HAND OF THE MONTH - MARCH 13 |
Show Detail |
This is another made up hand, designed with inspirations from other teaching sources, featuring a 4441 type of hand. There are many different ways of opening these type of hands, where in all probability, everyone will have their own opinions - so I show my own favourite here. Opening with your lowest suit, gives you the most room to find a fit, but other people will tell you otherwise. Who is correct - you can make your own decision there, but in this instance you find a fit fairly quickly. In fact, when dummy comes down, you find a double fit in the major suits, rather unexpectedly, which is a bonus. You get a lead of K ♣ from West, which would suggest either the top of a doubleton, or possibly a sequence, so you think and come up with a plan.
Why should you make a plan? Well, if you just take all your top tricks (4 ♠, 4 ♥, 1 ♦, & 1 ♣), you can make your contract. Well done & you congratulate yourself by getting a bottom!!! Anybody can do that. You must remember that you are playing in a duplicate, and that everyone else is playing the same hand, with the making of a plan makes all the difference. Whichever hand you treat as the Master trump hand (this is usually the hand with the most trumps in), you should look & see if there is a way to make extra tricks by turning your losers into winners.
You have three losers in ♣ in your hand & three ♦ losers in the dummy, which you could trump all of them, and loose trump control, or just trump all losers in just one hand. But how do you achieve this? Simply by having enough entries in each hand to put this plan into effect.
But which hand should you choose to trump? By digesting the bidding - did either of your opponents give you any clues by bidding anything & so suggesting length in a particular suit. When both hands have the same length in trumps, any bidding by your opponents would suggest which is the better option, unless both opponents bid each of your short suits - then beware.
What happens when the trumps do not divide nicely? Can you throw away any of your losers on any of your winners? What about cross trumping the two hands? So many questions, how do you make up your mind about what to do?
Well, if you have no clues, normally it is better to make a plan that involves trumping losers in your hand, as your opponents cannot see your hand, unless one of the hands has more master trumps in it's hand, which is not the case here. (If ♠ were trumps here, look at the ♠ suit in the dummy, compared the ♠ suit in declarer's hand).
In this case, cross trumping the two hands, will leave you without control of the trump suit, and inevitably lead to you going down in the contract - an even worse result! You need to make all four of your ♠ tricks, this is the suit where your opponents will be short of cards, and will trump your winners.
So you plan to trump your three club losers, to start with, planning to ruff two low & the last one high. Why like this? Well, you are hoping that the suit will divide at least 5/3, and that trumps divide 3/2 (either way). You also need to keep three winning trumps between the two hands,to cater for this, but first you must ruff the ♣ losers. Then, hopefully, when the trumps have all gone, you can run your ♠ tricks.
So, you win the opening lead and return a ♣ to ruff in dummy. Return a small ♠ to your hand & repeat the ♣ return to be ruffed. Now play A ♦ followed by another ♦ to be ruffed in your hand. Now lead your last ♣ which you will have to ruff high. Play you last trump from dummy, and then play a ♠ which you should overtake in your hand. Now play the last two trumps in your hand to clear the suit & return a ♠ to dummy, so as to enjoy your preserved ♠ winners. When everything fall nicely as in this example, you can make ALL the tricks (4 ♠, 7 ♥, 1 ♦ , & 1 ♣) and you will achieve a top or equal top.
Is slam on? Very unlikely in this case - you have 28 points between the two hands, and you need a lot of help with the distribution to make more than ten tricks. All the suits break nicely, but this type of hand shows you just what can be achieved with just a little planning.
Incidentally, what happens if you play three rounds of trumps first, just as you have been taught? Well, you will make eleven tricks, because you can trump one extra loser only.
What can you take from this? If you can do something more than just play trumps to start with, you should consider this. You can often wonder why, when you think you have played well on a hand, your result is poor - this is just one of a few ways..............
|
|
|
|
CLUB DIARY - (YCBA) LEAGUE MATCHES |
We are fielding four teams in the YCBA (Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association) 2023/2024 Winter League. There are seven divisions, each comprising of eight teams.
Well, the results are in for the seventh & last round of matches, which were :-
- In Division 3, Wakefield A beat Shelley A 11 - 9. They have finished 5th in division 3 with 3 W, 3 L & 1 D with one fixture to be played in two weeks time.
- In Division 5, Wakefield B lost to Ripon 0 - 20. They have finished 2nd in division 5 with 5 W & 2 L & are promoted.
- In Division 7, Wakefield C beat Bradford D 14 - 6. They have finished 5th in division 7 with 3 W & 4 L.
- In Division 7, Wakefield D beat Sheffield C 13 - 7. They have finished 1st in division 7 with 7 W & are promoted as champions.
The provisional dates are out for the 2024 / 2025 season - these are shown on our "CALENDAR", please look in the "MENU".
If you require more information regarding the YCBA leagues, please look under "INFORMATION" in the "MENU", and go to "Links to Bridge Organisations". Then look under "Yorkshire Contract Bridge Association" and then find "Leagues".
Perhaps you can still help support your club in another way. We are always looking for help with providing Match Day teas, for our guests, on home fixtures. This is a staple requirement for these matches, but our club has gained a reputation as being one of the best clubs to visit for other clubs, based on our catering standards and friendliness. Can you help please?
|
|
|
|
CLUB DIARY - FUTURE EBU EVENTS |
After the Summer Sims Pairs charity event, successfully run by Allan in 2023, we will be running more of these events.
Wakefield Bridge Club, is going to be involved in the British Spring Sims Pairs event, which takes place on 11th April 2024. This starts at 7.00 p.m. & will cost £6.20 per person.
A notice will appear on the notice board to sign up to.................
Future dates for the British (Seasonal) Sims Pairs events are (there is no guarantee that Wakefield Bridge Club will be hosting any of these) :-
- Summer on 25th July
- Autumn on 10th October
- Winter on 18th January
Watch this space for further details..................
The EBU's big event in 2024 is Bridge - It's a Big Deal. The details are that it is taking place W/C 9/9/2024, and it is a big fund raiser for Cancer UK. I also know that it wants to include everybody in the country that plays Bridge, whether that is on your own kitchen table, in an unaffiliated club or social setting, school or university etc, all the way up to Clubs like our own. It also is looking to recruit new people into the clubs as well. As far as I am aware this is for the full week, with Bridge Clubs up & down the country able to dip into this when they can. Details of this national event can be found on the EBU web-site, which you can access from this web-site by clicking on "INFORMATION" in the "MENU" and then on "Links to Bridge Organisations".
We will be hopefully doing our bit on Saturday 14th September, with a special one - off event.
Watch this space for developments..................
|
|
|
|
CLUB DIARY - TEAM PLAYING |
Do not forget that the club does run teams events, on a reasonably regular basis. These occur predominately on a Monday evening (once a month) or sometimes on a Thursday evening (once every three months).
Please look out for these nights, which also appear on the "MENU" under "CALENDAR".
The next teams night is on Monday 8th April. Please sign up on the notice board......... The next one on a Thursday, is on Thursday 6th June.
We plan to put out a regular pattern of teams events in the New Year, every 4 weeks on a Monday, and a Thursday teams event once every 3 months.
In a special announcement, look out for the extra Teams night every Monday throughout April..............
|
|
|
|
CLUB DIARY - COMMITTEE MEETING AND MORE .... |
The next committee meeting of Wakefield Bridge Club is going to be TBA (after the AGM). If there is anything that you think might need raising at this meeting, please ask one of the committee members to bring it up on your behalf. The names and photographs of the committee members are on one of the notice board in the big Bridge room, so that they cannot hide!
The committee members act on behalf of YOU the members, and to help keep the Club in a financially stable condition, amongst other considerations.
In the past, on this web-site, we have talked about an increase in monies paid to the Club, by you - the members. Please be aware that there is a proposal to increase the table monies by £0.10 per session, which will be raised at the AGM.
Is there any more we can do on other matters? Tell us please, and you never know what may happen!
The next meeting will be the AGM, which will take place sometime on Monday 29th April at 7.00 p.m. In the run up to this occasion, there will be an opportunity for you to put yourself forward to stand for election to the next committee of Wakefield Bridge Club (watch out for the nominations sheet to appear on the notice board). This could be your chance to change or influence, the direction that the Bridge Club goes in the future, so please do not spurn the opportunity to perhaps, make a difference. The choice is yours..............
|
|
|
|
CLUB DIARY - FUN DAY 2024 |
The latest Fun Day at Wakefield, was on 6th January 2024, and raised over £1500.
Thanks to all involved in the planning/running of these events, no matter how large or small. We are talking about what to do with the monies raised, and have decided on a selection of items, which will help in the future.
It has been decided to replace the current Refrigerator with a Fridge/Freezer, replace the signage in the Club, purchase a microphone for use with all events in our Club, and also to acquire some more small tables.
The next Fun Day is on Saturday June 8th 2024, with the food either Pie or Fish & Chips, at a cost of £20.00 per person - a signing up list is up on the notice board along with a reserves list.
We suggest that you sign up quickly, as the last one was full in a very short amount of time!!
|
|
|
|
NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE |
You Talk - We Listen, and Act.
At the May 2023 committee meeting, we took the option to trial no arrow switching, and we have decided to continue this until the AGM in April 2024, where it will be reviewed again. What is your opinion?
At the August committee meeting, we addressed some concerns regarding sitting out, which again will be reviewed at the AGM in April 2024. So, in March any sit-outs will ALL be East/West and in April, any sit-outs will all be North/South, and so forth, alternating alternatively. We hope that you always can have a choice of direction to sit in, and that it is not a decision based upon availability, but on personal preference (providing that you arrive early). Please also remember that North /South positions should also be left for the less able members of our Club. What is your opinion?
Both these are still only suggestions, & will be decided upon with you at the AGM. Does this matter to you? I have heard nothing to demonstrate anything other than making these recommendations permanent. Do you agree?
|
|
|
|
THE FUTURE - AN IDEA |
Just a wonder - is there any traction in a Club Bridge Holiday for say 2025 or 2026?
A lot of Bridge Clubs organise their own 2 - 3 day break, whether this is mid-week or on a weekend. Looking at what other Bridge Clubs have done, when they first started, they did so by going to a venue, which was not so far away (maybe the Yorkshire coast in our case). Then they could re-assess their ideas to possibly a break abroad, if there was the demand. I would suggest that we should think about starting small, so as to discover the pitfalls & problems first. I don't suggest that this will suit everyone, but it would be nice to know what you all think about this.
It would of course have to be out of season, as this is when we could find accommodation easier to find.
Please let me know what you think.........................
|
|
|
|
THE WORLD OF BRIDGE - FROM START TO THE STARS! |
The card game of Bridge is played in just about every country all around the world, with no bars on colour, creed or any other factors. It should be primarily played for "FUN & ENJOYMENT". Having said that, we cannot deny that this is not an easy game to learn.
Most of us, when we look into joining a Bridge Club, are not likely to join at the same time as anyone we know. This is not unusual. Please look upon this as a chance to become acquainted with the friendly members of our Club, that you have yet to meet.
Having said that, help is at hand. Amongst the many members of our Club, there are teachers, helpers & others, who would like to help you learn this great game (please look for teaching lessons under "INFORMATION" in the "MENU".
Do not worry if you know next to nothing about the game of Bridge. With their help, you can gain the knowledge to help you navigate your way to learn the game of Bridge. We would suggest that people who are new to the game of Bridge, or may have played the game in the past & have forgotten how to play or what to bid etc, start with attending Teaching sessions, before attempting to play in any of our playing sessions.
When you first attend a playing session (whether coming from Teaching sessions or not), your normal starting point would be playing in a Monday Morning session. Here there are lots of other people learning the game, with a smattering of experienced players to help you along. It is normal to feel nervous and apprehensive, so do not worry, as we have all been there the first time we arrived. If you get stuck and do not know what to do - help is at hand, and you can ask for help (WE MEAN THIS). Also, do not worry about making any mistakes - you are human & learning the game. We all learn the most about anything in life when we make mistakes and get things wrong. We are not here to criticise & belittle you, we are here make this a FUN & ENJOYMENT opportunity. This is not a game which you can learn everything about in a fixed amount of time. This is a game which you never stop learning about, no matter how long you have played or how experienced you are. All things evolve with time, and this is the same with Bridge. We currently have bidding boxes, bridgemates & dealing machines, amongst many others - all things that 50 years ago were not even thought about!
With practice & continuing to go to the playing sessions on a REGULAR basis, it does become easier. Remember, you are important to the Bridge Club. You are the future of Wakefield Bridge Club, whether that be as a partner, an opponent or a team member, as we need all of these to play the game.
The world is your oyster as far as your progression can be in the big, big world of Bridge. Representatives of County, Regional, National & International teams all come initially from Bridge Clubs. How far do you wish to aspire..............
|
|
|
|
THE LAST THOUGHT - MK14 |
The phrase "Every picture tells a story" is a common saying to which no-one has any idea of it's origin. It literally means that everything that you see, has a history & back story to it.
To put this in Bridge terms, if you see a lead of a K of any suit, it literally means that they have the Q also, otherwise, they are giving up a trick needlessly. If you lead an unsupported K (which means without the Q), it will literally lose two times out of three (not winning Bridge), because you have two opponents and only one partner (I appreciate that some people lead a K before playing the A). In somewhat of a contradiction to this, the lead of say a J of the suit that your partner has bid, means I do not have anything higher than this card - does it help?
Another variation in Bridge of playing a picture, is that in defence, if we are going to play one of two touching honours (pictures), say from Q,J, we should play the J and not the Q. This should tell your partner that your opponents do not have the Q, but you do & so would hide the Q from your opponents. It is precisely the opposite when playing on offence, so hiding from your defenders that you hold the lower touching honour.
In another side of Bridge, picture cards are some of the best trick taking cards in the pack, and are suitably honoured to be a differing amount of points allocation, subject to their importance (usually called High Card Points - HCP's)
They are amongst some of the cards we most readily look for, and ones we treasure the most. In nearly all card games, they are highly valued, and are the most highly decorated in terms of colours. We write quiz questions about them and there are also folk stories about them. What truly remarkable cards they are - but strangely, though there is an adult male, adult female & juvenile male - where is the juvenile female?..... or is just another mystery that will never be solved?........
|
|
|
|
NGS GRADES |
|
|
|
March 2024 |
NGS Grades not available for this month
|
Please Note NGS Grades are updated on this site semi-automatically at the beginning of the month. You may need to visit the EBU site for the latest grades. |
|
|
|
|
|