North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

11/01/2021

From the President

Pat Andrews

November is a time when we pause to give thanks. Accordingly, we have designated November as Director Appreciation Month at North Penn. Let me be the first to say how grateful I am for all the contributions April, Mitch, Brendan, Dennis, Roger & Dave make to our wonderful bridge community.

I hope, like me, you will enjoy “getting to know” our directors better through the profiles we plan to run in the weeks ahead. Please take the opportunity to say thanks to them for running and ruling our games so professionally.

Director Appreciation Month

April Uhlenberg learned bridge from her grandparents when she was 10 years old. She fondly remembers the card table cover that had opening bids printed on it and conventions consisting of Stayman, Blackwood and strong twos. She began playing duplicate in 1995 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Bridge Club and the Philadelphia Bridge Club. She relished the camaraderie and learning with like-minded players. Fast forward to the present. This director finds bridge a good excuse to be with her friends, enjoying the shared experience of card play and friendly competition.

April became a Life Master in 1998, and a director because she loved playing in the Tuesday night NPDBC game and wanted to preserve it and the opportunity it afforded for bridge players who still worked.

Like so many of us, April is anxious for F2F bridge because she misses conversing with other players, discussing hands, and holding actual cards.

April’s volunteer work consists of Marketing Chair for the Philadelphia NABCs in 2012 and Charity Chair for District 4 from 2011 - 2018.

She is a self-employed Marketing Strategy consultant and enjoys Disc Sports such as Ultimate Frisbee and Disc Golf. She likes reading, time on the beach, and her two cats. She has been married to Jeff “Uhle” for 19 years.

Nominations for Election

There are three positions available on the Board of Governors at the North Penn Duplicate Bridge Club for the term January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024. If you are interested in becoming a candidate, please contact the Nominating Chair, Toysie Walker at [email protected] or in person at the club. Names must be received by November 8, 2021.

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

Ruling the Game. I recently observed a player double their partner’s bid. At the table, it was agreed that the double had been accidently played instead of a pass. A mechanical error of this kind can be corrected. If the double is not an accident, it must be withdrawn as an illegal bid and replaced by a legal bid. If that bid is not a comparable bid (likely in this case), the offender’s partner is barred for the rest of the auction. A lead penalty may also apply.

Correction. The first week’s charity proceeds go to the ACBL. The second week’s proceeds go to our charity.

Proof of vaccination and face masks will remain a requirement at our F2F games until further notice.

Schedule:

Education

Shuffle & Deal for Newer Players. Thursday evenings beginning November 4 at 7:00 pm. Learn as you play. Drop ins welcome - no partner needed. A mentor will be available to answer whatever questions might arise as you play. $5 per person per session. No scoring, no pressure!

Session Two of Beginner Lessons. Wednesdays beginning, October 27th - 9:30 am to 11:30 am. An introduction to the Takeout Double, Transfers, Stayman and Preempts. Newcomers welcome. You need not have taken the first session to participate. $150 for six sessions.

Facebook

Be sure to check out our Facebook page. It’s a great way to stay in touch with all the happenings at North Penn.

Tidbits

Rectifying the Count:

“This technique is used to prepare for a squeeze. It consists of giving up a losing trick before the squeeze can operate in order to remove an idle card from the hand of one or both opponents. If we want to suffocate an opponent, we should, as far as possible, remove his ability to breathe! There are three basic methods:

Ducking a round of a suit.

Conceding the opponents their winners, sometimes using a loser-on-loser play.

Allowing the opponents to score a trick via a hold up play.”

From The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge

by Guy Levé

Deal of the Week

by John Dickenson

Third Hand High - But Only As High As Necessary!

Playing matchpoints, no one vulnerable, LHO opens 2H in first chair and RHO raises to 4H. Partner leads the club 4 and dummy hits:

Now it is a common error to rise with the ace in this situation, but the correct play is almost certainly the jack. If partner has led from the queen, your jack will hold the trick, and if she has led from the ten, you don’t want to give declarer two tricks in the club suit. After all, “Aces were meant to take Kings”.

Here is the entire deal:

After my club jack won, I exited a trump. Declarer pulled trumps and threw a spade on the long diamond, but I still scored my spade king for -450 and 83% of the matchpoints. Had I risen with the club ace, one spade would go on the club king and another would go on the long diamond for -480 and a bad score.

Interestingly, declarer can still make 12 tricks after my trick one play. She can run all her trumps but one, throwing the spade 9 on one of the trumps, and then play out the diamond suit. She comes to this end position:

On the diamond jack, I am hopelessly squeezed. If I stiff the spade king, the spade ace drops it and she ruffs a club to hand and claims two top spades. If instead I part with a low club, she ruffs a low club in hand and returns to the spade ace to enjoy the club king.