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Bridge Corner: May 18, 2017

Hello and welcome to the Tidewater Bridge Unit (TBU).
When a partnership has fewer than 25 combined points, the pair should play in a partscore. When a partnership has at least eight combined cards in a suit, think of it as a Golden Fit. If there is no eight-card or longer fit in any suit, the partnership will generally want to play in notrump.

East (E) is Dealer. What should the contract be?

North
♠ 1074
♥ KJ952
♦ K9
♣ J93

West East
♠ Q32 ♠ AKJ5
♥ 743 ♥ A86
♦ 873 ♦Q642
♣ AK74 ♣ 85

South
♠ 986
♥ Q10
♦ AJ107
♣ Q1062

South West North East
1NT Pass 3NT 1♥
Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: ♠3

1. How many points in each partnership?
2. Does either partnership have enough strength for game?
3. Which partnership has a Golden Fit?
4. Which partnership has the majority of the strength?
5. Who will make the opening bid? What will the opening bid be?
6. Which player is responder & captain?
7. If East & West bid a contract, should it be a game or partscore contract?
8. Would it be notrump or suit contract?
9. What might be a reasonable contract?
10. Must East end up as the declarer? If not, how might West become declarer?
11. If West is the declarer in 1NT, who would make the opening lead?
12. What would the opening lead be?
13. How many tricks must declarer win to fulfill the contract?
14. How many “sure” tricks are in the combined East & West hands?
15. Why is the bridge saying “play the high card from the short side” good advice.

Answers:

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1. North-South have 18 combined points; East-West have 23 combined points
2. Neither partnership has enough strength for a Golden Fit
3. Neither partnership has a Golden Fit
4. East-West have the majority of the strength
5. East opens the bidding with 1♦
6. West is the responder and the captain
7. East-West should be in a partscore
8. The contract should be in Notrump
9. 1 Notrump would be a reasonable contract
10. The open bidder does not necessarily end up as the declarer
11. West could be the declarer by being the first to mention the suit of the contract. For example, West could mention Notrump first
12. North leads a low card from hearts, the longest suit
13. Declarer needs seven tricks to fulfill the contract
14. East-West have seven “sure” tricks
15. Play the high card from the short side applies to the spade suit. This is good advice. Declarer needs to win four tricks in the spade suit in order to fulfill the 1 Notrump contract. If declarer plays a high card from the long side first (AKJ5), then declarer will only make three tricks in the spade suit. Declarer should win the first trick with the ♠Q. Declarer still has a low card to lead to the ♠AKJ

Winning Pairs
May 2, 2017
Section A Game

Harriet Goodrich – Cindy B. Jones
Aldis Raymond – Leon C Ragland
Olethia Everett – Wilma Horne
Rosemarie – Gloria Maddux
Shirley Nottingham – Elva N Taylor
Oneida Lacey – Rosemary Whitehurst

Winning Pairs
May 3, 2017
Section A Game

Adrienne Ivory – Jennifer Douglas
Cindy B. Jones – Harriet F. Goodrich
Evelyn J. Monroe – Lawrence Owes
Lillye Holley – Harold M. Kiefer
Rosemarie – Gloria Maddux
Wilma Horne – Olethia Everett
Rosemary Whitehurst – Oneida Lacey
Shirley Nottingham – Elva N. Taylor

Happy Birthday To:
Lucy Glymph – May 21
Sam Riddick – May 23

TIDEWATER BRIDGE UNIT UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

Tuesday, May 23
Cooke-Suburban Bridge game
10:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$4 – $5

Wednesday, May 24
Bon-Ton bridge game
10:45 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$4 – $5

All activities, unless otherwise noted, are located at the Berkley Senior Center, 925 S. Main Street, Norfolk, Va.

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For additional information on classes, games, or tournaments, please call Delores Burney at (757) 321-0825 or Lawrence Owes at (757) 553-2601.

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