Poor Hearts.  Mom always liked Spades best.

Yesterday, Rich and Marj Talbott rolled out a new wrinkle to even the playing field a little.  Playing 2/1, and holding 5 Hearts and a game forcing hand, Marj bid 2C over Rich's 1D opening, which Rich alerted.  Neither I nor Jim Somma had ever seen this bid, and were at a loss what to do.  I'd like Marj or Rich to comment on it.

But it got me to thinking.  Why do the bridge gods so favor Spades over Hearts, and to a lesser extent Diamonds over Clubs?  Is this "fair" to Hearts and Clubs?  They're just as good looking, and work just as hard, but no matter what they do, they're always second class to Spades and Diamonds.

NT gets an even better deal, but at least NT has to work harder.   And of course Diamonds and Clubs, being minors, don't score as well as the adults.

and Why I'm Thankful

I know Charlie White is a knowledgeable sports fan (even if he roots for the Mets) and a good bridge player.  Until recently, I didn’t realize what a philosopher he was.

Against Mike Miller and me, Charlie made a rather dubious overcall, was doubled, and rang up a big minus number.  After apologizing to his partner, Pat Clark, we ended the round with a discussion about the modern game of duplicate bridge.

Following are the Unit-wide results of this week's STaC games:

Dan Tillberry was hospitalized Thursday to repair a leaking incision from his previous procedure to repair his heart.  The heart procedure worked well, but a small leak from the blood vessel at the incision caused a huge "bruise."

Beverly reports that he is home now, but still requiring nursing care, so cards should be sent there:

Dan Tillberry
3006 Eagle Bend Road
Spring Hill, FL  34606