Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Tuesday, duplicate bridge, with nine teams, played and ended with the following wins:

First place, Vandy Newman and Ron Peters

Second place, Jim Fisher and Cal Ripple

Third place, Joyce Crowe and  Millie Siever

Fourth place,  Larry Crowe and Bill Momsen

Wednesday duplicate with six full tables playing. High score was a Mason City team:   

First place, Tom Flaherty and Stan Schultz

Second place (tie): Barb Rofshus and Paul Hanson and Gail Schmidt and Dave Ring

Fourth place, Barb and Orrin Roisen

Fifth place, Bonnie Fritz and  Loren Cleland

Sixth place, Joyce Crowe and Millie Siever

Birthday wishes and songs for Millie Siever, the eldest in our entire group, Jim Fisher, Loren Cleland and the Mower County Senior Center’s Teresa Bartholemew.

Players come from Austin, Rose Creek, Albert Lea, Mason City and Northwood, Iowa. Both sessions play at the Mower County Senior Center and start at 11:30 a.m.

Every week we will hear remarks such as ‘But I’ or ‘I only had a few points’ or ‘I couldn’t bid’ and groans about bad hands, completely forgetting that every other team has had the same hand you got. Yet we all know that duplicate bridge is the ultimate game of defense. The minute you pick up the hand dealt you will know whether you will be playing offense or defense. Players admit it is hard to focus when holding bad hands and many players lose their concentration or need to take a breather. 

Re-evaluate your hand, recall the bidding, pay attention to what  is led, and why it was led, think on how to contain the declarer to his hand, or to the board. Many contracts have gone down the drain by smart handling of the play. In other words, be tenacious on defense. Learn to signal with your partner. The bottom line is do not be distressed by bad hands, but put them to work for you.

Plans are going forward for a Christmas dinner at the center for duplicate bridge players only.