Editorial by Marti Ronemus
O Joy! Back-to-School!
Oh, the glorious sight of those yellow school busses. No more kids splashing in the pool. No more dragging teenagers out of bed at noon and sending them outside. No more hoards of starving kids cleaning out the refrigerator and cabinets. No more cries of “We’re bored!” And the grandkids—we love ‘em to bits, but a few weeks with them and we are reminded of why God gives kids to young, strong people. How we have yearned for the return of household peace and quiet and now we’ve got it. Yes, we may be dropping to our knees giving thanks, but admit it… it’s going to be a little lonely without them.
It’s time for US to go back to school also, and what better way to celebrate our survival of summer than a bunch of slam hands.
Matthias Huberschwiller has been working overtime for us and has produced some exceptionally instructive and exciting hands. The first set is on suit combinations, how to play suits with missing honors. Matthias has answers to some of life’s persistent burning questions like:
When should we play for the drop rather than finesse? What about protection against bad splits? What should we be thinking when it looks too easy? With a 10-card trump fit, how should we plan? What the heck is the Principle of Restricted Choice?
Matthias’ second set is about discarding losers. He reminds us there are two main ways to eliminate losers, ruffing or discarding (in Marti-speak, trumping or dumping). His six hands show the tricks of the trade (forgive the pun) in both techniques, how to choose the perfect technique and how to execute.
He also has two excellent quizzes, one on a bidding technique, Splinters (which may be new to less experienced players) and the other one bidding one hand from the beginning to the end.
I’ve got six hands for you, too, on six different subjects. 1) Choosing options on the best line of play. 2) How to count distribution to make the slam. 3) The care and feeding of Long Suits. 4) How to strip without getting arrested. 5) Disaster-proofing your hand and 6) All about ducks.
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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