Double Silver Points Games Are Back This Week!

Win Silver Points in 2 Virtual Games This Week

Improve Your Bidding with Online Lessons

Sept.19, 2021

Earn Silver Online This Week

Silver points are back for virtual games! Our online games on Wednesday. Sept. 22, and Sunday, Sept. 26, will offer double points and they'll be silver as well. The cost will be $7.

Silver points typically are offered only at sectional tournaments, which are held in Idaho only a few times each year. If you're interested in becoming a life master, this is a great chance to earn the required silver points without traveling to a tournament.

In other news, there's still time to get a discount on our March bridge cruise, and lessons on improving your rebids. We also have photos of the fun at our recent bridge retreat at the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch.

--Chuck Abramo and Jo Murray

Still Thinking About Our Bridge Cruise?

The deadline for a 20 percent discount on our cruise from Barbados to Lisbon has been extended until Sept. 30. Fares start at $4,420, including bridge fees, if paid in full by the end of the month. You'll be aboard SilverSea's Silver Spirit from March 18 to March 31, 2022 with plenty of time to relax, enjoy gourmet meals and impeccable service, and concentrate on bridge. You'll even have your own butler. Details are here.

New Covid Precautions

With the increase in Covid cases in Blaine County, the YMCA is now requiring masks. Please plan to wear a mask the entire time you are in the building at our face-to-face games on Fridays at 3 p.m You must be fully vaccinated to play in face-to-face games, and reservations are required. As you may know, the Y has increased its air circulation system to make the building safer for everyone.

What's Your Rebid?

It's easy enough to make the first bid. It's the second bid that tends to be problematic for both opener and responder. Yet it's the rebids by opener and responder that are the keys to finding the right contract.

Here are some of the tips you'll learn in our ongoing lesson series on rebids:

Opener will respond in a new suit at the one level with as many as 18 HCP. Therefore, responder should bid a second time with 8 HCP or more.
If the opener's rebid is 1 NT, he is NOT promising stoppers in unbid suits.
When you open one of a major and your rebid is 1 of a minor, responder will typically take a preference and return to your major with 2 cards in the major suit. Therefore, if the quality of your major is poor, a NT rebid of may be better.

Rebids by Opener, Part 4 - Monday, Sept. 20, 8:45 a.m. Mountain. Focus on minimum hands.
Rebids by Opener, Review of Part 3 & Part 4 - Monday, Sept. 27, 8:45 a.m. Mountain. Focus on upgrading and downgrading hands
Rebids by Opener, Part 5 - Monday, Oct. 4, 8:45 a.m. Mountain. You open 1 diamond. Responder bids 1 NT. What are the messages and how do you proceed?
Rebids by Opener, Part 6 - Monday, Oct. 11, 8:45 a.m. Mountain. What changes when partner opens in 3rd seat and more.
Rebids by Opener, Review of Parts 5 & 6 - Monday, Sept. 27, 8:45 a.m. Mountain

Details are at SunValleyBridge.com. The cost is $27 per lesson, or you may purchase a virtual punch card for 5 lessons for $125. Private lessons on these and other topics also are available.

Our 2nd 2021 Rocky Mountain Ranch Bridge Retreat: Birthday, Masterpoints, Visit from Panama

Mitzi Miller (BBO: Chumico), in Sun Valley from Panama, stopped by to say hello and meet some of her online friends. Jo Harmon (BBO: 1Honey1) celebrated a birthday, and Tom and Darlene Shilling (BBO: TomShill and ShillingD) placed in a duplicate game for the first time. (Read more about Mitzi in our August, 2020 e-newsletter.)

Meet the Shillings

Tom Shilling started playing bridge in college at the University of Michigan (Go blue!) Darlene's introduction to bridge came when friends visited them in Sun Valley for a ski vacation. It rained for three days, so a friend taught Darlene to play bridge. They continued playing when they returned to their then-home in Bellevue, Washington.

Tom is a retired orthodontist who practiced in Edmonds, Washington, for 44 years. Darlene is a retired high school teacher, real estate instructor and real estate broker.

They now live full-time in Ketchum, loving their grandchildren and skiing, golfing and hiking. Tom has been recovering from Covid, and now is recovering from a joint replacement.

Jo Harmon (BBO: 1Honey1): She Learned Bridge While Recovering from Surgery

I started playing bridge in 2016. I was confined to compete bed care for 3 1/2 months due to a surgical procedure. My friend Geri Van Dyke, who was an excellent bridge player, brought two of her friend and they taught me to play bridge. Their patience and knowledge has been such a gift to me.

I love the Sun Valley bridge group because of their friendly atmosphere. Jo Murray and Chuck Abramo have been so supportive. I have had three great partners, Errol Flynn, Patti Nelson and the late Bill Cassell. I am so grateful for them all.

In my professional life, I was an interior designer for 35 years in San Jose, California. I lived in Arkansas until I graduated from high school at age 15. I then moved to Westwood, Calif. to attend college at UCLA. I then lived in San Jose for 53 years before moving to Sun Valley.

I have joined a few charitable organizations to do volunteer work here in Sun Valle/Ketchum/Hailey. I have four grandchildren, and I have so much fun spending time with them.

I'm grateful for this beautiful area and the many friends I have made since moving here. Note: Jo celebrated her birthday at this year's Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch bridge retreat. With Jo in the photo above are Chuck Abramo, Karen Dunn (standing at left), and Patty Nelson.

Martina Bradford (upper photo, left) and Mitzi Miller met in person after many online partnerships. (Mitzi was featured in an earlier e-newsletter.) Joining in the fun were Eva & Art Wahl, Kathleen & John Maurel, Marcy & Sam Haines and Margaret & Mike Henbest.