Only for the Strong!
As I write this, we are in the throes of an ice storm, and Spring seems far away. BUT!! February, while certainly not for the faint of heart, does offer some sources of amusement – and not just at the card table.
For example: Remember Dick Tracy, hero of comics, radio and movies? He first appeared October 4, 1931. It took him 18 years, until Christmas of 1949, to marry the love of his life, Tess Truehart. BUT!! Did you know that on Valentine’s Day, 1994, after 49 years of marriage, Tess served him with divorce papers? How about that!! Now, just for fun, do the math. If Dick was 25 when we first met him, he was 92 when Tess dumped him, and he was still on the police force!!
Next. This month in 1935 the earth shifted in its orbit when the first beer in cans hit the market. The Krueger Brewing Company (are they still around?) introduced the product, and boy was it ever a hit. Remember when pop tops for the cans came first came out? Another revolution. We didn’t have to make sure we had a “church key” with us at all times.
And finally, in February of 1898, the first auto insurance policy was written by Traveler’s Insurance Company. What a novelty! And now we can’t go a half hour of TV without being bombarded by ads.
As annoying as those ads are, they do remind us how important it is to be protected against potential disaster. And in our bridge lives, we are often protected from disaster by placing the contract in the right spot. But what about defense?
Sadly, we can’t buy policies to protect us from playing defense poorly. AND!! That’s where we at Vu-Bridge come in. This edition, we’ve got many hands with excellent advice to protect your game.
Let’s start with DAVID BIRD! He has two hands on Uppercuts, one of the neatest techniques for defense. He makes it very clear, and you’re gonna love it. Then two hands on attitude, stressing the importance of the negative discard. Finally, he tackles that burning question, “Which suit should I guard when I discard?”
BEN NORTON comes to our rescue next. We all know that as declarers, keeping track of entries and using them to best effect is one of our biggest challenges. It is even harder when we are on defense. Ben’s got six hands for us, all on managing our entries as defenders. It’s a partnership skill, so be sure to share these hands with your Pard (even better, buy him a subscription!).
PAUL BOWYER has eight hands for us, all about trump promotion. His goal is to enable us to garner extra tricks in the trump suit, and time our defensive tricks to full advantage. As we read his commentary, imagine a sophisticated British accent—makes it seem like he’s in the room with us.
I’ve got two warm-up hands, both on attitude. We are going to play the same hand twice, once as the signal giver, and once as the signal receiver.
And to wrap up our Insurance Policy, MATTHIAS HUBERSCHWILLER has two quizzes, both on choosing the best lead against Slam contracts.
When we’ve finished this edition, not only will we have escaped the February Drearies for a while, but we will be insured against bad defense… or at least a lot more than when we started.
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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