Grandslam #36

THE GRANDSLAM
SRC BRIDGE SECTION NEWSLETTER
April/May 06 ISSUE #36

1. Message from the Convenor – Shamim Moledina
One of the saddest things about bridge at SRC is that we have so few junior members. Not many SRC members encourage their children to learn bridge. Perhaps they feel that their children are already overloaded or perhaps it is the automatic association of cards with gambling. Whatever the cause, unless we can find a solution, our long term future in “open” competitions looks bleak. With the establishment of so many Bridge clubs at our Junior Colleges, Polys and Universities, there is an increasing supply of young bridge players and we have to see how we can tap this resource.
I am proud of our older members who put in so much effort to improve their game. To this effect, I am glad that Zain has volunteered to hold classes for this group where bridge hands can be discussed and analysed.
As everybody knows, playing bridge is great fun but winning is even better.

2. CSC New Bridge Room and Ang Pow Open Pairs – 4th Feburary
Congratulations to the Chinese Swimming Club Bridge Section for their brand new bridge room in their newly built swimming complex. True to its name, the new complex alone boasts of 5 swimming pools including one for the kois! The Chinese New Year “Ang Pow” Open Pairs tournament heralded the opening of the room with all the traditional munchies. The whole Management Committee of the club graced the occasion with their good wishes and got feedback from the players.
The tournament attracted 20 pairs from various clubs. The results of all those over 54% are as follows : 1st Robin Fong & Luk Eric (CSC) 2nd Zain & Shamim Moledina (SRC) 3. Chester Chai & Henry Eng (SCBA) 4th Chia BY & Chia CL (CSC) 5th Lilio & TS Lee (SCBA) 6th Chong TW & Chong SL (CSC) 7th Carlton Parker & Chris Wong (SRC). 

3. Siglap CC Chinese New Year Special – 5th Feburary
The CNY game at Siglap Community Centre was a cozy affair with all the traditional snacks and a superb Cheesecake contributed by Evelyn Kline. With many novices participating in the game, the scores were very volatile. Convenor Tan Eng Choo managed to secure so many “Ang Pows” that almost everyone ended up with something, regardless of the game results! Several of the participants went on to enjoy a “Yu Sheng” dinner after the match.
In the game, Shamim & Zain Moledina (SRC/Siglap) won with Pat & N. W. Leong (SRC/Siglap) second.

4. Bridge Rules of Thumb
We continue with another 5 pointers in this issue of Grandslam. As always, there are going to be exceptions and the tips given below should not be a substitute for a proper analysis of the particular situation and pure common sense.
1. Lead from your longest and strongest against a no trump contract.
2. Second hand low. Third hand high.
3. Cover an honor with an honor.
4. The most important procedure in bidding is finding an 8-card major suit fit.
5. Rebidding a suit typically shows six cards in that suit.
5. Beginner Bridge Course -10th February (contributed by Carlton Parker)
Eleven determined SRC members decided to forego family, friends and Friday night fun to embark on a grueling six-lesson Beginner’s Bridge Course. They arrived prepared for the boring lectures, complicated rules, unintelligible notes and the fear of not understanding at all.
But wait! What’s all this laughter I hear? Why, it’s people having fun learning to play cards.
For this course, the Bridge Section adopted a more casual “Learn by Playing” approach, so the students could immediately see the result of a correct – or incorrect – bid or play. This was supplemented by a CD to be viewed at leisure at home.
Those who attended should be able to start playing Bridge socially and continue to improve their skills through practice and further study. The course was led by Carlton Parker assisted by Chris, B K, Pat, Leong, Zain and Shamim.

6. SRC Tuesday Bridge Results from Feb 7th to Mar 28th
DATE FIRST SECOND THIRD
Feb 7 Dorothy/Shamim Carl/Chia Kim Ser=Jane/Veronica
Feb 14 Shamim/Zain BK/Helen=Dorothy/RonS
Feb 21 RonS/RonOh Shawn/Zain David/AiLing
Feb 28 Yu/Ping Carl/Chris Shawn/Zain
Mar 7 Pat/Leong=PengHuat/RonOh Molly/Helen
Mar 14 David/Shamim BK/Micheal Rahim/RonS
Mar 21 Shawn/Zain PengHuat/RonOh Dorothy/Veronica
Mar 28 Dorothy/RonS BK/Helen Yu/Ping

7. Key Date in Bridge
1931: The Culbertson Summary and Culbertson's Blue Book topped all book sales for the year, outselling such popular titles as Believe It or Not and Crossword Puzzles! "The Battle of the Century" bridge marathon was held in New York City. The team captained by Ely Culbertson won by 8980 points.

8. PUZZLE : Singleton or Void
What is the probability that a random bridge deal will contain a singleton or void in at least one of the 4 hands?
(A) about 20 percent
(B) about 40 percent
(C) about 60 percent.
(D) about 80 percent

9. Fortnight Plan Improves Memory
Having problems remembering the cards? No need for questionable pills, therapy and pseudo-scientific gimmicks. Below is a research that confirms common sense. After a two-week programme that involved brainteasers, exercise and diet changes, the participants' memories worked more efficiently.
1. Memory Training: Brainteasers, crossword puzzles and memory exercises throughout the day. Needless to say, bridge falls in this category.
2. Healthy Diet: Five meals daily with a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fats, whole grains and antioxidants. Eating frequent meals prevents dips in blood glucose, the primary energy source for the brain.
3. Physical Fitness: Brisk daily walks and stretching. Physical fitness has been found in other research to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
4. Stress Reduction: Stretching and relaxation exercises. Stress causes the body to release cortisol, which can impair memory and has been found to shrink the memory centers in the brain. (Remember this when you want to tell off your bridge partner)

Before-and-after brain scans showed the participants experienced on average a five percent decrease in brain metabolism in the dorsal lateral prefrontal region of the brain, which is directly linked to working memory and other cognitive functions. This suggests they were using their brains more efficiently. The subjects also performed better on a cognitive test. A control group that didn't follow the plan showed no significant changes."

We've known for years that diet and exercise can help people maintain their physical health, which is a key component of healthy aging," said Gary Small, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UCLA. “Now we have evidence which suggests that people can preserve their memory by adding memory exercises and stress reduction to this routine."
What are you waiting for? Deal the cards!!

L I g h t e r S I d e O f B r I d g e

10. 20/20 Hindsight
The correct way to make the contract will become obvious as soon as you have finished your play.
11. “Does Bidding goes Clockwise?”
"Bridge is one of the few games you can enjoy without being good at it."
12. A Sign that You are a Bridge Addict
You cringe when your better half asks you if you have anything to do on Sunday
13. Reaping Rewards
The more you practice, the luckier you get.
14. Turtle Preferred
Most bridge players prefer consistency in their partners rather than brilliance.
- Matthew Granovetter
15. Right Contract - Wrong Time
Four hearts is a very good bid -- but on some other hand
16. If Only…
“This three no-trump is the sort of contract that only Lloyd's of London would insure”
17. Shifting Blame
When in doubt, put the opponents on lead. Why should you make the mistake?
18. Full Circle
I understand some super-modernists are back to leading queen from queen-jack. They call it 'reverse’ Reverse.
19. Worst Luck
Bad enough when the trumps are 4-1, but when the singleton trump gets a ruff, that's downright unfair.
20. Aggressive Modern Bidding
Nowadays, all you need to open in the third and fourth seat is 13 cards
21. Revenge of the Novices
A novice makes the contract with a finesse while an expert goes down in style on a squeeze play.
22. Why We Play Bridge
Omar Sharif : Bridge players exists mainly to make life difficult for each others.
23. Universal Law of Finesses
Since losing finesses come in groups of three, a fourth consecutive losing finesse is actually the start of the next group of three.
24. Solo Boo-boo
Bridge is played by four people. Making a mistake is yours to savour alone.
25. Wrong Suiter
Did you hear about the couple who split up while playing bridge? She wanted Diamonds but all he had was Hearts.
26. Modernist Bidding Systems
Nowadays, I don't think anyone opens diamonds to show diamonds anymore. We lost the club suit in the 1950s. Now diamonds are gone and hearts are sinking fast.
27. Quota Problem
Since the average person's small supply of politeness must last a lifetime, he can't afford to waste much of it on bridge partners.
Alfred Sheinwold
28. Socially Unsociable
Bridge is essentially a social game, but unfortunately it attracts a large number of antisocial people.
29. Silver Lining
One advantage of bad bidding is that you get practice playing atrocious contracts.
Alfred Sheinwold
30. Handling Losers
During a class, a lady was asked on how to get rid of losers on a prepared hand.
Without hesitation, she replies: “I am going to lose them right away so I don't have to worry about them any more."
31. With Relish, Please
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
32. Surprise!
"Partner! Where's the hand you held during the bidding?"
33. Greener Grass
I hate bridge players. They always seem to be having a better time than I am.
34. Computer Bridge Advances
The computer has just made a psychic bid. It shows you can't even trust a machine nowadays.
35. PUZZLE : Singleton or Void Answer
(D). 79%. This is no April Fool’s joke! This means that in 4 out of 5 deals, somebody holds a singleton or void. Check this out for yourself!
Zain Moledina
Editor
zaris@pacific.net.sg
April 1st, 2006