FEBRUARY 2012 NEWS

UPCOMING
February is JUNIOR FUND month. Come play, win more masterpoints, AND help the junior program -- for ALL games (except Feb 25) during the month of February.

FEB 25 -- we will have TWO SILVER POINT GAMES. 10:30 and 1:45. PLAN A LONG DAY!

GOSSIP!

Yippee!!! On Feb 4, we had the first Junior Fund game ... and 9 full tables showed up!

For those who haven't heard (and apologies to those who are tired of hearing it), Mimi Z. was hit by a car and has already had 4 major surgeries in the past week and is expected to be at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune for at least another week -- before getting released to a rehab facility. She loved the cards you all sent! The florist was closed by the time I got there, so I will be sending her something next week.

ALERT -- what if you alert what isn't really an alert? FROM THE ACBL SITE:

According to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge: Law 40.B. Concealed Partnership Understandings Prohibited

A player may not make a call or play based on a special partnership understanding unless an opposing pair may reasonably be expected to understand its meaning, or unless his side discloses the use of such call or play in accordance with the regulations of the sponsoring organization.

Bridge is not a game of secret messages; the auction belongs to everyone at the table.
Remember that the opponents are entitled to know the agreed meaning of all calls.
The bidding side has an obligation to disclose its agreements according to the procedures established by ACBL.
When asked, the bidding side must give a full explanation of the agreement. Stating the common or popular name of the convention is not sufficient.
The opponents need not ask exactly the "right" question.
Any request for information should be the trigger. Opponents need only indicate the desire for information - all relevant disclosure should be given automatically.
The proper way to ask for information is "please explain."
Players who remember that a call requires an Alert but cannot remember the meaning must still Alert.
In all Alert situations, Tournament Directors should rule with the spirit of the Alert procedure in mind and not simply by the letter of the law.
Players who, by experience or expertise, recognize that their opponents have neglected to Alert a special agreement will be expected to protect themselves.
Adjustments for violations are not automatic.
There must have been misinformation.
An adjustment will be made only when the misinformation was a direct cause of the damage. Note also that an opponent who actually knows or suspects what is happening, even though not properly informed, may not be entitled to redress if he or she chooses to proceed without clarifying the situation.
When an Alert is given, ASK, do not ASSUME.

Check out these recent rulings at our club!

Maybe I get tense when the game gets big -- maybe some of you do. Can we get back to 15 + tables???

ACES top 50 players in 2011

FLASH -- FLASH -- CHECK OUT THESE BRIDGE RESOLUTIONS!

Happy New Year

Written by Jason Feldman www.bridgewinners.com

Happy New Year!

After the late night celebrations come the hangovers and the inevitable New Year's resolutions. Why not commit to a bridge based resolution? Perhaps:

I will always count my winners and losers at trick 1.
I will not describe my hand twice.
I will plan my defense ahead of time (such as whether to cover an honor or duck an Ace or King before the critical moment).
I will not punish partner for bidding under pressure.
I will try to play at least once a week, either online or in person.
I will seek out new partners and/or teammates.
I will try to learn a strong club system.
I will write a bridge blog.

What's your New Year's resolution?

REMEMBER WE ARE BACK TO ONE LOCATION:

Saturday 10:30am game (and possibly 1x month 2:00 team game?)

Freehold Boro YMCA Community Center

41 Center Street
Freehold, NJ

NOTE: Price for normal entry is now $10. (STaC and special games will be more)

Want to pay less? Here are some ways:

Play with a Junior -- Total entry for both of you in a regular game is only $13.
Bring a new player -- someone who has never played at my club (at any location). Price for two of you = $15 for a regular game.
Help me lower my costs -- start really making this a "players club" where everyone brings some of the food and supplies.

NEED A PARTNERS
Have been approached by players at ALL levels looking for a partner -- PLEASE EMAIL to start the ball rolling!

Please remembered that this club uses Zero-Tolerance. You can nominate someone as an Aces Star Player.

Other places to play or learn? If you get a chance, check out www.bridgebase.com For the wonderful info about the games, check out the World Bridge Federation web site

There is also a new site called Bridge Winners and even though it is new, it has a wealth of information about the game. One of the players told me that he looked at all of the hands that were played in the recent USBF qualifying. Not all played perfectly.

Traffic alerts For latest information about downtown traffic that may make it difficult to reach the game site, check out Freehold Police events page

DEE-REECTOR!!!!
Click here to see what happens when you scream too loudly . . .

Bridge Questions
"I thought we won! How can I check my scores?" For this and other questions (bidding and play) check out the Question and Answer page. If you find an interesting hand or have a question about a convention or just a question, please send it in. Interesting bidding question from the other day from an online game. You hold
S - Q J T
H - 2
D - Q 7 4
C - A K J 8 6 5

The opponents pass. Partner opens 1 D, you bid 2 C. Partner bids 2 D. What do you bid next and, more importantly, WHY?

OTHER NEWS

Check out our ACES STAR PLAYER AWARDS!