Wash Your Hands.

Memphis MOJO  http://pokerandbridge.blogspot.com/search/label/bridge reported that Curtis Cheek was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus-Swine flu while playing the Transnational Teams, in Sao Paulo. It is very scary personally, because I was standing next to Joe and Curtis after the matches. I am glad to hear Curtis is on his way to recovery.

Tournament after tournament I see that many bridge players don’t wash their hands after using the washrooms! Germs get passed around and often healthy people get sick by the end of the tournament. Washing hands with soap and water is the best defense against spreading germs.

Just an idea-Now that ACBL uses cameras to record play, I suggest, it is time they use cameras in washrooms to record the guilty parties. Call them up for sanitation hearings. If found guilty, make them take a shower.

Back in Sao Paulo, we were talking about this hand, while Curtis was healthy.

Match 14. Board 20. Dealer West. All Vulnerable.

As East You hold,

♠ A6 ♥ AQJ105 ♦ Void ♣ K109864

Your partner-West bid 1♠ North jumped to 5♦  What is your bid?

At Joe Grue (North) and Curtis Cheek’s (South) table-Open room, their opponents holding the East hand doubled, all passed. Defeated five diamonds doubled, one trick for plus 100.

In the close room, their partners got to six spades, down one to lose 200. Curtis’s team lost a total of 7 imps on this board.

These were the hands.

 

Dealer: West Vul: All		North
		♠	103
		♥	74
		♦	AKJ876542
		♣
West Maurice				East Michael
♠	QJ9872			♠	A6
♥	K8			♥	AQJ105
♦	103			♦
♣	AQJ			♣	K109864
		South
		♠	K54
		♥	9632
		♦	Q9
		♣	7532

 

 

West	North	East	South
1♠	5♦	6♦	Pass
6♠	Pass	Pass	Pass

 

 

In our match, the auction was the same in both rooms. I had the East hand. I bid six diamond over five diamond. Maurice bid six spade. Both tables went down one for a push.  

In six spade, the best shot for declarer is ruff the first diamond. Heart to the eight for another diamond ruff with the spade ace. Now heart to the king, draw trump with the spade queen. However South can win this and give North, either a club ruff or a heart ruff-a trump promotion with the spade ten! 

Afterwards I thought five no trump was the right bid with my hand. Even though we had no partnership agreement as to what 5NT means. After the opponents preempted, It should be two places to play or pick a slam, rather then Grand Slam Force. That would workout well for this hand, as you can see, both 6♣  and 6♥ are cold, if declared by West.