bridge

Summer NABC

The American Contract Bridge League’s 11- day Summer Championships kicks off in Atlanta on Thursday, July 26. The ACBL and I cordially invite my readers to attend. The ACBL promotes all types of bridge and sponsors hundreds of tournaments yearly as well as local club games. If you think tournaments are for experts, you’ve never experienced an NABC. There will be events and activities for players at all levels, including a program for beginners/ intermediates with free expert lectures. ( I will deliver one.) ACBL membership is required to play, but a 30- day trial is available for a few dollars. That also gets you two issues of the league’s excellent monthly magazine, to which I have contributed since 1981. Tournament play improves your game and measures your progress. Doing well is exhilarating, but you need to know your stuff. Say you play at today’s 3NT, and West leads a low spade. You must preserve an entry to dummy’s clubs. Play low from dummy and, no matter what East does, take the ace. Lead the queen of clubs to the ace and continue with the jack. East wins and returns a heart, and you take the ace and lead a spade to the queen. If East wins and leads another heart, you win and reach dummy with the jack of spades to run the clubs. You fail if you play dummy’s queen on the first spade; East would duck effectively. For more about the Atlanta NABC, other tournaments and clubs in your area, see acbl. org. If you’re new to tournament play, start by visiting your local club. You will be welcomed.