President-Bernetha Henry                                                                                                                December   2007 Vol.   XXIV   No.12

Editor – Patrick Lauterbach                                                                                                              All the news that fits, we print

                                           TRICKS AND TREATS  

                  For Members of the Columbia Duplicate Bridge Club  

                                           (On-line at www.cbcbridge.com)

 

After the presentation by Dick Coulter, the vote of the membership present was to move our games over to the Senior center.  More on timing later.

 

Our Christmas party Wednesday December 5, this year has a new look.  Instead of pot-luck, it will be catered and there will be a $5/person charge.  See the flyer insert for a map (same as the summer party) to the site and a coupon to attach your payment and RSVP Bridge is free (Club Championship), -Must respond by Wednesday, 11/28. 

 

There will be a birthday party for Belle Fields at the CBC’s last StaC game Saturday December 15.  Anybody who plays Saturdays has to make this game.  Happy Birthday (December 17)  Belle!!

  

My apologies to Jan Harrison who did all the wonderful decorations for the October party and didn’t get a mention.

 

Our November party was hosted by Alice Moore and Betty Warren.  Thanks to all who brought the treats-it was a tough choice.  Marj Edens and Margaret Hill were on form and drove to the win.

                 N/S                          11 tables Charity Game                                              E/W ____

1) Ellie Hack/Luanne Edwards            129.91       1) Marj Edens/Margaret Hill               139.69

2) Bob and Pat Webb                           125.06       2) Fran Jenkins/Virginia Robertson    133.50

3) Henry Momand/Jim Chianelli          115.50      3) Lil Hopkins/Cynthia Cone              119.50

4) Linda York/Ed Scheiblich                112.13      4)Alice Moore/Ginny Chianelli           117.88

 

Congratulations to three new Life Masters in the Club:   Jack Moye, Karen Coulter and Carol Clemenz    Our life Master and Silver Life Master plaques have been updated for 2007.

 

We continue with some more defensive help from Eddie Kantar.  #31 On No-Trump defense, it is important to keep communication with partner’s hand.  If partner leads what looks like top of a doubleton, it’s usually a good idea not to take the first trick.  Let partner keep that second card so when he gets in, he can lead your suit again.  (This comes in very hand when you have A-K-x-x-x(x) and no outside entry.  If you duck the first trick, partner will be able to return the suit when he gets in.)

#32  When declarer ignores a strong suit on the dummy lacking one honor, assume declarer has that honor.  If he doesn’t, that would be the first suit he would be leading.-the rule of Unattended Strong Suits.  ( If you see something like K-Q-J-10-x or A-Q-J-10 (x) in dummy and declarer plays other suits, assume the missing honor is in his hand..) 

 

Bridge Course:  Play of the hand.  Nine lessons (Length, finesse, promotion, Ruffing, Discarding, Entries, Trump Management, Transfers,  Stayman)  At the Columbia bridge Center on Cypress Street starting Saturday Jan. 12.  Time is 9:30-12:00  Cost is $60 with text book  Registration and Information 803-807-1859

“Our goal in life is not to succeed but to continually fail in good humor.”   Robert Louis Stevenson

Our STaC event the 10th  through the 16th will be all Open Games with a $6/player entry. 

 

NOT just a game.  Ellie and I lost the Wednesday Dec. 14 game by less than 1 match point.  No news there.  But Board 27 made 6♦ N/S when played at table 5 while at our table (1) the West hand held ♦AQxxx and the East hand held K-x..  Think somewhere along the line the hands got switched?  Probably more than once by the scoring.  You can’t have more than one hand out of the board at a time if you aren’t playing for just this reason.  Foul a board like this at a tournament and it’s a one board penalty for all four players.  

 

I was in a carload of players heading for an event when one of them got off on the subject of always getting a bad board when a certain regular partner got a good hand across from his preempts and preemptive raises.  He said “..and she always says “But I had 18 points!!”  “Well,” I asked him, “do you commonly make 6?  Are your raises stronger than they should be?”  This is a common problem.  Players overbid good hands because they suspect partner of underbidding lesser hands.  It’s not just about your hand-it’s a partnership game.  If you don’t trust your partner’s evaluation, the pair won’t do well.  Preemptive means you probably aren’t gong to make this bid if partner only has the minimum for his bidding so far.  If your partner makes a preemptive raise of your 1 ♠ bid to 4 ♠,  that doesn’t mean you have a shot at slam because you have 18 points instead of the 13 you promised to open.  It means you might make 4 ♠ instead of just crowding the opponents’ bidding or being in a good sacrifice spot.  And the preemptive raise shouldn’t be too good either as far as high card points go.  Six points tops-no outside aces or kings.  (If you wind up defending, you want the defensive trick count as clear as can be for your partner.)   Nothing is so frustrating for partner as knowing that the partnership stands more of a chance at getting a bottom if you get dealt a good hand than if you get a bad one.  If you find yourself saying:  “But I had such a good hand!!” too often, you’re overbidding your good hands.   Then too, if you find yourself saying “But I only had…” too often, you’re underbidding lesser hands.  Time to study hand evaluation.  You have to remember, it’s a partnership game-not just what’s in your hand.

 

Abduhl Ghaffar’s father has died over in Pakistan.  He has work commitments there for some little time but will be headed back to the States soon.  His cell is 788-1008 but remember, there is a ten hour time difference.

    

                           Club Trophy races June 1, 2997 to May 31 2008 (as of Nov. 16)_________________

Centurion Cup- 1) Jim Willrodt (25.11) 2) Zan Edmunds (24.55) 3) Lib Odom (24.53) 4) Cynthia Cone (9.60) 5)  Francis Robinson (8.84) 6) Dozier Shaw (8.45) 7) Sam Robison (7.31) 8) Belford Cross (6.86), 9) Faye Levinson (6.38) 10) Louisa Tobias  ((5.89)

  Sol Lourie Open                                  Henry Mills 0-2000                Coleman Farrell NLM

1) Pat Lauterbach             78.18         Lil Hopkins          62.69             Jan Ripley                  42.34          

2) Ken Fasching               74.40         Brent Holcomb     49.48             Sue Harrington          39.70

3) Bob Webb                    70.44         Jim Chianelli        49.03             Tom Gabriel              37.10                          4) Brian Lipscomb           66.66         Mary Townhill      48.75             Everett Ness             36.79

5) Joyce Lauterbach         63.21         Bernetha Henry     47.21             Susan McFadden      31.04           6) Lil Hopkins                  62.69         Henry Momand     42.57             Arnold Levinson       28.88  

7) Pat Webb                      53.84         Jan Ripley             42.34             Jim Willrodt              25.11                  8) Hap  Neuffer                51.86          Sue Harrington     39.70             Zan Edmunds            24.55       

9) Ellie Hack                    50.57          Tom Gabriel         37.10             Lib Odom                  24.53

10) Brent Holcomb          49.48          Everett Ness          36.79            Karen Coulter            22.48