EMAIL FOR ALL CLUB QUESTIONS:

7ntbridge@gmail.com

NO GAME JULY 8

Hey, you North-South pairs. How well do you do on defensive hands on Boards 3,6,9,16,19,22, or 25? And not to leave East-West pairs out, how well do you do on defensive hands on Boards 2,5,12,16,18,21, or 26?

What’s so special about those boards? Well, in each case your opponent is vulnerable and you are not. It’s time to mess with your opponent’s minds! But I see so many newer (and some older) pairs who fail to appreciate the big advantage which favorable vulnerability provides.

I’m never, for example, going to let you play one-level contracts – or possibly even two-level contracts when I enjoy this favorable vulnerability. If I even think that Partner and I have a suit to bid, I’m going to bid it even if I suspect that Down 1 (or maybe Down 2) is the best that I can do. My minus 50 or minus 100 is going to be better than allowing your 110 for you making 3 Clubs, or your 110/140 for your making two or three of a major.

And for game contracts I have lots and lots of leeway. Your vulnerable 4 Spades is going to get you +620. But even if I’m doubled – DOWN THREE – you still only get 500. Whenever I suspect that Partner and I hold few defensive values, I consider competing one level higher than you.

All of this is a calculation, of course. You and I are bound to run into that savvy or expert opponent who is going to double and set you one or two tricks more than you planned. It happens. But especially in pairs events, always be on the lookout for the advantage which the vulnerability plus your particular hand might provide. This situation is truly one of the few where sometimes “down one is good bridge.”

Many of our newer players have yet to explore the fact that our club is part of “The Common Game.”

What’s that?

Well, each week your Director receives computer files with the week’s hands. Those files are fed into our dealing machine to produce the boards for our games, and the result is that you are playing exactly the same hands as are being played at hundreds of other clubs across North America on Monday afternoons.

Then, if you go to The Common Game website (more on that later), you can see how you compared against other players. Not only that, but The Common Game (“TCG”) provides expert analysis of several of the hands which you have played that day.

Here’s what to do:

1. Get on our club website at bridgewebs.com/wachusett
2. Select “Useful Links” from the left-hand ladder menu
3. Then select “The Common Game” from the next menu displayed

At that point you should see Wachusett Bridge Club and the dates of the last five, or so, games that we have played. Select the blue-highlighted “NLM Pairs” for the day of interest in order to see our results and view the expert analysis.

Those of you who are ACBL members can login using your ACBL number and find even more interesting information. You can, for example, find out how you faired in any one game compared against all other players continent-wide (234^th out of 2,267 players, for example).

So, give it a try! We use TCG hands every week except for those weeks when we play District 25 STaC events.

Construction detours are going to be the norm in Holden for the foreseeable future. Shrewsbury Street is in the process of a complete reconstruction  including a roundabout at Doyle Road (continuation of Worcester's West Mountain Street), with a total project length of perhaps 18 months. In addition, re-paving work on Main Street  (Route 122-A) has begun and will continue throughout summer. Both of these may lead to extensive delays and detours with which some of you from other towns may be unfamiliar.

In order to avoid all of these areas completely if you desire to do so, those of you coming from Worcester, Auburn, Shrewsbury, and points East may wish to consider taking Route I-190 N to Sterling (Route 140), and then coming into Holden along Route 31. Here are the complete directions from I-190 N:

From Worcester and I-290 @ I-190: Take I-190 N toward Holden, Fitchburg. In 8.9 miles take Exit 9. Turn left at end of ramp onto Route 140 toward Princeton. In 0.3 miles at traffic light (Sterling Greenery), turn left onto Raymond Huntington Hwy. In 1.7 miles (end of road), turn right onto Laurel Street. In 2.0 miles (end of road), turn left onto Wachusett Street (Route 31 which becomes Highland Street closer to Holden Center). In 1.9 miles, turn left onto Bascom Parkway and Senior Center parking lot.

Alas, for those of us actually in Holden, or in Worcester's West Side, there are few alternatives. I will delay games until 12:05 if you text me about any problems at (774) 364-2274. But I cannot delay games beyond 12:10 for any reason due to Senior Center closing time.

Happy motoring!

CMBA GAMES

MONDAY 12:00 PM
WACHUSETT BRIDGE CLUB
(Non-LM)

Holden Senior Center
1130 Main Street
Holden
Al Berg: 7ntbridge@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY 12:30 PM
GARDNER BRIDGE CLUB
(@ WESTMINSTER)
Westminster Senior Center
69 West Main Street
Westminster
Shirley Wagner: swagner1942@gmail.com

THURSDAY 9:00 AM
GRAFTON BRIDGE CLUB
Grafton Senior Center
30 Providence Road Route 122
Grafton
Denise Bahosh: dbahosh@yahoo.com

FRIDAY 12:45 PM
WORCESTER BRIDGE CLUB
(@ AUBURN)
Auburn Senior Center
4 Goddard Drive
Auburn
Denise Bahosh: dbahosh@yahoo.com
 

MONTHLY w/ DATE TBA
CMBA UNIT GAME
(@ STERLING OR TBA)
Sterling Senior Center
36 Muddy Pond Road
Sterling
Check CMBA Website