Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
I wonder if Shakespeare played bridge; either way, I couldn't have said it better. Last night's game again saw me in double trouble--us doubling them and them doubling us, along with the director thrown in a couple of times for good measure. Holy cow, there was a lot of doubling going on! And not in a good way.
However, the story I am going to tell you has a doubly good ending since it highlights the integrity of our opponent and we had a positive result. If I was more creative and had more time, I would write it in iambic pentameter. As it is, you will have to read the story in plain prose.
My RHO opened a club, I passed, LHO bid a spade. My partner then overcalled 2 diamonds. I kind of liked this, since I had 10 highs and 3 diamonds. I was engaged in a lively internal discussion regarding the merits of cue bidding vs a simple 3 diamond bid when RHO doubled. This stopped me in my tracks.
The meaning of this double is probably quite clear to you, but at our table it was a mystery to everyone except the doubler. Is it for penalty? I wondered. If so, I should pass and we'll make it. Is it for the unbid suit? If LHO had hearts, wouldn't she have bid up the line? Unless she's 5-4? I decided to hedge my bets and pass; I can always come in later, I thought. LHO bid 2 hearts, and my questions were (supposedly) answered. My partner, thinking I had nothing, passed. As I was preparing to enter the action with my 3 diamond bid (I had decided that cue bidding at this point was a bad idea), RHO again surprised me by bidding 3 hearts. I hesitated and then unhappily bid 4 diamonds. This time we all knew the ensuing double was for penalty.
My partner made a valiant effort but went down 2 (doubled, of course). This is when RHO surprised me yet again by calling the director (who was busy at the moment). It seems that his original double was a support double, indicating that he had 3 spades. Ahh, we all said. He asked if I would I have bid differently had I known this. Yes, I answered. If I had been sure that it wasn't a penalty double, I would have bid 3 diamonds at that point. Then everyone would have passed, we decided, and there would not have been a penalty double. We would have been down one. That's how he scored it, a decision which was later blessed by the director. It turned out to be a top board for us.
Sadly there are those who try to get away with things, such as waiting until the cards are all picked up to disagree with the result, or walking past players and peaking at cards. However, this incident reminds me that there are also players with integrity and competitive spirits that truly honor the game.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Luck
"Is there any luck involved when you play bridge?" Rosie asked. We were having lunch on the deck of Gypsy Nickel, overlooking the Muskegon River as it flowed through Big Rapids. This was the city of my first teaching job, and Rosie, though only one year older than me, was my first principal. She lives in Cadillac now, and we get together at least once every summer.
"No," was my quick reply. "But there is with social bridge." I valiantly tried to explain the difference, describing how north/south remain stationary and east/west move in one direction while the boards go the opposite way. Even though Rosie's eyes did not glaze over and she even nodded encouragingly, I did not think she really understood. I remembered when I learned of this set-up in my bridge class; it made absolutely no sense to me until I saw it in action. Since this was unlikely to happen for Rosie, who didn't even play simple card games, I cut short my explanation.
"My mother-in-law played bridge in a club; was that duplicate or social?" she wondered.
"Could have been either," I replied. Emboldened by her interest, I amended my first answer. "And actually, there is a kind of luck involved with duplicate, but it has more to do with the players than the cards."
Case in point: Thursday afternoon, board 15. North (Jim) opened 2 clubs; with my two jacks, I passed and south bid 2 diamonds. Julie turned to Jim. "What do you play?"
Jim hesitated and then said, "I don't know. Probably waiting." Julie passed and Jim bid 3 NT.
I don't recall exactly what happened next, but they ended up in 6 NT making 7. Two other north/south partners were in the same contract, which means that if we had been playing against any one of 10 other partners when that board came up, we wouldn't have gotten a "1". That's an example of where luck comes in.
It may sound as though I am complaining, but I know that I often have "good luck" at the tables as well. It's all part of the game.
"No," was my quick reply. "But there is with social bridge." I valiantly tried to explain the difference, describing how north/south remain stationary and east/west move in one direction while the boards go the opposite way. Even though Rosie's eyes did not glaze over and she even nodded encouragingly, I did not think she really understood. I remembered when I learned of this set-up in my bridge class; it made absolutely no sense to me until I saw it in action. Since this was unlikely to happen for Rosie, who didn't even play simple card games, I cut short my explanation.
"My mother-in-law played bridge in a club; was that duplicate or social?" she wondered.
"Could have been either," I replied. Emboldened by her interest, I amended my first answer. "And actually, there is a kind of luck involved with duplicate, but it has more to do with the players than the cards."
Case in point: Thursday afternoon, board 15. North (Jim) opened 2 clubs; with my two jacks, I passed and south bid 2 diamonds. Julie turned to Jim. "What do you play?"
Jim hesitated and then said, "I don't know. Probably waiting." Julie passed and Jim bid 3 NT.
I don't recall exactly what happened next, but they ended up in 6 NT making 7. Two other north/south partners were in the same contract, which means that if we had been playing against any one of 10 other partners when that board came up, we wouldn't have gotten a "1". That's an example of where luck comes in.
It may sound as though I am complaining, but I know that I often have "good luck" at the tables as well. It's all part of the game.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Doubles
Doubles continue to be the bane of my existence, especially when I play with someone new. I know the definitions and theoretical applications of all sorts of doubles--take out, penalty, support, stolen bid, negative, responsive--but sometimes the real life application gets away from me.
Yesterday I played with John. We've played together a couple of times before, but since he's a much better player than I am, I was on alert and determined not to embarrass myself. I thought about wearing my new straw hat, since John had purchased and worn one in Las Vegas, but I decided against it since it seems to be more of an outdoor thing. Between John and Steve (my Las Vegas partner), straw hats now do remind me of bridge, so one of these days I may wear it.
Anyway, there came a time in the game when the opponents bid 2 spades and John doubled. Julie, I know, almost never does a penalty double at the 2 level; Cristi, however, often does. Which was this? The longer I thought, the more nervous I imagined my partner was getting. Excessive thinking usually means the wrong decision is coming, and I did not disappoint. I bid at the 3 level, my partner went to 4; I played it and went down horribly (although it was not a 0).
Oh--I should probably mention the bidding that went on that led to this point. John opened 1 NT; I bid 2 diamonds as a transfer to hearts; the opponents bid 2 spades; John doubled. I realize now that when a double doesn't make any sense, as in what in the world does he expect me to bid, it is most likely for penalty. With a different bidding sequence, it could also be a support double--something that I missed later in the game. In my defense, such as it is, in the past A players have told me that if I don't understand their bid, bid anything but just don't pass. John, however, has never said that to me.
To end on a positive note, my issues with doubles did not keep us from having a good game; we came in first in our section.
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Yesterday I played with John. We've played together a couple of times before, but since he's a much better player than I am, I was on alert and determined not to embarrass myself. I thought about wearing my new straw hat, since John had purchased and worn one in Las Vegas, but I decided against it since it seems to be more of an outdoor thing. Between John and Steve (my Las Vegas partner), straw hats now do remind me of bridge, so one of these days I may wear it.
Anyway, there came a time in the game when the opponents bid 2 spades and John doubled. Julie, I know, almost never does a penalty double at the 2 level; Cristi, however, often does. Which was this? The longer I thought, the more nervous I imagined my partner was getting. Excessive thinking usually means the wrong decision is coming, and I did not disappoint. I bid at the 3 level, my partner went to 4; I played it and went down horribly (although it was not a 0).
Oh--I should probably mention the bidding that went on that led to this point. John opened 1 NT; I bid 2 diamonds as a transfer to hearts; the opponents bid 2 spades; John doubled. I realize now that when a double doesn't make any sense, as in what in the world does he expect me to bid, it is most likely for penalty. With a different bidding sequence, it could also be a support double--something that I missed later in the game. In my defense, such as it is, in the past A players have told me that if I don't understand their bid, bid anything but just don't pass. John, however, has never said that to me.
To end on a positive note, my issues with doubles did not keep us from having a good game; we came in first in our section.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Playing Badly?
There was a lot of talk after the game yesterday about how it feels to play badly. In a nutshell: not good. Thankfully, my contributions to this conversation, which took place over adult beverages at a local water hole, were not based on the game we had just completed. I was quite pleased with the evening's result, even though, as usual, there were things I wished I had done differently.
"I don't get upset with my partner if she makes a mistake," I said. "Everyone does the best they can, and it doesn't help anyone's game when they get criticized or yelled at." While this statement seems obvious, common sense is sometimes sacrificed in the heat of the game. Duplicate bridge players are by nature competitive, and we all want to "win." That said, most people are actually quite restrained and encouraging, given what their partners sometimes do.
"I just get really mad at myself," Julie contributed. "I hate it when I play badly." Even though everyone knows they should put mistakes behind them and focus on the current hand, I find that difficult to do. If I overbid and the results are disastrous, I try to not do that again and thus might underbid. There's a balance between learning from your mistakes and letting mistakes rule your game; it's not always easy to walk that line.
"I buy chicken quesadillas for the table," Dee stated with a smile. This was quite possibly the most insightful comment of the evening. Food almost always makes things better, I reflected as I reached for a piece of cheesy goodness.
Any comments?
"I don't get upset with my partner if she makes a mistake," I said. "Everyone does the best they can, and it doesn't help anyone's game when they get criticized or yelled at." While this statement seems obvious, common sense is sometimes sacrificed in the heat of the game. Duplicate bridge players are by nature competitive, and we all want to "win." That said, most people are actually quite restrained and encouraging, given what their partners sometimes do.
"I just get really mad at myself," Julie contributed. "I hate it when I play badly." Even though everyone knows they should put mistakes behind them and focus on the current hand, I find that difficult to do. If I overbid and the results are disastrous, I try to not do that again and thus might underbid. There's a balance between learning from your mistakes and letting mistakes rule your game; it's not always easy to walk that line.
"I buy chicken quesadillas for the table," Dee stated with a smile. This was quite possibly the most insightful comment of the evening. Food almost always makes things better, I reflected as I reached for a piece of cheesy goodness.
Any comments?
Thursday, August 14, 2014
A Letter From Julie: Fun in the Sun????
Hi all u bridge addicts,
Well it's another regional tournament in Petoskey, MI. For those of u unable to get to this tournament in beautiful northern Michigan, no need to be jealous. Yesterday it was 59 degrees, and we were all thinking the "s" word. Yes, SNOW.
We had the first excitement of the tournament yesterday. We were playing in Stratified Choice Pairs. Cristi and Barb were in one section; Dee and I were right next door, but in another section.
Midway through the game, a mopsy top looking man and an elderly woman (OMG, that could be so many of us) sat down at our table. He was a bit of a mumbler. In fact Dee asked him what he said. Neither one of us could understand his answer. The first contract was 2nt, played by me. I went down 1. Durn. The second contract put our opponents in 3nt. I had a feeling I could set it. And I did. As they were leaving our table, Dee noticed the name on the convention card, Cappelletti. No way. Yup. I had just set Mike C. Well to be honest, his partner played the hand. But it's my story, and I am sticking to setting the Cappelletti team.
Equally as exciting, Cristi and Barb find themselves playing against Jeff Meckstroth and his wife. Really, Jeff Meckstroth. The Meckstroth's end up in a 4 spades contract (doubled by Cristi) (redoubled by Jeff). And what did "our girl" do, she set it!!!!! Jeff, nonplussed by the results, bolted out of his chair, leaving Mrs. Meckstroth to take care of herself. BTW, she played the contract. I mean does it get any better than this for humble B/C players from the Western Michigan Bridge Club.
BYE for now. Julianne Boggiano
Well it's another regional tournament in Petoskey, MI. For those of u unable to get to this tournament in beautiful northern Michigan, no need to be jealous. Yesterday it was 59 degrees, and we were all thinking the "s" word. Yes, SNOW.
We had the first excitement of the tournament yesterday. We were playing in Stratified Choice Pairs. Cristi and Barb were in one section; Dee and I were right next door, but in another section.
Midway through the game, a mopsy top looking man and an elderly woman (OMG, that could be so many of us) sat down at our table. He was a bit of a mumbler. In fact Dee asked him what he said. Neither one of us could understand his answer. The first contract was 2nt, played by me. I went down 1. Durn. The second contract put our opponents in 3nt. I had a feeling I could set it. And I did. As they were leaving our table, Dee noticed the name on the convention card, Cappelletti. No way. Yup. I had just set Mike C. Well to be honest, his partner played the hand. But it's my story, and I am sticking to setting the Cappelletti team.
Equally as exciting, Cristi and Barb find themselves playing against Jeff Meckstroth and his wife. Really, Jeff Meckstroth. The Meckstroth's end up in a 4 spades contract (doubled by Cristi) (redoubled by Jeff). And what did "our girl" do, she set it!!!!! Jeff, nonplussed by the results, bolted out of his chair, leaving Mrs. Meckstroth to take care of herself. BTW, she played the contract. I mean does it get any better than this for humble B/C players from the Western Michigan Bridge Club.
BYE for now. Julianne Boggiano
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Reminiscing
As you may recall, about a year after I started playing bridge I got my brother involved in the game. He's become a dedicated player, reading and studying and playing several times a week. Today was one of those rare occasions when we partnered up for a game. Since I've been playing longer, I am the "expert" of the partnership; it's fun to tell him what he did wrong!
One hand reminded me of how far Ed's bidding has come. One of the first times we played I had opened a major and even though he had 5 of my suit he didn't go to game. I don't remember the details, but it was not a good board. Of course we briefly talked about it between rounds, and shortly afterwards the opponents opened a diamond and I overcalled a spade. Ed triumphantly bid 4 spades...needless to say, it was not pretty. "But you said that's what I'm supposed to do when I have 5 of your suit!" Ed later protested. "When I open, not when I overcall; I only had 9 points!" I calmly explained.
I am happy to report that the situation came up today and Ed bid it correctly.
Lest you think that I am picking on my brother, I also remember several situations when Julie and I started playing that now make me roll my eyes. One time she opened 1 NT, I bid 2 hearts as a transfer and she bid 4 hearts. I was so stunned that instead of correcting to 4 spades I passed! And once we started asking for aces, looking for slam, there was no stopping us...because we didn't know how to stop. I remember landing in 7 NT, only stopping there because there was no place left to go.
Speaking of Julie, she is playing in the regional tournament in Petoskey this week. She promised she would write updates on the blog, and although she's called me, I'm still waiting for an entry. So until she writes, maybe some other tournament players could respond to this entry and fill us in on what's happening. Are you having fun yet?
One hand reminded me of how far Ed's bidding has come. One of the first times we played I had opened a major and even though he had 5 of my suit he didn't go to game. I don't remember the details, but it was not a good board. Of course we briefly talked about it between rounds, and shortly afterwards the opponents opened a diamond and I overcalled a spade. Ed triumphantly bid 4 spades...needless to say, it was not pretty. "But you said that's what I'm supposed to do when I have 5 of your suit!" Ed later protested. "When I open, not when I overcall; I only had 9 points!" I calmly explained.
I am happy to report that the situation came up today and Ed bid it correctly.
Lest you think that I am picking on my brother, I also remember several situations when Julie and I started playing that now make me roll my eyes. One time she opened 1 NT, I bid 2 hearts as a transfer and she bid 4 hearts. I was so stunned that instead of correcting to 4 spades I passed! And once we started asking for aces, looking for slam, there was no stopping us...because we didn't know how to stop. I remember landing in 7 NT, only stopping there because there was no place left to go.
Speaking of Julie, she is playing in the regional tournament in Petoskey this week. She promised she would write updates on the blog, and although she's called me, I'm still waiting for an entry. So until she writes, maybe some other tournament players could respond to this entry and fill us in on what's happening. Are you having fun yet?
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Clubs and Diamonds
West was the dealer and passed; I was North and also passed. East opened a diamond and my partner overcalled 2 clubs. This was very exciting for me since my hand was distributional with 5 clubs, and, I was sure, worth much more than its sad little 8 points would indicate. West jumped into the bidding with 2 diamonds and then it was my turn again.
What to bid? I was 5-5 in clubs and spades with a singleton diamond and 2 hearts. 3 clubs didn't seem to tell the story. I didn't want to jump to 4 clubs because that would mean I was weak; plus, I was playing with a new partner and nobody likes to see a bid of 4 clubs (or diamonds) across the table. (I wanted to stay on her good side). 5 clubs seemed excessive; after all, I only had 8 points. Then all of a sudden it came to me...I could cue bid the diamonds! I needed at least 10 points to do that, and if I counted the singleton queen as 3, that brought me up to 9. And I had 5 of her suit! Problem solved, I thought, and bid 3 diamonds.
East, to my astonishment, promptly bid 4 diamonds. I waited to see if my partner would bid 5 clubs...but no, she doubled instead. Uh oh, I thought. She thinks my hand is much better than it is; she doesn't know that unless we're in clubs it's not worth much. Should I get her out of it and bid 5 clubs? I decided to pass.
What happened next is not important. What is important is the question of how to value a distributional hand. I often feel like Goldilocks when dealt this type of hand...sometimes I overvalue it, sometimes I undervalue it, and sometimes I get it just right. Today's game was full of these types of hands, and I blame the automatic shuffler/dealer for this, even though The Bridge Bulletin says that I shouldn't.
What to bid? I was 5-5 in clubs and spades with a singleton diamond and 2 hearts. 3 clubs didn't seem to tell the story. I didn't want to jump to 4 clubs because that would mean I was weak; plus, I was playing with a new partner and nobody likes to see a bid of 4 clubs (or diamonds) across the table. (I wanted to stay on her good side). 5 clubs seemed excessive; after all, I only had 8 points. Then all of a sudden it came to me...I could cue bid the diamonds! I needed at least 10 points to do that, and if I counted the singleton queen as 3, that brought me up to 9. And I had 5 of her suit! Problem solved, I thought, and bid 3 diamonds.
East, to my astonishment, promptly bid 4 diamonds. I waited to see if my partner would bid 5 clubs...but no, she doubled instead. Uh oh, I thought. She thinks my hand is much better than it is; she doesn't know that unless we're in clubs it's not worth much. Should I get her out of it and bid 5 clubs? I decided to pass.
What happened next is not important. What is important is the question of how to value a distributional hand. I often feel like Goldilocks when dealt this type of hand...sometimes I overvalue it, sometimes I undervalue it, and sometimes I get it just right. Today's game was full of these types of hands, and I blame the automatic shuffler/dealer for this, even though The Bridge Bulletin says that I shouldn't.
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