October 2015 - 7

➺ InBox

Letters to the Editor

Eye of the beholder

Not trying to be hand hogs

We received quite a few letters about
the August cover - pro, con and smartaleck.
The August Bridge Bulletin cover
just made me smile and laugh out loud.
The reflection of the cards in the sunglasses was the icing on the cake.
SHEILA BARTON
Burlington VT
I just had to write to tell you how
much I loved the cover of the August
Bridge Bulletin. Pure genius! Makes
me wish I'd saved my clip-on earrings!
JACKIE WILLIAMS
Ogdensburg NY
Never wrote you before. But that
cover August 2015 is the ugliest, most
horrible and awful-looking cover of
any magazine I have ever seen. Planning to rip it in shreds so I can peaceably look through the magazine.
ADELE PICK
Etobicoke ON
Cindy Hill's August 2015 cover is
perfect creativity! I keep it atop my
desk for multiple chuckles throughout
each day. Thank you.
SUSAN STECHSCHULTE
Ocala FL
I was appalled to see the cover of the
August issue. I thought we were trying
to recruit younger players to the game,
not scare them away? Is this how we
want to depict a bridge player? I know
it was meant to be humorous, but it
offended me. I tore it off so I could actually read the issue. I hope the ACBL
will think about its image and how it is
perceived by all members, not just the
majority.
DINAH MCNUTT
Brooklyn NY

Your cover for August 2015 is great.
However, if the lady's glasses are
reflective, shouldn't we be seeing the
mirror images of the cards?
DRAPER STEPHENS
Eagle Lake TX
The lady depicted on August's cover
must win many matches. She can see
through the backs of the cards.
ART COHEN
Los Angeles CA

A rarity ... in spades

Calling on all those probability experts out there. The odds of being dealt
a void are relatively low, and the odds
of being dealt voids in consecutive
deals are even lower. A void in three
consecutive hands? Lower still. How
about three consecutive hands with a
spade void? This happened to me (and
others, of course) in a pairs game at
the Calgary Regional in July. Once in a
lifetime?
HAL JONES
Calgary AB

Americana

I was pleased to see the Norman
Rockwell cover of the July issue. The
Saturday Evening Post had many other
bridge covers, although this was the
only the one by Norman Rockwell. I
have identified the following covers
with a bridge theme: March 15, 1947;
May 15, 1948 (Rockwell cover);
October 14, 1950; November 28, 1953;
November 24, 1956; December 1, 1962.
I have prints of all six on the walls of
my home.
I wonder if other members can add to
my list of Saturday Evening Post bridge
covers or can identify covers with a
bridge theme in other mainstream
American magazines.
FRANK HACKER
Fort Myers FL

On July 2, my partner and I sat East-
West at the Ami Bridge Club in Langhorne PA, and we used deals from the
ACBL Common Game. In 24 boards,
he declared 10 and I declared 14! There
were no bizarre bids, no stretches, and
no sacrifices; just normal, competitive
bidding.
We placed just above average. Our
only bad boards were three we misplayed, not misbid. Did anybody else
have a "shutout" that night?
I love this game!
GREG "RUSTY" SMITH
Trenton NJ

Smolen suggestion

Most bridge players are familiar with
Smolen, wherein the responder to a
1NT opener can describe a hand with
5-4 or 4-5 distribution in the majors. I
suggest a simple extension to show 5-5
distributions. Hands with this pattern
would initially respond 2♣ (Stayman),
and if opener rebids 2♦ (no four-card
major), responder continues with
3♦. This would guarantee exactly
five hearts and five spades. The 1NT
opener could then bid his better/only
three-card major or even bid 3NT with
two doubletons.
Some players use a 3♥ or 3♠
response over 1NT to describe this
type of hand, but this method would
free up those bids for other purposes.
And it guarantees that the strong hand
remains hidden.
DOUGLAS MADISON
Albuquerque NM

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.

October 2015 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2015