Hello from Michigan! I'm at my friend's house in Leelanau County; I've been coming up here almost every summer for over 25 years! It's so nice and peaceful here. Not Cape Cod, but a close second. :) We had a fun Fourth of July; I manned the grill with burgers and hot dogs, then we had a fire by the lake with s'mores. I'll be here for a couple of weeks, then it's off to Toronto for the ABTA convention and the NABC. I'm playing the Spingold and the Fast Pairs with my partner Greg; the rest of the week I'm playing with students.
I saw a few great concerts at the Philharmonic and Carnegie hall last month. I really enjoyed the Encores! production of Titanic. I was a little disappointed with the new production of Cabaret on Broadway. Eddie Redmayne was very good, and the staging was marvelous, but I'm just not that fond of the play.
I’m participating in this year’s ACBL Educational Foundation online auction to raise money for junior bridge programs. You can bid on me and many other top players for one of two chances to play (1) they're holding a big online game on July 15th at 7pm Eastern or (2) schedule an online game with an expert at any time. You can always donate or gift an item if you don’t have time to participate.
The auction closes this Sunday, July 7th, at 6pm PT, so you will need to get your bids in soon!
Auction website: https://www.32auctions.com/ACBLEF2024SPARK
More information page: https://auction.bridgeunleashed.com/ACBLEF_FAQ
For more information about where your contribution goes:
Impact Programs:
USA Bridge Camp & Championships in Atlanta: Sponsoring bridge camp for around 100 players, combining skill-building with community service.
Junior Night at Every NABC: Creating engaging events to attract young players and foster community spirit.
NABC College Bridge Bowl in Toronto: Sending over 130 college students to this exciting competition from all over North America
World Junior Transnationals in Poland: Supporting over 30 juniors from the USA, Canada, and Mexico, continuing our tradition from 2022.
FISU University Championships in Uganda: Funding 6 college students to participate in their first World Championships.
Why It Matters:
Community Service: Every junior who receives a travel stipend commits to 10-15 hours of community service. They're not just players; they're ambassadors, teaching bridge and growing the game.
Need-Based Support: Our application process grants additional funding to those with greater financial need to make participation possible for everyone.
Thanks to all of you who have played in our new series on Swan Games. There are a few weeks left. These 18-board ACBL masterpoint games are Tuesdays at 8pm ET and Thursdays at 4pm ET. Each game will award prizes and have a celebrity post-mortem. There will also be prizes for the whole series (most games played, most masterpoints earned (strats A/B/C), highest average score (your best 5 games, A/B/C).
My Monday "Expert Thought Process" and Thursday "Thinking Through Declarer Play" are back on their regular schedule for June; there will be some schedule changes in July for the NABC. You can get information about both classes here: https://learnbridgeonline.com/adam-parrish/
Upcoming topics in my Monday class are (schedule always subject to change if things take extra time):
July 8 Bidding in 3rd and 4th seat
July 15 Defense
July 22 Probably pre-recorded
July 29 Declarer play
If you have topics you'd like to see me cover in the Monday class or hands that you think would be interesting, please send them along. You can send me an email (adam@adamparrishbridge.com).
I hope you're all well and playing lots of bridge! As always, feel free to email me with questions. Speaking of questions...
There are always a lot of questions about the meaning of 2NT bids.
Hi, Adam,
I’m not sure what this 2NT bid should mean:
1♣ - 1♠ - Dbl - 2♠
2NT...
Would 2NT be natural, 18-19 with a spade stopper, or Scrambling?
My first thought was the former, but then I heard a voice in my head saying, "If the opponents have bid and raised a suit, 2NT is never natural."
Yeah, that was definitely my voice in your head. :-) This 2NT is Scrambling. Partner should have 7+ for their Negative Double, so opener can bid 3NT with the 18-19 point hand. I would expect 2NT to be 4-5 or 4-6 in the minors.
Adam
This is a common misunderstanding about Fast Arrival:
Dear Adam,
My partners and I have recently been discussing 2/1 Game Force auctions where there is a 3NT rebid by either opener or responder. An example that Billy Miller discussed in his May 2021 column in the Bridge Bulletin was 1♦ - 2♣, 2♠ - 3NT. Billy recommends that responder’s 3NT rebid shows 16-17 HCP. On the other hand, my partners think that responder’s rebid of 3NT is Fast Arrival and to play. FWIW, Josh Donn, as moderator of "The Bidding Box," supports Billy Miller’s recommendation.
This discussion was prompted by a hand where responder had 17 HCP and we played 3NT making 6. If the jump to 3NT in a 2/1 GF auction is Fast Arrival, then how would responder show extras?
Fast Arrival only applies when we have a trump suit; it does not apply to notrump. A jump to 3NT in a GF auction shows extras, usually around 15-17. However, it should be avoided as much as possible. The whole point of 2/1 is to keep the auction low. Opener should basically never have this 15-17 point hand (they would have opened 1NT), so it's really just responder who might want to do it.
Adam
Some conventions, like Lebensohl, need some additional understanding beyond the basics.
Dear Adam,
My partner and I play Lebensohl when there is interference over our strong 1NT openings. Questions have arisen when the opponent’s bid shows 2 specific suits. Examples would be a 2♦ DONT or Meckwell bid showing diamonds and a major or a 2♥ bid showing hearts and a minor. The "vanilla" version of Lebensohl does not seem to be efficient against these bids.
Can you offer any advice?
Unless the bid shows both majors, expert practice is to ignore two-suited bids that define both suits and just bid normally. You can still use Lebensohl to differentiate strength, but you don't bother with stoppers. Make them find the right lead.
Against 2♣/2♦ bids that show the majors, our normal systems don't make a lot of sense, since they're so major-suit oriented. There are a lot of options, but you can do something along the lines of
2♦ (if available): to play
2M: flagging minor (like Unusual vs Unusual), INV+. (So 2♥ shows clubs, 2♠ shows diamonds)
2NT: both minors INV+ (or you can play this natural and INV)
3m: to play
3M: shortness
Dbl: values, suggesting going for a penalty
Adam
That's all for now. I encourage you to send me questions about my column or anything else at adam@adamparrishbridge.com. Maybe they'll end up in the next newsletter!
Stay safe!