Rossmoor News, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, page 18A

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18A Rossmoor News • September 30, 2026

Continued from page 17A

Puzzle Corner – Answers

No. 4 has two thumb sized holes

PG&E outage phone number: 1-800-743-5002

No grease down the drain

Grease dumped down the drains can back up pipes and cause sewer problems. Instead of pouring grease down the drain, wipe it off the pot or pan with a paper towel and throw it away in the compost bin/green cart. Or pour cooled oil and fats into non-recyclable containers and then dispose with the trash. – from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District

Analyze Your Bridge Hand

with Kathrine Loh

Responses to 1NT I had a partner who tells me that she will never open 1NT until she has stoppers in every suit. Yes, you can get burned once in a while, but the odds (of opening 1NT and being successful) are much greater in the long run. The other huge advantage is that once you open 1NT, your partner knows quite a bit about your hand. The responder is the captain and it is their job to ask you, your distribution, HCP and place the contract.

Your partner opens 1NT ‒ What do you know about your partner’s hand?

1. 15-17 HCP 2. Balanced hand with any of the following distributions 4432, 5332, 4333, 6322 with the 6-card suit being a minor 3. No singleton or void 4. So that is quite a lot of information from just one bid. Your partner opens 1NT ‒ How do you respond, knowing the above information?

1. With 8-9 HCP balanced hand without a 4-card or 5-card major bid 2NT

2. With 10-14 HCP balanced hand without a 4-card or 5-card major bid 3NT 3. With a 5-card major transfer to that major with 0+ HCP 4. With one or two 4-card major with 8+ HCP bid Stayman 5. With two 4-card major and a singleton or no clubs and 0-5 HCP bid garbage Stayman 6. With a good 16+ HCP balanced hand bid 4NT which is quantitative asking partner to bid 6NT if partner is at maximum 17 HCP or pass with minimum.

7. With a good 18+ HCP balanced hand bid 5NT which is quantitative asking partner to bid 7NT if partner is at maximum 17 HCP or bid 6NT with minimum. It is 100% forcing

Some basic conventions after 1NT opening: Major suit transfer – with a 5-card major suit and 0+ HCP bid the suit below and partner will be REQUIRED to bid the suit above as a relay e.g., 2D transfers to H and 2H transfers to S

a. After you transfer, responder will then describe their HCP and shape

b. Pass with less than 8 HCP c. Bid 2NT with only 5-card suit and 8-9 HCP d. Bid 3NT with only 5-card suit and 10-14 HCP e. Bid 3 of the transferred major with 8-9 HCP and 6-card suit

1. Texas Transfer – with a 6-card major suit and about 8-12HCP bid the suit to be transferred at the 4 level ‒ e.g., 1NT – 4D and opener is required to bid 4H similarly with 4H transfer to 4S

3 Garbage Stayman ‒ With two 4-card major and a singleton or no clubs ‒ i.e., 4441 hand or 4450 hand and 0-5 HCP bid garbage Stayman ‒ e.g., 1NT-2C-2H/S/D whatever opener bids you just pass

4. With a 6-card minor suit and want to play in a partial, respond 2S and opener will relay to 3C and if responder has clubs then they will pass or bid 3D if they have Diamonds

5. If you have a 6-card minor suit and have about 9 HCP just go straight to 3NT instead of trying to play at 5 of a minor suit contract.

6. If you have 5-4 in the majors and a weak hand you should bid Stayman and if partner responds 2H/S just pass but if partner bids 2D then bid your 5-card suit at the 2 level which asks opener to pass.

To be continued next week, with some examples of 1NT opening and the responses

Happy analyzing! Kathrine Loh can be emailed at ladyrossmoorbridge@yahoo.com

By Pat Baughman Club correspondent

Rossmoor women’s 50+ East Bay Women’s League tennis team began its season at home on Sept. 14 against San Ramon Valley Tennis Club. San Ramon fielded a strong team and won three of the four matches.

Lori Davis and Pat Baughman cruised to a decisive two-set victory on line 1. The line 2 match was extremely competitive, with Guita Bahramipour and Eileen Plotkin losing in a third-set tiebreak. On line 3, Carol Pillsbury and Mary Benin played many long, hard-fought games before losing in two sets. Carol Sebilia and Karen Meyer partnered for the first time on line 4 and played a spirited match but were defeated.

Women’s 50+ Tennis Team resumes play

THe Tennis Club’ Women’s 50-plus team includes, from left, Captain Pat Baughman, Carol Sebilia, Guita Bahramipour, Eileen Plotkin, Lori Davis, Mary Benin, Carol Pillsbury and Karen Meyer; in front, Yvonne Merrick

By Randy Carlos Club correspondent

The Happy Hackers are getting ready to close out another fun-filled year of golf, friendship and camaraderie! The Happy Hackers Golf Club will host its final tournament and closing event of 2026 on Saturday, Oct. 17, bringing together members for one more afternoon of golf, laughs and good times before the season comes to a close.

The Oct. 17 October Scramble will tee off at 2:30 p.m., with check-in at the Golf Shop by 2 p.m. The scramble format keeps the game friendly, relaxed and fun, with players of all skill levels welcome. Whether a seasoned golfer or still working on that swing, everyone has a chance to contribute to the team.

And, of course, the fun doesn’t end when the last putt drops. Following the tournament, golfers will gather at Dollar Picnic Grounds for a Happy Hackers Social and Mixer featuring delicious pizza from Ellie’s Pizza and refreshments for just $10 per person. It’s the perfect way to relax after the round, swap stories from the course, celebrate a few great shots, laugh about the ones that got away, and enjoy time with fellow Happy Hackers.

As the final tournament and closing event of 2026, the October Scramble and Social is a chance to celebrate everything that makes Happy Hackers golf special. Throughout the year, members have enjoyed tournaments, clinics, social gatherings and plenty of opportunities to meet fellow golf

ers and build new friendships. The October event brings the year to a fitting finish with one more round together.

No golf handicap is required to join the Happy Hackers or participate in club events. The club welcomes golfers of all skill levels, and encourages members to come out and enjoy the friendly, non-competitive spirit that makes Happy Hackers such a fun part of the Rossmoor golf community.

Registration opens Friday, Oct. 2 through www.rhh. golfgenius.com Members are encouraged to sign up early and save the date for this special end-of-year celebration.

Mark the calendar for Oct. 17, grab the clubs, and get ready to send off 2026 with one more Happy Hackers day of golf, friendship, pizza, refreshments and fun!

Happy Hackers to wrap up 2026 with October scramble and social

green salad, dessert, sparkling water, sodas and coffee. To help keep the cost of the evening reasonable, alcohol will not be provided. Members are welcome to BYOB, and wine glasses and bottle openers will be available.

Table seating is eight members per table. Those who would like to sit with friends or teammates are encouraged to designate one person as their table host. Table host may register the entire table, or members may register individually and include the table host’s last name so that the group can be seated together.

Purchase tickets by going to the RossmoorBocceClub.com, sign in, go to Events, then Register.

Earlier that day, the Bocce Club and Rossmoor Rotary Club will host a community-wide food drive for the Food Bank. Unlike the evening annual meeting, the food drive is open to all Rossmoor residents.

Residents are invited to

drive by the Event Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, and drop off nonperishable food donations. Glass containers cannot be accepted.

With the holidays approaching, particularly helpful donations include stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, canned green beans, canned sweet potatoes, mashed potato flakes, gravy mix, cornbread mix, dry beans, masa, flour, cooking oil, chicken stock and boxed scalloped potatoes.

The Food Bank also needs everyday staples throughout the year, including nut butters, canned tuna and chicken, macaroni and cheese, shelf-stable milk, beans and lentils, rice, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, low-sodium soups and vegetables, canned fruit and other nonperishable ready-to-eat meals.

Residents who prefer to make a monetary contribution can do so through the Food Bank: https://tinyurl. com/5yp6xvpa

Every donation – whether a bag of groceries, a box of holiday staples or an online contribution – will help provide food for individuals and families throughout Contra Costa County.

The organizers are also looking to borrow a van large enough to hold the Food Bank collection barrels. The van would be needed for a few days following the Nov. 1 food drive until the Food Bank can pick up the donations.

For questions about the food drive or to help with a van, contact Victoria Haket at victoriahaket@gmail.com or 1-650-430-1150. For questions about annual meeting registration, contact Don Jennings at donjenningsjr@hotmail.com or 1-408-891-2259.

The Rossmoor Bocce Club board looks forward to welcoming members to the annual meeting, and encourages the entire Rossmoor community to help make this year’s food drive a success.

BOCCE: Annual meeting and food drive

Continued from page 16A

Photos on this page

Members of the Rossmoor Women's 50-plus tennis team stand together smiling on the court with tennis racquets. Caption: THe Tennis Club’ Women’s 50-plus team includes, from left, Captain Pat Baughman, Carol Sebilia, Guita Bahramipour, Eileen Plotkin, Lori Davis, Mary Benin, Carol Pillsbury and Karen Meyer; in front, Yvonne Merrick