Carson Tahoe Bridge
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Plan Ahead: No Gardnerville Game Feb. 17 but Reno is Open
All Hands on Deck

BridgeBee, through Baron Barclay, offers two free online hands per week on Fridays that include analysis. This one is from Marti Ronemus, titled "Switcheroo."

This hand demonstrates how a long, seemingly worthless suit can be established to win the extra trick needed to make game. The bidding is standard but well worth paying attention to. South opens 1 spade, West doubles, North responds a not-very-encouraging 2 spades, and East is silent. South decides to jump to game for several reasons. The spade suit is strong and the hand includes a singleton. On the downside, the opponents' strong points are behind him but at least he knows where they are.

The King of diamonds is led. South sees the dummy and counts tricks. If he trumps three losing hearts in dummy before he draws trumps, he has 4 heart tricks (including the Ace),  5 spade tricks in hand and the Ace of diamonds, for 10 tricks. But will opponents allow him to trump hearts repeatedly? There's a Plan B if they don't. He is sure West has four hearts (he did not overcall because he doesn't have a 5-card suit), which leaves East with 3. If South cannot trump hearts three times, he should be able to make his fifth heart grow up to become the extra trick he needs.

South takes the diamond lead in dummy and crosses to his hand with a first round of hearts, using the Ace (4 hearts gone). He then leads a low heart and trumps in dummy (3 more hearts gone). South now has no choice but to put the opponents in and see what they lead back. He plays a club and opponents win the trick. When they lead a spade to reduce South's ruffing ability, South overtakes dummy's good 9 of spades to end up in hand. South leads another heart and ruffs it with his last trump in dummy (3 more hearts gone). Three hearts are left: two in South's hand and one winning one in West. 

To this point, opponents have only taken one club trick. Now is the time to pull remaining trump (5 were out originally and opponents played trump once, reducing the outstanding number to 3). South plays the Ace and then King of spades, leaving himself with the only trump left. He then exits the lead with a heart, giving West the trick and leaving a good heart, a good trump and one losing diamond in his hand. Opponents can only take one more trick no matter what is led.

Marti calls this strategy "No 5-Card Suit in Dummy Should Ever Be Ignored." The Switcheroo in the title comes from relying on the 5-card, useless looking suit for the win instead of hoping opponents will allow a perpetual cross ruff.

 

Recent Happenings

Four players moved up in rank in January:
Bob Aten, Carol Aten and Patricia Cooper-Smith are now Club Masters (20 or more points).

Brooke Nielsen is a Regional Master (100 or more points).

Congratulations to January high scorers at our four clubs:
72.5% for Eleanor Moore and Patricia Welze (South Lake Tahoe, 1/14/25)

69.91% for Barbara Mickle and Don Parsons (Carson City, 1/8/25)
69.91% for Barbara Mickle and Gary Nitzberg (Gardnerville, 1/6/25)
69.44% for Barbara and Richard Reiter (Incline Village, 1/19/25)

We welcome two new players to our Carson Tahoe Bridge Unit:
Michelle Kinder of Incline Village
Sandra Stewart of Minden

Results
Carson City
South Lake Tahoe CA
Gardnerville
Incline Village
Carson City
South Lake Tahoe CA
Gardnerville
Carson City