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JUNE — Something Different
Are you tired of the same old same old when it comes to vacation trips? First, you’re going to have to “earn” your vacation by improving your bridge (which we’ll get to in just a minute), but first, we’ve got some suggestions to enhance your summer vacation experience.
For fans of Dr. Seuss (and who isn’t?), we’ve got two suggestions. First, in Willow Alaska the Dr. Seuss House, a 12-story rickety, skinny, tall, house. It’s 12 rooms piled on top of each other, and its owners claim they legitimately CAN see Russia from the top. There’s also the Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA. Two floors of sheer joy.
Do you like odd-shaped buildings? Well, how about these. In Cottonwood ID, you can stay in the Dog Bark Park Inn, a two-story B&B, in the shape of a giant beagle. Want something with a little more “teeth” to it? In Cabazon CA, there’s a 60’ tall T-Rex, with a staircase running from the tip of the tail to the viewing room behind the teeth. Be careful in that one! And in Hallam PA is a two-story, two-bedroom cottage built in the shape of a boot. The kitchen is in the toe.
For those a little more spiritually-inclined, travel to Eureka Springs AR to see the Thorncrown Chapel. It’s eerily beautiful, appearing to be abandoned and reclaimed by nature, but it’s actually enclosed in glass.
But folks, before we set off on our adventure, we have bridge adventures to enjoy and benefit from.
DAVID BIRD gets us on the road to success with some very pointed lessons: Pounce on declarer’s mistakes. Anticipate declarer action by looking at the dummy. Kill the dummy! And if you see a clear path to success for the declarer, attack from another direction. DAVID’S theme is foreseeing the declarer’s line of play.
BEN NORTON tackles a subject we certainly shouldn’t leave home without, and that’s discards. We all have struggled with this. What to hold, what to toss. BEN will show us examples of deception, various signals and positive or negative signals. We’ll all feel a good bit more “roadworthy” after playing these hands.
PAUL BOWYER tells us his series of eight deals is about reading the cards and finding entries in Pard’s hand. Read the lie of the critical suit. Should we shift or continue the suit? He reminds us to trust Pard, communicate clearly and make his life easier. Sounds like the basis for a great journey through our bridge adventure.
MATTHIAS HUBERSCHWILLER has two quizzes for us. One is on leading from a strong hand, the other is Part 2 of his series on Sacrifice Contracts (a subject we should be paying more attention to, for darn sure).
Finally, I’ve got two hands for you, both about Suit Preference Signals. If we use them right, they are like magic, enabling Pard to find the right road every time (well, almost).
So pack those bags, and enjoy this month of adventures.
Don't forget: if you like Marti's style, have a go with her Bridge Boot Camps. Click here to ask Marti about the schedule...
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