25 November 2009 at 07:43

When is a double a double?

In the recent Invitation pairs, Mary and Ron had a disaster on one board where Ron doubled for take-out and Mary though it was for penalty.

As a result, Don and Maggie made + 780 on a part-score hand (Session 2, Board 5,  click here)

David has discovered a very useful article which discusses this issue at length.

KW Bridge contains several articles of interest:

 http://home.comcast.net/~kwbridge/bb/b_dbl1.htm

 

02 September 2009 at 12:04

Willy's Masterclass - Postponed

Please note that Willy's masterclass scheduled for the 1st October has had to be postponed.

It has been suggested that a Saturday might be more convenient than a Thursday evening.

If you would be willing to support this, please let me know.

Ron McEwan 

email:  ronald@caledoniancomputers.com phone:  01773 778118 .

12 May 2009 at 13:12

Stayman for the minors?

I was not inundated with any responses to my blog on minor suit Stayman, but most contributors suggested using two spades for this purpose. Two spades works well if you are using red-suit transfers only (2D & 2H). The simplest version is as follows:

2S = Two way bid, either you have 11/12 balanced with no four card major or you have a strong,18+ hand with an interest in four card minors.

Partner is obliged to bid 2NT over it with 12 or a poor 13 points, otherwise he bids his cheapest 4 card suit.

After this start, the 2S bidder can:

Pass with the weaker hand over 2NT.

Bid 3NT with the weaker hand over 3 of a suit.

Bid his lowest 4 carder over either response with the strong hand and keep bidding until a fit has been found (this will need some discussion).

The 11/12 variety frees up the 2NT response to be used as a weakness take-out into a minor.

 

If you are interested in a more comprehensive treatment contact Peter Kelly.

Those of you who want to keep 2S and 2NT as transfers will have to think of something else, such as my version of 2C:

click here to download;

David Marshall

08 May 2009 at 23:46

Expert Coaching Sessions

We are organising a new series of Expert Coaching Sessions.

The sessions are not necessarily for experts, but they will be chaired by local experts who will present them in their own way. Anyone of any standard may come along, including self-confessed experts themselves.

The first will be on Thursday, 14th May, at Spondon starting at 7 p.m. The Expert for the evening will be Yorkshire's Graham Jepson.

Graham will be basing the session on his ''Tips for Duplicate Players'. Graham is well qualified as an expert, having taken 4th place in a recent Seniors World Championship, and has won the English National Pairs twice as well as countless other trophies. He also runs Jepson Holiday weekends.

The second will be on Thursday, 4th June, also at Spondon starting at 7 p.m., when the Expert for the evening will be Derbyshire's own Tony Sowter. Tony has respresented England on countless occasions.

The format for each evening will be determined by the Presenter. The fee will be £5 per person, including tea/coffee & biscuits.

Please let me know if you are likely to come to any of the sessions by emailing me at ronald@caledoniancomputers.com

I will then keep you up to date by email as to when other sessions are arranged.

You may also phone me on 01773 778118 for more information.

Ron McEwan, Webmaster, etc.

01 May 2009 at 15:08

Expert Coaching from Tony Sowter

It's THIS THURSDAY! Tony Sowter's Masterclass. ALL WELCOME.

The Old School, Spondon, on Thursday, 28th May, 2009 at 7 pm.

The evening will be of interest to players of all standards, from beginners to County players. It  will consist of a mixture of presentation and play. There is no need to bring a partner - if you are lucky, you may get the chance to play with himself! Tea/Coffee/Biscuits provided.

For more details, please call me, Ron McEwan, on 01773 778118 or email me on ronald@caledoniancomputers.com

01 June 2008 at 11:02