Local pairs post good outings in in-person play

Slowly but surely, attendance at face-to-face duplicate games in our area has been increasing. Within the past week, the Harte’s Club in White Plains, N.Y., held three consecutive five-table games.

The Bridge Deck, also in White Plains, has reached as many as 10 tables at several sessions of inperson play.

At the five-table games held last week at the Harte’s Club, six players from Greenwich — Cyndy Anderson-Patty Read, Joyce and Dick Grieb, and Betty Cutting-Katherine Payne — attended at least one session.

And all three pairs finished among the leaders in the overall rankings.

One of the factors contributing to the increased attendance may be the COVID-19 vaccination booster shots that have become available for older players during the past few weeks.

Unfortunately, the Seven Notrump Club in Stamford, which has been operating an afternoon game every Tuesday, has not experienced an increase in growth, drawing only two to four tables to its weekly sessions.

Today’s quiz: Here is another in the current series of quizzes on interpreting partner’s bids.

In the following problem, you are given an auction accompanied by three hands your partner might hold, but only one of which actually fits the bidding shown.

Applying the principles of standard bidding, which of the three hands do you think partner has?

The bidding: You-1D; Partner-1S; You-2C; Partner-2S. Partner could hold:

a) S KQ9753 H 872 D 84 C J5

b) S AQJ843 H K5 D 92 C J73

c) S AKJ43 H 987 D 865 C 95

Answer: Partner’s simple repeat of his own suit without skipping a level in the bidding indicates disinterest in game and asks you to pass unless you hold substantially more than a minimum opening bid.

The two-spade rebid, in other words, shows a weak hand of 6 to 10 points with a long suit (nearly always six or more cards), and of the choices given, the only hand that matches this description is hand a).

With b), partner would make an invitational jump to three spades, showing 11 or 12 points and a strong six-card or longer suit.

And with hand c), partner would bid two diamonds, indicating a weak hand that prefers diamonds to clubs and suggesting that you pass unless you hold significant extra values.