The saying that truth is stranger than fiction is nowhere more pronounced than at the bridge table. Convention foul-ups, dubious opening leads, and shoddy defense are a way of life at your local bridge club. Consider the following three deals.

I don’t know of anything in bridge that will negate high-card strength faster than wild distribution hands. Hands containing 20+ HCP have a difficult time taking more than one trick, if at all. Consider the following three hands.

In my first column (Here,Ed.) I noted the benefits of disciplined bidding (especially with weak trump suits), citing a deal played by Charlotte Kartsonis and Marion Ellingsen. That round was played on Wednesday. In Wally Klugiewicz’s Thursday matinee, I was the beneficiary of a weak overcall that resulted in a cold top for my partner and I instead of a cold bottom.

 

If our first club game at Wally Klugiewicz’s Thursday matinee was a disappointing 37% effort in 2003, March 2, 2006 was the day that Adam Kaplan got into the record book as the youngest Life Master in ACBL history. Adam had accrued many gold, red, and silver points but lacked 1.32 black points until that fateful Thursday. Adam and I posted a 67.13% game to win 3+ black points to make bridge history.
 

Playing bridge with Adam Kaplan has made the game very interesting and much more enjoyable for many reasons.
 

One of the advantages of retirement is to do things you couldn’t when you had to earn a living. For me, playing bridge is one of those things. And playing with Adam Kaplan has made bridge much more enjoyable.

Sitting behind Meckwell is a real education.

Sometimes, players in a regional or higher tournament let their egos get in the way of good judgment; i.e., sometimes the opponents are going to get the “good” hands. That’s the nature of the beast.

One of the fascinating things about playing in a Regional Tournament or higher event is the multitude of systems and conventions employed. Obviously, some are more successful than others, but the pros or their equivalents always seem to get to the best contract.

Ever wonder why some players always seem to find a better contract than you? The pros use many gadgets to get to the best contract, but two of them are relatively simple to learn and use. One is losing trick count and the other is called (Eddie) Kanter’s Rule of 7.

When you are having a good round of bridge, just remember that some poor souls are having their lunches handed to them. This was the case several years ago when my late partner Dan Cunningham and I played in the Safety Harbor Regional.

With the Summer NABC Championships presently underway in Las Vegas, this may be a good time to discuss some hands encountered in regionals - namely the Daytona Regional of 2007.