48 North Shore Towers Courier n November 2015 CARD-READING Maintaining Contract Bridge the Status Quo by STEVE BECKER “What can defeat me?” is a question declarer should ask himself prior to beginning the play of many hands. The failure to pose this simple question to oneself has led to the ruination of many a makable contract. Here is a typical case. South reached four spades as shown, and West led the king of diamonds. Declarer covered with the ace, ruffed by East, and East returned a club, taken by South with the ace. After drawing two rounds of trumps, South led a low heart to dummy’s queen, hoping West had the king. In that case, after West took the king, South would eventually have been able to discard one of dummy’s clubs on the ace of hearts. But the queen lost to the king, after which South had to go down one, losing a diamond, a heart and a club, plus East’s initial diamond ruff. South would have gotten home safely had he asked himself at the outset if there was any way he could lose the contract. He might then have seen the advantage in ducking the king-ofdiamonds lead—especially in view of the bidding, which made it very likely that East would trump the ace. He could then also duck the queen, as well as the jack (which he would ruff) if West persisted with the suit. By ducking the first three leads, South would have preserved the 10 winners he started with— five spades, two clubs, the two red aces and a heart ruff in dummy. All he had to do was to recognize that he couldn’t go down if he withheld the ace of diamonds until it could be played in complete safety later on. (c) 2015 King Features Syndicate Inc. “Mahj!”—A cry heard ’round the world Well maybe not around the world, but it’s heard in living rooms, dens, rec rooms, t o u r n a m e n t r o o m s , conventional halls, onboard ships —all over America. Mah Jongg is once again sweeping the country, knowing no geographic, age, sex or ethnic boundary, much as it did in the late ’20s, ’30s, ’40s and well into the ’50s. Much to the chagrin of many of the “faithful,” the introduction of Bridge, the ’60s and the sexual revolution, the Women’s Movement and the return to the work force by many women, saw the game fade away into (almost) obscurity. If you had asked a person if they played Mah Jongg, the most probable answer would have been, “Oh that old-lady’s game my mom played? Are you kidding?” Or “Mah Jongg? What’s that?” After such an unromantic demise, why is the game of “A Thousand Intelligences” making such a huge comeback? I have a couple of ideas. The first is that a large number of “Boomers” (there are over 72 million) are looking for retirement pleasures and entertainments that can keep them healthy but also mentally alert and functioning. And they want to be challenged and have FUN at the same time. Many of these Boomers are now “Empty Nesters” looking for new friends in new places, closer to their kids and grandkids. I meet people every day who recall playing “years ago when I had my kids” and they are returning to the game, refreshing the warm memories of those times. And there are those who are getting close to retirement and planning ahead, so to speak. And lots of folks are remembering their Moms playing Mah Jongg and thinking that maybe they knew something they didn’t. But what about the younger generation? Are they interested in an “old lady’s game”? The answer is an unequivocal YES. When they are exposed to seeing the game played and/or learning it, their enthusiasm is just as great as their predecessors. Because it’s such a great game, they quickly realize how interesting, challenging and what fun it is. The Internet is jammed with Mah Jongg sites that introduce viewers to newer versions of the game. And their curiosity is aroused to learn the original. Consequently, I see more young people in my classes and private groups than ever before and I applaud their good judgment. They come away loving the game and addicted to it—its challenges, its excitement and its FUN!! So here’s a tip for novice players: If you have a tile you don’t need, but are fairly sure someone else does, discard it as early in the game as you can. Eventually, if you are to declare Mah Jongg yourself, you will have to discard it. So discard it earlier, rather than later and hope your opponent isn’t ready to declare Mah Jongg. If it’s late in the game, and you’re sure you have the Mah Jongg tile, if you have to, break up your hand to keep your opponent from winning. AMERICAN til next time... may the tiles be with you! Reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles and Elaine Sandberg. Elaine is a mah-jongg instructor, who has taught the game for Holland American Cruise Lines and at American Jewish University, and the author of “A Beginner’s Guide to American Mah Jongg: How to Play the Game and Win” (Tuttle, $14.95).
NST112015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above