Leader takes narrow edge in ‘Player of the Year’ contest
The YWCA duplicate’s annual “Player of the Year” contest moved into the final two months of play this week with Leia Berla continuing to pace a field of 59 players who have participated in at least 12 games since the first of the year.
After play in October, Berla’s average percentage score stood at 60 percent for 27 games. Last year’s champion, Terry Lubman, was less than half a percentage point behind in second place at 59.7 percent for 21 games. Jerry Jacobs (13 games) and Mary Scarfi (33) were tied for third at 58.1 percent, and Sharon Santow was fifth with 57.9 percent for 23 games.
Rounding out the Top 10 in the contest, for which anyone who plays in at least 15 games during the year automatically becomes eligible, were: sixth, Carole Hue, 57.9 percent; seventh, Eleanor Gimon, 56.9 percent; eighth, Lois Spagna, 56.8 percent; ninth, Susan Vock, 56.4 percent; and 10th, Renate Fremuth, 56.1 percent.
Today’s quiz: We continue this week with another quiz designed to help you picture your partner’s hand. 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 (you are not given your own hand). Applying the principle of standard bidding, which of the three hands do you think partner has?
The bidding: You-1C; Partner-1S; You-2C; Partner-2D. Partner could have:
a) S AK93 H 653 D KJ84 C 102
b) S Q10653 H 64 D AKQ6 C 52
c) S K8754 H 62 D A843 C76
Answer: When holding two or more four cards suits opposite an opening bid, the proper initial action is to respond in the cheapest suit first (known as bidding up the line); therefore, partner cannot have hand a), with which the correct response to one club would be one diamond. Hand c) is also not possible, since with only seven points partner would pass in the interests of safety after hearing you announce a balanced hand of minimum opening strength with a long club suit.
With hand b), though, partner would be correct in bidding spades first, and also in bidding again over two clubs, since it is still possible that the combined hands could the 26 points necessary for game.
The week’s duplicate results:
Greenwich YWCA weekly open duplicate: North-South, 1. Natalie Cohen-Sharon Santow, 2. Renate Fremuth Carole Hue, 3. Ida Gianukakis Barbara Harper, 4. Grant Perkins-Bruno Schrage, 5. Carol Cram-Bev Hartley; East-West, 1. Terry Lubman-Jay Force, 2. Sonia Kingshott-Leslie Petrick, 3. Judy Crystal-Lucy Rosen, 4. Mary Scarfi-Lois Spagna, 5. Dave Babson Dorothea Bellafiore.
Central Greenwich Bridge Club weekly duplicate, 11/2: North-South, 1. James Chung-Joe Roe, 2. Dave Babson-Dorothea Bellafiore, 3. Marilyn Gordon-Regina Pitaro; East-West, 1. Gail Gallagher-Pam Kelly, 2. Bob Driessen-Dean Goss, 3. Katarina Ladd-Margaret Miao.