Irwin Boris, always a fine analyst, has an excellent hand for us to review this week.
Words to live by: when you think you have found a solution to your defense, give the hand another moment of thought. It may make the difference between success, failure - and a bunch of IMPS!
Many of us play bridge on "auto pilot." A familiar situation arises, and we play a hand as we would all the other times this theme is present.
Yet, giving a line of play a second thought almost never hurts - and - sometimes, it can pay off big rewards.
Today, Irwin Boris shares with us such a hand. And with it: excellent advice!
Merry Christmas! Warmest wishes to all who are opening gifts and celebrating the holiday.
Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. One of Minnesota's top players who has an amazing gift of talent is Kurt Schaeffer. I'm not certain if Kurt is the best declarer in the state or not. Yet I am sure, however, that he has few challengers for the title.
Here is an example of a hand that led to success only for Kurt.
As you enjoy your gifts, family, friends and good food, you can remain in awe as to Kurt's abilities opposite dummy!
Matthew Bribitzer-Stull shares a tale of woe at the table. Food for thought both about good fortune and how we ought to comport ourselves while competing.
Thanks, Matthew!
As many of us know, Minnesota expert Tim Wernz has been in a tough health battle for some time. Nevertheless, as Irwin Boris highlights so well in his story below, at the bridge table, Tim's judgment is still keen and successful!
Our thanks to Irwin to sharing this story of how Tim has been in the winners circle over the years.
As we know all too well, bridge is a complex game. We often go through a multitude of steps, assessing the best bid or play.
Sometimes, however, the most simple answer is the best answer. We might call it "Occam's razor at the bridge table!" (And - for those who are not familiar with this concept - a thorough explanation can be found here.)
Steve Gaynor sent me a hand today that is one of those "wow!" sort of hands. Each of us might have a very different method of handling it.
How did Steve's wife, Jean Boettcher, deal with the distributional monster in Steve's story? Please read below to find out just how Jean met with success!
Courtesy of Steve Gaynor, a report from this past week's Aquatennial Sectional!
And - results from the tourney, too.
Top honors go to Terry Lijewski. His almost 26 masterpoints beat out Phil & Judy Schwarz, with the latter partnership winning 24 masterpoints even.
Congratulations to all our winners - and - everyone who competed. Additional thanks to our directors, volunteers and everyone who makes bridge in Minnesota so special!
This past weekend, Minnesota enjoyed a 0-300 tournament at the Twin City Bridge Center and a sectional in St. Cloud. Results have not yet been posted at ACBL. As soon as they are, however, we will report on accomplishments.
In the meantime, Mike Cassel has been kind enough to supply us with a fine column about a most interesting type of maneuver: the Merrimac Coup. The Coup requires the sacrifice of an honor - and sometimes establishes an extra trick in the short run for declarer. Ultimately, however, it can cut declarer off from a source of many tricks - resulting in big rewards. Mike explains below!
At Minnesota Bridge, we love to highlight the exploits of our players. Nevertheless, sometimes we learn of a move so creative and successful - we want to share it with everyone!
My friend Fernando Lema, of Argentina, wrote up this hand from the South American Transnational Bridge Festival. Kudos to Agustin Madala for his masterful defensive falsecard to fell a seemingly impregnable game!
Were you among the thousands who signed into Bridgebase Tuesday night to watch the USBF Women's Team Trials finals? If so, you were treated to an incredible show.
The hands were fascinating; the match was close. The lead switched back and forth over and over as just a few IMPS separated the two teams.
Fortunately, we had an expert kibitzer in the crowd who loves to report on the action: Mike Cassel. Mike has contributed a fine analysis of this match, highlighting bidding decisions and superb defense. Thanks, Mike!
Congratulations to the Moss team; we wish you well in Lille! And condolences to the Sprung team. It was a match where most regreted there could not be two winners.
Irwin Boris was one of our successful players at the Gopher Regional. When you read his report, "Extra Pressure," you will understand why.
Jill Estrada brave defensive play would have gained against many other declarers... Better luck next time, Jill!
Marv Riedesel does a tremendous amount of administration and volunteering for bridge in Minnesota. He also can do a super job with writing up a fascinating hand, too!
Marv, along with wife Mary Johnson, made the special trek to Gatlinburg last month. People can talk about computer hands all they want, Marv tells us. But - some of the shuffle, deal and play ones can be rather amazing, too!
Let Marv tell you what happened in his own words.....
Our thanks to Rich Newell of West Des Moines and Unit 216 Board member, for sending us this fascinating and well researched article about calculating the best leads.
Sometimes the most critical choice is the first card out of 52! Rich helps us to figure it all out.
All bridge players know too well that accurate slam bidding can be critical. One misstep; huge swings can occur. But if you think that you and your partner are the only ones to have difficulties with this rare area of the game, think again! Even the best of the best can go wrong when in the slam zone.
Currently, the Open Team Trials is being played in Schaumburg, a suburb of Illinois. The final day of the semi-final matches can be viewed at Bridgebase Online's vugraph show. Nickell has a substantial lead against Milner. And Diamond has even a greater total against Lee (which includes hometown boys Steve Garner and Howie Weinstein). But, those of us who have been kibitizing are well aware that the winds of war can change decidedly mid-match. So, if you have the opportunity, be sure to tune in today, and both Saturday and Sunday for the thrilling final match-up.
Our thanks to Mike Cassel for writing up some of the slam debacles of these elite players. And, be sure to catch Suzi Subeck's Daily Bulletins, too, detailing the action. Suzi does a fabulous job - as do all the tireless and devoted volunteers at the USBF Team Trials. Suzi has been publicizing our upcoming fall USBF Regional every day in the Bulletin; we appreciate it greatly, Suzi!
Enjoy Mike's column, Suzi's writings - and, of course, the great show in Chicago!
An opening bid of "two diamonds" can be used in a variety of ways. Some people go for the old fashioned method: a weak two bid in diamonds. I suppose a few die hards are out there who go really prehistoric; 2 diamonds is a strong bid with a good diamond suit! Others go for the more European of "multi" two diamonds - which is generally a weak two bid in one of the majors, or a strong hand, OR....
Well. I'll let Steve Gaynor tell us about the treatment he and wife Jean prefer - along with a most amusing hand!
Thanks, Steve!
