Of Slams and Captains

In all the time we’ve been playing bridge, my partner Christine and I can’t recall ever having had a stretch of games like this. At a club pairs game on Tuesday of this past week, we bid and made no fewer than five Slams on pre-dealt boards, more than anyone else in the field across three sections – … [Read more...]

No fear!

  A friend of mine once said that he likes bridge so much because anyone has a chance. If a decent club tennis player got on the court with Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, he wouldn’t win a single point; he’d lose every game 0-40 and the match 6-0, 6-0. However, in bridge, some hands just … [Read more...]

The 70% Club

My partner Christine and I had the second 70-plus percent game of our bridge careers (8-30-2018) and we’re still sort of scratching our heads as to what lifted us to such exalted status. We got a special mention at our home club, the Vero Beach Bridge Club, and we’ll be listed in next month’s … [Read more...]

Down for the Count

My partner Christine and I don’t mind getting a bad score once in a while as long as we come away with a lesson – something that will help us avoid similar disasters in the future. Such was the case at the Palm Beach Gardens Regional tournament when we came away with a mediocre 1.09 Red … [Read more...]

A New Ruby

Well, I made it. I went over 1,500 MasterPoints at our home club, the Vero Beach Bridge Center, on Wednesday (8-8-2018) and officially became a Ruby Life Master. I’ll get a letter from the (interim) CEO – the last one just got fired and no one seems to know why – of the American Contract Bridge … [Read more...]

The best PASS I ever made

Various clubs in Florida, which probably has more bridge tournaments than any other part of the country, are experimenting with different formats to combat declining tournament attendance. To be sure, total tournament attendance is still up because there are more tournaments, and Regionals at Sea … [Read more...]

In Praise of Pre-empts

Personally I hate moving – I’ve done way too much of it during my life and don’t plan on ever moving again – but it must be said that a change of venue is good for some things. Take the Jacksonville bridge tournament, traditionally held just before or around the 4th of July holiday and the smallest … [Read more...]

No-Trump Country

As is our custom during our travels, my partner Christine and I mixed bridge and sightseeing at the New England Monster Mountain Regional bridge tournament in Nashua, NH, in late June, but this time we encountered some glitches in both our bridge and in the touristy things we like to do. For … [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...]

Director, please!

In a month or so I’ll get a letter in the mail from the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) telling me if I’ve passed the test to become a club director. I took it this past Monday (1/29/2018) just before the start of the Lone Star Regional bridge tournament in Houston, TX, and I guess I can say … [Read more...]