Greetings to the
North Penn Bridge Community!
Week of 04/18/2022
From the Club Manager
Dave Dodgson


Big Game. Be sure to check out page 74 of the April Bulletin where you’ll see Elaine Clair and Ed Leach listed for their 75% game. Congratulations!

April 18-22 - Club Championship games. Extra points awarded.
April 22 - Swiss Team game for 0-750 players.

April 26 - double points (1/4 gold) awarded for the 7:15 pm online open game courtesy of Stardust Week.

Upcoming Tournaments:

April 29-May 1 - Sectional in Allentown.
May 2-6 - Regional in Rehoboth Beach.
Calendar


Click here to see a file you can enlarge.
Education



April 21 through June 9, 9:30-11:30 - bridge classes for beginners with Deb Crisfield.

Bring a friend! Recruitment is the key to growing and sustaining our club.


We update our Facebook page regularly so be sure to check it out. It’s a great way to stay in touch with all the happenings at North Penn.
Tidbits


A Defensive Tip…

“When you need to put partner in to return your original suit OR the trick count tells you that you must attack another suit, how should poor partner determine which suit to return, your original suit or your second suit?

(1) If you want your FIRST suit returned, switch to a HIGH spot card in the second suit.

(2) If you want your SECOND suit returned, switch to a LOW spot card in your second suit.”




From Defensive Tips
by Edwin B. Kantar
Deal of the Week
by Bucky Sydnor



Don't Let the Cards Make A Monkey Out Of You


In the land of coconuts and monkeys, some people like monkey meat. Catching monkeys, however, is a non-trivial exercise as they are amazingly clever and fast. But hunters came up with a trap using a monkey’s greediness to catch it. Taking a coconut, they cut a hole big enough for a monkey to pass its hand through but too small for it to make a fist inside the coconut and then withdraw its hand. Next, they place a piece of fruit inside and secure the coconut. When a monkey comes along and tries to remove the fruit, it cannot, of course, get it out. But instead of letting go, it holds on to the fruit for dear life. That is enough to hold the monkey in place and allow the hunter to capture it.

This happens not only in the land of coconuts and monkeys but in the land of bridge as well, as today’s deal will show.

North opens 1NT, everyone passes, and he receives a 4th best ♠4 lead. Take West’s seat. This is what he sees in South's dummy:


West rises with his ♠A, playing “3rd hand high” as he should, with Declarer dropping the ♠Q. West, now holding two spades, the J and the 8, returns partner’s suit, again as he should. Which spade should he play?

There are several principles available to guide 3rd hand’s play. Using the Rule of 11, East’s lead of the ♠4 means that there are only 7 spades higher than the 4 among Dummy, West and Declarer. West can see 5 of them so Declarer can only have 2 and he has just played the Queen under the ♠A. The other must be the King.

Because of the Rule of 11 and Declarer’s play of the SQ, West can deduce that his partner started with ♠109543. In addition to the Rule of 11, a second principle, standard defensive technique, also advises to unblock any cards that will get in the way of partner running her suit.

All this SHOUTS that the right spade to return is the ♠J.

But West didn’t. Here’s the deal:

West just clung to the ♠J and it became just like the coconut monkey trap, blocking the suit and allowing Declarer to make 10 tricks (1 spade, 1 heart, 4 diamonds, 4 clubs) rather than only the 8 he had coming (1 spade, 1 heart, 2 diamonds, 4 clubs). When we know we are holding a winning card it is very hard to let go. When we should let it go but do not, we get trapped like a monkey holding fruit in a coconut.

Don’t let that happen to you!

P.S. As you watch the better players, notice how easily they avoid the monkey trap by releasing a high card.

P.P.S A blogger used the monkey trap in his 2 minute 18 second blog as a metaphor about many things in life, none of them bridge. (Imagine that!) If you’re interested, here is the link.
Laughter is the Best Medicine



Guy going out with this girl for some time and they play bridge regularly, but not much is happening romantically. Finally, she puts him in this God-awful slam and says: "If you make this contract, I'll sleep with you. "He tries his hardest, but trumps don't break and a couple of finesses don't work and he winds up going down three! She says: "That's close enough".
72%
70%
Peggy Michaud & Ross Currie
Susan Morse & Tom Salter

Recognition


Kay Garrity - Bronze Life Master
April Birthdays


Abel, Constance
Chiodo, Carol
Corner, Anne-Marie
Hillenbrand, Gary
Langbein, Susan
Michaud, Peggy
Milton, Roger
Myers, Joel
Prager, Jo Ann
Schwaidelson, Bruce
Stuart, Harriet

North Penn Duplicate Bridge Club
(215) 699-4932