Bridge in the Tri-Cities: Opening Light

Opening Lead: Nine of hearts

Andy Hesser sent me this hand from the recent Tri-City Sectional. He held the north cards and bid as shown. It helped them to win the Swiss Team Event.

The Bidding: It is usually advantageous to get into the bidding early. Most rubber bridge players and many duplicate ones would not open the south hand with 1H. It meets the criteria of the “Rule of Twenty,” (count points and add the number of cards in the two longest suits) and I would always open. There are probably a million ways to bid these two hands, some more successful than others. Try it with your favorite partner..

The Play: The trump broke poorly, but the clubs cooperated. It did not take long to wrap up the “Grander!”

The Longest Day: June 20, 2016, is a special bridge day at the Richland Community Center. Festivities begin at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast. There will be three bridge contests at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. The first will be an individual; the second, a pairs contest; and the third, a team game. There will also be tables for party bridge, lunch and dinner, a silent auction, and prizes. All this for $25. Proceeds go to the Alzheimer’s Association and are tax deductible. For more information, contact Marilyn Steele at momhoops@hotmail.com or 392-2128.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Bridge in the Tri-Cities: Opening Light."