By Valerie Rhead
QUESTIONS PARTNER? NO SECRETS ALLOWED
“Questions partner?” I said as I thrust my lead unto the table FACE DOWN.
“What do you mean?” asked my partner, “What questions are you talking about?”
I then realized that my partner was a novice player and he didn’t understand what I was asking. This was not his opportunity to ask questions about the meaning of life! This was his chance to learn the meaning of any mystifying bids made by the opponents. In bridge, you aren’t allowed to keep secrets.
If a player doesn’t know the meaning of an opponent’s bid, he may ask his opponent’s partner at his turn to bid, or later at his turn to play. Sometimes it is better to ask at the end of the bidding rather than just after the bid is made. The problem with asking right away is that the partner may have forgotten the special meaning of the bid. Perhaps it hasn’t come up recently. For example, one player may have opened one No-Trump. His partner responds, two Diamonds. If you ask for the meaning of the two Diamond bid, the partner may reply “Oh, it’s natural!” He might then correct himself, “Oh, I forgot, it must be a transfer to Hearts”! Or he may have to “fess up” and admit that he just doesn’t have a clue what it means. The opponent’s partner then learns that his partner isn’t on the correct wavelength and now can take remedial action. If you wait until the bidding is completed to ask about the meaning of a bid, it doesn’t give the opponents a chance to correct their bidding.
If you are on lead, first you may ask about any bid before leading FACE DOWN. A second reason for extending the card, FACE DOWN, at the beginning of play is that if you are making a lead out of turn, when it is really your partner who should be leading, you can return the card to your hand without an annoying penalty. If you are on lead, you may not change the lead once you have placed it FACE DOWN on the table.
This all reminds me of the time I asked a new player what was the meaning of his partner’s bid. “Well, that’s between my partner and me,” he huffed. He must have thought he was playing some other game. There are no secret agreements allowed in bridge!
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group, send the information to [email protected] and I will include it in this column.
FERN RESORT, ORILLIA, Bridge Weekend
By ACBL Bridge Teacher GREG COLES
Seminars and Games for both Duplicate and Progressive Bridge
Tips in Bidding, Play and Defense
Workshop: Avoiding Simple Mistakes
Friday – Sunday Apr 22-24, 2016 $395 per person double Plus Tax and Service
This is another fun opportunity to continue the learning process that never ends.
For more information and registration, go to www.fernresort.com OR (705)325-2256 1-800-567-3376
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Please NOTE: EVENING PLAY for the summer begins Tuesday, April 5, 2016 7:15pm Games for the Huntsville Club are Tuesday afternoon 1PM for the winter Jan‑Feb‑Mar. Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Call Betty 705-789-2560 [email protected] or Susan at 705-789-7156 [email protected] for information and partnerships. The game continues downstairs in the warm basement until the crowd becomes too large. To avoid the long stairs, enter from the door on Main Street.
The following results are for Tuesday, Mar 15 with 6 tables playing a Howell movement. 1. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 2. Susan Marshall and Betty Bennett; 3. Jim Smith and Ralph Mitchell; 4. Mary Hogarth and Albert Eatock; 5. Chris Karn and Vern Foell; 6. Beryl Clayson and Paul Clayson
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games at the Bracebridge Club are at the Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road 7pm Monday evenings. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following results are for Monday, Mar 14 with 8 tables playing a Bump Mitchell movement. 1. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 2. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 3. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 4. Betty Rintoul and Barb Forth; 5. Mary Hogarth and Albert Eatock; 6/7. Bev Parlett and Vern Foel; 6/7. Val Rhead and Peter Rhead; 8. Lynda Mochrie and Wayne Mochrie
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