You will learn more by losing to good players
than you will by winning against poor players
"There will never be another World Bridge Champion who plays only 'Simple Bridge'"
Benito Garozzo - World Champion
!s !h !d !c Unusual NT Bids
Question for you... Do you and your partner like to "Run with the herd" and use the same bids as everybody else?
If so, you can stop reading here... but if you like odd, strange, or unusual bids, keep reading!
ONE NOTRUMP OPENING BID
Almost the entire membership uses a range of 15-17 for a 1NT opening bid, and they all use both Stayman and Transfer
bids, right?
First, a couple of questions for you...
1.!SP Are you allowed by the Rule Book to open 1NT with a singleton?
Hmmm... Yes and No! !SP It depends on the size of the singleton.!SP You can if the singleton is either the Ace, King
or Queen.!SP (But not if you also hold a doubleton in a different suit.)
2.!SP Are you allowed to open 1NT with fewer or more points than the range marked on your card, such as 15-17?
Bridge laws do not forbid you from making a judgment call and opening 1NT with 14 or 18 points once in a while. What is
forbidden is having a secret wider range than what your convention card states.
3.!SP Upgrading a 14-count with a good 5-card suit is explicitly accepted in modern practice.!SP You can also
downgrade a poor 18 point hand.!SP Doubleton jack, for instance.
4.!SP Suppose the partnership has agreed that a 1NT opening bid will not contain a 4-card major, and thus the
partnership does not play Stayman.!SP If the partnership also agrees not to use Transfers, then all responses at the 2-level
are both natural and non-forcing.
5.!SP Are natural responses alertable?
Nope.!SP Natural bids are not alertable.!SP If you respond with a two heart call that only shows hearts, there's no need
to alert.!SP Also if you agree that 3-level responses are both natural and forcing, they do not have to be alerted.
EXAMPLES
Suppose you are playing the proposals described above, and your partner opens 1NT and you hold this hand...
!s JT !SP !h 9643 !SP !d QT9853 !SP !c 9
No need for Stayman nor Transfers with the hand above - just bid a natural and non-forcing 2!d
(Nobody else can play in diamonds at the 2-level!)
Or with this minor suit hand you can bid a forcing 3!d
!s AJT6 !SP !h 9 !SP !d KQJ9853 !SP !c 7
And with this one, you should bid a forcing 3!s
!s AQJT64 !SP !h 9 !SP !d KT93 !SP !c 72
Roy Wilson - Emerald Life Master I am 91 years old...
and I have played bridge more than half my life...
The lesser half I wasted.
Winners!
Once again, Fredy Minter and his dad, Lulu, were the unit game winners.
Congratulations, my long-time friends!
(I played aganst them when Fredy's feet would not touch the floor as he sat to play.)
Rank Updates
Every three months I update my report of the masterpoints held by our members.
Today is the day!
Down on the right side you will find our updated lists, but... please be aware that not every player listed in a particular
rank actually holds that rank.!SP Some of our players have earned the masterpoints to be included in a particular category,
but may still need gold points.
If you find an error, please let me know!
District 22 Newsletter & Home Website
Here is the September Issue for District 22 ...
HIDDEN TEXT
Pasadena-San Gabriel Unit 559
Our unit is one of nine in District 23 and we are sanctioned by the American
Contract Bridge League. We have an elected board of 12 members that meets
monthly and is responsible for unit games, our Holiday party and the annual
John Waken sectional.
BBO has many bridge forums where you can discuss almost any aspect or topic related to bridge.
BBO has a site on YouTube where you will see many interesting bridge discussions and explanations.
WEB PAGES AND WEB SITES
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Unit 559 Membership Report
Ranks are updated quarterly after the 7th of the month.
Please note that some of the players listed in a rank
may not actually hold that rank, but they do have enough
Master points to be included there. They probably
need to fulfill the silver or gold requirements.
Unit 559 Active Members
Click the rank below for a list
Master Points
0-5
No color points needed
5-20
No color points needed
20-50+
No color points needed
50+ 5+ silver points
100+ 15+ silver points
and 5+ gold points
200+ 25+ silver
and 20+ red/gold/platinum
(5 must be gold or platinum)
300+ 50+ silver
and 50+ red/gold/platinum
(25 must be gold or platinum)
500+ 75+ silver
and 100+ red/gold/platinum
(50 must be gold or platinum)
750+ Life Master with
at least 750 points
1000+ Life Master with
at least 1000 points
(200+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
1500+ Life Master with
at least 1500 points
(300+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
2500+ Life Master with
at least 2500 points
(500+ must be silver/red/gold/platinum)
3500+ Life Master with
at least 3500 points
700+ silver/red/gold/platinum (350+ must be gold or platinum)
5000+ Life Master with
at least 5000 points
1000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (500+ must be gold or platinum)
7500+ Life Master with
at least 7500 points
1500+ silver/red/gold/platinum (750+ must be gold or platinum)
10,000+ Life Master with
at least 10,000 points
2000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (1000+ must be gold or platinum)
10,000+ Life Master with
at least 10,000 points
2000+ silver/red/gold/platinum (1000+ must be gold or platinum)
Must have a victory in an eligble event
January Total Membership 339
The Number of visitors since estabshment prior
to the reset on January 16, 2026 was 1,009,500 Since January 16, 2016 --
You are Visitor Number 235078
This website was established in 1999 by Roy Wilson
Linux version 1.0.0 was introduced March 14, 1994
The First Web Site was established at CERN in 1992 by Tim Berners-Lee.
This website was built in 1999
by Roy Wilson
Click on the
photo for a description of Extended Precision - Roy
Mike Marcucci
