TABLE TALK

Rudy Polli is a native Vermonter who resides in Barre. He has recently retired from a 35 year career with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, first as a chemist, then as the pesticide enforcement officer and finally as the business manager/personnel officer.

Rudy is a University of Vermont graduate with a BS degree in Chemistry. He has done graduate work in chemistry at the University of New Hampshire and has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Vermont.

Rudy enjoys travel and has been on several cruises and made several trips to Europe. Not surprisingly, Italy is one of his favorite destinations.

Rudy is an antique dealer, selling his wares in three different group shops. His area of expertise is china and glass of 19^th and 20^th century. Rudy is also a crossword puzzle aficionado and an expert on trivia.

Rudy is a silver life master with about 1,800 master points. He learned the game in college and played his first duplicate in 1970 at the Washington County Bridge Club in Barre. Rudy became a life master at the Boston Individual Tournament.

Rudy is an excellent declarer and a sound defender. He has a Roth-Stone approach to bidding, based upon sound opening bids and overcalls. His best finish in a tournament was his victory in a regional men’s pairs with a pick-up partner in Ottawa. (Rudy doesn’t remember his partner’s name.)

Rudy was the club manager of the Washington County Bridge Club for many years and also chaired the VT Winter Sectional for the club at the Montpelier Elks Club and the Lague Inn.

Rudy has been active in bridge politics. He served 2 years as president of unit 175 and was on the unit board for many years. He was president of the New England District (District 25) in 1982 and was on the executive committee and tournament committees for many years in the 1970s and 1980s.

Rudy’s frequent partners are Fred and Judie Donald, John and Jackie Kimel, Frank Hacker and Dave Shaw.

DISCUSS IT BEFORE YOU PLAY IT:

ROMAN KEY CARD BLACKWOOD

by Kathy Farrell

When you play a session of bridge with a non-regular partner, don’t play Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) unless you have thoroughly talked it over. Play “straight” Blackwood until you have discussed the nuances of RKCB. You may be surprised to know that there are there are about six more ways to get your partnership wires crossed during a RKCB auction, as compared to during a “straight” Blackwood auction.

The dilemmas during a “straight” Blackwood sequence for an inexperienced partnership can be:

1) How do I show all four Aces?

2) How do I show a void?

3) How do I respond when my right-hand opponent interferes?

4) 1 No Trump followed by 4 No Trump: Is this Blackwood or quantitative?

There are several more dilemmas during a Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) sequence for an inexperienced partnership. Among them are the following:

1) Are we playing RKCB “1430” or “3014?” Some people play 1430 except when clubs is the Key Suit, when they play 3014.

2) If no suit is agreed upon, do we revert to “straight” Blackwood responses?

3) If no suit is agreed upon, and we still play RKCB, what is the key suit? Some people play that it is the last suit bid by the partnership, and some people play that the key suit is the last suit bid by the person responding to 4 No Trump. For example, in the uncontested auction “1 Heart – 2 Clubs – 2 No Trump – 4 No Trump,” the key suit could be either hearts or clubs, depending on partnership agreement.

4) How do I show all five Key Cards?

5) How do I show a void?

6) Do we play the Queen-Ask?

7) After the Queen-Ask, what does it mean if I respond with a new suit or 5 No Trump?

8) What do I respond to 5 No Trump asking for Kings? Some people show number of Kings, and some people bid a specific King.

9) How do I respond playing RKCB “1430” when my right-hand opponent interferes? Many people play “DOP1”, or “double with zero and pass with one.” Playing DOP1, does a double show zero Key Cards or “1 or 4” Key Cards? Similarly, does a pass show one Key Card or “3 or 0” Key Cards?

10) 1 No Trump followed by 4 No Trump: Is this Blackwood or quantitative? If it is Blackwood, is it RKCB? Do I answer “1430?” Is there a “default” Key Suit?

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to go wrong if you haven’t taken the time to discuss your Blackwood sequences with your partner. I have a hand to show you that came up in November that illustrates this point.

I was playing at the Burlington Bridge Academy on Tuesday night with Penny Lane, who plays about twice a month with one of my regular partners, Patty DiVincenzo. Patty and I have played RKCB for more than ten years. Patty and Penny play RKCB also. Naturally, I assumed that there was no need to discuss RCKB with Penny, and that we played it the same way. I was wrong! See what a silly result this assumption got us!

This is the deal. Penny was North and I was sitting South:

NORTH

QT987654

KQJ

xxxx Axxx

Void K

xxx xxxx

xxxxxx Axxx

SOUTH

KQJT

AJ32

AKQJT

void

Our bidding went as follows:

S W N E

2C P 2H P

3H P 4NT P

5NT P 7NT X (Oops!)

P P P

Needless to say, we lost two Aces in seven No Trump doubled. Of course, six hearts is ice cold and seven hearts will make with any lead but the Ace of spades. We giggled about the result anyway, because it seemed very comical to us!

Now just how did this silly disaster come about? What in the world is South’s 5 NT bid? And why did North bid 7 NT? Well, my thinking went like this: 5 NT over RKCB shows two Key Cards plus a void (see “KANTAR,” below). Penny’s thinking went like this: 5 No Trump over RKCB shows all five Key Cards without the Queen of trump (see “KLINGER,” below). If South holds all five Key Cards, Penny can count 13 tricks: one spade, eight hearts, one diamond, and three clubs. We were both correct in our thinking, but we just weren’t in agreement on the RKCB responses!

Thus endeth the lesson: If you haven’t discussed it, don’t play it!

KANTAR Methods

In “Roman Key Card Blackwood, the Untold Story,” by Edwin Kantar, the responses to RKCB 1430 were given as follows:

5 Clubs = One or four keycards

5 Dia = Zero or three keycards

5 Hearts = Two or five keycards without the queen of trumps

5 Spades = Two or five keycards with the queen (or with extra trump length)

And on page 64 of Kantar’s book:

5 NT = Zero or two keycards plus a void ( I was using this model)

6 Clubs = One or three keycards plus a club void

6 Dia = One or three keycards plus a diamond void

6 Hearts = One or three keycards plus a heart void

6 of the trump suit = One or three keycards plus a higher-ranking void.

KLINGER Methods

In one London publication (”Mini-Master. Master Cue Bidding to Slams,” by Ron Klinger, published in collaboration with the English Bridge Union Teachers’ Association) the responses to RKCB 3014 were given thusly:

5 Clubs = 0 or 3 Key Cards

5 Dia = 1 or 4 Key Cards

5 Hearts = 2 Key Cards, no queen of trumps

5 Spades = 2 Key Cards plus the queen of trumps

5 NT = 5 Key Cards, no queen of trumps (Penny was using this model)

6 Clubs = 5 Key Cards plus the queen of trumps

Vermont Sectionals

We have no sectional tournament results to report, because there has been no tournament since the last Table Talk issue. There are 2 sectional tournaments coming up in rapid succession, one in April and one in May. The flyers for both these tournaments appear towards the end of this issue.

Vermont on the Tournament Trail

Here is where we recognize Vermont players who have done well (20+ points on a single tournament) in recent regional and national tournaments

Congratulations to Norma Jackominich of Ludlow, VT who scored 24.92 at the recent regional in Cromwell, CT.

Moving Up

Congratulations to the following Vermonters who have reached new levels on the ACBL ladder.

New Junior Master: Arlyne Berke Sallie Brophy

New Club Master: Barbara Hibbits Patricia Pember

Special recognition goes to Alan Wertheimer who became a new Life Master at the Cromwell, CT, regional. He earned the gold points he needed playing with Jay Friedenson. Well done!

Congratulations also to former Vermonter, Jean Seward, for becoming a gold life master.

HELP PROMOTE BRIDGE IN VERMONT

by Phil Sharpsteen, VBA President

2006 is a great year to make an extra effort to promote bridge in Vermont. There is the added incentive of being able to play in the first regional tournament in Vermont in over 20 years this November 8^th to 12^th as a culmination to all the other events throughout the year. The regional tournament has events scheduled for all skill levels so participants will be playing in their own peer group and still have a chance to win gold and red points if they do well.

At the club level, managers can offer special games and lessons to encourage more players to try duplicate at the club. When players do well, articles in local weekly papers are a great way to get the word out about bridge opportunities in your area. If you are an active club for 6 or more months per year in Vermont, you are entitled to send a representative to the VBA board meeting Saturday morning’s at 10:30AM during each of our 4 sectional tournaments each year in Vermont. I encourage you to do so. Clubs can also consider running a one or two session Unit game per year with perhaps a meal. We have unused Unit game opportunities each year – these can me a very pleasant social event for the club as well as allowing more masterpoint awards than the regular club game.

Members of the Unit should make an attempt to get bridge-playing friends to the club game to see what it is like. Offer to play with them. Maybe have a special member/non-member game occasionally. Write up the results in the local weekly as well.

As stated above, Vermont has 4 very pleasant sectional tournaments during the year. The first is April 7^th to 9^th at the Burlington Bridge academy. The remaining three are all at the Cortina Inn and Resort in Killington in May, July and October. Again, these tournaments have events for all skill levels so all players have an opportunity to play against peers and win silver points if they do well. These sectional tournaments will also be great preparation for our regional tournament in November!

I hope you will all make an effort this year to do your part in helping bridge in Vermont through your own participation and encouragement to your bridge friends. If we can build to a successful Regional in November, we won’t have to wait another 20 years for our next opportunity! Those of you who might be able to help out with one of the many jobs at the regional should contact Dave Shaw (802-872-8305 at Home or 800-639-8000 at AG Edwards), our tournament chair for the event.

Double Suit Count

by Frank Hacker

Successful defense frequently depends on the ability to determine the shape of declarer’s hand. Sometimes, however, the best one can do is to determine the total number of cards declarer hold in two suits without knowing the precise holding in either suit. This “double suit count” can be all you need to make defensive decisions.

For example, suppose that on the hand below, you wind up defending against 4 spades after a competitive auction

S Q1065

H Q5

D 52

C AKQJ10

S A72

H A10762

D AQ

C 765

Situation 1: You lead the heart ace, followed by a second heart. Partner plays the king and declarer ruffs. Declarer leads a spade toward dummy, playing the queen, partner following with a low spade. On the second spade, partner shows out and you win the ace.

What now? Dummy has 5 very threatening clubs. Should you cave in to the pressure and lead the ace and another diamond, hoping that partner has the king, so that you can take 2 diamond tricks before declarer throws his diamonds away on dummy’s clubs.

Here’s where the double suit count comes in. Declarer has 5 spades and 1 heart. You may not know how many clubs or diamonds declarer has, but you know that the count for the 2 suits is 7. Declarer cannot get rid of all 7 cards on only five clubs. Sit and wait. You’re sure to get your 2 diamond tricks.

Situation 2: The first 2 tricks are the same, but partner shows out on the first spade lead. When you win the ace of trumps at trick 4, you had better try the ace of diamonds and another diamond. Partner may not have the king, but you cannot just sit and wait. Declarer has 6 spades and 1 heart, so the double suit count for clubs and diamonds is 6. If you permit it, declarer will throw all of his side suit cards save 1 on dummy’s clubs.

I have never seen anybody else write about the double suit count. I don’t know why. It’s certainly a very useful concept.

Play the Percentages

by Frank Hacker

Bridge is essentially a mathematical game. You don't have to be a mathematician to succeed, but you have to have a strong understanding of mathematical concepts. Many of today's current crop of new players seem to have a limited understanding of the mathematics of bridge. Obviously no one has taught them, probably for fear of scaring them away.

As usual, I'm here to help, to show you how to adopt the play with the highest percentage chance of success. It's not just altruism. I'm sick of clueless declarers dropping my offside singleton kings. Here is a brief lesson on percentages. I'm not going to get into any mathematical derivation, but I would be glad to for anyone who expresses an interest.

Case # 1 You are playing in a trump suit in which you have 10 cards

QJ1098

A7654

You are missing 3 cards, the K32. Should you play the ace, hoping to drop the king, or should you finesse for the king.

The first thing you should know is that the three missing cards will be divided 2-1 78% of the time and 3-0 22% of the time.

Let's consider. If you play the ace, you will lose all 22% of the time the suit splits 3-0. If you take the finesse, you will win when the king is on side. This will occur half the time the suit splits 3-0. Half of 22% is 11%.

The possible 2-1 divisions are 32 K

K2 3

K3 2

K 32

3 K2

2 K3

All 6 of these possibilities are equally likely. Since 78 divided by 6 is 13, each of these will occur 13% of the time. Playing the ace wins for possibilities 1 and 4, or 26% of the time. The finesse wins for possibilities 1, 5 and 6, or 39% of the time.

Adding up the probabilities, the ace works 26% of the time, the finesse wins 50% of the time. It doesn't seem like a difficult choice does it?

Case # 2 You are playing in a trump suit in which you have 9 cards

KJ87

A10965

You are missing the Q432 of trump. Should you play the A and K, hoping to drop the Q, or should you play off one of your high honors and then take the finesse.

Once again we need a few basic distributional facts. The percentage for a 2-2 split is 40.7%, for a 3-1 split, 49.7% and for a 4-0 split, 9.6%. The possibilities are

. 2-2 splits 3-1 splits 4-0 splits .

Q4 32 Q43 2 Q432 ----

Q3 42 Q42 3 ---- Q432

Q2 43 Q32 4

32 Q4 432 Q

42 Q3 2 Q43

43 Q2 3 Q42

4 Q32

Q 432

Each of the 2-2 splits has an equal 6.8% percentage, or 40.7% divided by 6. Each of the 3-1 splits has an equal 6.2% percentage, or 49.7% divided by 8. Each of the 4-0 splits has an equal 4.8% percentage, or 9.6% divided by 2.

Let's analyze the two strategies. Playing the A and K will win for all of the 2-2 splits (40.7%), for possibilities 4 and 8 of the 3-1 splits (12.4%) and for one of the 4-0 splits (4.8%). Adding this up gets 57.9%. You would win on one of the 4-0 splits, because you would surely change your plan once you saw one of the opponents show out.

Let's now switch gears and suppose you play off the ace and follow with a finesse for the queen. You would win on 2-2 possibilities 1, 2 and 3 (20.4%). You would win on 3-1 possibilities 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 (or 5x6.2 = 31%). You would also win on 4-0 possibility number 1 (4.8%). The total of all this is 56.2%.

The 1.7% difference between the strategies has led to the "9 never" part of the finessing rule of thumb "8 ever, 9 never." Since the difference is so small, it makes sense to disobey the rule whenever you have any information which might lead you to suppose that one hand might have more of the suit than the other, for example when one of the opponents has pre-empted.

That's all for this time. I expect to revisit this issue in the future. Knowledge of percentages is an important part of any bridge player's education. To be blunt -- if you don't play the percentages, you're going to lose.

TRAPPING AND BALANCING

by Mike Farrell

THE TRAP PASS

It is not possible to double an opening one bid of a suit for PENALTIES. Holding a powerful hand with length in the opponent's suit, it is almost always best to PASS. This check and bet (or sneaky tactic) is used in the hope that the auction will proceed in such a fashion that later you can DOUBLE (spring the trap) and collect a juicy penalty. Here are some examples

1. S Ax H KJxxx D Kxx C KQx

2. S AQx H JT9xxx D Ax C Kx

3. S AQxx H KQJx D KJ9x C x

4. S xx H KJxxx D Axx C Kxx

5. S xxx H QJ9xxx D xx C AK

OPENER: YOU: RESPONDER: PARTNER:

1 heart pass 1 no trump pass

pass/2 hearts ?

1 heart pass 2 hearts pass

pass ?

Should you now "spring the trap" and DOUBLE for penalties? Your double is not for take-out nor is it cooperative, and partner MUST leave it in.

Editors Note: I’m sure there would be substantial disagreement among our readers as to which doubles are for penalties and which for takeout. Before you adopt an accident prone strategy, make sure you and your partner are on the same wave length.

Therefore, you should have the expectation of taking 6 or more tricks in your hand. Note that your strength should not be located only in trumps, because the opponents may run to another suit and you will have turned a plus score into a minus score. In the examples above, you "spring the trap" with hands 1, 2 and 3, but you should pass with hands 4 and 5.

DO NOT DOUBLE EVEN WITH STRONG HANDS IF RESPONDER MAKES AN UNLIMITED BID ;i.e.

OPENER: YOU: RESPONDER: PARTNER:

1 heart pass 2 clubs pass

2 hearts ?

Think about it: Opener has 12+ points and responder has 10+ points..... 12 + 10 = 22+

Add in your hand, and partner may hold as little a Q or a J. Your side does not hold the preponderance of strength AND the responder is probably planning to bid again. He will bid again if they are playing "2 over 1 Game Forcing" or a forcing NT, and you will have another opportunity to double later. DO NOT DOUBLE with hands 4 or 5 because you do not have the values to defeat any other contract. Settle for a small plus score.

MICHAEL'S RULE: If the hand sounds like a misfit, let the opponents struggle. Plusses no matter how small are better than minuses. Sometimes the BEARS win, sometimes the BULLS win; but the PIGS (other than BABE) usually end up under the cleaver.

Playing NEGATIVE DOUBLES, the trap pass principle applies when an opponent OVERCALLS and a double by you would be "negative". With cards in the opponent's suit and a desire to penalize, you must pass and hope that partner can reopen the auction with a double.

REOPENING THE AUCTION

Whenever you are sitting in the pass-out position, also known as the dead seat, or the balancing seat or as the British say the protective position, you will have to consider reopening the auction. Most of the time you will not bid. Perhaps the oppenents bid game or slam, or tried for game or the hand sounds like a misfit. However, if the opponents have limited their hands, and you can visualize that you and partner have half the deck (17 - 23HCP), then you should reopen the bidding. Some examples are:

OPENER: YOU: RESPONDER: PARTNER:

1 spade pass 2 spades pass

pass ???

1 club pass 1 spade pass

pass ???

1 NT pass

pass ???

1 club pass

1 heart pass 2 hearts pass

pass ???

In any form of bridge, but especially at Duplicate, there is an emphasis on competitive bidding. One of the least understood, hence most abused areas is balancing (bidding in the protective seat). The reasons to balance are:

A: To compete further; either to a contract of our own or perhaps push the opponents to a level that they cannot make.

B: To protect partner's trap pass, whether over an opening bid or an opponent's overcall.

C: To help partner compete if his hand contains scattered values.

You should usually balance if the opponents have found a fit and stopped at a low level, or if an opponent has bid in front of partner and partner passed. Try to balance with a DOUBLE, allowing partner to pass for PENALTIES if he is "trapping". If your hand is really distributional and unfit for defense you may balance with a suit bid. If partner is trapping, he is warned about the nature of your hand and is better able to place the contract. Don't get carried away with a six card suit or two five card suits, especially if the opponents are Vulnerable. Remember Aces and Kings take tricks defensively.

HOW SHOULD I BALANCE?

1. If your hand contains ten or more HCP AND one and one-half or more quick tricks you should balance with a DOUBLE, unless your hand contains 5 or 6 cards in opener's suit. Here are some examples:

a. b. c. d. e. .

S-KJxx S-KJx S-Axx S-xxxx S-Jxxx

H-xx H-xx H-xxx H-AKxxx H-x

D-KQTx D-AKQxx D-Kxxx D-Kxx D-Axxx

C-AJx C-x C-Axx C-A C-AJxx

These examples are very different. If one heart were opened on your right you would with; a. Double, b. Overcall 2 Diamonds, c. Pass, d. Pass, and with e. Double.

In the BALANCING POSITION you would DOUBLE with all except "d", which you would pass. If the auctions on which you doubled are not passed out, you MAY describe your hand with your rebid. Suppose partner responds with one spade. With hand a. raise to 2 spades and confirm a 14 - 16 point double, with hand b. rebid 2 diamonds to show a full valued overcall, with hand c. pass (you doubled to protect a possible trap by partner), with hand e. pass (if the Jack of spades were the King, or the little heart in any other suit you should raise, as the hand would be worth 15 dummy points).

If you hold a good 5 card or longer suit, such as AJTxx, you should overcall, even with no other high cards. Why balance with 5 HCP? On an auction such as 1spade - pass - pass - to you, partner is marked with strength, perhaps the best hand at the table. Give Opener 16 HCP and responder 4 HCP, there are still 15 HCP for partner. Partner could have any of the first five hands shown at the beginning of this article. He should not get carried away because your OVERCALL shows less than 10 HCP or one and one half quick tricks. Even if Opener has 18 to 21 HCP and partner has a hand like the fourth or fifth hand at the beginning, what should he do? Sell out to your bid? Bid again and perhaps go set?

Suppose Opener bids again and, despite your having driven the auction up a level or two, he makes his bid; your bid may help the defense and save an extra trick or two (very important at matchpoints).

MICHAEL'S RULE #2: When considering whether or not to balance, always look at your holding in the opponent's suit. The more trumps of his that you hold, even xxxx, the more likely it is that partner probably passed he was weak and not because he was trapping.

RESPONDING TO BALANCING BIDS

Remember that partner's BALANCING DOUBLES cover a wide variety of hands, so your responses will be somewhat different than had he doubled in the direct position.

For example,

1 . S-KQTxx H-Kxx D-AJx C-xx

2. S-KTx H-JTx D-AQxxx C-xx

3. S-QJxx H-Qxx D-JTxx C-xx

Suppose right hand opponent bids: 1 spade - Pass - Pass - Double - Pass - to you;

1. Pass, this is why you trapped the first time around.

2. Bid 2 Diamonds. If partner passes you missed nothing; but if he bids again you can drive to game in notrump or a suit.

3. Bid 1 notrump (you have neither enough trumps or high cards to pass for penalties at the one level) and pass any further bid from partner.

Responding to BALANCING OVERCALLS is also different from responding to direct overcalls. By balancing with an overcall, partner has indicated a weakish hand, probably with fewer than ten HCP and one and one-half quick tricks as well as a five card or longer suit (he may have a chunky four card suit if balancing at the one level). NEVER get carried away because you have an opening hand or better. Remember partner was counting on you for most, if not all of those values when he bid. DO NOT HANG partner for balancing by overbidding, especially if you hold a few cards in his suit.

If you hold a monster fit or 15+HCP and the possibility of game exists (remember if the opponent's points are located in one hand and your partnership's strong hand is positioned behind that opponent, game can often be made with as little as 23 points), you should bid again. Consider the following hands (repeated from earlier) and the auction below:

1. S Ax H KJxxx D Kxx C KQx

2. S AQx H JT9xxx D Ax C Kx

3. S AQxx H KQJx D KJ9x C x

4. S xx H KJxxx D Axx C Kxx

5. S xxx H QJ9xxx D xx C AK

OPENER: YOU: RESPONDER: PARTNER:

1 heart Pass Pass 2 Clubs

Pass ???

With hand 1. Bid 2NT. If partner has anything extra he will raise to 3NT.

2. Pass. Partner needs a perfect hand.

3. Pass. If partner comes down with KQJT9x(x) and no other feature, his hand will be useless at NT.

4 & 5. Pass. Whether or not an opponent bids, you should get a plus score. Remember the cleaver.

OTHER BALANCING BIDS

Occassionally we make a jump overcall showing 12+ HCP and a hand not suitable for defending even if partner has a trap pass (that's why we didn't double). This is not intended as premptive, although it may do just that; but rather, as an OVERCALL too good for a simple balance, yet not suitable for defending. The following hands meet the requirements for JUMP OVERCALLS in the balancing position:

S-AKQTxx H-x D-xxx C-xxx

S-KQJxxx H-x D-KJxx C-Qxx

S-KJx H- D-AQTxxxx C-xxx

BALANCING WITH ONE NOTRUMP no longer shows 16 - 18 HCP. You would DOUBLE with that type hand and rebid in notrump. One notrump should show a balanced 8+ to 12 HCP without the one and one-half quick tricks required for a DOUBLE. You do not require a stopper because you are playing partner for a trap pass. If partner does not have a trap pass he may and probably should bid a suit.

A number of the above hands as well as select phrases of text were taken from Edgar Kaplan’s book “Modern Competitive Bidding” In my opinion this is the best work on the subject for players of your level and experience.

Vermont Bridge Association

2005 Masterpoint Races

Here are the final results for the 2005 masterpoint races for members of the Vermont Bridge Association.. The Mini McKenney is for points of all kinds. The Ace of Clubs contest is for points won at the club level only. Congratulations to all the winners. Part year Vermonters, Ellie Hanlon and Mary Savko, do not appear below, but they had fabulous results for 2005, winning 772 and 769 master points respectively. They and Frank Hacker appear in the ACBL top 500 list. (See your March ACBL magazine)

Mini McKenney

Rookie Of The Year

1/2 Sally Newton Richford, VT 24

1/2 John Newton Richford, VT 24

3 Peachey Wojcik Norwich, VT 22

Junior Master Of The Year

1 Frank Reed Jeffersonville, VT 39

2 Sheila Long Lyndonville, VT 25

3 Mary Frances Tobin Rutland, VT 18

Club Master Of The Year

1 Carlos Galvan East Thetford, VT 64

2 Bertrand Nadeau West Fairlee, VT 53

3 John Conova Pawlet, VT 36

Sectional Master Of The Year

1 C Kirk Osterland Manchester, VT 61

2 Phyllis Meredith Sarasota, FL 40

3 Judith Ward Poultney, VT 35

Regional Master Of The Year

1 Layton Davis Winooski, VT 65

2 Elizabeth Von Riesenfelder Manchester, VT 48

3 Joan Soloff Norwich, VT 35

NABC Master Of The Year

1 Alan Wertheimer Burlington, VT 105

2 Bonnie Clouser Williston, VT 70

3 Judy Frank Singer Island, FL 62

Life Master Of The Year

1 Richard Gazley S Burlington, VT 31

2 Constance Beliveau Charlotte, VT 31

3 Martha Gazley S Burlington, VT 30

Bronze Life Master Of The Year

1 Penny Lane Williston, VT 161

2 Jesse Stalker Plainfield, NH 135

3 Jay Friedenson Morrisville, VT 122

Silver Life Master Of The Year

1 Jonna Robinson Burlington, VT 294

2 Donald Sondergeld Hubbardton, VT 271

3 Andy Avery Jamaica, VT 225

Gold Life Master Of The Year

1 Frank Hacker Barre, VT 460

2 Philip Sharpsteen Jericho, VT 356

3 James Gordon S Burlington, VT 292

Diamond Life Master Of The Year

1 Anne Hoffman Peru, VT 62

Ace Of Clubs

Rookie Of The Year

1 Peachey Wojcik Norwich, VT 22

2/3 Sally Newton Richford, VT 17

2/3 John Newton Richford, VT 17

Junior Master Of The Year

1 Frank Reed Jeffersonville, VT 34

2 Barbara Marks Williston, VT 15

3 Mary Frances Tobin Rutland, VT 14

Club Master Of The Year

1 Carlos Galvan East Thetford, VT 40

2 Bertrand Nadeau West Fairlee, VT 30

3 John Conova Pawlet, VT 22

Sectional Master Of The Year

1 C Kirk Osterland Manchester, VT 40

2 Judith Ward Poultney, VT 33

3 Kenneth Cestone Bennington, VT 30

Regional Master Of The Year

1 Elizabeth Von Riesenfelder Manchester, VT 48

2 Joan Soloff Norwich, VT 35

3 Charles Van Royen Essex Junction, VT 23

NABC Master Of The Year

1 Nancy Lolli Ft Lauderdale, FL 47

2 Alan Wertheimer Burlington, VT 47

3 Bonnie Clouser Williston, VT 37

Life Master Of The Year

1 Richard Gazley S Burlington, VT 23

2 Martha Gazley S Burlington, VT 23

3 Kotze Toshev Essex Junction, VT 20

Bronze Life Master Of The Year

1 Jesse Stalker Plainfield, NH 93

2 Bryant Jones S Burlington, VT 73

3 Marcia Wilkins Hanover, NH 64

Silver Life Master Of The Year

1 Robert Smith Manchester Ctr, VT 103

2 Wayne Hersey Montpelier, VT 100

3 Kathleen Farrell Burlington, VT 98

Gold Life Master Of The Year

1 Frank Hacker Barre, VT 113

2 Fred Donald, Jr Montpelier, VT 76

3 Gerald Di Vincenzo S Burlington, VT 73

Diamond Life Master Of The Year

1 Anne Hoffman Peru, VT 14

Vermont Sugar-time Sectional

Burlington Bridge Academy

7 Green Tree Drive

South Burlington, VT 05403

April 7, 8, 9, 2006 Sanction: S 0604038

Schedule of events:

Friday April 7^th:

2:00PM Open Pairs, Stratified

Under 100 Pairs (an opportunity to win silver points)

8:00PM Open Pairs, Stratified

Under 100 Pairs

Saturday April 8^th:

1:00PM Open Pairs, Stratified

Under 100 Pairs

7:00PM Open Pairs, Stratified

Under 100 Pairs

Sunday April 9^th:

10:30AM 1^st Session Open Swiss Teams, Stratified

Under 200 Swiss Teams, Stratified

~3:30PM 2^nd Session Open Swiss Teams, Stratified

Open Stratifications: A: unlimited B: <1500, LMs & >500 C: NLM <500

Newcomer Stratifications: A: <100 B<50 C<20

Suggested Accommodations:

Double Tree Inn, 1117 Williston Rd. (800) 222-8733

Hawthorn Suites, 401 Dorset St. (802) 860-1212

University Inn, I-89, Exit 14E, (800) 808-4656

Windjammer Best Western 1076 Williston Rd. (800) 371-1125

Chairperson: Jackie Kimel (802) 864-4321

Partnerships: Jackie Kimel (802) 864-4321

VERMONT SPRING SECTIONAL

Cortina Inn and Resort

Killington, Vermont

May 19 to 21, 2006 Sanction # S0605039

Schedule of events:

Friday May 19^th

2:00PM Stratified Open Pairs

8:00PM Stratified Open Pairs

8:00PM Stratified Newcomer Pairs

Refreshments follow the game

Saturday May 20^th

1:00PM Stratified Open Pairs

7:00PM Stratiflighted Open Pairs A (separate event) = 0 to 70,000

B = 500 to 1500, C = 300 to 500, D = 0 to 300

7:00PM Stratified Newcomer Paris

Refreshments follow the game

Sunday May 21^st

10:30AM 1^st session Stratified Open Swiss Teams

10:30AM 0 to 300 Swiss Teams (1 session only)

Assortment of breads/pastries served at 10:00AM

3:00PM 2^nd session Stratified Open Swiss Teams

Open Stratifications: A above 1500, B 500 to 1500, C 0 to 500

Newcomer Stratifications: A 100 to 300, B 50 to 100, C 0 to 50 (Strats may be adjusted)

Price per session: $8 - $1 additional for Non-ACBL members

Vermont State Law - No smoking in public buildings and or the playing area

Director (&MC): Dave Marshall

Partnerships: Judi Ward (802) 287-5756

Tournament Committee: Judi Ward (802) 287-5756 & Linda Baker (802) 773-9412

Accommodations for the tournament at the Cortina Inn

1 person 2 persons

Superior room $149 $149

Queen deluxe $159 $159

King deluxe $169 $169

Package includes 2 nights stay with 2 breakfast buffets per person and a $10 per person food voucher towards dinner in Zola’s Grille. 9% Vermont rooms and meals tax is not included in above rates. Check-in time 3PM, checkout time 11AM.

Reservations: 1-800 451-6108 or 802-773-3331. email: cortina1@aol.com.

Fax: 802- 775-6948. There will be a drawing on May 1^st for a free upgrade to the best available accommodations at the time of the drawing. Please make your reservations by May 1^st!

Table Talk

A publication of the Vermont Bridge Association

Frank A. Hacker, Editor

310 Tremont St.

Barre, VT 05641

The Vermont Bridge Association, Unit 175 of the American Contract Bridge League

publishes Table Talk quarterly. If you are an ACBL and Unit 175 (Vermont) member

And have not received a copy of Table Talk, please notify the editor. Contributors’ articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the VBA