Join us at 12 p.m., Sunday, December 12, 2021 for a special unit game to raise money for our operating costs.

Maja is directing this open game which promises to be fun for all skill levels. Prior to the game, we will offer deli-trays, desserts and coffee. The fee is $15.

All participants will receive one free raffle ticket and the opportunity to purchase more for $1 a ticket or 6 for $5. Items on the table are expected to include bridge books, bridge paraphenalia, wine, ornaments, jewelry, hand sewn/ hand made items, and whatever YOU would like to donate. The sideboard at the Center will be used as a display area. Feel free to bring in items starting now.

There is a sign up sheet posted at the Bridge Center. Reply here and your name will be added to the list. Let us know if you have a partner or if you need one.

Happy Holidays!

Click on the photo for more information. Click here for the complete schedule of events.

On Wednesday, November 3, 2021, Monterey bridge players came out in force to play. We hit a post-Covid record of ten full tables. Lyde McReynolds provided a quick lesson, Shirley Larsen told a funny story, and the refreshment table offered freshly baked bread by Helen Sue Brand and jelly by Joe Truskot from grapes grown on vines brought by the padres to Mission San Antonio. Face-to-Face bridge offers so much more than a point and click session at home alone.

Join us Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. for the open game directed by Maja and Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. for <750 gane directed by Lyde.

The 0-750 game on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 had eight tables not counting our new neighbor Cooper — because he's a German Short Haired Pointer. We continue to adjust to our members' comfort levels with mask wearing: many do, others don't. All players have had their Covid shots. Everyone practices social distancing and hand sanitizing.

We have made some changes in the schedule. The Tuesday morning bridge game at 9:30 a.m. has been permanently canceled. Games at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays continue to be popular. Open games on Tuesdays and Thursdays need to grow more. Come back to live bridge. You won't get to enjoy a real puppy on line folks.

Are you ready to get back to Face-to Face bridge?  Do you think you might have forgotten a few things about bridge and how to communicate with your partner? 

REFRESHER BRIDGE

The Monterey Bridge Center will offer refresher lessons for anyone who has played bridge in the past. Attendees will have one hour of instruction and two hours of playing time. This is a wonderful opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. Please join us to relearn a wonderful card game where every hand of cards is a new adventure.

Refresher classes will start at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 9, 2021 and continue on the following three Mondays, August 16, 23, and 30 at the Monterey Bridge Center, 201 Calle Del Oaks, Del Rey Oaks, north of the Stone Creek Shopping area.

BEGINNER BRIDGE

Beginner bridge classes will start on Monday, September 13 at 10 a.m. Shuffle and play will follow these lessons at 11 a.m. All beginners are also welcome to join the refresher course as observers. It will be a good opportunity to observe the game.

COVID PROTOCOLS ENFORCED

We will follow the club and state protocols for health and safety. At your first visit, proof of a covid vaccination will be mandatory. Social distancing will be observed and there will be anti-bacterial gel on each table for your use. Please bring your own refreshments. 

Hetty Eddy is a certificated ACBL instructor who has taught bridge for several years. If you have questions or are interested in joining us, please call or text Hetty at 831-262-1420.

The Unwritten Rule

How often has this happened to you? You open 1H vulnerable, LHO bids 2S not vulnerable. Your partner makes a game forcing raise (3S is my choice). RHO bids 4S. Now what do you do?

The action in the immediate seat over the game-level preempt is the key. 

The general rule is this:  With 1^st round control of the opponent's suit, bid 5H. With 2 fast losers in their suit, double.  With 1 fast loser (singleton or Kx), PASS. This pass is forcing. This tells partner you are unclear whether it is better to defend (double) or to try and make 5 hearts. The same issues apply for your partner. Over a double, partner can still bid 5, for example, with a spade void herself. The double is not unilateral. It just tells partner your hand looks better for the defense. This is all pretty straightforward. But you should definitely talk to your partner about this so that you are both on the same page about the forcing pass. 

This is standard in expert circles. It is assumed in this situation that a pass would be forcing. So what makes the pass forcing? When you have opened and partner has shown strength (not preemption herself) and the opponents have made at least 1 preemptive bid. The principle is the same as I have used in my previous column. When you have more trump and more shape, keep bidding. When you have strength but are more balanced, doubling is better. The part of this that is new in this situation is the forcing pass, so it's important to be clear when that is in play. 

Here is another example where it wouldn’t be in play:  You open 1H, opponent overcalls 1 spade, your partner bids 3H (preemptive) and RHO bids 4S. It is not clear here who has the balance of the strength and so the pass would not be forcing — even if you are vulnerable and they are not. It must be clear that you and your partner were in a game invitational or game forcing auction based on strength. 

Here are a couple of sample hands to illustrate the point:

You have: Qxx AKxx Kxx Kxx. 

Partner opens 1H, your RHO overcalls 2S. This hand would have bid a Jacoby 2NT (or whatever your game forcing raise is), if the opponents had not interfered. You need to let partner know that this hand belongs to your side and you have a heart fit. The way I do that is by bidding 3S. Your LHO now bids 4S and you have been pre-empted out of your normal game contract. Say now your partner passes. What do you do? With this hand, I would double. Perfectly balanced, lots of defense, and may not be enough tricks to make 5. 

Say partner opened with: X QJxxx AQx Qxxx.

Making 5 will be a struggle, but you almost certainly can defeat 4S unless someone on their side has a void. Partner’s forcing pass told you that you had 1 loser for sure in spades, if you have 2 more losers you cant make 5, and doubling is your best option. 

Now say partner had: QJxxxx AQx Qxxx. 

Even though partner has a minimum in high card strength, she will bid 5 with this hand because of the void, and because of the void, 5 will almost certainly make.

Now say opener had: Jx QJxxx AQx Axx. 

This is a double. No need to make a forcing pass here. Clearly let your partner know your hand suggests defending. With a void, partner will certainly bid 5 herself, and with a singleton will evaluate the rest of the hand for offense vs. defense and choose to pass or bid on based on knowing you have 2 fast losers in spades.

To re-iterate, the important part is being able to trust partner to take some action in passout seat if you pass. You must either get your vulnerable game or get the maximum penalty if they have sacrificed. The unwritten rule allows partner in direct seat to indicate they are not sure about doubling or bidding on without worrying that partner will take no action. I have seen this not work about 1 in 100 times, and I will take those odds.

Congratulations to Sharon Larson, Maja and Mano Singham for being elected to the Monterey Bridge Center Board of Directors on Sunday, June 13, 2021. Each will serve a three-year term.

Sharon is a life master who has been playing bridge at the Center for years. She was an appointed member of the board filling out a term that just ended.

Maja is our newest game director. She was elected last year to complete a one-year term which also ended.

Mano Singham is our most "gung ho" bridge player. His professional life interrupted his bridge playing for many years. About 18 months ago, he moved to Monterey and began playing at the Center quickly learning the latest conventions and winning master points.

What a motivated membership!

Thank you to all who completed the survey. We heard from half of our membership and got results which will help us all make decisions about playing bridge this year. For example, we heard loud and clear that members prefer morning games that start at 10 a.m. We know now that members with fewer than 500 masterpoints would like more educational opportunities. We know that most members will play both online and face-to-face bridge and a large number just haven't yet made up their minds what they'll do.

Here are the complete survey results with great thanks to Ray Mok who organized the raw data.

Unit 530 Membership Survey 2021.pdf

Looking forward to seeing you at a bridge table soon.

Joe Truskot, membership chair

NEW ACBL RULES FOR 2021

We can no longer just use the word "transfer." We now must include the suit we are transferring to. For example, "Transfer to Spades."

Traditional Support Doubles and Re-Doubles are no longer alertable.

Direct Cue Bids (with the exception of Michaels) must now be alerted.

Uncontested jump shifts no longer require an alert.

Instead of saying “could be short” when bidding 1 Club, for example, you now must specify the number of cards in that suit: “Could be as short as one” etc.

Check out the January 2021 ACBL Bulletin (page 35) for a complete listing of the changes.

OLD STUFF

When asked what your bid means, never give the name of the convention! (i.e. Cappelletti, DON’T, Precision, etc.)  Instead, you must describe your hand. There are NO secrets in the bidding.

Don’t be just a SLUG!  Add your full name to your BBO profile.  We all like to know who we are playing with at the table, since we can’t see you,

If your BBO rating is "3" or more, you're no longer a "Beginner."

Each pair must have a convention card posted.  Unless, of course, you are subs or newly paired. In this case, you must announce your systems at each table.

Please pay attention!  If your name is highlighted in YELLOW, it’s your turn to bid or play, unless you are the dummy.

Learn to use the BBO Chat function judiciously.

The "Table" setting is best for greeting your opponents which you should do regularly. Use it for magnanimous congratulations to the opponents especially when you witness a challenging hand well played. If subs are playing, thank them for joining the game.

The "Private" setting is best for discussions with your partner about the bidding or play of a game, or the sorry state of the world. As in Face-to-Face games, no one wants to hear you bickering or gloating. If you make a negative comment about your partner or the opponents, double check to make certain the right chat mode is on. Remember: sarcasm doesn't work well on these chats.

The "Lobby" setting is great for announcements, such as congratulating high point getters and special games,

MOST IMPORTANTLY! 

Stay home and play bridge online.  We want to SEE ALL OF YOU back at the club when it reopens. Sheltering at home gives you an opportunity to play more and hone your skills.