Unit 551 News for January 2007

by Vic Sartor

It's hardly an original observation, but another year seems to have slipped by, and they seem to be passing faster and faster as we see our youth receding in time's rear view mirror. I know I'm still young, but it's amazing how old all my friends are getting. At any rate, I hope all of you had a great holiday season, and will have a wonderful 2007. The Unit Christmas party was a lot of fun, and drew a nice crowd. Special thanks are due to Tom Lill for running the game and doubling as pancake chef. Thanks also to District 23 Director Rand Pinsky and his wife Kathy Swaine for attending the game and playing. The event was won by the team of John Tyner, Richard Patterson, Kurt Trieselman, and Al Lax.

Top games of the month were a 69.4% posted by Jerry Androus - Billie Steiner and a 68.4% effort by Dave Ruoff and Vito Sartori. Winners topping 60% were Richard Patterson, John Tyner, Mary Miller, Karen Olin, Herb Stampfl, Susan Ruoff, James Rhodes, Rick Whitham, and Walt Otto. Other winners included Joe Unis, Helen Wang, Georgiana Bierman, Paula Ford, Pat Radamaker, Bob Kakade, Lulu Minter, Fredy Minter, Meredith Cole, Val Fletcher, George Altinis, and James Rhodes.

For those who swear that computer hands are wilder than the hand-dealt variety, get a load of our twin hands of the month, dealt on consecutive days at the local games. For our first exhibit, you hold this little jewel:

♠ Q 10 x x x ♥ A x ♦ A x x x x x ♣ void. These days that's practically a mandatory opener. So you trot out 1♦, hoping to rebid your spades twice and complete an elegant description of your distribution. Dream on!

You catch your partner with

♠ A ♥ K Q x ♦ x x ♣ A K Q J x x x and he, of course, goes berserk. If you're lucky, he stops at 6NT or 7♣, which luckily makes when he ruffs out the doubleton ♠K. If he's the typical greedy matchpoint optimist, though, you get to watch him go down 1 at 7NT. That'll teach you not to open 10 point hands!

The next day, you pick up a very similar monster:

♠ A J x x x x ♥ void ♦ A Q 10 x x x x ♣ void. Are you going to try a subtle 1♦ again and risk losing a fit in a six-card major if your pard goes nuts again? No? Then this time you open 1♠. Your partner gives you a 3♠ raise! Do you play double barreled exclusion RKCB to ask for keycards in spades and diamonds only? Probably not, since I just made it up. OK. How do you find out if partner has the ♠K and the ♦K? Can you get to 7 if it's right? I don't know either, but if you cuebid 4♦, do you deny club control? If you bid 4♣, will your pard ever get around to cuebidding diamnds? Should you close your eyes and and blast out 7♦? Give your regular pard
♠ K x x x ♥ x x x ♦ K J ♣ A x x x and try to bid it as honestly as possible using your own methods. Can you get to a top spot? If you do, nice going! As it turns out, pard has both kings and 7 is cold in both suits - just an other average non-computer-dealt hand!

Until next time, ciao.

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