Ann Kuperberg
Congratulations to Donna DePesa for reaching the Diamond Master level with 5,000 master points and to Joyce Hagin for reaching the Bronze level with 500 master points. Some of our players went to Phoenix for the Regional tournament and came home with master points as well.
Carved pumpkins are appearing near front doors, along with witches and other Halloween decorations, reminding us that cooler weather has arrived. When we’re not playing bridge, we can relax in a comfortable chair and read a book, such as The Bridge Ladies, by Betsy Lerner, which describes a weekly bridge game with four women who have known each other for more than 50 years. It’s not only a story about learning the game, but the bridge between generations, family dynamics, and growing older. The author might have written this book as therapy, but it’s worth reading.
We can also wear a sweater and drive to the MountainView Tuesday duplicate game in the Catalina Room at 1 p.m., except for the second Tuesday of the month.
If you need a partner or further information, contact JoAnn Aiken at [email protected] or phone 520-256-2702. Our website is www.bridgewebs.com/mountainview.
When we’re declarer in a trump contract, we count our tricks and usually pull trump as soon as possible. August Boehm suggested that’s not always wise. In a recent Bridge Bulletin, he writes, “To know when to postpone drawing trumps, do so if the deal fits into one of these three common categories: 1) you must ruff losers in hand with dummy’s short trumps, 2) dummy’s trump suit contains needed entries, 3) your trump holding has a hole at the top and you can’t afford to lose the lead.”
Another expert, Karen Walker, said that we need to evaluate our hand when we overcall. If we have a strong hand, we should double, then bid.
With 5-4 in the majors, “the decision may depend partly on suit quality.” Walker said to overcall the longer suit if you don’t have enough to show both suits.
We should also watch vulnerability. Although we say bridge is only a game, duplicate bridge is competitive, and we seem to take it too seriously at times.