The Shadowfax Bridge Club
The Friendly Bridge Club
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SPECIAL NOTICE !!!
Dec 28, 2025 08:16 EST
Home Page
Dec 28, 2025 08:12 EST
Lessons from the Past
Dec 28, 2025 07:58 EST
Welcome to The Shadowfax Bridge Club
679 Bartley Road, Chester NJ 07930
SHADOWFAX SCHEDULE - XMAS & NEW YEARS !!

PLEASE NOTE:

During the Christmas and New Year's weeks

Shadowfax will be open laugh on Tuesday and Friday, but ... 

closed (no games)  crying on Wednesday (12/24 or 12/31)

We will return to Our Regular Schedule in January

SHADOWFAX SCHEDULE

Tues 9:30 lesson, 10 a.m. 0-999 game

... followed by a postgame discussion of hands played that morning

Wed & Fri 10 a.m. Open games (BYO lunch!)

regular game card fees are $10 per person

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TUESDAY LESSON (12/23/25) - recognize when an extra trick is needed!

South might have passed and played 3NT, but let's sit South at the table where the auction went as shown. West leads the SQ and the Dummy is revealed. What's your thinking?

With 3 losers in the long-trump-suit Master hand, 4H is making, with a possible overtrick in Diamonds. Win the SA, draw 3 rounds of trump (they split 3-2) and when the Diamonds don't split you score 10 tricks for +420. It's the last round, so the Bridgemate displays the final results for the board - you tied for bottom! Why? Let's get in your time machine and go back 7-8 minutes before trick 1.

When Dummy hits the table, consider what the other NS pairs might be in. Doesn't 3NT seem reasonable? How many tricks are they taking? The same TEN tricks you took! But they're scoring 430! You never trumped an extra trick or developed a long suit - we eliminated trump and played the rest of the hand in no trump - the short trump hand couldn't trump anything!

What if we make South the Master hand? North can ruff all the Spade losers, leaving South with just 2 losers. As long as trump behave, you make 11! Eight minutes later the Bridgemate shows you tied for top!

Looking for ways to improve your game? --- Our website can help!

Our website provides analysis (by individual and pair) about sessions played at Shadowfax. Color-coding of the hand-by-hand results makes it easy to identify the boards on which your partnership scored well ^ (or didn't ^). 

To see just the hands you played as Declarer or those where you defended & made the Opening Lead, click the BSOL Analysis icon:  

To learn how to use these and other features of our website to improve your game, just ask - we want our members to use all the bells&whistles on our website!

Review and Replay Our Lesson Hands!

Did you know our Tuesday Lesson Hands (more than two years worth!) are available at the Lessons from the Past link?

Review the analysis (bidding & play), then replay the hand

- just click Play It Again!

Results
Open
Director: Andrew Barlow
0-1000
Director: Andrew Barlow
Open
Director: Andrew Barlow
Calendar
December 30, 2025
0-1000
9:30 a.m.
December 31, 2025
Open
10:00 a.m.
January 2, 2026
Open
10:00 a.m.
Tuesday Postgame Reviews!

Tuesday Players - after play ends, Andrew, Laureen, and Arman are always available to review any hands played that morning!

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What, When and How to ALERT or ANNOUNCE

Convention card items in Blue should be ANNOUNCED - that means immediately explained. Convention card items in Red are ALERTED, but explained ONLY IF & WHEN the opponent whose turn it is to bid asks. 

If an opponent asks you to explain your partner's bid, you should provide a clear and succinct explanation of your partnership agreement pertaining to that bid. DO NOT simply give the name of the convention. For example, don't say "Michaels." State what your partner's bid means - "shows 5-5 in the two highest unbid suits." Include any point ranges (hcps or total points), suit(s), or shape (length or shortness) that the bid shows. You should also state if it is Forcing or Game Forcing.

If you do not have a partnership agreement covering the bid in question, then "We have no agreement" is sufficient. DO NOT state how you 'interpret' partner's bid, or what you 'think' it means - doing so provides your partner with information about what your response was or will be based on. This is illegal and will very likely force the Director to impose bidding restrictions and/or penalties. 

Again, only state what you and your partner have as agreements, made in advance. This is the main reason every partnership pair should fill out and review a convention card before playing, and have fully completed convention cards available for the opponents to review, as is their right.
 

Matchpoint scoring Trivia
Matchpoint scoring trivia:
The highest score without a double or redouble is 7NT vulnerable and making, is 2220.
The highest score without overtricks is 7NT-XX redoubled, vulnerable, and making, is 2980.
The highest score for a making contract is 1NT-XX redoubled, vulnerable, and making six overtricks, is 3160.

But the highest score possible (7600) can only be made by the Defenders, by taking 13 tricks against a vulnerable Declarer who bid a 7-level contract, was doubled and redoubled!

Think it could never happen? In his award-winning book Points Schmoints!, bridge expert Marty Bergen tells about a partnership misunderstanding that led to him going down 12 in a 6NTXX contract for -7000!