Outrageous Kibitzing

The virtual bridge world – online is practically the only bridge being played these days as most clubs have closed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – has just been rocked by a new cheating scandal. Meyer Kotkin, the president of District 4 (Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania and a big slice of … [Read more...]

Good Garbage

To find the best contract after a One No-Trump opening bid, most duplicate bridge players play transfers with five-card Heart or Spade holdings to keep the big hand hidden from the opponents. They also use the 2 Clubs Stayman convention bid to ask for a four-card major and possibly find a 4-4 fit in … [Read more...]

Mining gold in coal country

WILKES-BARRE, PA - In between work assignments at the end of one week in northern Pennsylvania and in Washington, DC, at the beginning of the next, I decided to drop in for the final days of the Wilkes-Barre, PA, Winter Regional duplicate bridge tournament (March 8-10, 2013) that annually attracts … [Read more...]

A rough and tumble game of kitchen bridge

Who says “kitchen bridge” is boring, low-level and unlikely to provide any kind of learning? Duplicate tournament players may look down upon kitchen bridge for all those reasons and more, but a hand I played Saturday night in the lovely North Wilmington home of Chet and Barbara Thayer at their … [Read more...]

Jacoby transfers

Return to Bridge Burglar's Guide to Bridge Bidding Conventions Jacoby tranfers are bids that use one artificial bid to invite the partner to “transfer” the bid to another suit. Transfer bids only occur after a 1 No-Trump opening bid. The strategy behind transfer bids is to try and find a fit in a … [Read more...]