. . . TABLE TALK
A publication of the Vermont Bridge Association June 2007
. Editor: Frank Hacker email:frhac@charter.net
Don Sondergeld of Hubbardton is our featured personality this month. He is within inches of becoming a gold life master
I was born a "buckeye" in Toledo, Ohio at Flower Hospital in 1930. I become valedictorian of my high school class in 1948. I then went to Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1952. After two years in the Army I went to the University of Michigan and received a MS in theoretical mathematics in 1955.
From 1955 to 1991 I worked as an actuary. Most of my career was at The Hartford Insurance Company where I was Senior VP and Chief Actuary and a Director of its Worldwide Life Insurance Operations. In 1955 I got hooked on skiing, joined the Hartford, CT Ski Club and learned to ski at Mad River Glen, where the Club had a lodge. In 1965 my wife Mary and I bought property on Beebe Pond in Hubbardton, VT, built a year round vacation home, and spent a lot of time in Vermont with our five children where we began skiing at Pico.
In 1991 I retired and became president elect of the Society of Actuaries (SoA) for one year, followed by one year as president. As president elect of the SoA one duty was to talk with new members of the SoA at workshops about Professionalism. To start the discussion, I would ask if they played bridge. Most would say no, as compared with my estimate of the majority who played back in 1955 when I was a young actuary. I told them about Oswald Jacoby, an actuary who developed many conventions and at one time had the most number of master points. Many thought Charles Goren was an actuary and I said no. I then mentioned that Goren developed a point count system to evaluate high card strength using 4 for an Ace, 3 for a King, etc. However a Canadian bridge playing actuary and friend of his, William Anderson, told Goren he should also take into account what you don't have, i.e. distribution. So Goren incorporated distributional points into the system.
William Anderson was president of a Canadian life insurance company, and at one time was president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) and also president of the SoA. In 1956, while president of the SoA, Andersen got that organization to adopt a Code of Professional Conduct for the first time. I then urged the new members, who were also new professionals, to carefully read and adhere to the Code. Anderson thus made a very important contribution to the actuarial profession in addition to helping refine Goren's point count system.
In 1993 I bought a condo at the Naples Bath & Tennis Club in Naples, Florida and started spending November, January, and April in Florida where I played tennis every morning. (February and March were for skiing). I got hooked on bridge and started playing every afternoon. I soon learned that bridge had changed since my college days, and I needed to learn many new systems.
I played with whomever the Naples Bridge Center matched me with as I had no steady partners. I am still somewhat of a transient and when I am in Florida will play with anyone who asks me, especially players with very few points. I want to help them learn to play better bridge, the same way others helped me over the years. I currently have 2450 master points and expect to become a gold life master this year, as I plan to attend the remaining two Nationals and a few Regionals. I usually go to tournaments without a partner and enjoy meeting and playing with new people.
Mary and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in August of this year with family and friends at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, VT. We spend a lot of time traveling. Last year we went to Iceland. This year we will be in Prague and Budapest and 10 days on the Danube to Bucharest the last two weeks of June. Although Mary is a good bridge player, we play social bridge together, as she dislikes tournaments.
There are many jokes about actuaries who are perceived as only looking backwards. I am also interested in history and published a 200 page History of Hubbardton, Vermont in late 2005. I sold all 230 copies of the book. I'm currently working on getting 250 copies printed of a 208 page second edition. And the 2000 population of Hubbardton was only 752. I have yet to sell a copy at a bridge tournament.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
By Dave Shaw
Each year, at the President's Cup game, the Vermont Bridge Association has its annual meeting at which we elect a slate of officers for the next calendar year. That process begins each summer when the sitting president appoints a Nomination Committee to put together that slate of officers. For this year, Lynn Carew, Wayne Hersey and yours truly form the Nomination Committee.
There are five elected positions: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. At least one incumbent has indicated a desire to step down from his/her responsibilities so there is an opportunity for others to step up to a leadership position. And there are many sub committees led by volunteers in the following areas: Charity, Membership, Education Special Games, Certified Directors/Teachers, Public Relations, Communications, Publicity and Conduct and Ethics. Table Talk could also use some regular contributors of bridge articles. Our Web Site manager wants to step down and we are looking for someone to take over.
If you would like to be considered or know of someone you would like to have considered by the Nomination Committee for any of the five officer positions, please contact one of us by July 6th. Or, if you would like to serve on or lead one of the sub committees, please contact Phil Sharpsteen, President.
(This is your editor speaking. We all enjoy playing bridge and we are always thankful for the people who volunteer for our sectionals, special unit games and officer and other volunteer positions. It's important to note that many of the same people have been serving in various capacities for many, many years. New people are needed to bring new energy and new and fresh ideas to the VBA. So, don't just read Dave's message above and do nothing. Think about what you could do to help and get involved.)
MEMBERSHIP MONTH - SEPTEMBER
By Dave Shaw
The Vermont Bridge Association once held an annual membership game where each member was asked to try and bring a non-member. At that game, we would point out the benefits of membership and encourage all present to join on the spot! That worked pretty well.
About 20 years ago, the ACBL's Club Course was offered for the first time and somehow the teachers of the Club Course were expected to ask their students to join the ACBL and, automatically, the VBA. That hasn't worked so well (probably no one asked the teachers to ask their students to join). New members are the lifeblood of any organization and we have done a pretty good job of keeping the VBA at a consistent membership of 375 in the winter and 425 in the summer. But wouldn't it be nice to get to 500 members over the next couple years.
The benefits of membership are substantial. The ACBL's BRIDGE Bulletin is filled with material that helps each of us grow our game each month. Our own Table Talk comes out quarterly and is filled with information about sectional tournaments, unit games and most other aspects of bridge life in Vermont. The recording of our masterpoints and the occasional opportunity to buy products as a group (instead of as individuals) are added benefits. First year new members pay $26 to join the ACBL and most members agree that the BRIDGE Bulletin alone is worth more than $2 or $3 a month.
Your VBA Board of Directors voted at its May meeting to designate September as VBA Membership Month. Club managers and bridge teachers and directors will receive new member packets during August for distribution to players and students they think would enjoy the benefits of membership.
You can also help by suggesting to non-members that they join in. Please pass their names along to your club manager or call me at 800/639-8000 and I'll make sure they get a packet. All we need is four new members a month for the next 24 months to reach that goal of 500!
The Making of a Maverick
Table Talk has heard from long time VBA member, Courtney Nelson, that he has published his autobiography.
His book charts his life as a maverick from "humble beginning to humble end." Courtney has spent most of his long career in Africa, Southeast Asia and, most memorably, the Middle East. The Making of a Maverick is a story of his journey through turbulent times abroad while raising a family and searching for a coherent understanding of the development process.
Copies are available from the book order department of Xlibris at the following addresses
Email: Orders@Xlibris.com mailto:Orders@Xlibris.com
Fax: (610) 915-0294
Tel: 1-888-795-4274 ext 7479 or 7876
Court's book should also be available within 3 to 4 months from Amazon.com
Bridge Is an Art Form - Part 1
By Bryant Jones
Picasso had his blue period, and recently (bridgebase) I was dealt a mono-chromatic hand (S--Q9xxxx, C--KJ10xxxx) -- 1st seat, nobody VUL.
What to do!! With only 4 losers, let's look for game/slam. On the other hand, how do I dare open the bidding with but ½ quick trick?
Even worse: If I choose 1 club, partner will never believe I hold 6 spades. Nor will partner ever credit me with 7 clubs if I choose to open 1 spade. If I wait and hope to reenter later with a double or unusual NT, what do I do if/when partner bids 1 or both of the red suits? Since the other 3 players (on balance) each have about 9 red cards and about 11 points, this hand is unlikely to be passed out.
Feeling that my playing tricks compensate at least in part for my paucity of high cards, I decide to open 1 club, planning to bid spades at my next opportunity. Since someone will be bidding red suits, this seems to be the easiest way to get in both my black suits. Yes, I will not sit for partner's penalty double should he make one.
Here is the auction that unfolded:
ME LHO PTNR RHO
1C 2H 2NT 3D
3S 5D DBL P
5S P P DBL
P P RDBL All Pass
(Pause - for questions & conjecture ...)
1) Care to speculate on the contents of the other 3 hands?
2) Care to speculate on the result?
3) Care to speculate on what the final contract could have (?) should have (?) been?
<To be continued--later in this issue (page 14)>
VERMONT ON THE TOURNAMENT TRAIL
Many Vermonters have done very well recently at national and regional tournaments. Here is a list of recent accomplishments
St. Louis Nationals:
Penny Lane 59.71 James Gordon 47.32
Jan Friedenson 59.71 Ellie Hanlon 38.57
Andy Avery 50.11 Don Sondergeld 19.71
Mary Savko 48.05 C Kirk Osterland 17.04
Cromwell Regional:
Norma Jakominich 16.11 David Shaw 13.96
Sarasota Regional
Mary Savko 56.72 Ellie Hanlon 56.72
Frank Hacker 55.26
Montreal Regional: Don Sondergeld 14.86
Gatlinburg Regional:
Wayne Hersey 86.78 David Shaw 46.00
Don Sondergeld 83.12 Ruth Stokes 44.65
Jerry DiVincenzo 56.68 Jay Friedenson 31.03
Kathy Farrell 56.68 Penny Lane 30.93
Patricia DiVincenzo 56.08 Pat Nestork 17.51
Mike Farrell 56.08 Lynn Carew 17.51
Stan Rosenthal 46.71
Saratoga Springs Regional:
Wayne Hersey 24.65 Andy Avery 12.27
June Dorion 23.36 Don Sondergeld 11.35
Harvey Kevorkian 14.15
Quebec Regional:
Mary Savko 29.04 Ellie Hanlon 29.04
What Would You Do
By Andy Avery
The annual Silver Ribbon Pairs took place in the recent St. Louis nationals. The following hand occurred in the second of two final sessions. We were in 11th place after the first final session. I was dealer. We were not vulnerable against vulnerable opponents.
My holding was S 74 H AKQ10 D 96 C 98742
Here is the bidding You LHO partner RHO
P P 3S 4H
At this point you have to choose pass, double, or 4 spades.
If you double, there is more bidding. Left hand opponent bids 5 diamonds. After two passes, you have to make another decision. Do you pass, double or bid 5spades?
Here is the entire hand (dealer north)
S 74
H AKQ10
D 96
C 98742
S A10 S KJ
H 87432 H 65
D AKQ4 D J108732
C KJ C A65
S Q986532
H J9
D 5
C Q103
If you passed the first time and let them play 4 hearts, you get 63 match points out of 65. If you doubled or bid, they bid 5 diamonds. If you pass 5 diamonds, you get 58 match points out of 65.
If you double 5 diamonds or bid 5 spades, you get 2 match points out of 65.
I doubled both times - the first out of greed, the second out of frustration. We ended up 5th overall. If I had passed either time, we would have been second.
Sometimes pass is a great bid
The Cuckoo Coup
By Frank Hacker
Resourceful declarer and defender play lends itself to a number of coups. There is a Bath coup, a Deschapelles coup, a devil's coup and even an Alcatraz coup. Now we have a new one, the "cuckoo coup," that I thought briefly of naming as the "Rosenfield coup" in honor of the elderly couple that unintentionally executed this marvel.
On the last Friday of March, the Fort Myers, Florida bridge club threw a party in honor of the many snowbirds who would be departing within the following month. Bridge followed lunch. Our first round opponents were an elderly couple who were a bit slow finishing lunch. We started the first board a bit behind the rest of the field. The husband of this couple suffered from Parkinson's disease. He was sharp mentally, but very slow physically. Here was the hand of affliction. The husband was south; I was East.
S 53
H K10
D AQJ752
C A65
S J1064 S 972
H 742 H AJ865
D 963 D 4
C Q103 C J752
S AKQ8
H Q93
D K108
C K98
Here is the auction. No, the final bid is not a typo.
North East South West
1D P 1S P
3D!! P 4NT P
5S P 7NT!!! All Pass
North was responding to Roman Keycard Blackwood and showed 2 aces with the queen of diamonds. South had normal Blackwood on his brain and thought partner had 3 aces. I didn't double the final contract, since that would call for the lead of diamonds, dummy's first bid suit. I hoped partner would somehow find a heart lead, but partner, trying for the safest lead against a grand slam, led a diamond anyway.
In any event, declarer has only eleven tricks outside of hearts, so my ace of hearts looks safe. Hah!! To quote Hamlet, "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio." This hand shows that, after 40+ years of bridge, I still have a lot to learn.
Declarer won the opening lead in dummy and for some reason led a club to his hand. He then led a diamond to dummy and said, "Run the diamonds." I must say that I don't like instructions like that. I like declarer to specify a specific card to each trick. I certainly didn't want to say anything. I was full from a good lunch and we were outsiders in a local club. Better to just keep my mouth shut. In any event, dummy started running the diamonds.
Declarer, as I have said, suffered from Parkinson's disease and was slow in playing cards from his hand. After each diamond lead from dummy, the dummy would say, "Hurry up and play a card," or "You have to play a card, daddy." At this point, all eyes shifted involuntarily to declarer and we would watch as he fumbled a card out of his hand.
After finishing the diamonds, declarer led a spade to his hand and led his top spades. At the conclusion of his spades, we arrived at the following end position
S
H K
D
C A6
S J S
H H A
D D
C Q C J
S 8
H
D
C 9
At this point declarer stated, "How come, I have only 2 cards and dummy has 3?" Dummy said. "You have to throw a card from dummy." Declarer selected the king of hearts and took the last 2 tricks with the A and 6 of clubs, making 7. At this point, we belatedly called the director, who essentially said, "too bad."
OK What happened here? With all of the unintentional misdirection on the run of the diamond suit, dummy managed to play one of the diamonds twice, thereby taking seven diamond tricks instead of 6. Even so, the resulting squeeze would not have worked, because I discarded after dummy. I could throw my ace of hearts after dummy threw the king. With the actual line of play, however, dummy actually got to discard after I did, instead of before.
This hand has a few other interesting features. Those of you familiar with squeeze play, know that you generally need to be within one trick of your contract to effect a squeeze. Declarers frequently "rectify the count" by losing some tricks early to get within one trick. We have just learned how to rectify the count in 7NT. If you can't lose a loser, I suppose an acceptable, even better, substitute is to create an additional winner. The seventh diamond trick rectified the count by raising declarer's trick total from 11 to 12.
One last, interesting, but silly point. How does one score +1,550? This is a bit of a puzzler, but you will eventually figure out 3NT doubled, vulnerable, making 7. This is not, however, the answer I have in mind. How about 7NT, non-vulnerable, with an overtrick? If, in the end position, declarer had kept all three cards in dummy, he could have won trick 12 with the ace of clubs and trick 13 with dummy's small club. That would have exhausted the defenders' cards, allowing dummy to win trick 14 with the king of hearts -- 7NT with an overtrick.
Trivia question:
What did Bridge and Baseball have in common @ 40 and more years ago?
1st hint: It is not the 3rd "B" Bach!
2nd hint: After the game?
Answer: Participants in both sat around and discussed the game. (Baseball players in the locker room over the free beer provided and Bridge players at the local pub!)
Editor's Comment: In some ways bridge used to be a lot more fun. Now everybody just goes home to bed.
VERMONT WINTER SECTIONAL RESULTS
South Burlington, VT
April 5-7, 2007
Thursday Afternoon Open Pairs
MP A B C Names PCT
3.67 1 1 Bryant Jones - Pat Hoffmann 68.12
2.75 2 2 Mary Azarian - Gerow Carlson 67.88
2.06 3 Edsel Hughes - Stanley Rosenthal 67.04
1.55 4 Robert Dickson - Michael Rogers 63.06
1.16 5 Donna Marshall - Phil Sharpsteen 62.24
0.92 6 Wayne Hersey - June Dorion 61.39
1.95 3 1 Thomas Kurtz - Agnes Kurtz 53.22
1.46 4 2 John Newton - Sally Newton 52.88
1.10 5 3 Sheila Long - Karen Kristiansen 48.96
0.82 6 4 Susan Hoxie - Gloria Singer 48.38
0.62 5 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 47.25
Thursday Evening Open Pairs
MP A B C Names PCT
3.67 1 1 Gary Feingold - Kotze Toshev 70.37
2.75 2 Lynn Carew - Pat Nestork 62.27
2.06 3 Robert Dickson - Michael Rogers 60.27
1.55 4 Jackie Kimel - Paul Reardon 59.72
1.16 5 Stanley Rosenthal - Edsel Hughes 56.25
0.92 6 David Shaw - Mary Tierney 55.93
1.81 2 W. Schiring - Bryant Jones 50.69
1.73 3 1 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 50.00
1.30 4 2 John Newton - Sally Newton 49.68
0.97 5 3 Barbara Romanoff - Kay Fay 49.33
0.73 4 Jacqueline Walker - Carl Payne Jr. 48.61
Friday Afternoon Open Pairs
MP A B C Names SCORE
4.17 1 1 1 Jacqueline Walker - Carl Payne Jr. 188.96
3.13 2 Bob Gorsey - Joyce Pearson 188.54
2.35 3 2 Thomas Osmer - Bryant Jones 184.49
1.76 4 3 2 Barbara Marks - Marc Monheimer 181.57
1.32 5 David Shaw - Jackie Kimel 179.79
1.24 6 4 3 Thomas Kurtz - Agnes Kurtz 179.22
0.93 5 Rose Gove - Edward Gove 175.46
0.70 6 Edward Schirmer - Frank Reed 174.32
0.82 4 Arthur Aiken - William Beadle 170.18
0.62 5 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 164.05
Friday Evening Open Pairs
MP B C D Names SCORE
4.17 1 Bob Gorsey - Joyce Pearson 136.00
3.13 2 Jerry DiVincenzo - John Kimel 127.00
2.36 3 Lynn Carew - Pat Nestork 125.50
1.76 4 Donna Marshall - Phil Sharpsteen 121.50
2.41 5 1 1 Luisa Chernyshov - Frances Wager 120.50
1.81 6 2 Jean-Guy Beliveau - Constance Beliveau 114.00
1.36 3 Mary Azarian - Gerow Carlson 112.50
1.14 4 2 Richard Ross - William Cloutier 111.50
0.84 5 Stanley Rosenthal - Kotze Toshev 109.50
0.86 3 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 108.50
Friday Evening 0-100 Pairs
MP Names SCORE
1.19 1 Richard Clark - Willy White Jr. 33.00
0.89 2 Thomas Holmes - Linda Holmes 31.20
0.67 2 Barbara Marks - Alayne Rabow 24.60
Saturday Swiss Teams
MP A B C Names SCORE
5.50 1 Michael Engel - David Shaw
Jackie Kimel - Gerald DiVincenzo 87
4.13 2 Donna Marshall - Phil Sharpsteen
Bob Gorsey - Joyce Pearson 85
3.09 3 Wayne Hersey - June Dorion
Robert Smith - Donald Campbell 75
3.82 4 1 1 Arthur Aiken - William Beadle
Patricia Merrill - Douglas Grant 68
2.87 2 2 Sheila Long - Karen Kristiansen
Sally Newton - John Newton 67e
2.15 3 Agnes Kurtz - Thomas Kurtz
Roger Crean - Elaine Day 64
1.61 4 Bryant Jones - Pat Hoffmann
W Schiring - Thomas Osmer 63
VERMONT SPRING SECTIONAL RESULTS
Killington, VT
May 18-20, 2006
Friday Afternoon Open Pairs
MP A B C Names PCT
6.00 1 Pat Nestork - Lynn Carew 66.44
4.50 2 Mel Marcus - Rena Lieberman 65.74
3.75 3 1 1 Constance Fitzcharles - Virginia Christy 62.73
2.53 4 Phil Sharpsteen - Frank Hacker 61.55
2.81 5 2 Pat Hoffmann - Bryant Jones 59.17
2.11 6 3 2 Gail Bartlett - June Chandler 56.74
1.58 4 Janice Woodbury - Lois Lyon 56.71
1.19 5 Rich Stevens - Albert Muggia 56.02
1.40 6 3 Jennifer Feltes - Karen Haines 55.36
1.05 4 Mae Beck - David Wooden 54.43
0.82 5/6 Thomas Kurtz - Agnes Kurtz 54.17
0.82 5/6 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 54.17
Friday Evening Open Pairs
MP A B C Names PCT
5.67 1 William Hunter - Shome Mukherjee 68.64
4.25 2 Jerry DiVincenzo - Mike Farrell 64.06
3.19 3 Frank Hacker - Phil Sharpsteen 62.61
2.39 4 Mel Marcus - Rena Lieberman 61.76
1.79 5 Fred Donald Jr - Rudy Polli 60.49
1.35 6 Gary Spongberg - Lucy Spongberg 59.26
3.21 1 Carl Vancelette - Claudia Vancelette 58.16
2.41 2 1 Julianna McAllister - Helen Lewis 55.80
1.81 3 2 Sandy Desilets - Rhoda Chickering 55.79
1.35 4 3 Alden Edwards - Jennifer Edwards 53.72
1.14 5 4 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 51.80
0.76 6 Judie Muggia - Reid Fleming 51.16
0.75 5 Jane Grewcock - Karen Haines 50.84
0.57 6 David Wooden - Mae Beck 50.72
Saturday Afternoon Open Pairs
MP A B C Names PCT
6.67 1 Wayne Hersey - Mary Gorkin 65.74
4.38 2/3 Phil Sharpsteen - Frank Hacker 64.35
4.38 2/3 William Hunter - Shome Mukherjee 64.35
2.81 4 Andrew Dubay - Walter Smith 63.58
2.11 5 Jack Bonney - Diane Bonney 58.64
3.75 6 1 1 Thomas Kurtz - Agnes Kurtz 58.56
2.81 2 Judie Muggia - Reid Fleming 57.02
2.11 3 Carl Vancelette - Claudia Vancelette 56.71
1.58 4 Rigmor Shawcross - Susan Crane 54.40
1.79 5 2 Sandy Desilets - Rhoda Chickering 54.17
0.89 6 Jay Friedenson - Ruth Stokes 53.92
1.34 3 Gail Bartlett - June Chandler 53.70
1.00 4 Alden Edwards - Jennifer Edwards 52.78
0.75 5 Thomas Cronin - Lorraine Streeter 52.08
0.76 6 Deborah Crisfield - Karen Haines 51.86
Saturday Evening Flight B/C/D Pairs
MP B C D Names PCT
3.61 1 1 H Lane Jr. - Arthur Giovannangeli 62.82
2.71 2 Arlene Duboff - Linda Tedeschi 59.46
2.03 3 2 1 Sally Newton - John Newton 58.97
1.52 4 3 Layton Davis - William Wade 58.86
1.14 5 Jay Friedenson - Ruth Stokes 58.68
1.29 6 4 2 Peter Valiante - Claire Gardner 57.81
0.97 5 3 Deborah Crisfield - Karen Haines 57.05
0.54 6 Mae Beck - David Wooden 56.08
0.73 4 Jane Grewcock - Jennifer Feltes 55.29
0.54 5 Arthur Aiken - Doug Grant 52.56
Saturday Evening Flight A Pairs
MP A X Names PCT
6.17 1 Judy Dubay - William Dubay 62.04
4.63 2 William Hunter - Shome Mukherjee 56.48
3.79 3 1 Donald Campbell - June Dorion 55.09
2.60 4 Joyce Pearson - Bob Gorsey 54.63
1.95 5 Wayne Hersey - Mary Gorkin 54.40
1.46 6 Michael Rogers - William Fishner 53.01
2.84 2 Joan Harvey - Ellen Finch 50.69
2.13 3 Evelyn Ruby - Neal Gore 49.07
Sunday Open Swiss Teams
MP A B C Names SCORE
9.25 1 Robert Smith - Mary Gorkin
June Dorion - Courtney Nelson 104
6.94 2 1 1 Edward Gove - Rose Gove
Julianna McAllister - Helen Lewis 95
5.20 3 Pierce Smith - Stewart Mackeigan
Robert Donald - Diane Burger 94
3.90 4 David Shaw - Jackie Kimel
Mel Marcus - Rena Lieberman 91
3.77 5 2 Jay Friedenson - Ruth Stokes
James Chase - Stanley Rosenthal 84
1.69 6/8 Judy Dubay - William Dubay
Andrew Dubay - Walter Smith 81
1.69 6/8 William Hunter - Lance Ribeiro
Paul Wolf II - Shome Mukherjee 81
1.69 6/8 Jerry DiVincenzo -- Patti DiVincenzo
Mike Farrell - Kathy Farrell 81
2.82 3 Joseph Phillips - Lois Lyon
Berne Kouba - Janice Woodbury 78
2.03 4/5 2/3 Peter Murdza - Lawrence Young
Ben Hunt - Don McGill 74
2.03 4/5 2/3 Peter Valiante - J Teeter
Denise Olson - Claire Gardner 74
1.30 4 Rosemarie Belisle - Sally Newton
John Newton - Karen Kristiansen 69
The Art of Balancing
By Phil Sharpsteen
Balancing in its purest form is taking a call in the pass out seat (the first bid by your side) when the opponents have stopped at the 2 level with a fit. (e.g. 1H p 2H p; p ?). In general, You (?) should bid with 8 to 10 HCP and a 5 card suit or double to hear partner's suit. The goal is to improve your chances for a good score. They may bid on to 3H which you are able to defeat. You may make your contract or be set less than the value of their 110 or 140.
You need to be wary of balancing in misfit auctions. (e.g. 1C p 1H p; 1NT p 2H p; p ?). When the opponents don't have a good fit, you usually don't have one either. Also, the opponents could have more high card points in this auction than in the first example. You are more likely to be doubled and set if you balance on misfit auctions.
Here is an example hand from the Gatlinburg 2005 regional in the bracket 2 KO.
S 5
H KQ93
D J75
C KJ1098
S KJ107 S Q9864
H 8765 H J104
D 962 D Q108
C AQ C 64
S A32
H A2
D AK43
C 7532
The bidding: (South is the dealer with both non vul)
South West North East
1D! P 1H P
1NT P ?
Since NS were playing new minor forcing, North cannot bid 2C to show clubs and an invitational 11HCP hand. The 2C bid implies 5 hearts and asks opener to bid 2H with 3 card support. North judged well to bid 2D as the least of evils (he didn't like the spade situation for NT as the opponents have at least 9 of them!). So the auction continued:
South West North East
1D! P 1H P
1NT P 2D P
P ?
West was in the balancing seat and saw that the opponents had stopped in 2 Diamonds without a guaranteed fit (warning!). He also did not have a 5 card suit and a double was not advised with only 2 clubs (warning #2!). On balance, West should probably have passed! He couldn't resist however and chimed in with 2 spades. North was now able to bid 3C describing his hand HCP! East passed (Partner had already bid his hand). South had a fantastic dummy for the expected 1-4-3-5 distribution and bid 5 clubs! This made easily. And our teammates easily defeated 3NT with 4 spade tricks and one club trick for a nice pickup on the board.
Balancing is a very involved subject. I invite others to continue the discussion when an interesting example hand comes up.
Bridge Is an Art Form -- Part 2
By Bryant Jones
S KJ10x
H K10xx
D Kxxx
C Q
S x S Ax
H AQJxxx H xxx
D Q10xx D AJxxx
C xx C Axx
S Q9xxxxx
H --
D --
C KJ10xxxx
Here is the complete auction -- dealer south neither side vulnerable
South West North East
1C 2H 2NT 3D
3S 5D DBL P
5S P P DBL
P P RDBL All Pass
As you can see, 5 spades was no problem, but perhaps the redouble was overly greedy. Making 5 spades doubled would have been worth 650. The opponents might have guessed to bid 6 diamonds, probably down only 2 for 300.
A Tale of Two Biddies
By Phil Sharpsteen
They were the best of bids. They were the worst of bids (apologies to Charles Dickens) This tale is an account of a humorous coincidence on two hands from our May sectional. It is also an opportunity for you to witness our Table Talk editor (Frank Hacker) with the 'right stuff' on both hands!
The amazing coincidence:
The two hands were both board #10 from the Friday and Saturday evening sessions played against the same EW pair!
The auction on each began with 1D by Frank and a weak 2S overcall by west
Both hands involved the negative free convention by North. A bid of 3C or 3H is non-forcing showing 5 to 11 HCP and a 5 card or longer suit. A double by north is either a normal negative double or a start of a game forcing sequence.
Hand #1: East dealer Both Vul
S K9
H KJ107543
D K
C A63
S QJ8764 S ---
H A86 H Q92
D 62 D 10843
C 94 C KJ10872
S A10532
H ---
D AQJ975
C Q5
East South West North
P 1D 2S DBL West was held to 3 tricks after the K of diamonds
P P! P lead and a heart switch
Hand #2:
S 6
H J7432
D 864
C AQ76
S AK10987 S 543
H Q5 H A1086
D 752 D J109
C J4 C 1093
S QJ2
H K9
D AKQ3
C K852
East South West North
P 1D 2S 3H* Frank made 3NT with ease (3NT by S and 5C by
P 3NT! All pass North or South are the top spots)
We obtained two excellent scores with the correct bidding decision on each hand. There was a lot of 'all in good fun' discussion of these two hands during the weekend. The coincidences are the most amazing part of the story!
PAY ATTENTION TO BUSINESS
By Dave Shaw
When there are 4200 people playing bridge in the same room (Gatlinburg), some of them are characters and fun to meet and play against. We were playing in a pairs event, when a married couple came to the table. When the lady began to speak, my partner noted she had a Scottish accent and made mention of it. The lady's husband immediately piped up saying they had lived in Niagara Falls, Canada for 30 plus years and that his wife had carefully practiced her brogue and could put it on anytime she wanted to use it. We had a laugh over that and, noting I was dealer, I grabbed a pass card and tossed it on the table.
While still speaking with the lady, it went P, 1C, 1S back to me. While I had sorted my hand, I had not considered what it contained and when I looked, my hand was
S 6 H AKQJ9 D QJ1087 C 107. OOPS!!
I thanked the late Al Roth and made a negative double which was followed by 2S, 3C, 4S. I could have bid 5C, but, at matchpoints, hearts scores better and so I bid 5H which was greeted with P, P, DBLE.
A spade was led and dummy hit with 9, 76, AK3, AKJ9643. The doubler had AKQJ8, 108542, 54, 8. Her husband had raised her spade bid with two points, the club queen, and six spades in a 6=1=3=3 pattern. I made 5H doubled (and we could have made 6 hearts or clubs or diamonds). As they left the table, he said something to the effect that we sure knew how to draw the opponents in.
What lessons can be learned from all this? Well, pay attention to the business at hand, never give up and enjoy the opponents!
Vermonters On The Way Up
Congratulations to the following VBA members who have achieved new ranks in the master point hierarchy. Well done!!
Junior Master:
Linda Aiken Virginia Freeman Deborah Shenk
William Callnan Nancy Madden Rosalyn Smith
Inge Cassidy Joseph Morein Patricia Spencer
Jane Childs Marilyn Rice Anne Symmers
Hayward Day Bill Riegel Diana Talcott
Lucille Day
Club Master:
Ida Avakian Diane Maher Thomas Walsh
Patricia Bennett Barbara Romanoff Debora Wight
Ellie Dyett Maria Walsh
Sectional Master:
Arthur Aiken Karen Kristiansen
Jan Gisholt Barbara Marks
Regional Master:
Ernest Gibson Mary Squire
NABC Master:
Elayne Bernstein Elizabeth VonRiesenfelder
Silver Life Master:
Mary Azarian Jay Friedenson Penny Lane
Gold Life Master: Wayne Hersey
Tiernan Trophy Race
Every year the Vermont Bridge Association awards the Tiernan trophy to the VBA member who accumulates the most master points in the 4 Vermont sectional tournaments. After two tournaments we are at the halfway point. The leaders are
1. June Dorion 20.93 6. Dave Shaw 13.34
2. Phil Sharpsteen 19.85 7. Bryant Jones 13.15
3. Jerry DiVincenzo 16.03 8. Lynn Carew 12.78
4. Wayne Hersey 14.90 8. Pat Nestork 12.78
5. Jackie Kimel 13.97 10. Robert Smith 12.34
Scott Aborn Trophy Race
Every year the Vermont Bridge Association awards the Scott Aborn trophy to the VBA member who starts the year as a non-life master and who accumulates the most master points in the 4 Vermont sectional tournaments. After two tournaments we are at the halfway point. The leaders are
1. Sally Newton 9.72 6. Karen Kristiansen 5.27
1. John Newton 9.72 7. William Beadle 4.64
3. Arthur Aiken 6.01 8. Patricia Merrill 4.50
4. Sandy Desilets 5.37 9. Tom Osmer 4.31
4. Rhoda Chickering 5.37 10. Sheila Long 3.97
KO and Swiss Team Bidding Strategy
By Frank Hacker
The British historian Lord Acton in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton wrote, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In his book, Bridge is My Game, Charles Goren adapted this to, "Spineless bridge loses and absolutely spineless bridge loses absolutely."
Simply put, aggression pays. Nowhere is this dictum more to the point than for game decisions at imps. Should we bid game or settle for a part score? As a rule, I believe that if you have to spend much time thinking about it, you should nearly always bid the game.
First, you should put pressure on the opponents. Bid them up and make them defend. Maybe they'll make a bad opening lead. Maybe they'll misdefend. You would be amazed at all the 23 and 24 point games in top bracket team competition.
Second, the mathematics favors aggressive game bidding. To keep matters simple, let's say that you have to decide whether or not to bid 4 spades. If you do bid the game, you will either make it or go down 1.
Case 1 nonvulnerable
If you bid 4 spades and make it, your score will be +420 vs +170 if you settle for a part score. This 250 point difference is worth 6 imps.
If you bid 4 spades and go down, your score will be -50 vs + 140 if you settle for a part score. The 190 point difference is worth 5 imps. Bidding game stands to gain 6 imps and lose 5. Clearly, even if the game makes less than 50% of the time, you may be ahead of the game. In fact, if you bid the game 100 times and make it 46 times, you will be +276 for the times it makes and -270 for the 54 times it goes down. You're still ahead. You should bid game if the probability of success is 46% or more.
Case 2 vulnerable
If you bid 4 spades and make it, your score will be +620 vs +170 if you settle for a part score. This 450 point difference is worth 10 imps.
If you bid 4 spades and go down, your score will be -100 vs + 140 if you settle for a part score. The 240 point difference is worth 6 imps.
Bidding game stands to gain 10 imps and lose 6. Clearly, even if the game makes less than 40% of the time, you will be ahead of the game. In fact, if you bid the game 100 times and make it 38 times, you will be +380 for the times it makes and -372 for the 62 times it goes down. You're still ahead. You should bid game if the probability of success is 38% or more.
Usually the probability of success is defined in terms of the location of key cards and suit splits. In practice, because of favorable opening leads and misdefence, you will succeed more frequently than the position of the cards would seem to permit. This should compensate you for the occasional double or the occasional down 2 or 3
Your homework assignment is to use the same type of logic to determine what odds you need to bid a small or a grand slam.
World Wide Bridge Contest
A world wide bridge contest took place with 2 single session events on Friday evening June 1 and on Saturday afternoon June 2. Many Vermonters participated on Friday at the Apollo Bridge Club in Montpelier and at the Burlington Bridge Academy on Saturday.
The small local competitions were part of a much larger international competition. Players achieved a local ranking (the basis of the master point awards), a national ranking for US competitors and an overall world wide ranking. The local club ranking is based on match points scored at the local level. The national and international rankings are based on the total world wide field. The world wide top was 4,608 for Friday night and 4,692 for Saturday afternoon. As you might imagine, with matchpointing on two different bases, the international rankings do not necessarily follow the local rankings. The local winners may not have the highest local international score.
The overall world wide winner on Friday night was a pair from Italy with a 75.10% game. The top American pair was 7th overall with 70.34%. On Saturday the overall winner was a pair from Canada with 76.45%. The top American pair was 2nd overall with 75.35%. The second best American pair was Bruce Emonds and Paul Wolf II from Massachusetts with 73.48%. This is of interest, because Paul Wolf attended our May sectional. You can find his name listed in the sectional results.
In Montpelier, the international leaders (top 1,000) were
Names International Rank US rank
Gordon Johnson - Rick Clark 372 91
Rudolph Polli - Jackie Kimel 703 186
Fred Donald - Judie Donald 858 236
World wide there were 5,206 pairs, of which 1,456 were from the United States.
In Burlington, the international leaders (top 1,000) were
Names International Rank US rank
Penny Lane - Peter Tripp 484 240
Ellie Hanlon - Mary Savko 594 300
Lynn Carew - Pat Nestork 952 492
World wide there were 5,397 pairs, of which 2,775 were from the United States.
VERMONT SUMMER SECTIONAL
Cortina Inn and Resort
Killington, Vermont
July 13 to 15, 2006 Sanction # S0707053
Schedule of events:
Friday July 13th
1:30PM Open Pairs, Stratified
Newcomer Pairs, Stratified
7:30PM Open Pairs, Stratified
Newcomer Pairs, Stratified
Saturday July 14th
1:00PM Open Pairs, Stratified
Newcomer Paris, Stratified
7:00PM Open Pairs, Stratiflighted
A (separate event) = 0 to 72000
B = 500 to 1500
C = 200 to 500
D = 0 to 200
Sunday July 15th
10:30AM 1st session Open Swiss Teams, Stratified
0 to 300 Swiss Teams (1 session only)
@3:00PM 2nd session Open Swiss Teams, Stratified
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 and information: Phil Sharpsteen (802) 899-2080
Hospitality: The VBA is pleased to offer free refreshments after the Friday and Saturday evening sessions and at 10:00AM before the Swiss Teams begin on Sunday at 10:30.
Accommodations for the tournament at the Cortina Inn
:
1 person 2 persons
Superior room $159 $199
Queen deluxe $169 $209
King deluxe $179 $219
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.
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.