Minnesota Bridge

Money Bridge at the Top

A few former Minnesotans have competed in the prestigious Cavendish invitational - and have done quite well.  Do the names Howard Weinstein, Steve Garner and Joe Grue happen to ring a bell with anyone?

This year, however, even if you do not get invited to the Big Kahuna event, you can rub shoulders with the elite of the world and compete yourself!  Check out the Cavendish website.  Learn about open events at one of the most thrilling bridge competitions on the planet.

If you can't make it to Las Vegas that week, you can still participate in the action! See how to get rich without making one wrong bid!

Finally, if you're looking for excitement from the privacy of your own home, you can follow the action at Bridge Base Online.

The world of big bridge is right at your fingertips!

Go Fish?

Many, when they arrive at retirement age, relax on luxurious cruises, head to the golf course, or - go fish.

Not Evan Sachs.

Evan instead has taken up the challenge of discovering and training the next generation of expert bridge players.  Evan and compatriot John Edmundson, non-retired math teacher at Mounds Park Academy, have been working with students at John's school and St. Anthony school to teach them about the beauties, intricacies and challenges of our wonderful game.

It's paying off!

Monday, John and Evan invited me to a challenge match between students at their respective schools.  Mounds Park students Michael W, Andrews B, Mark H, Kevin B and Derek B faced off against Billy A, Mitch M, Tony M and Jimmy G.  Their conditions of contest were Board-A-Match (where every hand can either be won, lost or tied). Ten pre-duplicated hands were played, with hand records and commentary provided at end.  Chips and salsa treats were available throughout.

John Koch's Card Reading Corner

The bridge abilities of my partners and teammates continues to amaze me.  Here is a hand that occurred many years ago, declared by a top level bridge expert.  He was competing against a Midwest team that included your Carding Reading author, John Koch, along with Tony Ames, Chicagoan Dick Bruno and Yours Truly, the Blogmaster.

Though this hand has long ago disappeared from the mists of my memory, John demonstrates that his talent for recall is as impressive as his card reading skills! 

Please enjoy, and learn from following the thought processes that John uses as he calculates how to  make this hand.

Your Bid! Week 4 Answers

This hand is a toughie.  While you only have a "minimum" opener yourself, and partner has not promised extras, the hand has lots of potential.  You're chock full of controls:  club ace and diamond ace.  Your suit is good.  And, you have a secondary fit with partner's spades - such as they are.

Really, at this stage, spades are a key to the hand.  Does partner have something like this:  QJ10xx, KJxx, KQ, xx?  Or this:  KQxxx, Kxx, KQ, xxx?  Or this:  AQ9xx, KJx, Kxx, xx?

If partner has hand #1, slam's a disaster.  Only a horrific error on the part of the opponents will allow you to make 6.  Even 5 could be in jeopardy!

If partner has hand #2, slam is somewhat worse than the spade ace onside.  (You need no spade ruff at trick 2 if spades are 4-1, and nothing horrible happening in hearts.)

If partner has hand #3, then you have, as they say, been in worse hands.

In fact, partner had hand #3, and you did arrive in slam.  You elected to make one more try over 4D by bidding 5D.  This was doubled, and once partner bid 5S, you were committed to the 6 level.

When your LHO showed up with K10x of spades, the slam came home.  J10 onside would work, too.

If you selected a call that got you your slam bonus, well done!  If not - on some days, you might pick up a big swing for your side if the spades, or trump aren't pretty.

No one ever said that this game was easy - or that many of the answers are clear cut!

Introducing Marv Riedesel

Really Winter!

For those who have missed blizzard days of yesteryear, this weekend is making up for your loss in spades!  With well over a foot of snow in some parts of Minnesota, this weekend provides excellent time for curling up in front of the fire with your favorite bridge book.  If you're looking for something a bit more active, a few hours of online bridge might be right up your alley.

A few weeks ago, another form of winter visited upon us.  In addition to bone-chilling cold, many of us enjoyed a hot time in Maplewood at the Winter Carnival.  Here are some photos of competitors as they attempted to best their opponents.  Enjoy!

 

178 Financial Report for 2006

Please see the PDF file below.

Introducing Cezanne Martin

Introducing Steve Gaynor

Introducing Mike Cassel

Introducing Vicky Smith

Introducing Marsha Devine

Introducing Paul Gutterman

Introducing Verda Gould

Introducing Wayne Gergen

Players from Minnesota are frequently in the news and racking up accomplishments.  Unit 178 President Marv Riedesel kindly wrote and forwarded this great story about Wayne Gergen.

Please take the time to find out how newer players are falling in love with our game - and achieving national success at the same time!

Here is Wayne (on the right) with Cliff Lundberg:

John Koch's Card Reading Corner

John's column for this week is testament to John's superb card reading abilities at the table.  Most of the rest of us can only sit back and admire this ability.

Enjoy the column below!

Your Bid! Week 4

IMP Pairs, and everyone is vul.  Your partner has opened the bidding, and at this stage of the game, you have lots of choices!

What will yours be?!

643, AQ1073, A542, A
1S - P - 2H - P - 3H - P - 4C - P - 4D - P - Your Bid?
5H
4H
4S
5C
5D
4NT
6H
See Results

Your Bid! Week 3 - Answers

When you're down 25, you wish for swingy hands.  You are dealt them in spades!

As predicted, you were doing well.  Your first hand, you bid a grand that is laydown and is missed by your counterparts.  Win 11.  On the second board, you win another 11 in a strange manner.  Your opponents, laywayed by strange preempts at your table, play their 7C hand at the game level.  Your teammates reach only two clubs ... but it is doubled and vulnerable!  Your team gains another 11 for that performance.  On board 3, you hope that you added more, yet disaster strikes. 

After yet another hand glistening with preemption, your opponents miss one more slam.  This time they only can claim 12 tricks, scoring 620.  Sounds good - eh?

At the other table, though, your teammates have an even tougher time with the hand.  Not only do they miss their slam, they double the opponents at the five level - and find that they cannot beat the contract.  They have the balance of the points; they do not have more than 2 tricks.  A huge loss.

So.  Now we come to the next hand.  What was your choice of bids for Your Bid! Week 3? 

Most aggressive calls will work.  Partner's hand is:  1072, Q104, KJ874, 53.  4S cannot be beaten; 5D is cold with the correct view in diamonds.

If you are a wimp (as your blog editor was with her 2S call), then you lose a non vul game swing.  Most understandably, partner failed to raise 2S, and the excellent game was missed.

Pleased with your aggression?  You should be.  Had your partner been dealt something like xx, KJxx, Qxx, xxxx - same number of HCP - you'd be wondering why you did not take the Low Road. 

A New Title

Kerry Holloway, a fine bridge player, bridge writer - and very good friend of mine - wrote the column below about Your Editor.

My thanks to Kerry - and to so many friends in the bridge community.  None of us achieve any goals in bridge as a solo act!

Card Reading Corner

John Koch is one of Minnesota's top players.  Along with partner Tony Ames, John won the national Senior Knockouts.  Several exceptional teams were KO'd along the way to their victory.

It's our good fortune that John has offered to write a weekly column on card reading.  Since he is one of the best, we are in for a treat!  Enjoy.