August 2015 - 7

➺ InBox
Comedy of errors

The monthly Bridge Bulletin is in
so many ways an excellent magazine.
However, for levity, I would suggest a
page dedicated to bridge disasters. Let
me illustrate:
♠ K 10
♥A8752
♦J82
♣A82
♠A
♠QJ75432
♥KJ93
♥Q4
♦ K 10 6 5 4 3
♦AQ
♣ 10 7
♣95
♠986
♥ 10 6
♦97
♣KQJ643
I was South, the dealer. With no one
vulnerable, I opened 3♣, and my partner bid 3NT, ending the auction. Looking at all four hands, we were destined
for down one with a spade lead, which
would be an excellent result because
some pairs were down more playing
5♣, and, better, East-West can make
3♠. However, the bridge gods are not
always kind.
The ♠Q was led, the ace fell, and my
partner accidently dropped the ♠K.
Back came a diamond to the queen,
followed by the ♠J and a spade to
dummy's 9. (Of course, I would never
have opened without the ♠9.) Partner
next crossed to the ♣A, and back came
the ♣8, East playing the ♣9. Partner
called for a low club from dummy.
"Low?" I gasped.
"Low," she said firmly. At that moment, she realized what she had done,
but it was too late. Carnage ensued to
the tune of down six. Our zero was far
too generous. A minus four would have
been more appropriate.
I'm sure similar catastrophes occur,

Letters to the Editor

evoking both mirth and sympathy.
Meanwhile, there but for the grace ...
well, you get the picture. And please
don't print my name. My lovely partner, a fine player indeed, would joyfully
kill me.
On second thought, I'd be pleased to
have you run it. Because I spend time
in both Indiana and Florida, no one
other than my partner would know
where this occurred, and she obviously
won't talk. I'll just tell the folks in Indiana that it happened in Florida, and tell
the folks in Florida that it happened in
Indiana. If my name soon appears on
the obit page, however, you'll understand. Just for completeness, we came
in first that day.
KEN WOODMAN
Richmond IN

Greenville is great

We just attended the Greenville SC
Regional, June 8-14. We go to about 12
regionals each year, all over the country, but the Greenville Regional was the
best one we ever attended.
The playing site was large and welllighted. Free soft drinks were available
for the entire tournament. "Trinkets"
such as coupons, candy, and hand
sanitizers were given out every day.
The hospitality was lavish! One night,
we got a sub sandwich and a drink
from a fast-food chain across the street
from the hotel. Another night, we got a
coupon for two slices of pizza and soda
from a pizza shop next door. In addition, the host hotel provided hospitality, such as carved roast beef. There
was also an open hospitality suite each
night.
Volunteers manned an information booth full time (all day!) to offer
touring and restaurant advice. On top
of that, Greenville is a charming town

with dozens of good restaurants just a
short walk from the host hotel.
Congratulations to chairman Jim
Villanueva and co-chair Richard
Brown for running an outstanding
regional!
PAUL BENEDICT
Pikesville MD
LYNN JONES
Timonium MD

Diamonds are forever

You might be "dazzled" with this
information that I provided for all of
my bridge students as I began a series
of lessons using 2♦ as a natural or
conventional bid. The following is from
my handout:

If "diamonds are a girl's best friend,"
then "two diamonds" should really thrill her.
There are several conventions which kick
around that "jewel."
Attached are a couple of opening 2♦
bids which I "dug" up. They might cause
you to go into "gem"-nastic maneuvers
trying to understand the various "facets"
of the conventions. As you "cut" through
this attachment, some of them may have
a familiar "ring." Others may not have ever
come to "mined." Also, you might notice
that one of these is a mere "carbon" copy
of some other convention.
See if there's one "in the ruff" which you
may wish to "engage" your "precious"
partners into using. Then you'll likely jump
with "jubilee" once you've "polished" up on
it and added it to your "bag" of tricks. And
your opponents' eyes will likely "sparkle" in
amazement! But as I "dangle" these "karats" before you, just don't let any of them
"rock" you from the "stone" foundation of
your game.
"Troy," one of my bridge friends, says
Letters to the editor are welcome by regular mail and email.
Brevity is considered a virtue, as is subject matter with relevance
to a majority of ACBL members. Unsigned letters are not
considered for publication, so please include your name and
hometown. Letters may be edited. All letters will receive a
response. Send emails to editor@acbl.org.

August 2015 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2015