tennis, life and a few things in between

I’m picking up this card game again, and have been playing the contract bridge 定约桥牌 once or twice a week.

The players here don’t do duplicate bridge because each time, whomever shows up, starts the game. Day and time are set but not players. Some times it’s only 1 table and other times, three tables. We rotate every four games so the 5th, 9th or 13th player get to play.

Some basics

• The points: 40 hcp, l0ng (4+) & short suit   
• The scoring
• The bid & response; the slam bidding 
• The conventions 

Fun way to Serious Bridge (1978) by Harry Lampert is a good book to brush up skills, or learning to play. It was published in 1978, 13 years ahead of the For Dummies book series.

• 6 4 3 1, jump
• 7 3 2 1
• Best suit vs responding to bid: 3 3 3 4
• Long suit wins NT
• cue bid rho bid your suit ↓
• someone bid your suit; 1st time bid 5 and making it
• 4N asking for As; how to respond; 2025
• Ace and space
• Good hearts ♥️
• weak 2♠️ 
• two singleton As and long in spade – not good for NT
• void and long in ♠️ and more
• Long suit in ♠️ – time to learn the conventions
• Too many all 9s
• NT and scoring
• Two doubles in a hand
• A diamond night ♦️ importance of 13 pts
• A night filled with ♥️
• A few good hands

The slams !!!

Girls’ night in

• A 21 hcp
• A 22 hcp opening hand
• Bid 5 and making it

… some hands to remember

1. 2025 Jan 6
2. 2024
3. 2023 annual

没人打百分 (这该有多老呀)
只能打桥牌 … 更老

临时抱佛脚 – 这本📖 不错 👍

… 每次开叫前 借用手指头数分
然后
就没有 然后了🤣
热情不减

Some terms – contract bridge glossary

• game: ^{100 pts}
  • 3NT ^{40 for the 1st trick + 30 each for the 2nd/3rd}
  • 4 ♥️♠ majors ^{4 tricks × 30 points per trick}
  • 5 ♣ ♦️ minors ^{5 tricks × 20 points per trick}
• double: game can also be made via a doubled or redoubled contract: e.g., 2♠ doubled is worth 2 × (2 tricks × 30 points per trick) = 120 points.
• rubber: best of three games (a game =100 pts); a team which has already won a game toward the current rubber is said to be vulnerable
• above the line