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Susan Humphries.

Learning Bridge in Lockdown!

Susan Humphries loves bridge. She showed her great enthusiasm for the game during her time in New Zealand, in particular with her support for Youth Bridge. She now lives in Sydney and has made the Australian Women’s team (for what will now be Olympiad in 2021) and is just as enthusiastic as ever to encourage and teach anyone who wants to learn the game.

She cannot do so at present “face to face”. Do you think that will stop her? No way. She sent me this lovely story of recent on-line teaching. Enjoy.

“While in lockdown I am taking the opportunity to teach bridge to a couple of family groups using the NZ Bridge Beginner Lesson Structure, Bridge Base Online (BBO) and Zoom so we can chat about what we should do as we go. It’s very relaxed and lots of undos are allowed.

My cousin (Charlotte Armstrong) and her daughter (Minnie Armstrong, aged 10) were keen to learn having heard me talk about the game for years! (Persistence pays off! ) I soon found out that Claire Smith (9-year-old daughter of Scott and Debs Smith) was also keen to learn. My mum (Barbara Humphries) made up the fourth, using this opportunity to refresh her love of the game.

Today’s lesson was number 7 on the topic of Overcalls. For the past six lessons it had just been one side having the conversation and the other side passing throughout. But as we all know, that hardly ever happens at the bridge table. Today’s lesson was our first example of the contested auction.

 

 

The bidding was livelier at our table on this hand than the recommend auction and I agreed with most of it. It started off well when South (Barbara) opened 1 and West (Minnie) jumped in with 1.

North (Claire) knew when she had a good hand and jumped to 3, a bit light on points but very reasonable with great support, shape and a very nice side suit. East (Charlotte) considered passing but then thought, ‘why not tell partner about all of these spades?’ So, she bid 3. Back to South (Barbara) who bid 4. That should have ended the auction but Minnie was not to be shut out and bid 4.

Can you think back to the first time you saw a double and then a redouble at the bridge table? I can remember my first experience… “what on earth is that?”.

Minnie Armstrong had the same reaction when South (Barbara) doubled her in 4. There was a brief discussion on what the double meant for the Armstrongs who had never seen them before (Lesson 8 is on takeout doubles – not up to there yet!). Claire knew about the double having heard bridge talk all her life around home.

After finding out what the double meant (‘I don’t think you can make your contract’), Minnie pretty instantaneously bid “Redouble” (the beauty of BBO, at the club she wouldn’t have even known that was an option yet!). I couldn’t control my shock and there was a loud outburst of amazement from all over the Zoom call. Now I had to calm the troops: “Minnie, Minnie, calm down… time to concentrate!” was what I was saying (shouting) over the Zoom call.

Eventually we all settled down and Claire led her top diamond and continued with another diamond before switching to hearts. Barbara was in with the K and seeing no future in the red suits (dummy will ruff) switched to the 7.

Minnie played the ace, but I said ‘time for an undo’! My mum (the most competitive person I know) said “NO!” Through all the commotion on the call, I said “Barbara Humphries! You have to let her have an undo!”.

Once it was explained to Minnie that the only hope for her contract was if South held both the KJ, Minnie played low from her hand and won the  8 in dummy. Next, she drew trumps and ruffed a heart back to dummy. Now that she was in the right hand, she finessed the K and ruffed the last diamond to make her contract of 4 redoubled.

There was uproar when the score appeared for making 10 tricks: +1080! If that doesn’t hook these girls to the game, I don’t know what will.

Here’s the recommended bidding from the Beginner’s Lessons, somewhat tamer than our sequence:

 

 Beginners' Notes

N/S bid to their 4 game.
West leads K.

Replay the board in 4 by West to illustrate the power of big fits with few high-card points.
North leads K, top of a sequence, or 6, partner's suit.

 

If anyone else wishes to use the opportunity of lockdown to teach their friends and family, please get in contact with me. I’m happy to share some tips and tricks. A big thank you to the NZ Bridge team who have made all the lessons so easily available online with a video of each lesson, PowerPoint slideshow, hands, quiz and student notes."

Thanks, Susan, we have already signed Minnie up for the New Zealand Youth Team sometime in the next 10 years, Claire as well. I know that the Smith family are very lucky in that they can have a “live four” in their own home bubble, Scott, Debs and their two children.

If you need confirmation of the two questions, we posed yesterday, I am sure our Open players will be bidding 4 as East over 3 while a beginner could have the power of shape explained to them and could daringly bid 3.

What a great hand to discover the blue card even though an inspired North could follow up with 5, at worst one down and making unless East overtakes the K opening lead and switches to a club.

That is all for another lesson. The joy of the game. What a great way to enthuse our young players.

If you want to ask Susan about her teaching, you can contact her on skiingsusie@hotmail.com  or else just take a look at the teaching material available on the " Learn Bridge" section of this website.

A declarer problem for tomorrow: 

 

North judged just to bid straight to game, no 4 splinter…not that you South would have gone higher than 4 anyway.

West leads the K and it is over to you to play. East follows suit with the J, reverse count.

Richard Solomon

 

 

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