Minnesota Bridge

The Exceptions that Prove the Rule

As we all know, bridge has a myriad of rules.  Yet, the more you progress in your bridge career, the more you realize these two truths.  First, often it is impossible to follow all the "rules"!  It simply isn't logically possible.  The second truth is that sometimes, the rule is meant to be broken.

In John Koch's column this week, John delivers just such a hand.

Enjoy John's instructive hand.  And appreciate that part of what makes our game so compelling is the twists and turns that it offers.  Bridge rules!

On Lead

Keith Connolly makes his fateful choice.

One of the most critical decisions you will make on many hands occurs even before dummy appears.

What will you lead at trick one?

Many a contract has floundered - or met with success - depending upon what declarer's LHO chooses.

What clues can opening leader use to determine how to achieve a score in the plus column?  John Koch shows the way!

Download 305.WithoutRecourse.2

In The Mix

The bidding ends and partner puts down dummy.  Sometimes those cards are just what the doctor ordered.  Sometimes - you feel as if the dummy requires a call to urgent care.

What do you do when the latter occurs?  You get in the mix and look for a solution, despite the odds of a solution looking slim.

This week, John Koch explains how to mix it up as declarer and come out a winner!

Thinking About the Hand

Two guys who are usually pretty good on defense!

Defense is a tough adventure.  Nevertheless, many hands have clues.  If we take all the information available to us, often we can arrive at a solution that leads to success.

This week, John Koch presents us with such a hand.

Many of our Minnesota players are in San Francisco at the 2012 Fall NABC.  Think about John's hand of the week - and realize that often, the solution is there.  We simply need to concentrate on all the data we have at our disposal!

Spot of Choice

When defending, we have the opponents' bidding to guide us.  This, however, is not enough.  We must rely upon our own carding to know which suits to attack, which to avoid and which to continue at a key point in a hand.

These may seem like simple and straightforward rules.  And - on one level - they are.

Yet, as we all know, often "at the table" figuring out what a spot card means is not always as easy as it may appear on the surface.

This week, John Koch presents us with excellent reasoning about which spots to play when - and why.

Transfers

We all know about Jacoby transfers and Texas transfers.  And, some of us now play "transfer advances" where responders "transfer" to their suit rather than bid it directly.

Yet, there is another sort of "transfer" that is used not during the bidding, but the play.

If you are a squeeze aficionado, this week John Koch will show you how to dazzle your partner and pulverize your opponents with transferring a menace.

And if the above is a mystery to you - then be sure to read John's column this week!

WUMBA Wonders

One aspect of bridge that separates the excellent players from the fair-to-middling is the ability of the former to read the cards.

This week, John Koch focuses on the talents of one of our neighbors to the east.  Here is WUMBA's Art Flashinski at the helm. 

John points out that Art is the winner this year for most masterpoints won in Wisconsin-Upper Michigan sectionals. 

With skills like these - no one should be surprised!

Options Open

Part of what makes bridge so fascinating is how complex it is.  While some hands are a "sure thing" - if only you can figure out what the "sure thing is!" - many others are a matter of weighing the odds.  In addition, a top notch player adds in creative thoughts, such as what their particular opponents can figure out, laying traps and the like.

In John Koch's column today, declarer finds a way to success.  It is not a path that is guaranteed.  Yet, not only does it heighten the odds of success - on this particular hand, it ultimately secures it.

Here is John with his "Pseudo Bath Coup!"

Sizing Up the Opponents

Do you declare a hand the same against Joe Schmoe as you do against Bob Hamman?  Well - some hands you should.... but others?  I don't think so.

Neither does John Koch.  This week, some thoughts on how to read the opponents' plays and discards.

Consolation Prize

There's an old saying in bridge - and in life:  "Get the best result possible."  We all yearn for the best possible result.... but quite often, reaching that nirvana is impossible.  Thus, if we get the best result that is possible.... we've done good.

This week, John Koch treats us to a hand where this wisdom springs to life.  Sometimes, our consolation prize is sweet indeed.

Forewarned

At some point in their bridge careers, most Twin City duplicate players have competed at the Twin Cities Bridge Center. 

There, we find a wide range of players.  Some are dipping their toes into the waters of duplicate for the first time.  Others have been competing literally for decades.  Irrespective, however, of level of ability and length of time at the table, all of us are fortunate to have a familiar bridge spot.  Throughout the week, we can head to the TCBC and do our best to be victorious.

This week, John Koch chronicles a hand that matched long time competitors against one another.  TGLO (The Great Larry Oakey, who truly is one of the finest bridge players ever from Minnesota) issued a warning to John about one of his opponents, the ever crafty Murray Appelbaum.  I will let you read John's story to judge what happened from there!

Silence Is Golden

Sometimes successful bridge is 100% logic and counting.  Sometimes, it's "odds on."  And other times, the opponents give us an extra bit of information that helps us find the way to the winning play.

This week, John Koch presents a tough hand.  Ultimately, declarer finds his way.  Yet - if an opponent had remained silent - would declarer have calculated the road to success?

We will never know.  All we can know is this:  bridge is often a weighting of risk versus reward.  This week's defender risked - and - lost.

Our cheers to John for another fine column!  (No need for silence there!)

Oooh La La - Lebensohl!

"Lebensohl" is a useful convention.  It can be used in a number of scenarios to differentiate between having values - and - not.

This week, John Koch offers a Fargo Regional hand which highlights this helpful convention.  As always - much to learn in Koch's Korner!

The Hunch

Anyone who thinks that bridge is a simple game is a simpleton!  We must learn all about bidding, declarer play and defense.  We must learn a wide variety of plays on offense and defense, know the odds, know our opponents' tendencies (when possible) and understand a myriad of other items critical to success at the table.

Oddly enough, however, expert players also know when to ignore the "odds on" plays and bids.  This Wednesday, John Koch explains the details.

By the way - I am entering John's hand while working at the Buffett Cup in Omaha.  Two days of play remain.

If you want to watch the best of the best - then tune into Bridge Base and watch vugraph throughout the day!

(And yes; that is our own Joe Grue here at the Buffett Cup in the photo above.  If you want a player who senses when to follow his instincts, then Joe is your man!

Double, Double

Toil and trouble.

As much as we all love bridge, sometimes it seems as if our game is "toil and trouble!"  Doubles in particular can be vexing - irrespective of your level of experience. 

"Double" can mean "please take out my bid," "I think I can beat this contract," "do something intelligent" or "I've got extras."  Unfortunately, we don't have separate bids for each of these doubles.  All we can do is double - and hope that partner is on the same wavelength that we are, and that he chooses wisely.

This week, John Koch ventures into the murky world of doubles.  How do we know what each double means?  How do we judge whether or not double is appropriate?  How do we know what to do when partner doubles?  John will address these questions and more in his excellent column below, "Double, Double."

Busy Signals

This week, John Koch presents us with a fine column on signaling.  John addresses key issues on this topic.

What kind of signaling should you use?  In the "olden days," we had but one choice; "high" meant you liked a suit; "low" showed now interest.  High/low showed an even number; up the line was odd.  Today, however, many pairs have adopted "UDCA" (upside down count and attitude).  Plays have exactly the opposite meaning of what they used to be.  The theory is then that lower spots that don't "take tricks" can be used to encourage, preserving potential winners.  Other methods are also used by some pairs.

Of course, there is also the issue of when we should signal.  Do you always give honest count?  Do you always tell partner if you like a suit or not?

Today's column demonstrates that there is much for defenders - and declarer - to consider about this critical part of our game.  As always, John presents the issues in a clear and most useful manner.

Our thanks to John for his presentation.  And - good luck to him in Fargo, along with all the rest of our players who will be competing at this excellent Labor Day week regional!

Redux

The Internet's invention truly has transformed our world in a myriad of ways.  For we bridge players, it's imprint is mighty.

One way in which it has an impact is our ability to communicate and discuss.  For many years, I and other editors produced Minnesota's bridge newsletter - then we morphed into an online format.  While the newsletter was wonderful for the decades that it lasted, the Internet allows much that before was unthinkable.  Not only are we able to post as frequently as we wish, make corrections, provide loads of photos - we can also debate and discuss.

This last point leads us to this week's Koch Korner column.  Ranier Herrmann, not a Minnesotan but a reader of our blog, offered some commentary on John's last column.  This lead to "Desperation Redux" - where John looks at the same hand with new eyes.

Our thanks to Ranier for his comments, to John for his huge contributions and high quality - and to those who have provided us with an amazing tool that has changed our bridge world and the rest of the universe, too!

Good and Bad

Good and bad are always involved at the bridge table.  We all like to get to good contracts and stay away from poor ones.  Yet, as we all know - sometimes doing the opposite can actually lead to large gains.

This week, John Koch tells us about a hand where that's exactly what happened.  Declarer got to a lousy contract.  But a combination of good and bad:  good breaks, good card reading and bad defense (all necessary!) led to success.

When you are dealt lemons - try your best to concoct lemonade from it!

Time for Heroics?

Some hands call for heroics.  Other hands are a function of "meat and potatoes" - in other words, avoiding doing anything silly.

Read through John Koch's fine column for the week, then judge for yourself.  Is this a hand where heroics are necessary on defense?  Could you judge how to "bring home the bacon" with the opening lead given?

You be the judge!

The Observant Declarer

I'm posting this week's Koch Korner column from Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river from Omaha.  District 14's Nebraska Regional is being held all week.  If you're not here; come!  Lots more bridge to be played through Sunday.

Today, John presents us with yet one more hand where we have the knowledge to be successful - if we can calculate how to take advantage of it.

Often, there is more data available for us on any given hand - if we only appreciate it.  Thanks for showing us how to do it, John!

And - good luck to all the Minnesotans at the regional this week!