(Pickup

ABTA top of page

QUARTERLY PAGE 1 Fall 2011
from Pg. 1, 28209,
last issue, EDIT &
change 2nd color
to PMS 279 Blue)

Q
THE AMERICAN

Q
THE
BRIDGE AMERICAN
TEACHERS’
BRIDGE TEACHERS’
REPORT NO. ASSOCIATION
REPORT NO.
202 202 ASSOCIATION
194
Winter
Winter
2012Winter
2012
2010
UART E RLY
UARTERLY
MAMAGAZINE
G AZ IN E
MAGAZINE

Why Are These People Smiling?

(See Page 20.)

(Keep
This
Space
Open
For Patrick O’Connor Larry Cohen Patty Tucker

Label)
In This Issue —
More Applebasket Entries
Book and Software Reviews
Use Your GPS When Preempting
Show and Tell vs. Ask and Listen
How to Run a Successful
Group Mentoring Program
ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 2 Spring 2011 AB
A NOTEBETTER
NEW FROM FROM AUDREYBRIDGE
B
Presenting Two-Over-One Game Force in a manner that informs and excites our

A
studentsudrey’s
is important. Many
latest bookcomelooks
to this at
course because they
defending think they
against have to;
notrump
everyone seems to be playing this new system, and they feel they might be left
behind. contracts with
Since they think it’s aa large
focus on the
revision opening
to what leadplaying,
they’ve been and how there
is it impacts subsequent
apprehension that there will bedefense. Sixteen
a lot to digest. practice
As teachers, deals
we have are
to focus
onuseful
general for
concepts,
teachingand deliver
defense material
to that
your hasadvancing
the potential to empowerAd-
players. and
amuse players the next time they play bridge. This book
ditional deals illustrate the various points. Handy fold-out will bring you just that!
flaps summarize the oldest maxim and five exceptions,
standard signals and tips on defense.
(Pickup page 2 from 27266 [last is-
sue] and change 2nd color to PMS E
th
355 Green)
P

Page 2
Baron Barclay
Ad

For Teachers’ Manual:

kathy@betterbridge.com W

A
lik
D
J
v
B
th
ToTo orderbooks
order bookscontact
contactBaron
Baron Barclay
Barclay:
1-800-274-2221
1-800-274-2221
www.baronbarclay.com
www.baronbarclay.com
11 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 3 Spring 2011
Fall 2011
A MAGAZINE OF VALUE TO BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
BIDDING: Dealer: West Pass
Vul: Both N
Pass W E Pass
S

?
♥AKJ4
♠—
♦AJ84
♣AKQ75
1. What’s your call?
(Pickup page 3 from 27266
27841 [last is-
2. What would your students call?
3. What would Andrew Robson do with this hand?
sue] and change 2nd color to PMS
Every issue of AUDREY GRANT’S BETTER BRIDGE MAGAZINE brings the opinions of
355
321Green)
Blue)
the experts for teachers to share with their students.
PLAY: As South, you’re the declarer after this auction:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
1NT
Pass Page 3
2♣ Pass 2♠
Pass 4♠ All Pass
Baron Barclay
♠ K 10 9 7
♥K43
Ad ♦73
♣KQJ7
Lead: ♥2 ♥J
♠AJ86
♥Q65
♦AJ8
♣A94
West leads the ♥2, you play low from dummy, and East plays the ♥J.
1. Which player holds the ♥A?
2. How do you plan to avoid losing two heart tricks?
3. Which defender is dangerous?
4. How do you plan to handle the trump suit?
AUDREY GRANT’S BETTER BRIDGE MAGAZINE guides you through the play in deals
like this in the regular Playing Detective feature.
DEFENSE: Is it better to lead away from a king, a queen, or a jack?
Jerry Helms discusses the advantages and disadvantages of leading away from
various honors in his regular article in the B ETTER B RIDGE MAGAZINE.
BIDDING, PLAY, DEFENSE…a well-balanced diet of tips ready for your students in
the Better Bridge Magazine. It’s worth its weight in gold…and it’s only $29 a year!
To order magazines contact Baron Barclay:
1-800-274-2221
www.baronbarclay.com
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 4 Fall 2011

The American Bridge Teachers’

Association Quarterly Magazine
The American Bridge Teachers’ Association Quarterly Magazine (ISSN 0891-6462) is
published quarterly by The American Bridge Teachers’ Association. Office is P.O. Box
232, Greenwood, MO 64034-0232. Annual subscription of $30 is included in $35 annual
membership dues paid to The American Bridge Teachers’ Association. Periodical postage
is paid at Kansas City, MO and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the American Bridge Teachers’ Association
Quarterly Magazine, P.O. Box 232, Greenwood, MO 64034-0232.

ABTA OFFICERS & REGIONAL DIRECTORS

Officers
President New England South Pacific
BRENDA SIMPSON CT ME MA NH RI VT AZ CA HI NV NM UT
11725 East Glenview Circle BRENDA MONTAGUE MARY ANGELA JOSEPH
Spokane, WA 99206-5716 14 Capstan Way 77440 Calle Ensenada
bsbridge@aol.com Swampscott, MA 01907-1231 La Quinta, CA 92253
bestbridgeteacher@yahoo.com bridgemary@aol.com
Vice President
CHUCK HODEL North Pacific South Central
1901 Dayton Road, Apt. 120 AK CO ID MT OR WA AL LA MS TN
Chico, CA 95928-6955 DEE BERRY REBA JERNIGAN
cchodel@sbcglobal.net 7211 Harrow Place 3107 Colyar Drive
Arlington, WA 98223 Chattanooga, TN 37404
Recording Secretary deeandduane.berry@comcast.net rejern@aol.com
GLENNA SHANNAHAN
3026 Woods Edge Way South Atlantic Southwest
Fitchburg, WI 53711 FL GA NC SC Caribbean AR MO OK TX
gkshannahan@gmail.com LINDA GREEN SANDY STEVENS
40 Bosun Way 22111 Crossbrook Drive
Special Officer Delray Beach, FL 33483 Katy, TX 77450-8637
Business Secretary/Treasurer irwinlinda@bellsouth.net dabbler885@aol.com
KATHY ROLFE
P.O. Box 232 North Atlantic West Canada
Greenwood, MO 64034-0232 DE DC MD NJ NY PA VA AB BC SK
krolfe5@comcast.net TERRY JONES DELMA MURRAY
5977 Jan Mar Drive 1297 Ocean View Road
Regional Directors Falls Church, VA 22041-2414 Victoria, BC V8P 1J6 Canada
East Canada terry@fallschurchbridgeclub.com delmabridge@live.ca
MB ON PQ NB NL NS PEI
KATHIE MACNAB North Central Midwest
5 Wren Street IL IN KY MI OH WV WI IA KS MN NE ND SD WY
Halifax, NS B3M 2R1 Canada MARSHA REALL TED APPLEGATE
kmacnab@eastlink.ca 4642 NW Professional Plaza 309 West 21st Street
Columbus, OH 43220 Hays, KS 67601
mdreall@columbus.rr.com frapple@ruraltel.net

28541_ABTAx.indd 4 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 5 Fall 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
President’s Message Simpson 6
New Members Rolfe 7
Software Review Simpson 12
Book Reviews Berry 14
More 2011 Applebasket Entries Montague 18
Who is the Captain? Griffin 18
Four-Card Support Grisham 18
Emailing Your Students Walsh 18
Use Dealing Machines Dewell 19
2012 ABTA Book and Software Awards Sparrow 20
ABTA Online Activities Sparrow 21
How to Run a Successful
Group Mentoring Program Whiteneck 22
Show and Tell vs. Ask and Listen Geden 26
Use Your GPS When Preempting Shafer 30

ADVERTISERS EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Baron Barclay 2&3 RALPH “CHARLIE” WILLIAMS
e-Bridge Workshops 25 331 Market Street East #154
Great Game Products 10 & 11 Gaithersburg, MD 20878-6410
Master Point Press 31 & 32 slamhand@verizon.net

1RWH WR DGYHUWLVHUV FROXPQLVWV DQG UHJXODU FRQWULEXWRUV

Please send your submissions to Charlie Williams or Leslie Shafer.
Their email is slamhand@verizon.net or they can be reached by
telephone at 301-977-0314. Their mailing address is 331 Market
Street East #154, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-6410.

FUTURE ABTA QUARTERLY PUBLICATION DEADLINES

Spring: April 15, 2012 Summer: July 15, 2012
Fall: October 15, 2012 Winter: January 15, 2013

ABTA’s motto is to help those who teach bridge to do it better -

more effectively - more knowledgeably - more professionally.

28541_ABTAx.indd 5 3/16/12 3:30 PM

ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 6 Fall 2011 AB

When Memphis has been com-

pleted, we can all take a breather as
we’ll have 16 month to get ready for
Atlanta on July 30-Aug 2. I’m hop-
ing I’ll be able to still use the talents
of Sandy Stevens and Nancy Abbott
to keep the quality of our annual con-
ference superior.

Spread the Word!!

President’s Message Recruitment of new members
Brenda Simpson
should be a priority for everyone
This has been an interesting year in our organization.
as it’s only been eight months since
our last convention (or conference as You can download a member-
some prefer). Almost ship form for your friends from
all the committee chair- our website. There is a supply of
men remained in their back issues of the Quarterly avail-
positions, which made able if you are planning a teacher’s
the transition as new workshop in your area.
president much easier. Make it your goal to
Kathy Rolfe has been keeping us recruit at least one new
in good financial shape. Joyce Penn member this year!
has our By-Laws up to date. Our con-
ference in Memphis should be one of
our best with the excellent program- Address Changes
ming by Dee Berry. Kudos to you James K. Awalt
three. 70 Almazon Way
Chuck Hodel has been doing an Hot Springs, AR 71909
excellent job of helping ABTA to jkawalt@juno.com
spread the word at California Region- Roy Green
als of our organization. Another part 1009 Holly Road
of his job is communicating with all Santa Paula, CA 93060
the Regional Directors. royggreen@comcast.net
They in turn have con-
tacted those who are be- Gloria Halstead
hind in their dues. This 204 West Parris Avenue
personal touch must High Point, NC 27262
make a difference as we gihalstead@comcast.net
have many renewals.
 ABTA QUARTERLY
New Members
Kathryn Altman
758 Arcadian Way
Charleston, SC 29407-7178
kittyaltman@yahoo.com
Cheryl Backstrom
811 South Main Street
Orrville, OH 44667-2207
Sandra S. Baker
3263 Sunset Boulevard
Seaside, OR 97138-5042
bakerss@q.com
Carol Cue Beese
1050 East Hillside Road
Naperville, IL 60540
carolloucue@yahoo.com
Carol Bertz
36 Glenmoor Drive
Englewood, CO 80113
cbertz@mindspring.com
Les Braswell
770 Woodland Terrace
Greenwood, AR 72936
Patricia A. Braun
212 South Dunton
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
pabraun@ameritech.net
Linda G. Brown
Weaverville, NC 28787
Becky L. Cooper
5714 N Street Highway H
Springfield, MO 65805
beckyleecooper@gmail.com
Ronald W. Cooper
5714 N Street Highway H
Springfield, MO 65805
beckyleecooper@gmail.com
28541_ABTAx.indd 7
PAGE 7 Fall 2011
Doyle Crook
7418 East Canyon Lane
Spokane, WA 99212-7301
doylecrook@msn.com
Jim Dime
7708 South 25th
Ft. Smith, AR 72908
Joyce Easson
2916 East Clovis Circle
Springfield, MO 65804-4124
joeasson@gmail.com
Deborah Fabian
23 Camelot Road
Sparta, NJ 07871-3847
debi@fabianbridge.com
Linda C. Freese
4512 Elmwood Parkway
Metairie, LA 7003-2831
lcfreese@yahoo.com
Marie Giesler
911-2C Rue Principale
Cowansville, QC J2K 1J8
Canada
Robert Gish
11557 #G Lower Azusa Road
El Monte, CA 91732
Verna Goldberg
4114 Hillbrook Drive
Louisville, KY 40220-1117
docgold@insightbb.com
Bobbie Gomer
1001 Easton Road #716
Willow Grove, PA 19090-2059
bgom11@aol.com
(Continued on page 8)
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 8 Fall 2011

(Continued from page 7) Grace Martin

Colin Gordon 2695 Chaucer Street
1530 Camden Avenue, Apt. 301 Sparks, NV 89436-6451
Los Angeles, CA 90025-8011 gs.martin@att.net
niloc92@gmail.com

Welcome!
Sherry McCardle
Ann Marie Gramson 280 West Como Avenue
15 NW 17th Place Columbus, OH 43202-1045
Warrenton, OR 97146 sherrym1@sbcglobal.net
gilandanngramson@charter.net
Leah J. McKechnie
Great Game Products 4406 San Juan
7825 Tuckerman Lane, Suite 206 Medford, OR 97504
Potomac, MD 20854-3241 leahmckechnie@msn.com
sales@bridgebaron.com
Robert Morris
Marietta Huggard PO Box 66707
7461 W. Country Club Dr. N, #107 Houston, TX 77266-6707
Sarasota, FL 34243 bobat3333@yahoo.com
grannyhugs@gmail.com
Janey Musgrove
Brenda Hussey 1163 Gracie Court
7 Summit Drive Greenwood, AR 72936
Hingham, MA 02043
Paul L. O’Brien
husseybren@aol.com
1240 SW Gardinell Drive
Judith Jacobson Portland, OR 97201
51 Rolling Ridge Road pluddite@macnexus.org
Fairfield, CT 06824-2253
Judy C. Randel
b2h@aol.com
1607 Quailwood Drive NE
Dorothy Johnson Albuquerque, NM 87122-1158
301 East Partridge Avenue, #D jujuabq@aol.com
Independence, MO 64055
Patty Q. Read
djohnson6854@att.net
65 Gillam
Jennifer L. Jones Reveside, CT 06878
1013 1/2 Spring Street pqrinct@aol.com
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Marilyn M. Richards
jennifer574@aol.com
518 Forest Avenue
Brad Kalweit Wilmette, IL 60091-1924
Olympia, WA 98502 mrichards@ameritech.net

Jane Lockwood Brian Richardson

967 Lytchfield Place 514 Marquette Street
Winston Salem, NC 27104 Pacific Palisades, CA 90272-3314
1foxy_lady@triad.rr.com brian.delia@verizon.net

28541_ABTAx.indd 8 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY
Grant M. Robinson
28 Valencia Road
Orinda, CA 94563-4136
grantmrobinson@gmail.com
Linda Robinson
2891 South Abingdon Street, #A-2
Arlington, VA 22206-1329
robinswr@erols.com
Richard Rothwarf
1801 Buttonwood Street, Apt. 411
Philadelphia, PA 19130-3948
Scott Rye
PO Box 281375
Nashville, TN 37228-8504
tnrxman@aol.com
Nancy Z. Sachs
7508 Muchmore Close
Cincinnati, OH 45243-1766
nancy.sachs@gmail.com
Carol Schroeder
2602 175th Avenue NE
Redmond, WA 98052-6209
modernbridgegame@live.com
Susan Schwartz
28 Eastham
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Vickki Sue Shelley
1730 Garnet Ridge Drive
St. George, UT 84790
gvshelley@sunrivertoday.com
Michael D. Sherman
229 Plantation Drive
Chickamauga, GA 30707-1661
Frank T. Shull
6300 Poe Road
Bethesda, MD 20817-3184
terpfrank@verizon.net
New Members
28541_ABTAx.indd 9
PAGE 9 Fall 2011
Daisy B. Smith
1215 Appleby Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20904-3220
clayvette@aol.com
Isabelle Mary Spencer
20-19 Simmonds Drive
Guelph, ON N1E 0H4 Canada
isabellespencer73@gmail.com
Virginia J. Sturgill
595 Five Lakes Estates
Sagle, ID 83860-5062
ginnerjune@yahoo.com
C. Sharon Thomerson
2146 Smallhouse Road
Bowling Green, KY 42104
thomerson.sharon@gmail.com
Freda Thornbrough
12727 West Dodge Road
Omaha, NE 68154
freda.t@cox.net
Nancy Tiller
3835 West Sexton
Battlefield, MO 65619
nrt46@mchsi.com
Carolyn Titus
79 Latitude Lane
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
titusallen@comcast.net
Connie A. White
2534 East Barataria
Springfield, MO 65804
rnwhite2534@yahoo.com
Margaret (Louise) Wissler-Estep
1703 Sudderth Drive 232
Ruidoso, NM 88345-6114
louiseestep@windstream.net
Reinstated
Mary Poplawski
600 Princeton Drive
Vestal, NY 13850
mpoplawski@stny.rr.com
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 10 Fall 2011

HAVE YOUR LESSONS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS

Visit www.GreatGameProducts.com or www.GGP.com.
(Use
Call these bordersfororordering
800-426-3748 create information.
similar ones,
2nd color is PMS 279 Blue)
Introduction to Bridge - Play & Learn
with Pat Harrington
(Lessons 1-6) / (Lessons 7-13)
(Now available for Macintosh)

Special
Introductory
Page 10 Windows only 2000 / XP / Vista / 7
Mac OS X 10.5 or later
Price

Retail:
Great Games Ad
• Software of the Year: 2009-Lessons 1-6;
2010-Lessons 7-13.
$34.95 • Teaches both bidding, play and is paced
appropriately for beginners.
ABTA Price: • Lessons teach the mechanics, trick taking, and
(2nd color PMS 279 Blue
$17.50 provide the background for bidding.
• Lessons teach opening bids and their responses.
include border)
LEARN AND PRACTICE BIDDING CONVENTIONS

Based on the
WINNER OF THE 2007 ABTA
SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR

Windows 2000 / XP /
Vista / 7
Not available for the Macintosh
Retail:
$29.95 • Help your students learn up to 7 different
conventions.
ABTA Price: • Ideal for students looking to learn a new convention.
$15.00

To Order
Call Cindy: 1-800-426-3748 or Fax Cindy: 301-765-8004
Email: sales@ggp.co or sales@bridgebaron.com

28541_ABTAx.indd 10 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 11 Fall 2011

Learn to Play Bridge

With Audrey Grant
(Use these borders orBridge
createBasics
similar1 ones,
2nd color is PMS 279 Blue)
Available in English only

(Now available for Macintosh)

Retail:
$34.95 Windows Vista / XP / 7
ABTA Price Mac OS X 10.4 or later
$17.50
Page 11
Learn to Play Bridge with Audrey Grant - Bridge Basics 1
Great Games Ad
has a host of features, including these:
• This program is designed for the absolute beginner. The material is
presented in a clear, well-organized format, moving smoothly from
one topic to the next. It's based on the most up-to-date information the
game has to offer.
(2nd color PMS 279 Blue
• A sound track accompanies the lesson material, allowing you to focus
on the hands and the graphics.
include border)

Bridge Baron 22

Bridge Baron is now available for the

iPhone/iPod ($19.99)
Available in English (Windows/Mac),
Français (Windows/Mac), and
Retail: $64.95 Deutsch (Windows/Mac).
ABTA Price: $32.45
Windows Vista / XP / 2000 / 7
Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later

Website: www.GreatGameProducts.com
or
www.ggp.co

28541_ABTAx.indd 11 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 12
Software Review
By Brenda Simpson, Washington
The Real Deal
#1—Intermediate Level &
#2—Advanced Level
By Larry Cohen
Larry has done it again. He won
the 2011 ABTA “Software of the
Year” award for the 2nd consecutive
year. This time in Toronto.
Both discs contain 60 deals. What
makes them valuable are his com-
ments and feedback. Because they are
interactive, they reinforce bridge con-
cepts easier. It feels like Larry is right
over your shoulder guid-
ing you whether you
defend or declare. As
each trick is played, you
will see a new diagram
before your eyes. You can’t get that
in a book. Plus you have an oversized
screen to help your vision.
The deals come from his personal
experience. His hope is that you will
try to “logic out” solutions. He hopes
to teach you how to think even if you
make errors. His word of caution is to
just do a few deals at a time. Other-
wise you might get a headache and
not learn. Try instead to
digest the material in small
bits. Even if you get a prob-
lem wrong—remember the
best way to learn is to make a mis-
take.
Here are some of his deals that I
picked because of their titles.
28541_ABTAx.indd 12
Fall 2011
“Grandma’s Ap-
proach” attracted my
eye. In this deal, north opens 1NT.
South has 5 points and a six-card
diamond suit to the queen. Larry em-
phasizes that you and your partner
have your agreements worked out to
get to a three diamond
contract. There are
five losers and he
helps guide you to a
solution of the best
way to make the contract. It turns out
that you need to ruff out three hearts
with the trump in the “long hand” as
his grandma liked to do. This sets up
an end play and victory!
I was almost afraid to try the ad-
vanced deals as the intermediate
deals were challenging enough. So I
chose “Boring Hand Wanted.” Ha!—
Was I in for a surprise. You are
South and have seven clubs to the Q-
10 and six hearts to the jack. You are
in first seat as South so you decide to
pass and not preempt your partner.
You want to wait and see what tran-
spires. Your partner, of course, opens
1 spade (your void.) You respond
with 1NT semi-forcing and cross
your fingers that your partner
doesn’t pass. Partner now
bids 2 diamonds, your other
void. This is doubled, so you
bid 2 hearts to keep the bidding low.
This is also doubled, so you bid 3
clubs. This is doubled, and partner
passes. The dummy comes down
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 13 Fall 2011

with 5-5 in spades and diamonds and

three little clubs. You are able to
crossruff the hand with some fancy
footwork and win the day!
This is just a sample of the fun
deals that you can get from Larry’s
“Real Deals.” They each sell for
$19.95 and can be purchased at
www.larryco.com
or from Baron Barclay Bridge Sup-
plies at www.baronbarclay.com or
1-800-274-2221.
[See page 20 for Larry’s latest award!]

ABTA Quarterly Submission Requirements

If you would like to submit an article to the Quarterly or send a
letter to the Editor, we have some suggestions for you:
• Please include your name and telephone number, email and snail mail
address (we solicit from ABTA members only);
• Electronic submissions are greatly encouraged (either as files attached to
an email or in the body of the email);
• We are especially looking for articles about how to teach bridge
(methodology, marketing, advertising, humor, etc.);
• See page 5 of this magazine for where to send your submissions.

Do you need an updated 2012 Membership Roster?

Have you recently moved?
Do you know if it’s time to renew your membership?
Please send questions and updates via email to our
Business Secretary:
Kathy Rolfe
P.O. Box 232
Greenwood, MO 64034-0232
Home: 816-237-0519
Email: krolfe5@comcast.net

28541_ABTAx.indd 13 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 14 Fall 2011

Book Reviews
By Dee Berry, Washington

The Rodwell Files and DON’Ts of card

The Secrets of a play should be required
Bridge Champion reading for aspiring students (and their
DO’s and DON’Ts teachers).
By Eric Rodwell
with Mark Horton, © 2011 Rodwellian terms greatly enhance
WOW! This superbly crafted and the readability of this almost 400-page
written book will be a welcome ad- softcover book. Who could resist the
dition to any bridge teacher’s li- “007 Play—License to Kill” or the
brary, not only for terrific example “Days of Thunder Play?” In fact the
hands but also for new phrases for glossary includes dozens of terms
frequently encountered situations. coined by the author as well as more
commonly used phrases such as the
In Rodwell’s introduction he “Deschapelles Coup.”
asks, “Who should read this book?”
and suggests its value to Flight C “This book will change the way you
players (“You can learn more than play bridge” is the phrase highlighted
you imagined was possible”) on the back cover. The author is a
through Flight B players, strong Re- seven time world champion and winner
gional players and “Experts.” of 50 national titles. The book sells for
$27.95US and $27.95CDN and is
The first two chapters of Part 1 available through Master Point Press,
are intended as a refresher on how info@masterpointpress.com
to develop tricks, entries, trump
management, counting, calculating
the odds and the basics of squeezes
and endplays; the second two spot-
light the analytical process and in-
clude a checklist of “defogging”
questions to fall back on if you get
stuck.
The second part of the book in-
cludes advanced card-play maneu-
vers in declarer play and defense.
This is followed by a section of de-
fensive strategies in trump contracts,
including foiling declarer. Counter-
intuitive defense then receives more
than 70 detailed pages. The DO’s

28541_ABTAx.indd 14 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 15 Fall 2011

A First Book of The book retails for $15.95US

Bridge Problems and $15.95CDN and is available
By Patrick O’Connor, © 2011 through Master Point Press at
O’Connor, a Sydney, Australia info@masterpointpress.com
bridge teacher of beginners, has writ-
ten a most delightful book of bridge
problems for students who have com-
pleted an introductory bridge class
and may be playing in supervised ses-
sions or even club duplicate games.
The softcover 120-page book in-
cludes 50 deals presented in approxi-
mate order of difficulty. Each deal has
a single theme, but unlike in a text-
book, where subjects are introduced
systematically, this book will give
you no clue as to what type of play is
required.
Each deal is presented with two of
the four hands shown. There are sev- Who Has the Queen?
eral question points within the prob- The Bridge Player’s Handbook
lem where the reader can attempt a of Card Reading
solution or read further. The full deal By Frank Stewart, © 2011
is shown overleaf with the solution.
This book will be a tremendous
The key point of each problem is
asset for teachers and their students.
spelled out at the end.
Stewart is a widely-acclaimed
There is a brief introductory chap-
writer and syndicated columnist
ter, “Planning the Hand” which em-
whose relaxed style and clear expla-
phasizes the differences between
nations make the book a joy to read.
planning the play in notrump and in
In its slightly more than 200 pages
suit contracts. He emphasizes not be-
the author shows
ing afraid to give up the lead.
teachers and stu-
I found the deals dents the necessary
“just right” for begin- techniques for find-
ners and post-beginners ing that elusive
through intermediates, queen or occasion-
and exceptionally well ally other cards.
presented. Bridge teachers could read-
ily plan a course around this book. (Continued on page 16)

28541_ABTAx.indd 15 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 16 Fall 2011

(Continued from page 15) The book sells for $19.95US and
Mike Lawrence, in his introduc- is available from Baron Barclay
tion to the book, cites a hand where Bridge Supplies at 1-800-274-2221 or
the defender must ask “Why didn’t www.baronbarclay.com
the declarer start to pull trumps at
Trick 2?”
Stewart says, “The game’s appeal
lies in problem solving. During a ses-
sion a player faces hundreds of deci-
sions … many require
reasoning. That is what
a player finds exhilarat-
ing: He has a problem
and figures out the an-
swer.”
The book’s 12 chapters cover vari-
ous types of logical thinking, pre-
sented as problems. Titles include:
“Who Has the Queen?”
“Assumption,” Bridge at the Edge
“Through the Other’s By Boye Brogeland
Eyes,” “Counting as and David Bird, © 2011
Declarer,” “Inferences
Brogeland (Norway) has won both
as Declarer,” “Seeking Information,”
World and European Championships
“Discovery and Anti-discovery,”
and is a regular participant in top
“Counting on Defense,” “How to See
level North American tournaments.
Declarer’s Hand,” “Jack and King-
David Bird (England)
Jack Guesses,” and “The Inferential
is the author of more
Count.” Each chapter includes at least
than 100 books on
a dozen deals and thus could be the
bridge.
basis for as many as 12 weeks of
classes. A page almost always has the While teachers would enjoy the
partial deal at the top with the bidding exploits of this daring young man, the
and opening lead and a brief discus- book would be overwhelming for our
sion and a question as to how to next students, even the very best. They
play. The bottom would however find solace in his
half gives the truthful stories about a
entire deal and slam off the ace and
the analysis of king of trumps, and a
the thought proc- slam that went down
ess. five undoubled.

28541_ABTAx.indd 16 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 17
The book retails for $21.95US
and $21.95CDN and is available
through Master Point Press,
info@masterpointpress.com
Bid to Win-Play for Pleasure
© 1990
Godfrey’s Bridge Challenge
© 1996
Godfrey’s Stairway
to the Stars
© 1998
Godfrey’s Angels
© 2001
By George Rosenkranz
And Philip Alder
This foursome, all by George
Rosenkranz and Philip Alder, are re-
prints of books published years ago.
They spotlight the
Romex bidding sys-
tem and most teachers
will enjoy the books
primarily for the vast
array of fascinating
hands.
28541_ABTAx.indd 17
Fall 2011
The first of the four sells for
$11.95; the other three for $9.95.
They are published by Devyn Press,
Inc., 3600 Chamberlain Lane, Suite
230, Louisville Kentucky.
They are available from Baron
Barclay Bridge Supplies at 1-800-
274-2221 or
www.baronbarclay.com
ABTA web site:
www.abtahome.com
Stay updated by checking
our site regularly. If you would
like your name to be linked to
email on the members page,
please send your permission to
our web master, Luise Lee at:
webmaster@
abtahome.com
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 18 Fall 2011

2011 Applebasket Contest Entries

By Brenda Montague, Massachusetts

Who is the Captain? them, "Before a jump

bid is made to show
By Carol Griffin support in opener's suit, in response
Walnut Creek, California
to an opening bid, the responder must
Bidding is a conversation that de- have at least 4-card support."
scribes the shape and strength of one's
hand. At some time during the con- This reinforces the limit bid, the
versation when one Jacoby 2NT, as well as weak re-
person limits their sponses if they wish to play them.
hand (i.e.: minimum,
medium, maximum) If I am teaching more
the other person be- advanced students who
comes the captain and wish to go ahead and
therefore sets the con- learn Bergen Raises, or
tract or makes forcing Forcing Notrump, this
bids to further extract reinforces those conven-
information to decide the final con- tions as well.
tract. Here are some examples:
1) 1NT/2NT These openings make Emailing Your Students
the Responder
Captain By Kathie Walsh
Hilton Head Island,
2) 1C 1S South Carolina
2NT Responder is Captain
3) 1S 2S/3S Opener is Captain I taught an absolute beginner class
this winter for the first time in years.
4) 1S 1NT Opener is Captain WOW! What an experience. After
5) 1C 1D each class, I sent out an email with a
1H 1S No one is Captain as short quiz on what we had covered in
no one has yet
limited their hand! the lesson, and urged the students to
hit "reply," and put their answers next
to each hand.
Four-Card Support
By Coleen Grisham This turned out to be a huge suc-
Abilene, Texas cess; I usually received responses
from almost all the
I have found that it is important to students in the class,
stress good trump and the feedback from
support before my them was positive. I
students make forc- then would begin the
ing jumps. I tell next lesson by review-

28541_ABTAx.indd 18 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 19
ing the email quiz ques-
tions, printing out my
email for those who did
not print it or did not
bring it with them.
The email looked like this:
DUMMY POINTS—quiz
In today's class we covered
"dummy points," counting 1 point for
doubletons, 3 points for singletons
and 5 points for voids. If partner
opens a major and you have support
for that major, you can add dummy
points to your response points; you
can also add dummy points as opener
if you open a minor suit and partner
bids a major suit, for which you have
support.
Let's try some exercises:
Your partner opens 1H; what is
your response? Remember, I list
spades, first; then hearts; then dia-
monds; then clubs. So hand #1 has
four spades, four hearts, four dia-
monds and one club.
1. K962 / KJ72 / Q982 / 2
2. AQ32 / K973 / K103 / 54
3. 4 / K742 / J976 / 9732
4. KQ85 / KJ62 / void / J9876
You are the dealer with the follow-
ing hands:
1. J962 / 7 / AKQ54 / A72
2. AJ32 / QJ97 / void / AKJ98
3. KJ94 / KQ32 / A97 / 32
a. What is your first rebid after part-
ner says 1S?
b. What is your first rebid after part-
ner says 1H?
28541_ABTAx.indd 19
Fall 2011
Use Dealing Machines
By Wendy Dewell
San Jose, California
Now that we have
access to dealing ma-
chines, you can set up
and store the hands that
you use in classes that
you repeat!
Once entered, it really saves
time—the time to repeat deal, and
the time of the stu-
dents. I can have six
example hands in a
two-hour class (I used
to be able to only do
four).
ABTA members can order a
magnetic name badge with the
ABTA logo in black and red on a
white background by contacting:
John McGillivary
Marsden’s Trophies
4 Alliance Blvd., Unit 6
Barrie, ON L4M 5J1 Canada
Phone: 705-726-1101
Fax: 705-726-1103
Price is approximately $15 US, in-
cluding shipping. Pay by credit card
to avoid currency problems, either
by phone or fax. Fax is preferred to
ensure your name is spelled cor-
rectly. Allow at least 7 days for
processing and 10 days for shipping.
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 20 Fall 2011

2012 ABTA Book and Software Awards

By Maggie Sparrow, Ontario

The 2012 ABTA The ABTA Beginner/Novice

Book and Software Awards Commit- Book of the Year for 2012 is:
tee members were: Maggie Sparrow
(chair); Harriet Buckman; Jerry A First Book of
Helms; Brenda Montague; and Karen Bridge Problems
Walker. The following submissions By Patrick O’Connor
were received for consideration:
(Beginner/Novice Book Category)
A First Book of
Bridge Problems
By Patrick O’Connor

The Game of Bridge

By Gerry Thomas
and Irene Campbell

The Impact of Opening Leads

Against Notrump
By Audrey Grant
(Intermediate/Advanced
Book Category)
Cuebidding 1—Controls
By Patty Tucker
and Melissa Bernhardt
Surviving Duplicate Bridge
By Kathleen Vishner
Who Has the Queen?
By Frank Stewart
The ABTA
Intermediate/Advanced
Book of the Year for 2012 is:
Cuebidding 1—Controls
By Patty Tucker
and Melissa Bernhardt
The ABTA Software
of the Year for 2012 is:
Talking Bridge
By Larry Cohen
(an audio CD

(Software Category)
Shark Bridge
By Great Game Products
(a bridge playing program)

Talking Bridge
By Larry Cohen
(an audio CD)

28541_ABTAx.indd 20 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY
ABTA Online Activities
By Maggie Sparrow, Ontario
Be sure to stay connected
with other teachers through
our online activities.
ABTAhome. Check our website regu-
larly at www.abtahome.com Are you
listed on the teacher page, so that pro-
spective new students may find you?
ABTAdiscuss. Join our email discus-
sion list and send in questions and
comments by email. This is a great
way to discuss bridge teaching with
others. Sometimes the list is very quiet,
other times there is a flurry of activity.
Once you have joined the group you
can read all the past messages, and
we’ve had some interesting discus-
sions. There are also some very useful
things for you to find in the files.
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/
group/ABTAdiscuss
ABTAchat. Come to our once-a-
month chat (usually the fourth Sunday
evening) at Bridge Base Online.
Download the windows based BBO
program ahead of time from
www.bridgebase.com
Topics are pre-set and you will receive
an email reminder a few days in ad-
vance. But don’t be fooled, we get
through a surprising amount in just one
hour, so feel free to jump in if you
have a pressing question. Here’s a list
of the next few months’ Chat dates and
topics:
Sunday, April 22, 2012. Counting the
cards. This is so difficult for students
struggling with bidding and play
guidelines. Counting trump is a first
step but at what point do you introduce
counting the whole hand?
28541_ABTAx.indd 21
PAGE 21 Fall 2011
Sunday, May 27, 2012.
Do you take the summer
off? Or are you planning
to do different classes? Seminars?
Bridge Camp? Come and share what
works well for you and maybe pick up a
few new ideas from others.
Sunday, June 24, 2012. Do you use
humor in your classes? Tell jokes? Or
just bridge stories? What are some of
your favorite bridge sayings that you
like to use? Come and share your experi-
ences with others.
Sunday, July 22, 2012. Are you always
searching for new material for your
classes? Come and share suggestions of
topics and hands that you have found
useful lately.
Sunday, August 26, 2012. As you start
planning your fall lessons, come and
discuss marketing your classes. How do
you attract new players? Word of mouth,
emailing, newspaper ads, what works
best for you?
If you are NOT receiving regular
monthly reminders by email about the
Chats it’s because Maggie Sparrow
doesn’t have your correct email address.
Send it to her if you would like to be
reminded. If you miss a Chat you are
particularly interested in, you can email
her for the transcript at
msparrow@csolve.net
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY
How to Run a Successful
Group Mentoring Program
By Ally Whiteneck, California
In March of 2009, we started a
group mentoring program in Contra
Costa County. It was the result of
having a long list of 0-50 master-
point players wanting to
be mentored individually
and not enough mentors
available. We decided
that a beginning player,
who needed simple classroom les-
sons, would not necessarily need a
life master as a mentor. Additionally,
if every novice player did have a
mentor, our unit could not afford to
subsidize a program.
Therefore we started a group
mentoring program which became
incredibly popular. Twenty-three
new ACBL members signed on the
first nine months of the pro-
gram. The following is a description
of how it is run.
The first and most important step
is to find participants. We started
with our initial ten novice players
waiting for a mentor. We sent out
Four students having a good time at
the group mentoring lesson.
28541_ABTAx.indd 22
PAGE 22 Fall 2011
emails to newcomer’s groups, private
golf clubs, SIRS & AAUW advertis-
ing a beginning mentoring bridge ses-
sion. We asked clubs in the unit to
mention it to their members. As a re-
sult, we had 14 tables of mentees
show up for the first session!
The procedure for the group men-
toring program is as follows:
The mentees sit at tables (we de-
cided to pre-assign) with their own
mentor at the table. There are eight
boards, shared by four tables, which
get passed around during
the two-hour session. For
the first of these sessions,
we chose Barbara Sea-
gram’s book, 25 Bridge
Conventions You Should
Know. Prior to the play of Barbara
Seagram
the hands, we have a 30-
minute presentation from a local
teacher on the topic. Teachers are
willing to give the lecture as it gives
them visibility for their own bridge
lessons. The mentors are given a
script* (see next page) one week
ahead of time to study. Once seated at
a table, the mentees play the deals
uninterrupted by the mentor with the
exception of correcting the bidding
and the opening lead. On completion
of the play, the mentors—with the use
of the script—review the play of the
hand and the defense. The deals and
(Continued on page 24)
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 23 Fall 2011

*Example of a script
(the deals rotate N, S, E & W so each person has a chance to play the hand):

Board 1: Weak Two Vul: EW Dealer: East

S – AQJ10954
H–
D – K10
C – AQJ10
S – K87 S – 63
H – A976 H – KQJ1032
D–2 D – Q543
C – K9876 C–2
S–2
H – 854
D – AJ9876
C – 543
West North East South
2H Pass
4H 4S Pass Pass
Pass
The Bidding:
2H E has a solid weak 2H opener even though vulnerable. The 6-4-2-1 shape
gives you a little extra playing strength than would 6-3-3-1.
4H W does not have the high card values for game, but the 10-card fit makes it
worth continuing his partner’s preempt.
4S N would much rather have been able to start the bidding with 1S & find out
about his partner’s hand, but EW have done a good job at preempting him
from doing so.
The Lead: C-2. If W has either the C-A or S-A, he will be able to give E a ruff.
Defensive Strategy: W can see 15 HCP. Since E has 6-10, declarer has 15-19 HCP.
When a preemptor leads a side suit, you should assume that the lead is a short suit. W
should not play C-K at trick one, as this will establish all 4 of declarer’s club tricks. W
should give a suit preference signal with C-9, asking for a heart, the higher non-trump
suit.
Declarer Plan (any Defense will be in italics):
Analyze the lead & think about distribution: The lead is a singleton or from Kxx(x).
With the preemptive opening, a singleton lead is more likely. E has 6 hearts & 6-10
HCP which leaves W with 4 hearts & 8-12 HCP.
Count Losers: Losers are 1 spade & 1 club. If you can avoid losing any more than one
defensive ruff, the contract should make.
Make a plan before playing to the first card from dummy: Since you assume the club
lead is a singleton, you should play carefully to minimize the chance of defensive ruffs.
Rather than playing a diamond to dummy to take a trump finesse (& thus also risking a
diamond ruff if E wins the S-K), you should win the C-10 & play S-A, then S-Q.
Since E has only 2 trumps, you will make an overtrick, losing the S-K & C-K. The con-
tract would still be made if the defenders get one ruff, but you can’t risk more than one.

28541_ABTAx.indd 23 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 24 Fall 2011

(Continued from page 22) Seagram. Then the second session of

scripts are all edited by an expert
bridge player.
We do not limit our mentors to
life master status. Anyone with 150
masterpoints who can study a script
can mentor. There is no doubt some
of the mentors learn new material
along with the mentees, but with
some longevity in the game, they are
able to grasp the concepts and ex-
plain it. As a thank you, the mentors
receive a free play coupon at the club
for volunteering.
In 2012, we have added online
celebrity bridge lectures to our men-
toring program. Now,
on the second Saturday
of each month, we give
an online lecture from a celebrity
speaker, having started with Barbara
the month, we revert back to our
original format in which mentors are
at the tables with eight review boards
from the celebrity session.
There are many tools we use to
organize the program in order to
make the mentor session run
smoothly. We have
a spreadsheet to or-
ganize the tables
with players & men-
tors. We have every-
one sign up in ad-
vance so we can know how many
mentors are needed and we do this all
by email. Cancellations in advance
are imperative as mentors will arrive
and not have a table to mentor. There
are table markers which show which
board numbers coincide with the
hands; e.g., hand one is always board

The Stayman Convention

Used after a 1NT opener. Responder has at least one 4+ card major & 8+ HCP & bids
2 to ask♣opener about length in major suits
Rebids by 1NT opener: 2ᄽ = no 4 card major
2ᄼ = 4 hearts and maybe 4 spades
2♠ = 4 spades and less than 4 hearts
Rebids by responder:
• Bid value of hand by inviting (8-9), bidding game (10-15) or inviting slam (16+)
• No major suit fit: 2NT (8-9), 3NT (10-15), 4NT (16-17) inviting opener to go to
slam with a maximum NT bid, 6NT (18-20)
• Major suit fit: 3ᄼ /3♠ (8-9), 4ᄼ /4♠ (10-15), with 16+ explore for slam
***************
• If 1NT opener has 4 in both majors & responder rebids NT after 1NT-2♣-2ᄼ , opener
can correct to spades
• All of these bids can be used after 2NT or 2♣ opener with rebid of 2NT or 3NT.
• Garbage Stayman. Responder can bid Stayman with less that 8 HCP, 0-1 clubs, and
at least 3 in the other suits. Pass whatever opener rebids.
©bridgeliaison@gmail.com

28541_ABTAx.indd 24 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 25 Fall 2011

1, 9, 17 or 25 and hand a 4 x 6 summary card is at the bot-

two is board 2, 10, 18
or 26, etc. We make our
boards ahead of time
with a dealing machine.
Participants register at
their own table and in-
sert the registration
form and fee in an en-
velope which we pick
up when the session
begins.
Lastly, we offer a review card with
a summary of each lesson. The men-
tees have them in small photo albums.
They add their own index cards with
personal partnership agreements. We
encourage them to study these before
every game they play! An example of
tom of the previous page.
The Palo Alto Bridge Club in
California started using these scripts
for their own mentoring program and
averaged 25 ta-
bles! Club owners
& teachers can
learn more about
these scripts or the
celebrity internet lectures by going to
this website:
http://www.bridgesights.com/
hondobridge/audiolessons/
ebridgeworkshops
[If you want a free demonstration of the
workshops mentioned above, please see
the paid advertisement below.—Editor]

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)RUDIUDFWLRQRIWKHFRVWRIDOLYHSUHVHQWDWLRQ

-HUU\+HOPV‡%DUEDUD6HDJUDP
0DUW\%HUJHQ‡5RQ.OLQJHU
7ZR+RXU3UHVHQWDWLRQVZLWK+DQGVWR3OD\
'HPRZZZEULGJHVLJKWVFRPKRQGREULGJH
DXGLROHVVRQVHEULGJHZRUNVKRSV
$OVRDYDLODEOH5HYLHZERDUGVIROORZLQJXSWKHOHFWXUHZLWK
KDQGVWRSOD\ DVFULSWZLWKWKHDQVZHUV
H%ULGJH:RUNVKRSV#JPDLOFRP


28541_ABTAx.indd 25 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 26
Show and Tell vs. Ask and Listen
By Brenda Geden, North Bay, Ontario
[The following was submitted as an
Applebasket Tip at the 2011 ABTA Con-
ference in Toronto.]
Many beginners have difficulty
understanding the specific roles of
Opener and Responder. They may
understand point requirements to
open the bidding and point require-
ments to respond but ... things tend
to fall apart once rebidding takes
place.
In my classes I have found that
using the term “forcing” or “non-
forcing” is not clear enough for
many new players. I have overheard
discussions between novice and
“not so nov-
ice” partner-
ships where
BOTH part-
ners argued
that they just had to TELL each
other things, then later wondered
why the auction had escalated out of
control.
I’ve also witnessed novice play-
ers who open the bidding with a
weakish 12 HCP hand and then pass
responder's forcing bid. They be-
lieve that this is acceptable because
they feel nervous about having
opened
with a qualify as an Opening at the one level?
hand that
they are
not proud
of.
28541_ABTAx.indd 26
Fall 2011
Recently, in my
classes, I’ve been em-
phasizing the words SHOWING—
TELLING for the Opener and ASK-
ING—LISTENING for the Responder.
Below is a demonstration of a dialogue
between myself (P for Presenter) and
my class of beginners (C for Class)
shouting out answers together as a
group.
We begin with just the Opening
hand exposed with cards on the table.
We do the bidding from
Opener’s perspective,
then later, hide the
Opener’s hand, expose
the Responding hand
and do the bidding from
Responder’s point of
view.
Using cards on the table, have the
players make up an Opening Hand in
front of North.
QJ10 / A32 / KQ985 / 106
P: We've learned that the Opener’s role
is to SHOW and TELL things about
her hand. An Opener needs 13 or more
points to begin the showing and telling.
P: OK class, imagine that we are all
sitting North … does our North hand
C: Hmmm … Yes ... Maybe.
P: How many points can we value this
hand?
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY
C: 12 HCP plus 1 point for the long
diamond. 12+1=13.
P: If you reluctantly agree that
North has enough to start Showing
and Telling use your bidding boxes.
Discuss amongst yourselves and
put out an Opening bid in front of
North.
C: 1D.
P: How many points will this bid
Show and Tell partner?
C: Hmmm … could be as few as 13
but as many as 21.
P: Will partner know if your hand is
balanced or unbalanced?
C: No ... an opening bid of 1D
promises three or more diamonds ...
the hand could be any shape.
P: So it seems that we will need
more than one bid to fully describe
this hand. Let’s see
if partner has any
questions to ask us
about our hand. East
and West, you’ll be
passing throughout
this auction so you
can put permanent
pass cards out.
P: South, you are the Responder.
We’ve learned that Responder’s role
is to get information by ASKING
questions and LISTENING to an-
swers.
A Responder needs at least 6
points for the privilege to ask a
question.
P: South player, using your bidding
28541_ABTAx.indd 27
PAGE 27 Fall 2011
box place the 1S bid in front of South.
West is passing and we’re back to
North.
P: Is Responder Telling us something
or is she Asking us a question?
C: Hmmmm?? I guess you want us to
say “She is asking a question.”
P: What question is she asking?
C: She is asking if we would like
spades as trump knowing she may only
have four spades.
P: Is partner Telling us how many
points she has?
C: Hmmmm???
P: Could partner be Telling us she has
8 points or 16 points or 6 points or 20
points?
C: Hmmmm??? (Some novices call out
6-9 points every time.)
P: Wait a minute folks ... our Re-
sponder isn't TELLING us anything.
Her job is not to tell but to ASK
QUESTIONS. Actually it is NONE OF
OUR BUISNESS how many points
responder has. All we know is that she
requires at least
6 points to ask
a question. We
have been
asked a direct
question. Can
we dare pass a
direct question?
C: No ... but we want to.
P: Do you like spades?
C: Not really.
(Continued on page 28)
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY
(Continued from page 27) P:
P: Is your hand balanced?
C: Yes.
P: If you know that
you must answer the
question and cannot
pass, talk at your ta-
ble and come up with
a rebid that shows a
weak balanced hand.
C: 1NT ... or?? ... 2S ... or ... we
really want to pass.
P: Let's turn the North hand face
down for now. Put the bids back in
the bidding box. We will make up
the hand in front of South, the Re-
sponder, the one who has asked us
the question about spades. Let’s
look at the auction from Re-
sponder’s point of view.
AK92 / K54 / AJ104 / A4
P: Wow!! Let’s all
imagine we are South.
We love this hand.
And ... to top things off,
our partner is going to
open the bidding!!!!
P: North player, your hand is face
down, please place an Opening bid
of 1D in front of North.
Again, East and West will be
passing throughout.
P: OK class ... we said that a re-
sponder requires at least 6 points for
the privilege to ASK a question.
Does South have ENOUGH points
to respond?
C: Yes!
28541_ABTAx.indd 28
PAGE 28 Fall 2011
Talk amongst yourselves and make
a response for South ... (At this point
there will be lots of
heated discussion
amongst the group.
Some will want to
be jumping with this
hand so that they can
TELL partner about their big point
count. Many will fear that bidding
without jumping may allow partner to
pass. Let the players chat amongst
themselves for a minute or so then call
a halt to the discussion.)
P: Let's remain calm. I
know this is exciting. Part-
ner has opened so we know
that together we belong in at
least game, quite possibly a
Small Slam, or maybe even
a Grand Slam. Let’s not panic.
First of all it is NOT Responder’s
job to TELL anything. It is NONE OF
PARTNER'S BUSINESS how many
points we have. Our job is to ASK
about Opener’s hand and LISTEN to
her answer.
We want to ask about partner’s
shape and partner’s point count. Part-
ner must answer all of our questions.
We are on a fact finding mission. This
is only our first question. We may have
others. We should not
have to JUMP or stand
on our heads to ask a
question. Just a simple
one-level bid of a new
suit will do fine as a
question.
P: South, put the bid of 1S in front of
South. Back to North. Can partner
pass?
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 29 Fall 2011

C: No, she wouldn't dare pass after QJ10 / A32 / KQ985 / 106
this. She must answer a direct ques- (Opener's hand)
tion.
AK92 / K54 / AJ104 / A4
P: North player, using your bidding
(Responder's hand)
box, make a rebid of 1NT.
What do you know, the 5th diamond
P: Back to South. We
that we added a point for in the North
should be LISTEN-
hand is going to be our 12th trick. No
ING to the answer. lead can stop this slam from coming in.
Does our partner like
spades? By asking our first question at the
one level we have clear answers. Re-
C: No.
sponder did not have to TELL about
P: Is partner’s hand balanced? her 20 points. Openers are the Tellers.
Responders are the Askers, not the
C: Yes.
Tellers.
P: Why didn’t partner just open
You don’t have to jump
with 1NT?
to ask a question. Any
C: She must not have 15-17 points. new suit by an unpassed responder is a
P: How many points does she have question. All questions must be an-
then? swered. This is a simple way to under-
stand what a FORCING BID means.
C: 13 or 14.
P: Partner did her SHOW and Can You Add to the
TELL very well. Now it is just a
matter of adding our points and
Discussion?
partner’s known One of the best reasons to be a
points together. member of the ABTA is the op-
You both have portunity to network with other
balanced hands bridge teachers.
totaling 33 or 34 Do you take advantage of our
points. What would you like to re- ABTAdiscuss or join us for the
bid, South? ABTAchat? Maggie Sparrow does
C: 6NT. a wonderful job making sure these
resources are readily available.
P: Turn the (See page 21.)
North hand
Our Applebasket contest is al-
face up and
ways looking for entries. Do you
let's count
have something to share with the
our winners.
rest of us? We think you might.

28541_ABTAx.indd 29 3/16/12 3:30 PM

 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 30
Use Your GPS When Preempting
By Leslie Shafer, Maryland
[Our lovely co-editor shares one of her
novice lessons with us.]
I’m an enthusiastic GPS user
(except for that one rainy night where
I wound up in a cornfield and the ra-
dio was alerting everyone to stay off
the back roads due to possible flood-
ing—true story). For the most part, I
think it’s a great automotive tool. It
would be even nicer if I could use it at
the bridge table, too.
When deciding on whether or not
to preempt, you should stop to con-
sider your location. For
instance, in first seat
(the dealer), you would
be preempting three
people at the table, one
of whom is your part-
ner. That means that you have over a
66% chance of preempting an oppo-
nent. I’m slightly more aggressive in
this location as the odds are in my
favor.
In second seat (dealer passed and
you are next to bid), there are only
two people left to preempt and one of
them is partner. So now the odds are
50-50 of preempting an opponent.
The situation just got worse. I’m a bit
more conservative and have solid val-
ues when preempting in this location.
Third seat is a spectacular time to
preempt. There’s only one person
left—an opponent. A 100% chance
that your partner is not the one you
are preempting. I refer to preempting
in third seat as the Rule of Margaritas
(I pretend I’ve had three of them, fro-
28541_ABTAx.indd 30
Fall 2011
zen and salted). I can be
quite creative with my
preempts in third seat. Which brings us
to —
Fourth Seat Preempts. They don’t
exist since there is no one left to pre-
empt. Why open at all and risk a negative
score? You should have a high expecta-
tion of a positive score with fourth seat
openers. Experienced players have found
that a jump opening bid in fourth posi-
tion should represent a contract they ex-
pect to make, while keeping the oppo-
nents out of the bidding. Here are a few
tips for jump opening bids in fourth seat:
1) They show extra length and de-
scribe your distribution to partner. Open-
ing 2♥ would show a six-card suit and
opening 3♥ would show a seven-card
suit. However, either bid should be made
with a solid opening hand.
2) They might shut the opponents out
of the auction, preventing them from
overcalling at lower levels. I like quiet
opponents.
Let’s use our GPS to decide what to
bid with this hand in the different seat
positions:
♠93
♥7
♦AQJ8532
♣942
First and second seat I
would open 3♦ . I must
admit that in third seat and
non-vulnerable I would consider opening
4♦. In fourth seat, I would pass! Sounds
like someone miscounted their points and
I’ll trust it wasn’t my partner.
3/16/12 3:30 PM
 11 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 31 Fall 2011

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 ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 32 Fall 2011

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28541_ABTAx.indd 32 3/16/12 3:30 PM