The Magazine for Social and Duplicate Bridge Players | July-August 2024
in this issue
1 Editorial by Audrey Grant
2 Play of the Hand by David Lindop
4 Master Solvers ’ Club A Feature from The Bridge World
5 Look-Alikes
6 Point of View
8 Defenders ’ Corner by Audrey Grant
10 Come to the Party :
The Secrets of Winning Bridge by Jeff Rubens
12 The Real Deal by Larry Cohen
14 Card Combinations by David Lindop
16 Modern Bidding
18 The Play ' s the Thing
19 Quizzical Pursuits
& Bidding Quiz
20 Quizzical Pursuits
& Bidding Quiz Answers
EDITOR Audrey Grant | TECHNICAL EDITOR David Lindop CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Larry Cohen , Shawn Quinn , Andrew Robson , Jeff Rubens , Stefan Skorchev , and Rhoda Walsh . AUDREY GRANT ’ S BETTER BRIDGE IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR BY BARON BARCLAY BRIDGE SUPPLY , 3600 CHAMBERLAIN LANE SUITE 206 , LOUISVILLE , KY 40241 USA . NO PART OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE COPIED OR REPRINTED WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT OF BARON BARCLAY . TO SUBSCRIBE : CALL 1-800-274-2221 OR EMAIL : SUPPORT @ BARONBARCLAY . COM . SUBSCRIPTION IS $ 35 USD PER YEAR . COPYRIGHT © 07 2024 . PRINTED IN THE USA . ISSUE 175 .
Some suggestions about bridge are powerful enough to survive the test of time . In this issue , Jeff Rubens , from his classic book The Secrets of Winning Bridge , shares his thoughts about the use of conventions . As the long-time editor of The Bridge World magazine , he ’ s in a good position to offer authentic information and opinions . His advice is that if we don ’ t have an established partnership that is willing to spend hundreds of hours on our systems , we ’ re better placed if we limit the conventions we use . Jeff explains why it ' s a good idea . What a relief this could be for many players who play conventions they hope won ’ t come up !
The Summer North American Bridge Tournament , recently held in Toronto , Canada , was a huge success . It broke attendance records , including in newcomer games , since we returned to face-to-face competition . The American Bridge Teachers ' Association had its annual convention . Barbara Seagram , from Toronto , hosted social events for teachers which , as usual , were enthusiastically received . There were two complimentary bridge lessons for newcomers . Barbara spoke on the first Saturday of the tournament , and David and I presented on Sunday . Both events filled the ballroom .
David and I also hosted various dinner meetings . At one of them , we brought together writers and organizers from different walks of bridge . Fiction writer , Patricia Sands whose book The Bridge Club just celebrated its tenth anniversary , shared that social bridge clubs like the one that lasted for forty years as described in her book , are out there . Still popular yet invisible . These discussions help us celebrate what is good about the game and what activities are thriving .
Better Bridge now has two weekly duplicate games on BBO , on Saturday and Thursday afternoons . We ' re working on plans to introduce an online newcomer 0-20 masterpoint game . Stay tuned .
In this issue , David Lindop shares tips that help us make more contracts . Good declarers try to avoid a 50 % guess , particularly if the contract depends on the right guess ! In Play of the Hand , David shows how we can spot opportunities that give our opponents no choice but to help us turn the 50 % guess into a 100 % certainty .
When holding the ace , king , and jack in a suit , we can gain an extra trick if we can finesse the queen . The best way to do it , however , will depend on many factors . In Card Combinations , David explains what we need to consider when making a plan .
As defenders , our job is to give away as few tricks as possible . When deciding on an opening lead against a suit contract , we ' ve often been told to lead a singleton if we have one . Defenders ' Corner helps us understand when it ' s right to lead it and when to find an alternative action .
Thank you for being part of Better Bridge .
All the best , Audrey Grant and the Better Bridge Team ( 647 ) 542-6471
BetterBridge . com
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