North Penn Bridge News

Greetings to the

North Penn Bridge Community!

Week of 08/28/2023

Tuesday Night Online Game

If you still need your NAP qualifier, now is your last chance to get one on-line! NPDBC will be holding the last on-line NAP qualifier on Tuesday, August 29th at 7:00 pm on BBO. The ACBL has opened up BBO virtual club games to all BBO players and pre-registration is no longer required, so be sure to spread the word to friends and family.

We do, however, ask that you please register with your human partner at least 10 minutes before game time. Sorry, robot partners are not permitted in the NAP qualifying games.

"See" you on Tuesday night! Thank you, April Uhlenberg, Director

From the Education Chair

Deb Crisfield

New Lesson Series - Tuesday Nights from 7-9 p.m. Beginning September 19^th. In this four-session series on Opener’s Forcing Bids, you will learn when and how to do a forcing bid as an opener and how to respond when your partner makes a forcing bid. These lessons will target those players who have completed Deb’s beginner classes. Here’s the schedule:

September 19: Strong 2C opening bid - 2D waiting review, showing slam interest as responder, and responses to opener’s rebid of 2NT.

September 26: Jump Shifts - when to use them as an opener and how to respond; when to do a jump shift vs. a 2NT jump bid.

October 3: Reverses - what they are, how to recognize them, when and how to use them and how to respond.

October 10: Review session to practice the skills taught in the previous sessions using prepared boards.

The cost will be $25 per lesson, or $75 for all four lessons. The teacher is Linda O'Malley.

There will be no Shuffle and Deal on these dates.

From the Club Manager

Dave Dodgson

Labor Day Game. Monday September 4. Come and play…there will be hot dogs for lunch! If you’d like to bring something to share, that would be great, but not necessary. If you have questions, contact Beth at [email protected]. Sign ups are greatly appreciated for the food planning.

ACBL Online Community Games. The ACBL is providing online games Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6 p.m. for players with 0-50 points. The games are preceded with a pre-game tip and followed by a mini lesson. For details click here.

NAP Flight B Pre-Registration. North Penn is one of the hosts for the NAP Flight B District 4 game on Saturday, September 23. Players are required to register with the club where they plan to play. Early registration is $64; last minute registration is $80. Registration can be made online (see details on our website) or by check made out to the North Penn Bridge Club placed in the red box at the club. Be sure to list your names and ACBL numbers. Many of you have already qualified, so now is the time to register. If you aren’t sure whether you have qualified, you can click here to find out.

Schedule for August and September:

August 29, 30 and 31 are NAP Qualifying games.

September is International Fund Month. Game fee will be increased by $1; extra points will be awarded.

September 13 - 0-50 game.

September 13 - Bobbie Gomer Team Challenge. This is a competition between local clubs. NP holds the current title. Contact me if you would like to play and I’ll look for a team for you. Further details are on our website. Andy Rosenberg is in charge of this special inter-club game and writes:

“Yorktown will be holding the first leg of 2023 Bobbie Gomer Challenge on September 13 at 12:30. They will be serving lunch (and they always prepare something special and tasty!) We will be continuing the 8 is enough format:

0-750 mps =’1;’ 751-2500 =’2;’ 2501 and beyond =’3.’ Ratings will be as of June 1, 2023 point count.

This was a hugely successful event last year, and I am excited that it is getting off the ground this year.”

September 16 - Robot Individual.

Big Game. Congratulations to Don Baker and Mike Carver for their 80.5% game last Tuesday morning.

Upcoming Tournaments:

September 8-10 is The Wilmington Sectional
September 23 is NAP District 4 Flight B
September 30 is NAP District 4 Flights A and C
October 6-8 is the Philadelphia Sectional in Cherry Hill
October 20-21 is the Allentown Sectional
October 30 to November 5 is the Lancaster Regional in Manheim, PA

Club History Continued

From Mitch Snyder

50th Anniversary Celebration Co-Chair

By the early 2000’s the Moose was failing. They eventually closed their Lansdale lodge and sold the building. The buyer owned a bar at 118 S. Line St. He moved the business to his new location and allowed us to stay there while the Line St location was ’renovated’. We moved to Line St in 2006.

The place was a dump, but it was ours. There were 14 tables and space to set up several folding tables if need be. In 2007, for the Tuesday evening annual holiday party, Marie Jarvis organized a roasted turkey and ham dinner. There were 17 tables. What a zoo, but we got it done.

In 2006 we were running 5 games a week, there were no morning games yet. The average table count across all games from June-Dec 2006 was 9.38.

The directors going into 2007 were Real, Larry, Mitch & Dave Legrow. Steve Becker & Bill Bauer joined the team later in the year.

In 2007, with Tony Zacchei at the helm, things started to happen:

Rewrote the by-laws. (Tony and the board)
We legally became a not-for-profit organization. (Real Fradette, Kinsley Jarvis)
A computerized membership/freeplay program was created and installed. (Dave Legrow)

In 2008:

A quarterly newsletter was started. (Elaine Watters)
The first 0-750 game started on Tuesday morning but was moved to Friday in 2009. (Mitch)
Filed a tax return with the IRS. (Steve Becker)

From the June 2008 newsletter:

President’s Message: Since we moved to 118 S. Line Street two years ago, we’ve written new by-laws, acquired legal status as a not-for-profit organization, improved our financial record keeping, and started maintaining game statistics. These are important but they don’t do anything to improve the experience of playing bridge at North Penn.

In 2009 the club began to search for a new home.

In 2011, ACBL President and North Penn member Craig Robinson, made it his mission to play in 100 clubs in 100 days. We were honored to be #1.

The weeklong festivities begin on Monday September 18. There will be snacks, prizes and more all week.

Be sure to find a partner for Thursday September 21, when we celebrate with Throwback Thursday. We’re going to play bridge like we did in the 1970’s and 80’s.

And please don’t forget to share memorabilia you may have from the olden days.

Education

Shuffle & Deal--.Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.

2/1 Saturday Class with Lisa Mita at North Penn Bridge Club.

When:-----October 7^th through November 4^th

Time:------9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost:-----..$125 for five lessons.

------------Or sign up at the club.

New Fall Sunday Beginner Six Session Class with Deb Crisfield.

When:-----September 10^th through October 15^th

Time:------12 noon to 2:00 p.m.

Cost:------.First two lessons FREE! $150 for the last four lessons

------------Cell: 973-769-9619.

Spread the word! If you know of someone who is interested, please have them contact Deb by email at or by phone.

September Classes with Joann Glasson on Zoom

When:-----September 4 and 11

Time:------10 a.m.

Details:---.Click here

King of Prussia Bridge Club (KOP) Lessons

For details regarding the dates and times of the following lessons offered by KOP, please check our website:

Advance Defense by John Dickenson

Advanced Beginners, Otherwise Known as Bridge Basics 2 by Dennis Shaub

Popular Conventions, Otherwise Known as Bridge Basics 3 by Dennis Shaub

Single Session Madness – Topics in Bridge by Dennis Shaub

Partnership

To add your name to the player list or to request a partner for a game, please send an email to [email protected].

Calendar

Click here to see a file you can enlarge.

Ask the Expert

Here’s your chance to get answers! We have a panel of expert players ready and waiting. Email your questions, or a pesky hand, or something you’d like to know about bidding or playing to Toysie at [email protected]. She will forward them to the panel, one will be chosen, and the question and answers will be printed in the following week’s newsletter.

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

“Most players believe that bridge is a mathematical game – not true. While arithmetic is involved in many bridge decisions, the numbers are rarely larger than 26. What bridge is all about is logic and reasoning.”

From Points Schmoints

by Marty Bergen

Deal of the Week

by John Dickenson

Attitude, Then Suit Preference

It is a general principle that on partner’s lead, we give attitude. But when partner continues the suit, we often can give suit preference with our second card played.

Here is an interesting deal which arose during our Tuesday evening VACB online game, albeit quite some time ago. At favorable vulnerability I opened a weak 2D. My partner, Ken Salter, trotted out an Ogust asking bid – he has the “rule of 17”, with 17 HCP and a single diamond he has 18 “rule of 17 points” and is entitled to move toward game. My answer of 3S showed a good hand, in the upper part of our 5-10 range, and a good suit, two of the top three honors. East doubled, perhaps expecting we would end in 3NT and wanting a spade lead. Given the lead directing double, 3NT was off the table and Ken decided to try for 5D, since he held three dead spades.

East, having made a lead directing double for a spade lead, dutifully led the spade ace. Now most strong players lead king from AK against a 5 level or higher contract, but this pair did not have that agreement. West discouraged with the spade 5, playing standard carding, and East nonetheless continued with the spade king, setting up my queen. Here West could have been a hero, playing the spade jack which would have been suit preference for a heart shift, having already signaled 3 spade cards with her initial contribution of the 5 spot. Instead she played the 7, asking for a club. East continued spades, I guess hoping against reason that her partner had played 5 then 7 from a doubleton, or discouraged holding Q75. My losing heart went away on the clubs, making 5.

Learnings:

Accurate signaling can lead to a strong defense – if you have already discouraged with 3 small, you can with your next card give suit preference if partner continues with another high honor.

Strong players lead K from AK against 5 level and higher contracts. Why? Because we have to take our tricks early against high level contracts and will often lead an unsupported ace. Therefore the lead of an ace DENIES the king and asks attitude – partner should encourage with the king. The lead of a king PROMISES the ace or queen – partner should give COUNT so that if opening leader has AK she can tell if the second round will cash.

When looking at a long running suit in dummy, it is time to “get active” and cash tricks. It can’t be right to continue spades when partner has shown 3 cards in the suit and denied an equal honor to the AK, and a club shift looks to be dead wrong unless partner is void. For West to be void in clubs, I would have to be 6-5 in the minors which is highly unlikely.

You can follow the play of the hand by clicking here.