UNIT NEWS - SERIOUS AND OTHERWISE
By Steve Mager
The annual Torrance South Bay Unit sectional will once again be held over the Memorial Day weekend at the Hollywood Park Casino. The dates of the tourney are Friday May 23 thru Monday May 26. There will be stratified Open Pair games at 1 PM and 7:30 PM on Friday, May 23. There also will be a 49er game at 1 PM on this day. A Knockout event starts Friday night with registration closing at 7:30 PM. There are three stratified Open Pair events on Saturday starting at 11:30 AM, 3 PM and 7:30 PM respectively. Two more stratified Open Pair games will be held at 1:30 PM and 7:15 PM on Sunday. The tournament concludes with Swiss team events STARTING AT 10:30 AM on Monday, Memorial Day, May 26.
.Please note that unlike previous years there will be an Open Pair and 49er game on Friday afternoon at the Hollywood Park Sectional. The South Bay Bridge Club will be closed all day that Friday.
Upgraded Club Championship: Friday, May 2, 11:30 AM
Western Conference STAC: Monday May 5 thru Sunday May11
STAC Swiss Teams: Tuesday, May 6, 7:00 PM
STAC Swiss Teams: Sunday, May 11, 1:00 PM (TENTATIVE)
Call South Bay Bridge Club to make sure this game is on
Club Championship: Monday, May 12, 7:00 PM
NLM Club Championship: Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 PM
Club Championship: Monday, May 19, 11:30 PM
The South Bay Bridge Club will be closed during the TSB Unit Sectional May 23 - 26
There will be Friday night games on May 2 and May 16.
There are now Handicapped Swiss Teams every Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.
The March 19 Club Championship was captured by Grace Conde/Pat Schenasi in Flight A with Sheryl Kohlhoff/Carol McCully taking both Flight B and C honors. On March 21 the Club Championship winners in Flight A were Bea and John Brailliar with Beth Weinstein/Marilyn Smith on top in Flight B. The April 4 Club Championship was won by Dean Kaloudis/Jerome Drayton in Flight A with Henry Crowder/Bob Bacharach capturing Flight B. On April 9 the Club Championship saw Bruce Horiguchi/John Brailliar taking Flight A followed by Kim Wang/Lutrell Long winning flight B and Dorothy Laird/Carol Mason ahead in Flight C.
The Swiss teams on March 16 was won by Kim Wang, Harry Wang, G. T. Tseng and Hank Sheehan in Flights A and B. The March 18 Swiss teams was captured by the quartet of Bo Bogema, Mary Ann Coyle, John Farr and John J. McDermott. On March 25 the leaders were Barbara White, John Farr, Mary Ann Coyle and Bo Bogema. It's no April Fool on April 1 the winners were Bernie Weinstein, Ernie Frank, Gabby Jackson and Harry Wessels in Flight A followed by Mark Raggio, CharlesLaFranchi, Arlene and Stanley Greengard in Flight B. The April 8 Swiss teams was won by the quartet of Betty Williams, Stanley Greengard, Freddie Spradlin and Henry Crowder in both Flights A and B.
I've bragged in the past at what an expert I am at handling hands with limited Trump holdings. Most of the time I arrived at these contracts I was playing with Paul Boudreau and forgot one of the crazy bidding treatments he had laid on me. In order to check out whether I really deserved to brag about my expertise as a declarer with limited trumps a partner of mine at a recent tournament tested me out three times.
The first was not successful at all. She opened 1 Spade and I splintered 4 Clubs. She tried 1430 Blackwood and it was my misfortune to have 1 control and respond 5 Clubs. Apparently she forgot we were playing Splinters and she dropped me there. Down 4 in a 4-1 fit where we were stiff for 6 Spades.
Next, we were playing New Minor forcing but she must have thought it was New Minor not forcing. The sequence went 1D by her, 1 Spade by me, 1NT by her. At this point I tried 2 Clubs, New Minor forcing and started getting worried when there was no alert and she started thinking. Sure enough she passed and I was playing 2C in a 4-2 fit. I proved my playing skills this time by bringing the contract in with an overtrick. Unfortunately we still got zero matchpoints as 3NT was cold for 5 and the rest of the world bid it.
Lastly, I held 23 HCP in fourth seat and the bidding went pass, pass 1H, Dbl, pass, 2D, P, 2H by me, all pass. Yes she dropped me in a cue bid and I even mentioned it as the Yarborough dummy came down. If she was testing me I passed with flying colors this time. I played a 3-2 trump fit holding 9xx in dummy and QJ in my hand. Well thank God the opponents didn't lead trumps and I scored 3 trump tricks with this holding and made 2 Hearts. We actually got some matchpoints on this one. It was almost worth it after the lady on my left who smiled condescendingly when I mentioned I was dropped in a cue bid was shocked enough to blurt out at the hands end " You mean he made it!".
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