January 2005 - 39

play bridge
A section designed with the newer player in mind.
Reading the signs
There's a sign on the door to our
club that reads: "If you are not
here to have fun, turn around and
go home." I don't think the sign
has deterred more than one or two
people from entering.
There are, however, different
meanings for fun at the bridge table.
For some, it is winning and nothing
else. For many, it is getting a chance
to meet and socialize with new and
old friends. For others, it is holding
one good hand, one that will generate a story for months to come.
And for still others, it is the joy of
playing the game - getting the play
right, fooling an opponent or making partner smile.
For me, much of the fun is getting
a hand right. Here is one a friend
gave me with the cryptic warning:
"The opponents are dangerous." You
hold:
7 6 5 9 8 5 3 2 A 7 K Q 4.
Partner opens 1, you bid 1
and he responds 2NT. You might
be wondering if partner could have
three hearts with you - producing
an eight-card trump fit - but with a
suit that poor, you just raise to 3NT.
Now you have the rare and wonderful opportunity to go around
Val Covalciuc, of Fort
Myers FL, has been teaching
bridge since 1972. She is an
ACBL Accredited Teacher and
an ACBL Four-Star Teacher
(Covalciuc has taught the ACBL
Lesson Series to more than 400
students). She and her husband,
Rick, are the owners/managers of
the McGregor Point Bridge Club.

to the other side of the table and
play the contract. Here are the two
hands:
765
98532
A 7
KQ4
KQ3
 A K 10
J84
A J 9 3
You might be wondering why you
are in 3NT instead of 4, but that
is not the problem at hand. Your
left-hand opponent leads the 4,
you play the dummy's 5 and your
right-hand opponent plays the jack.
Hmmm - we have one spade, two
heart, one diamond and four club
tricks.
The first decision is whether to
win or hold up. Since you might
be able to score another spade trick
with the Q, you should win the
first trick. Before reading further,
decide what you are going to do to
develop nine (or more) tricks. (P.S.
The Q J is not doubleton.)
Since RHO played the J on the
first trick, it is highly unlikely he
has the ace. That means that if you
let him in the lead, he will return
partner's suit and trouble is brewing.
They might take four spade tricks to
go with their heart trick, and down
you go. This identifies RHO as the
dangerous opponent - you don't
want him on lead.
The way to avoid the danger hand
is to cross to the dummy and lead a
heart to the 10. You have four winners and one loser any time the suit
divides 3-2.
It doesn't matter if you give up

Notes from ACBL Accredited Teachers
January 2005

Val Covalciuc
ACBL Accredited Teacher
your loser early or late, as long as
you lose the trick to LHO, the safe
opponent. Then you can win any
return and cash your A K. When
they split 3-2, all of a sudden you
are taking 10 tricks, which will beat
anyone playing 4 making four.
Here is the full deal:
765
98532
A 7
KQ4
 A 10 9 4 2
J8
N
Q4
J76
W E
 K 10 6 5
Q932
S
 10 2
8765
KQ3
 A K 10
J84
A J 9 3
This was a contract successfully
bid and brilliantly played. Now
that's what I call fun.

Play Bridge columnist Harry
Lampert died in November.
His column appears on page
42 and his obituary appears
on page 68.
39
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2005
