By Val Rhead
I’m happy to see more Social Bridge players trying Duplicate. There are two ways to begin Duplicate Bridge. You can join a Sanctioned Duplicate game, which means that the game is registered with ACBL (the American Contract Bridge League) and where you will win masterpoints when you do well.
Or, you can play in an Unsanctioned Duplicate game. The game is not registered with ACBL and you will not win masterpoints. All you win is the prestige and satisfaction of doing well.
Unsanctioned Duplicate Bridge combines the informality of Social Bridge with the challenges of Duplicate Bridge. Your success is based more on your skill level than on your luck at being dealt good cards in Social Bridge. Unsanctioned Duplicate is a good way to get started in Duplicate and it will introduce players to the nuances of the Duplicate game. Make no mistake though, there are still rules, and the rules still apply, but it is a less formal game.
On your first visit to any Duplicate game, you will notice some differences. Placed on each table will be four bidding boxes holding a variety of cards, each one printed with the name of a bid from the lowly One Club bid to the rarely used Seven No Trump bid. There will be a small pile of rectangular boards, each containing four hands stuck into four separate slots. These are the Duplicate Boards, just called “Boards.” The players on the Boards are named unimaginatively North, South, East and West. Each Board will indicate who the dealer is and which directions are Vulnerable or Not Vulnerable. These Boards will be played in turn by all (or occasionally almost all) of the players.
If you are new to Duplicate, some kind person will explain the mysteries of the Bidding Boxes and Boards to you. The Bidding Boxes allow players to bid silently by drawing cards out of a Box and placing them on the table at the left-hand side in front of them. As succeeding bids are made, each bid remains visible but silent.
The use of Bidding Cards is important because all the players in the North-South direction and East-West direction respectively will be playing the same Boards. The Bidding Cards prevent overhearing bids from the next table whose cards eventually you will be playing.
Actually, there are other advantages to Bidding Boxes than just keeping the players honest. Seeing the Bidding Cards on the table will assist you in remembering which player bid Spades and which player bid Hearts. This will be helpful information to have as you play the hand. Also for players with hearing difficulties, the Bidding Cards will make it much easier for you to understand all the bids.
The Boards allow you to keep the hand you have just played intact for North, East, South and West, so the Board can be passed to the next table with all cards in the hand in place. At the end of the play, do remember to replace your hand in the correct slot in the Board. Otherwise, chaos will ensue.
Next week: Part Two: TRY FOR THAT EXTRA OVERTRICK IN DUPLICATE
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group or ask a bridge question, send the information to [email protected] and I will include it in this column.
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Huntsville Club are Tuesday evening 7:00, Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Contact Jan Roberts 705-635-2522 or [email protected] for information and partnerships.
The following winners are for Tuesday, Jul 24 with 20 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Mary Simonett and Kel Andresen; 2. Vern Foell and Rod Dixon; 3. Fay MacDonald and Yvonne Cox; 4. Joanne Garvey and Barb Green; 5. Josee Hammill and Andrea Killackey; East-West 1. Liz Barnes and Bev Howard; 2. Susan Marshall and Jan Roberts 3. Barb Gibbings and Joan Stock; 4. Art Insley and Don Evans; 5. Liz Graham and Dorothy Russell
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, Jul 23 with 30 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Lyn Walisser and Bev Howard; 2. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 3. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 4. Sandy Retter and David Scarlett; 5. Fay MacDonald and Mary Whitehead; 6. Gerry Flaherty and Ralph Hair; 7. Pat Davies and Sue Scott; 8. Jean Sinclair and John Sinclair; East-West 1. Art Insley and Don Evans; 2. Ann Cassie and Bruce Cassie; 3. Beth Henderson and Tom Dyke; 4. Jennifer Thompson and Sheila Robinson; 5. Carol Anne Robinson and Nancy Barber; 6. Kathy Kent and David Kent; 7. Val Rhead and Joanne Garvey; 8. Gaye Kastning and Bill Kastning
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