Special games planned

Get out your calendars and make notes. All of the rest of the games in September will be International Fund Games awarding higher points. There is no extra charge for these.
In October there are two Jane Johnson Appreciation games: Wednesday, Oct. 10 and Friday, Oct. 12 as well as two Club Championship games Oct. 17 and 19, all with higher points and no extra charge.
When in the course of bidding you have passed at your first turn and your partner then bids, what can you do at your next turn? Partner already knows that you have 5-11 points or you would have made a value bid so that anything you say is not forcing. With less than 5 points Pass is the best. To raise partner’s suit you need 4 in his suit and 5+ points. To change suits to a major you need 4 in that suit and 6-11 points and to a change to a minor suit, 5 cards and 10-12 points. Any NT responses are quantitative: 1NT 6-9 points, 2NT 10-12 and almost never do you bid 3NT. Let partner do that if he wants to do so.
We had no game on Friday, Sept. 14 due to the expected hurricane. Rufty-Holmes is a designated shelter for those needing protection, so they needed to prepare their facility for the possibility of housing folks in need. I hope you all made it through unscathed.
Since we have a new game in town I will not put a bridge hand in this column and instead include the winners at this club. Ron Jeffers is running the One More Game session on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. at First Methodist Church across from the Rowan County Library. Try to include them in your busy schedules.
Winners at this game Sept. 13 were: N/S 1st Carol Bachl and Judy Gealy, 2nd Ron Caudle and BettyBonner Steele, 3rd Shirley Jeffers and Fred Weber; E/W 1st Patty and Robbo Williams, 2nd Bill Williams and Dan Pape, tied for 3rd/4th Trudy and Harold Mills with Gary and Jane Shive.
Our Wednesday, Sept. 19 Bridge at Rufty game winners were: N/S 1st Becky Creekmore and Pat Macon, 2nd Marie Pugh and Dick Brisbin, 3rd Marvin Jones and Mack Brown, 2nd Strat B Toni Iossi and Genny Mozolak, Strat C 1st Nancy Brandt and Tom Johnson; E/W 1st Judy Hurder and Judy Gealy, 2nd Margaret and Chuck Rimer, 3rd Myrnie and John McLaughlin, Strat B 1st Marnie and Charles Buchta, StratC 2nd Ann Hamm and Mary Hennie
For a relatively small town, we have a large and active bridge group. We are sadly missing a wonderful tour de force in the person of Betty Bills who passed away earlier this month. There is an empty chair in our “family” gatherings. I guess the angels are learning to play bridge.