Bridge Corner: April 11, 2024

Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner. It takes a combined 25 points to make game; when a partnership has fewer than 25 combined points, they should play in a partscore contract.  If there is no Golden fit (an 8+ major card suit in the combined hands), the partnership should play in notrump.

Questions:  1) How many combined points are there in each partnership?  Does one  partnership have enough combined strength for a Golden Game?  Does the partnership have a Golden Fit in a major suit?  2)  Which partnership has the majority of the points? East is the dealer.  Who would open the bidding?  What would the opening bid be?  Which player would be the describer? Which player would be the responder?   Which player would be the captain?  3) If E – W bid a contract, should it be a game contract or a part score contract?  What should the strain of the contract be?  What contract might best describe the combined hands?  Must East always end up as declarer?  If not, how would West become declarer? 4)  If West is the declarer in a 1 No Trump contract, who makes the opening lead?  What would the opening lead be?  How many tricks must declarer win to make the 1 N/T contract?  How many sure tricks are there in each combined suit in the East and West hands?  5)  “Play the high card from the short side” is a bridge saying that applies to this deal.  Why would this be good advice?  What might happen if declarer does not follow this advice?

Answers:  1)  North – South  have 17 combined points; East – West have 23 combined points.   Neither partnership have enough strength for a Golden Game (there are three Golden Game contracts: 4 Spades, 4 Hearts, and 3 No Trump).  Neither partnership has Golden Fit.  2)  E – W have the majority of the points/strength.  East opens the bidding with 1 Diamond.  East is the describer; West is the responder and the captain.  3) E – W should be a partscore.  The strain should be No Trump.  1 No Trump should be a reasonable contract.  The opening bidder does not necessarily end up as declarer.  West could be the declarer by mentioning the strain ( No Trump) first.  4)   North makes the opening lead.  North leads a low card from hearts, the longest suit.  Declarer needs seven tricks; declarer has seven sure tricks.    5)  “Play the high card from the short side”  applies to the Spade suit and is a good strategy because declarer needs to play Spades in the correct order to win four tricks in the suit.  Declarer should win the first Spade trick with the Queen.  Declarer still has a low card to lead to the A K J of spades.     

 TIDEWATER BRIDGE CLUB:
The Banks at Berkley
701 South Main Street
Norfolk, VA  23523
WEDNESDAYS 10:45 AM – 3:30 PM 

This is a locked building.  You will have access from 10:30 until 11:00 am.  Take the elevator up to the second floor.  Game fee is $4.00.  Bring your lunch.

Winning Pairs from the April 3, 2024, bridge game

Barbara Whitfield – Gloria Brown         Aldis Raymond – Leon Raymond

Betty Warren – Delores Burney             Sandra Starkey – Jennifer Douglas

Lillye Holley = Lawrence Owes              Wilma Horne – Rose Ward

Elva Taylor – Shirley Nottingham

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Any question, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact Lawrence Owes, President, Tidewater Bridge Club at l.a.owes1@gmail.com