LOL - It's LOSER-ON-LOSER
Just what is LOL? Yes, a common abbreviation for Laughing Out Loud, and often used to refer to a Little Old Lady, but in bridge it means a Loser-On-Loser play. At times a declarer can improve his/her situation by playing a losing card from one hand on a loser in a different suit from the hand opposite. This occurs when a player has a loser in two suits but can arrange to lose them both on one trick, thereby reducing the number of losers from two to one. Often this looks like a Ruff-and-Sluff play, but instead of ruffing, declarer or dummy discards a loser in each hand. When and why would one do this? This technique has many uses. One example is to keep the ‘Danger’ hand off lead. Often in the end game it serves as the exit in assisting the process of elimination and placing the lead in the hand of the desired opponent for an endplay. The advantage of this procedure is that declarer divests himself of two losers while simultaneously placing the lead in the desired quarter.
About the Authors
Dr James Marsh Sternberg is a radiologist in Palm Beach Gardens Florida & Professor of Radiology at two northern universities. He currently teaches bridge in Florida. He has won several North American National Championships and has written extensively for many bridge publications. He is the author of “Trump Suit Headaches; Rx for Declarers and Defenders”, “Playing to Trick One”, “Finesses, Only a Last Resort”, and “Blocking and Unblocking.” “Dr J” lives in Palm Beach Gardens with Vickie Bader. He can be reached at mmay001@aol.com.
Danny Kleinman is a world class bridge player, backgammon expert, author, and teacher. He has improved the game for an innumerable number of students and authored more bridge and backgammon books than could be listed here. He prides himself however, mainly as a song writer. Danny Kleinman lives and in Los Angeles. He can be reached at dannyk13@ca.rr.com
paperback; 2021; 145 pages
LOL - It's LOSER-ON-LOSER
Just what is LOL? Yes, a common abbreviation for Laughing Out Loud, and often used to refer to a Little Old Lady, but in bridge it means a Loser-On-Loser play. At times a declarer can improve his/her situation by playing a losing card from one hand on a loser in a different suit from the hand opposite. This occurs when a player has a loser in two suits but can arrange to lose them both on one trick, thereby reducing the number of losers from two to one. Often this looks like a Ruff-and-Sluff play, but instead of ruffing, declarer or dummy discards a loser in each hand. When and why would one do this? This technique has many uses. One example is to keep the ‘Danger’ hand off lead. Often in the end game it serves as the exit in assisting the process of elimination and placing the lead in the hand of the desired opponent for an endplay. The advantage of this procedure is that declarer divests himself of two losers while simultaneously placing the lead in the desired quarter.
About the Authors
Dr James Marsh Sternberg is a radiologist in Palm Beach Gardens Florida & Professor of Radiology at two northern universities. He currently teaches bridge in Florida. He has won several North American National Championships and has written extensively for many bridge publications. He is the author of “Trump Suit Headaches; Rx for Declarers and Defenders”, “Playing to Trick One”, “Finesses, Only a Last Resort”, and “Blocking and Unblocking.” “Dr J” lives in Palm Beach Gardens with Vickie Bader. He can be reached at mmay001@aol.com.
Danny Kleinman is a world class bridge player, backgammon expert, author, and teacher. He has improved the game for an innumerable number of students and authored more bridge and backgammon books than could be listed here. He prides himself however, mainly as a song writer. Danny Kleinman lives and in Los Angeles. He can be reached at dannyk13@ca.rr.com
paperback; 2021; 145 pages