 2006 May 20th - 21st are the District 3 Grand E-Mail: [email protected] through June 2006 as an amnesty period. National Teams. May 20th is in Mahway, www.bridge-wcba.com Anyone may rejoin the ACBL during that NJ, for all Flights. For those who make it in www.bridge-district3.org www.acbl.org period and regain their lost masterpoints at the Championship Flight, Flight A, and no charge. Since this bulletin does not reach Flight B, the qualifications continue on the STAFF Associate Editor ........................................................Bob Goldwater those people who are not members, I need 21st in South Spring Valley, NY. Proofreading .......................................................Michelle Fuhrman your assistance in sharing this news with We look forward to seeing you at these your friends who may have let their ACBL special events. Robin Brown ....................................Barbara Metselaar Betty Fleischer ........................................Kassie Munoz membership lapse. Betty Fleischer Joan Levy Gerard ........................................Judy Soley Alisan Harte .............................................Joel Sommer “Defence is always difficult.” - David Bird, A few days later, playing with a different The Abbot and the Sensational Squeeze. partner (for reasons unrelated to the prior Some days it is more difficult than hand), we’re defending against 2© on an others. During three consecutive sessions, auction that went 1©-2©, passed out. After I “interesting” defensive problems came up. make the opening lead, dummy tables a hand Every year, BOLS (a European liquor that looks more like a limit raise than a simple Editor’s company) gives an award for the best played raise, and we despair of ever setting the bridge hand of the year. On this first deal, contract. We manage a brilliant defense to set Corner our opponents gave us the BOLS award for the contract for a great result. My partner was the worst defended hand of the year. (It’s a in shock, and said he was going to use this good thing we were among friends.) At hand in his next lesson to show his students an matchpoints, we were defending a contract example of how to set a hand using great of 3§. The opening lead gave declarer a free defense, and not to give up even though finesse. Despite the opening lead, we have declarer seems destined to make it. three more different opportunities to take the With the same partner, we’re defending setting trick, which we don’t do. At trick 11, against 3NT. I led the 10¨ out of ¨1097. the contract is still settable if partner returns Dummy tables a doubleton Q¨. Partner takes anything other than a trump - and of course the J¨ and K¨, on which I play the 7¨, and he returns a trump to let them make it. Five partner pauses to think. Partner has ¨AKJxx. missed chances on one hand to set the The defensive problem is this: if I have contract. ¨10987, he must underlead his A¨ to me to There are two footnotes to this story. unblock the suit; but if I have only three All better defenses from trick 1 through 11 diamonds, he needs to cash out from the top. lead to taking exactly 1 more trick; even While this problem is solvable, partner got it though several different tricks could have be wrong at the table, allowing 3NT to make. (I taken, they were all equivalent because other “promised” the 9¨, so if I have the 8¨ I losers could still be discarded (so the free should have played the 8¨ rather than the 7¨. finesse at trick 1 wouldn’t have cost us if we So declarer must have the 8¨, and if I did lead defended properly). Secondly, at from ¨107, it is not settable anyway.) matchpoints the blunders somehow cost us Whoever said defense is easy? virtually nothing, only 1/2 a matchpoint. Jason Fuhrman Page 2 Bridging the Counties - March 2006 This N’ That From Your District Director I want to start off by thanking the Unit including the complimentary Sunday each to: the United States Bridge 188 Board for their part in re-electing night buffet - a one-time treat, and the Federation, earmarked to send 2 School me as your District Director for another earlier evening starting times. Teams to Thailand to participate in the three year term. I hope that I will Everything was so much fun. Thanks World Schools Team Championships; continue to live up to everyone’s to: the Bridge Deck and Hartes’ Club the Westchester chapter of Juvenile expectations and work at the National for closing, Steve Surasky, Mimi and Diabetes; the New Jersey chapter of the level to market our game to new groups Joel Bieber, Gina Tamres, Ed Make-A-Wish Foundation; and the of people. At home, I want to make Zuckerberg, Barbara Skluth, Laura New Jersey chapter of Habitat for certain, as best that I can, that all our Brill, Rick Goldstein, Nancy Humanity.