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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Dan Boye
skipbid2003@yahoo.com
SECRETARY
Bill Herdle
bill@herdle.com
TREASURER
John Nothdurft
noth0583@gmail.com
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Joann Glasson
joannglasson@msn.com
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By the time you read this, the Lancaster Tournament—one of my perennial favorites—will be in the books, but I expect to still be enjoying the afterglow. I will have attended disguised as a dejected Eagles fan, which, frankly, is not much of a disguise. I am eager to see what costume Ron Orr chooses and to reminisce about Sheriff John D. Schwartz, who was always accompanied by cowgirl Jane Havighurst. Karin Schwenk was planning to dress as a witch and had been asking about the green face paint I wore as Elphaba. I hope she has better luck removing it than I did; for a day or two afterward green specks kept appearing, like clubs in a hand where I had preempted in hearts.
“Hex Marks the Spot” was the motto of the 1980 Fall Nationals in Lancaster, the first NABC I attended. I still have four neon-green plastic garment bags left over from the welcome gifts—which proves that bridge players will keep anything if it might someday be useful. I earned my first gold points in the Pretzel Pairs and then mistakenly found myself in the final Sunday Open Teams. We lost our first match to Benito Garozzo and Lea DuPont by very little, but I was assured, “It didn’t matter because it was Victory Points.” We continued to lose, and apparently it continued not to matter. It was Victory Points.
In its heyday, Lancaster was a huge tournament. I played on the tennis courts, on the old ice-skating rink, in the Host Corral, and even across the street at the Continental. It was also where I set a personal record by playing five sessions in one day: the 9 a.m. morning pairs, the main two-session event at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the Dinner Bell KOs at 5 p.m.—heavily populated by pros and their clients—and the Midnight KOs. This year I am mostly playing team games with friends, and if I lose, it will not matter. After all, “It is Victory Points.”
Five newly minted Life Masters, appropriately attired in red and black, recently celebrated at the West Deptford Bridge Club, run by D4 Treasurer John Nothdurft.
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The celebrants are John Nothdurft, Rose Stinnett, Mary Previtera, Jeanmarie Leonard, and Art Ford. Offer congratulations when you next see them!
Now for a well-deserved shout-out to our North American Pairs winners. The Open Flight and Flight B competed on October 3, while Flight A and Flight C played on October 24. Congratulations to everyone who qualified, competed, and brought home honors!
NORTH AMERICAN PAIRS WINNERS
Flight B
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Kathryn Markley (Mechanicsburg PA) & Jeffrey Osman (York PA)
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Steven Angstreich (Cherry Hill NJ) & Leslie Heselton (Moorestown NJ)
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Noah Bell (Ithaca NY) & Jonathan Forde (Geneva NY)
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Jessica U (State College PA) & David Soukup (Philadelphia PA)
Open Flight
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Zachary Madden (Glen Mills PA) & Richard Popper (Wilmington DE)
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Louis Glasthal (Berwyn PA) & Will Ehlers (Lancaster PA)
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Martin de Bruin (Egg Harbor Twp NJ) & Betty Scull (Egg Harbor Twp NJ)
Flight A
- Bharat Rao (Berwyn PA) & Lisa Mita (Downingtown PA)
- Kamrul Khan Hummelstown PA) & Monica Knopf (Harrisburg PA)
- Barry Dehlin (Dresher PA) & Matt Sherman (Rochester NY)
Flight C
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David Rubinson (Haddonfield NJ) & Nancy Koch (Cherry Hill NJ)
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John Nothdurft (Gibbstown NJ) & Art Ford (Marlton NJ)
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Lou Primavera (Norristown PA) & Yaacov Garini (Narberth PA)
The coming months offer plenty of opportunities to play, see friends, and collect points in nearly every color of the bridge rainbow. Here is what is ahead:
Silver
Finger Lakes Sectional
Canandaigua NY Nov 7-8
Silver
Northeastern PA Local Sectional
Dupont PA Nov 13-14
Gold+Red+ Silver+Black
D4 Autumn STaC
your local club Nov 16-22
Gold+Red+ Silver+Black
Dini Romito Royal Point Weekend
Rehoboth Beach DE Nov 20-22
Silver
One-Day I/N Sectional
King of Prussia PA Nov 23
Silver
Dave Treadwell Sectional
Wilmington DE Dec 11-13
I hope to see you at the table. May your partners be forgiving, your opponents be charming, and all your losses turn out not to matter because it was Victory Points.
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From the Regional Director | | |
The ACBL runs only two national events each year that are limited to participants who live in North America – the North American Pairs and the Grand National Teams. These events are referred to as our “Grass Roots Events” because the participants are all local district players. Each district holds competitions to determine the players who will represent them in the event finals.
Each year, The North American Pairs final is held at the Spring NABC and the Grand National Teams final is held at the Summer NABC. The competitions are divided into four separate flights, based on masterpoint (MP) levels, so players of all levels of experience can compete and represent their District in the national competition. There is an Open flight, A Flight: 0-6,000, B Flight: 0-3,000 and C Flight: 0-750 masterpoints.
Both the NAP and GNT events are run locally by district volunteers who donate their time to support Region 3 players in their quest for a national title.
District 3 NAP & GNT Coordinator: Farley Mawyer: Farley.Mawyer@gmail.com
District 4 NAP & GNT Coordinator: Louis Glasthal: glasthal@comcast.net
If you have any questions about the events, you can contact either Farley or Lou, they both do a terrific job supporting our local players.
Local Clubs and Sectionals in the region run “Grass Roots Games” throughout the year. These games pay extra masterpoints and come with a small additional charge. The extra charge collected is earmarked to support players who represent their respective district with a travel subsidy. The funding and support that these games provide becomes crucial with the increased costs of travel.
Please support these games when they are held in your area and encourage your local club to run more of them. We can all share in the success of our local players.
| | The 4Spot features fantastic contributors on a regular rotation: | |
January, April, July, October:
Larry's Learning Center by Larry Cohen
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February, May, August, November:
For Novices Only
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March, June, September, December:
Schwaidelson's Fractured Four-Hand Tales
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Calling all novices and the rest of us, including yours truly: We could all use a good summary of the Forcing Pass right about now, methinks. Try this one from Robert Todd. | | How does this auction look to you so far? Hint: This should not be a trick question. Check here for answers. | | Visit the MSC website to read our next problem and submit your answers online here. | | News from Around the Units | | |
The Finger Lakes Sectional will be held on November 7-8 in Canandaigua. Saturday events will be Stratified Open Pairs and Stratified NLM/499er Pairs. Sunday will feature Stratified Open Swiss Teams and Stratified NLM/499er Swiss Teams. A complimentary lunch will be provided both days. Many thanks to Mary Miller and Jim Carroll for hosting this tournament.
The Rochester Area Bridge Association held its Autumn Sectional on October 10-11. This popular tournament was an opportunity for great bridge, fellowship and meeting new players. The efforts of Margie Spence, Tournament Chair, and Lynn Ackerman, Partnership Chair, are greatly appreciated.
Canandaigua hosted Flight B and C North American Pairs competitions and West Elmira held a Flight C Final. Much appreciation goes to Mary Miller (Canandaigua) and Pat Stadelmaier (West Elmira) for hosting these competitions.
It is not too early to start thinking about the Finger Lakes Regional which will be held on September 13-17, 2027! The Hampton Inn, the host hotel for this Destination Tournament featuring Bridge, Wine Country and the Beauty of the Finger Lakes, is now accepting reservations as are other Penn Yan hotels. The District 4 website provides hotel information including bridge room rates. This tournament received high marks on the surveys and we look forward to another terrific tournament next year!
Unit 112 Congratulates its Advancing Players:
Club Masters
Dawn Deperrior
Sarah Hurlbut
Sectional Master
Balazs Zsenits
Regional Master
Dustin Kasser
Bronze Life Master
Christine Mytelka
Ruby Life Master
Graham Holroyd
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Fran Hofherr
franhofherr@gmail.com
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The Honesdale-Hawley DBC recently hosted the Architzel Memorial Tournament at the Beach Lake Resort.
Overall results:
1 Harold Koehler & Nancy Trovato
2 Mary Zabresky & Doreese Torrey
3 Susan Hunt & Kenneth Lloyd
4 Walter Mitchell Jr & Bill Orth
5 David & Karen Wessell
B results:
3 Robert Brydon & Joan Winters
4 Joe Distini & Jane Bovard
5 Arthur Kibbe & Paul Ricker
C results:
2 Gary Stack & Cindy Zingher
3 Clara Kelly & Betsy Hattersley
4 Mary Ellen McCormick & Rita Groves
5 Hans & Edel Hofstetter
6 Linda Churla & Marla McNabb,
Mark your calendars
11/13 & 14 Local sectional tournament at the Iron Skillet, 98 Grove St, Dupont, PA, featuring two sessions of stratified open pairs each day, including a free lunch!
12/13 Holiday Party at Apple Tree, Newberry Estates, Dallas
| | Check back next month for Unit 121 news. | | |
Congratulations! New Rank Achievements
Junior Masters
Frances Congdon
Bob De Witt
Philippe Marchandise
Club Master
Bob De Witt
Sectional Master
Jerry Noll
Regional Master
Pamela Pound
In Memoriam: David J. Willgruber
David J. Willgruber, 66, passed away at home on October 2, 2026 in the arms of his loving wife, Marilyn Rucci. He was the son of the late Bernard and Ann (Shaak) Willgruber. He graduated from La Salle College High School and Penn State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, with high honors. Dave worked for the United States Postal Service until his retirement in 2022.
Dave was an avid skier, world traveler, dancer, cyclist, golfer and bridge player achieving his Life Master designation in 2023. He loved music and enjoyed singing with his family. He was a lector at St. Elizabeth of Hungary R.C. Church and a member of the Whitehall Township Environmental Advisory Board.
Contributed by Jack Willgruber
Annual Meeting and Holiday Party
Saturday, November 14, 2026
WHERE: Brookside Country Club - 901 Willow Lane, Macungie PA
WHEN: Saturday, November 14, 2026
11:30 PM Social and Cash Bar
12:00 PM Dinner and Meeting
1:30 PM Bridge Games - 0-200, 0-750 & Open (attendance permitting)
FEE: $40 members
$50 non-members
It is possible to by cash or check at club games, but reservations close on November 1, so any questions please email Lois Fuini at loisfuini@yahoo.com
November 2026 Royal STaC Games
WHERE: Lehigh Valley Active Life & Bethlehem Bridge Club
WHEN:
Monday, November 16 - 12:30 pm Lehigh Valley Active (Life 0-250 and 0-750 Games)
Monday, November 16 - 10 am Bethlehem Bridge Club (Open game)
Wednesday, November 18 - 10 am Bethlehem Bridge Club
Friday, November 20th - 12:30 pm Lehigh Valley Active Life
Wednesday & Friday - Open game at both clubs
WHY: Royal STaC games provide players the opportunity to earn ¼ black, ¼ silver, ¼ red and ¼ gold points at the club level. Increase your pigmented point count in a comfortable atmosphere with no additional travel time.
COST: $10 per member, $11 per nonmember at Lehigh Valley Active Life & $10 at Bethlehem Bridge Club.
MORE INFORMATION: If you have additional questions, please email Betsy Cutler at betsy2955@gmail.com or Lois Fuini at lafuini@yahoo.com.
In Memoriam Games
Friday, December 11, 2026
The In Memoriam Game is scheduled for December 11th at Lehigh Valley Active Life at 12:30 pm. Please join us to recognize the members of Unit 133 who have passed away in the last year. We will celebrate their lives and achievements by playing a charity game of duplicate bridge in their honor. Proceeds from the games will benefit active older adults at Lehigh Valley Active Life.
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I hope to see many of you November 7 at the Unit’s Mystery Team Game. We’ll have a brief annual meeting, so please bring any ideas, questions or concerns about bridge in our Unit!
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Intermediate-Novice Sectional at King of Prussia Bridge Club November 23!
Traveling for bridge to all 50 states!
Patricia and Ron Ashby, visitors from Tupelo, Mississippi found a New Jersey game at Cape May County Duplicate Bridge Club October 1. Here Patricia and Ron (East-West) face off against locals Jean and Ed Lyons.
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Have someone or something you would like to see in the 4Spot? Or news from your Club? Or ideas for the Unit? Email me!
A warm welcome to our newest PCBA members:
John Klaus
Yixiang Mao
Margaret Polaneczky
Arlene Gordon
Mary Ann Stover
Barry Wind
Sarah Melby
Congratulations to our members who achieved a new rank:
Junior Masters
Don Alexander
Deborah Cipriano
Thomas Davis
William DeVry
Gloria Dichter
Paul Drucker
Robin Forman
San Gao
Douglas Goldberg
Carolyn Gomes
William Harmon
Thomas Harris
Joel Kessler
Carol McLarney
Diane Molchan
Nilesh Naik
Mary Elizabeth Pfeil
Larry Rosen
Fen Rui
Barbara Schall
Raymond Schreyer
Harsh Sheth
Vivien Soo
Jean Webb
Donald Yih
Sherman Yuen
Club Masters
Don Alexander
Virginia Hargrave
Frederick Hosier
Kermit Livingston
Mary Elizabeth Pfeil
Joyce Ross
Audrey Timm
Matthew Waldron
Sectional Masters
Arthur Chiu
Cathy Mast
Regional Masters
Catherine Arthey
Deborah Kahn
Angela Masterson
Joseph Moseley
Janet Tancredi
NABC Master
Dennis Parenti
Advanced NABC Master
Elisa Lock
Lee Silberman
Life Master
Richard Abt
Steven Angstreich
John Nothdurft
Robert Young
Silver Life Master
Susan Bailey
Michael Freedman
Ruby Life Master
Michael Bruno
Gold Life Master
Andrew Krawitt
Sapphire Life Master
Frank Morgan
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Ben Hawn
bwhawn@bellsouth.net
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Congratulations to the following Unit 168 players as they move up the ACBL’s ranking ladder:
Junior Master
Marie Ann Moran
Club Masters
Allison Lampert
Sandra Shirk
Sectional Master
Carol Schintz
Regional Masters
Robert Deitzel
Shao Huang
Advanced NABC Master
Claudia Hostetter
What do you do when partner opens at the one level, the next one passes, and you have *seven* card support? Some sort of raise does seem in order. All red at a team game a few days ago I held:
Qx xx xx AJT9xxx
After 1C - pass, I chose 2D, an artificial limit raise in clubs. (The convention is typically known as crisscross.) Is this best? I don’t know. LHO doubled. Partner bid 3C, I bid 4C and partner continued on to 5C. This went down two, -200. Partner’s hand was AJx Qx xxx KQxxx.
As is so often the case, the Law of Total Tricks came to the rescue. The opponents can make game in hearts, spades, or diamonds. We can manage no more than two spade tricks on defense. Our teammates scored up a routine +650 in 4H.
There are theoretically twenty-one “total tricks” on the deal (twelve clubs for us plus nine hearts for them). We can take nine tricks in clubs to their eleven in hearts. 9+11 = 20, not 21, so the arithmetic misses by one, but the gist of LOTT is still valid. Bid as high as your trump fit, then hope for the best. You’ll end up in the right place far more often than not.
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CONGRATULATIONS on RANK ADVANCEMENTS !!!
As of May 1, 2026:
Diamond Life Master
Harold Jordan
As of October 1, 2026:
Diamond Life Master
Barbara Rhoades
Advanced NABC Master
Lianger Gong
Sectional Master
John Stevens
As of November 1, 2026:
Sapphire Life Master
Sigridur Kristjansdottir
Silver Life Master
Patricia Sinex
Bronze Life Masters
Mickey Debellis
Charles Vickers
NABC Master
Mary Harding Cist
Regional Masters
Dr. Frank Falcone, Jr.
Andrea Malinowski
Junior Masters
Gabe Dagen
Robert Dolier
Eileen Giardina
Deborah Harman
Timothy Hodson
Allie Miller
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
UNIT 190 UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
NOVEMBER 20-22, 2026
Dini Romito ROYAL Point Weekend
SPECIAL EVENT – EARN GOLD POINTS !!!
Atlantic Sands Hotel – Ballroom
1 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE
The holiday season at Rehoboth Beach is simply delightful!
Play bridge and start your holiday shopping or just enjoy the festive decorations, music, and restaurants throughout the area. Visit the Schellville Christmas Village … free admission!
Each point = 25% Gold, Silver, Black & Red
Two stratified pairs sessions on November 20 and 21
Bracketed teams session on November 22
Free lunch daily
Room Blocks
The Atlantic Sands ($125/night / Block #11623)
The Breakers Hotel ($69 Thurs / $99 Fri + Sat nights / Block #2137)
Deadline for cancellation @ both hotels – 10/28/26
Tournament Flyer Dini Royal Points Weekend
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DECEMBER 11-13, 2026
Dave Treadwell Sectional
Open Tournament
Bridge Studio of Delaware
1403 Foulk Road, #203
Wilmington, Delaware
Tournament chair Carl Coan
More details to come!
Bridge humor:
The best way to have played a disastrous hand
is “under an assumed name”.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
DIAMOND STATE SECTIONAL
OCTOBER 9-11, 2026
The Diamond State Sectional, chaired by Harold Jordan and directed by Alan Holdesblatt, was held in Wilmington, Delaware on a beautiful fall weekend in October (minus that rainy Swiss Teams Sunday). Barb Rhoades served as Partnership Chair, making sure that anyone who wanted to play had a partner or a team. Over the course of three days, Masterpoints were earned by 137 players. In addition, two players achieved the Life Master rank! First place results are provided below, along with a list of Top 25 Masterpoint winners and a few pictures. Full results can be accessed at https://live.acbl.org/events/2610316.
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WORDS OF WISDOM
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” – Reba McEntire
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Unit 217: Susquehanna
Hope Sheehan
Hope@DurangoRVPark.com
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First, a delayed announcement from September: We had a unit game on 09/03 with the bridge club in Altoona generously traveling to State College. We added 22 Altoona players to the mix, making a total of 10 ½ tables. The results were evenly split in a highly genteel manner with four teams from each club carrying away the top eight honor spots.
The State College Club appreciates the outlay of gas and time from the Altoona players to make this possible. Thank you for coming.
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I conclude this month’s 4Spot entry with this true story:
If it Works in Pickleball, it Can Work for Bridge Partners
None of us can remember Charley losing a pickleball match - ever.
As an athlete, he is a phenomenon, playing with a zeal that forces miracles - stroking impossible shots back into play. His grunts of battle and piercing yells are the acoustics of a duel. So driven is he to win that his knuckles and elbows bear bloody callouses - war wounds - from diving and crashing across the floor.
He never loses, yet we still try to handicap Charlie’s talent by that of a partner, so in these battles we pair him with the weakest player around. Let’s call this player the Ugly Duckling.
You know the type. When the U.D. plays with me, his paddle completely misses the balls, the few shots he does connect with go into the net, and he manages to muff up the game by swinging at my balls too. So we give the U. D. to Charlie.
But Charlie is not only a physical phenomenon - he is also a wizardly teammate. Miraculously, he single-handedly transforms the duckling into competence. Just watch: When the U.D. walks over to join Charlie as his teammate, he begins to puff up - more so with each step. I even see a bit of a swagger because the U. D. knows he’s finally going to win a match today. Charlie encourages the puffing-up with a high-five greeting and a big smile, praising duckling's the steady improvement, saying how much he looks forward to playing together and how the U.D.’s shots are becoming deadly. The Ugly Duckling beams.
The match/duel begins and suddenly the buttered-up duckling is no longer so ugly. It’s astonishing; his swings no longer miss; his balls all go over the net. The shots he makes have indeed become deadly; even his backhand is working.
This unfurling is so unfair and so frustrating. Where was this caliber of play when the U.D. was on my side of the net? Meanwhile, Charlie Font pours on more butter: “I knew we would play well together. Keep up the good work. You’re doing great.”
Of course, eventually and infuriatingly, we lose the match to Charlie and his now much-prettier duck. Ignoring the new bloody wounds on his knuckles, Charlie finishes with a final polishing: “You’re really solid. We’ll have to play again soon.”
This true story is what I call the ‘Charlie Font School of Partnership Coaching.’
Hope Sheehan
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