We hope everyone is staying safe, first and foremost. And are you finding, as we are, that bridge skills need not suffer during the pandemic? Thanks to multiple online opportunities, you can stay connected with partners and support your local clubs in the process. Check with your club director for specifics and enjoy!
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Meyer Kotkin
guymath@comcast.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
SECRETARY
Bill Bauer
william.baueriii@verizon.net
TREASURER
Pat Civale
pat@csa-accounting.com
DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Joann Glasson
joannglasson@msn.com
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On behalf of my family, the entire District 4 (
D4
) Board of Directors, and myself I hope that you, your families and friends are all safe and healthy. I want you all to remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. We are all in this together and as a united group, we will be stronger as we face the challenging times ahead. And to all D4 players, spouses, children and friends who are first responders, medical doctors, nurses and staff, or other essential workers reporting to work and taking care of us in these perilous times, I and the D4 Board salute you, admire you, and hope and pray you stay safe.
With great sadness and disappointment, D4 canceled the 2020 Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge, the Burt Garrell Syracuse Regional and D4’s first ever Intermediate and Newcomer
(I/N
) Regional in King of Prussia, PA. The Tournament Chairs and Committees for each of these Tournaments were unanimous in recommending cancelation in order to protect and safeguard the health and lives of our players, volunteers and staff. The Philadelphia Regional was looking forward to moving to its new home at the Valley Forge Casino Resort and the Tournament Committee had planned some nice surprises for our players. I choose to think we did not cancel those plans so much as we just put all our plans on hold until 2021. D4 has already rescheduled the Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge (June 21 – 27, 2021) and the Rochester Regional (Aug 2 – 8, 2021) and we are working on 2021 dates for the King of Prussia I/N Regional. One of my goals since I first took office was for D4 to run I/N Regionals and at the Lancaster Board meeting in October 2019, the D4 Board approved plans for I/N Regionals in each of the next three years, hosted by Unit 141 (
U141
), U133 and U168, respectively. Presently, it is unclear as to whether we will shift all the I/N Regionals back one year, or have two I/N Regionals in 2021 when face-to- face bridge returns – and I choose to believe face-to-face bridge will eventually return. In addition, D4 has not yet made a decision about the 2020 Lancaster Red Rose Regional, Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2020
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I know that many of my fans like Alex Allen (D3) and Lawrence Sunser (U112) memorize every word of my monthly articles. For those of you who have better things to do, I want to remind you of some questions and comments from my April 2019 President’s Message. Back then, I posed these questions for you to think about:
Can you imagine a bridge game without physical cards? Would you play in an ACBL Sectional, Regional or National tournament in the comfort of your local club or even your home with bidding and play accomplished by clicking icons on computers, tablets and/or phones? What do you think about the integrity and security of those types of “on-line tournaments?”
Who would have ever anticipated a time like this with no face-to-face bridge? When D4 canceled the Philadelphia Regional, I contacted the ACBL and offered to host an on-line Philadelphia Regional on the scheduled dates of the face-to face 2020 Philadelphia Regional. I did this not because I wanted to be Chair of an on-line Regional but because I wanted to give D4 players chances to earn Gold Points and rank advancements. ACBL replied that they are working on their own plans for “virtual” Regionals.
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In that same article, I wrote:
BBO runs 24 ACBL sanctioned “Speedball” tournaments, on the hour, every day of the year. Those tournaments are sorta, kinda like club games, except you can play from the comfort of your home, doctor’s office or local pub. I have even played in a tournament while in a passenger in a car for a long ride to a face-to face tournament. How do you do all that with physical cards?
Well, we are there. With no face-to-face bridge, BBO membership is booming. Many D4 players have signed up and are paying in not only the Speedball tournaments and social rooms but also in the ACBL virtual clubs set up by our local clubs throughout the District. Both individually and by forming on-line “mergers” (where a couple of clubs join together to have one larger on-line presence) local clubs are able to run games on BBO that can be used to sustain their businesses while we all wait for the world to reopen to face-to-face games at our local clubs. A big shout out from me and the D4 Board to all our players who support our local virtual clubs by playing in their on-line games. Some clubs are actually doing significantly better on-line as the number of tables in their games are no longer limited by physical space or equipment limitations.
In the scheme of things, there are more important matters than bridge facing all of us today. Bridge is helping me cope even though I admit to you that I am afraid every time I have to go out and every time I don’t hear from my kids for more than one day. Every time I turn on the news I find out I am in yet another high-risk category and can find no indication that chick magnets are immune. This month we would normally celebrate Memorial Day weekend with family gatherings, barbecues, beaches and libations. Our celebrations in a social distancing era will certainly be different. However, I think it is even more important for us to stop whatever we are doing this Memorial Day at 3PM for a moment of silence to recognize those who gave their lives in service to their country. This solemn moment should include acknowledgments and thoughts for all the soldiers, police, firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives during this pandemic and other national crises. They made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and we must never, never forget them.
As always, I welcome all comments and suggestions on any D4 matters and issues. My e-mail is
guymath@comcast.net
and my cell is 856.986.5109
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From the District Director
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As this message reaches you, I hope that you and your family are sheltered, safe and healthy. Our family has personally experienced the devastation of this pandemic, as our otherwise healthy son contracted the corona virus. He is on the road to recovery, but it is a traumatic experience to have a loved one hospitalized with no ability to visit them. This virus is particularly nasty - please take the necessary precautions to safeguard your health.
A lot has happened in ACBL World in a very short period of time...
ACBL board meetings were held online for the first time ever in March and we met two sessions per day for five full days. Thanks to Bob Bertoni of District 25, who handled the technology, and our President, Georgia Heth, the meetings were well organized and productive.
As Chair of the Finance Committee, I presented the 2020 budget to the Board of Directors for their approval. The budget was prepared at the end of 2019, but because of the scheduling of board meetings, it traditionally does not receive final approval until the spring meeting. The Board was well aware that since the advent of the corona virus, the budget expectations for 2020 will no longer be a reality.
The ACBL earns income from four major sources - membership dues, tournaments, club sanction fees and NABCs. Virtually all face-to-face bridge has been halted in North America. Sectional and Regional tournaments are being canceled and both the Columbus and Montreal NABCs have been canceled. With no income from these sources, the ACBL is in a serious financial situation.
Our Finance Committee is meeting continually in this time of crisis and management is working to plan for the future, adjusting as more information about the effect of Covid-19 on our game becomes available. Every effort is being made to preserve the assets of the ACBL.
SUPPORT FOR YOUR LOCAL BRIDGE CLUBS
Bridge clubs around District 4 are closed in order to protect our membership who are at risk because of their average age. By closing, these clubs have been hit hard by the pandemic. Bridge clubs are the lifeblood of the ACBL. It is important to keep them alive until the virus is under control.
The ACBL and former Board Member Jay Whipple have worked together to create games online at BBO (bridgebase.com) that will funnel money back to our club owners to help keep them afloat during the crisis. You can access other detailed information about the ACBL Support Your Club games
here
.
A list of virtual bridge clubs in District 4 is available
here
and on the District 4 website. Every effort will be made to keep this list updated as new clubs are added and changes are made. In order to play in these games, you must have played at that particular club within the last year or request permission through the club owners. Register online at BBO to play at your club and make sure that BBO has your ACBL number on file. Registration opens two hours before the game is scheduled.
BOARD RESTRUCTURE
The Board of Directors voted 20-4-1 to reduce the size of the ACBL board from 25 members to 13 members. The transition to a smaller board will be done gradually over the next few years. ACBL is incorporated in New York state and New York not-for-profit law requires that all elected board members are entitled to complete the term for which they have been elected. Since the motion needs a second reading to approve the bylaw changes at the summer board meeting, the first election for the regional board will not occur until 2021 for terms beginning January 1, 2022.
This restructure is the culmination of many efforts to reduce the board. I served on the task force that produced the current proposal and we focused on maintaining geographic representation in an effort to produce a plan that would be acceptable to current board members. The reorganization plan doesn't resolve all issues, but it is a major step into a sounder future.
For those who are interested in the details, the full motion is available in the
board meeting minutes
. You can also click
here
for a slideshow that we produced of frequently asked questions about the restructure plan.
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NAP/GNT
Players who won the NAP District finals this year and were scheduled to play in the 2020 national will instead play in the event (and receive their travel stipend) at the spring NABC in 2021. There will be no NAP qualifying games this summer. The GNT event for 2020 has been canceled.
Stay well and stay home. We will get through this together.
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Because of COVID-19 related uncertainties about when tournaments can safely resume, please check the ACBL calendar listings.
For a full year D4 calendar (it's sad),
click here
.
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The 4Spot features fantastic contributors, on a regular rotation:
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Larry's Learning Center by Larry Cohen:
January, April, July, October
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For Novices Only by Marti Ronemus:
February, May, August, November
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The ABC of Bridge by Dave Wachsman:
March, June, September, December
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We contacted Marti to see how she is doing with social distancing and received a prompt reply: "Being at home under House Arrest during Covid19, we all have lots of extra time to think. When we come out the other side, I will be changed in two ways. First, I’ll never look at a clerk, wait person or “small job” worker the same way again. I will be grateful for their help. Second, I’ll never take casual time with friends for granted. I miss “hanging out” with my gang so much. Sniff."
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EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT BRIDGE, I LEARNED AT THE RACETRACK
On the positive side, we have lots of time to revisit wonderful memories. With the grass getting green and nature coming to life again, I’m brought back to some of the best times of my growing-up years. Race Tracks!!
How did race tracks become home to me? My father was a (very) small-time horse owner and trainer. His day job was a veterinarian and I guess he didn’t get enough of animals that way, so he indulged his passion by breeding, training and racing Standardbreds. These, by the way, are the horses that run in harness pulling racing bikes, Trotters and Pacers.
My formative years were spent in barns and around horses and horse people. Everything I know about life and people I learned at the racetrack, of course, I’m eager to share this (questionable) wisdom with you.
There are two horse worlds. There’s the track, where people who
think
they are gamblers put their money where their mouths are, and behind the scenes, where the
real
gamblers are. Consider: for every 100 foals registered, only 10 ever make it to the track. The other 90 either don’t have the speed or aren’t sound…physically able to win. Of the10 who make it to the track, only one will ever make enough money for its people to cover its expenses. (By the way, those in the know refer to a horse’s owners as “his people.”)
And the people who plunk down their two bucks think
they
are the gamblers?! What delusional thought process would lead an owner to think
his
horse is the 1% winner?
Our BRIDGE tie-in: You gotta believe!!
Actually, it’s the same delusional thinking that makes me believe that this time, contrary to my entire bridge experience, “8 ever, 9 never” is going to work. For me it never has, but I continue to do it anyway… hoping this time will be
the
time.
It’s the same thought process that makes me think that this time, my partner will remember we play transfers. It’s the same misplaced faith that leads me to believe that this time, maybe my bids actually reflect the hand I’m holding. It’s the wishful idea that maybe they
won’t
double my insane phantom sacrifice. (My Faithful Readers know I’m the Queen of the Phantom Sacrifice. You’ll be happy to know that I continue to hold the title. Sigh.)
This delusional thinking isn’t limited to me. Here’s an email I recently received:
“Marti, I wonder if you would give me some bidding advice.
(Silly question. Of course I’ll give advice. Will it be right? You judge!)
No One was vul. As South, I held
♠AKx
♥xx
♦Qxx
♣AJ1075
The bidding went:
W N E S
1♣
P 1♥ 2♦ P
3♦ 3♠ P ??
What does North have and what should I have done next? If you don’t help us, we’ll be arguing about this for days. Signed, Tormented in Tennessee”
Let’s analyze this. First, it seems to me there are an awful lot of points floating around this table, so obviously some must be from distribution. East’s 2♦ overcall promises 10+. West’s raise to 3♦ must be preemptive, showing lots of support. With your 14 HCP and East’s promised 10, if North is the Big Horse you bet on when you paid your entry, West rates to be totally broke. North baffles me though. He bid the hearts first, so he likely has more hearts than spades. If he were 5/5, he would have bid his spades first. To continue the bidding with a new suit at the 3-level with his 3♠ bid, he must have at least 5 spades. So he’s gotta have 6 hearts, 5 spades and a very nice, chubby, game-going hand. I have to admit the same confusion as you, though.
So, I suggested to Tormented that if he BELIEVED in his horse, uh, partner, I would consider bidding 4♠. With two 8-card fits he should choose the one that offers him more ruffing values to cover any losing hearts. If Pard’s hand doesn’t reflect his bidding, at least Tormented will win the Postmortem, right?
Sounds like good advice, no? Here’s what I heard back from Tormented.
“Well, Marti, that’s what I thought also. But here’s what he had:
♠Jxxx
♥KJxxx
♦xx
♣Qx
We got slaughtered. We were doubled. We were toast! But, he forgives my lapses and I certainly have no trouble returning the favor. Thanks for giving me the ammunition I needed to win the postmortem, though. If you can’t win the hand, you want to at least win the postmortem, right?”
Glad to help, guys!!
Oh my. Still, you gotta believe in your horse, and your bet. You place the best bets you can with the information you have…and then you tear up your tickets after your Big Horse turns out to be a nag. I read that one of the marvels of the human mind is that it can hold two conflicting views at the same time. You gotta believe that this is your 1% day. It’s this delusional thinking that makes life worth living.
There you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Let me hear from you… no belief is so strange that I’m not eager to hear it. Plus I am BORED TO DEATH here at home. WRITE ME!!
mronemus@comcast.net
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Moderator: Nick Straguzzi
You are social distancing (of course) but you still want to be in sync with partner for that online play! This month's problem gave the solvers an opportunity to rethink partnership agreements in areas not found on the convention card. In the situation below, what would you do?
Now see what the experts say.
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Bridge Clubs throughout our area are offering online options. If you have some time (you do) try it out! Don't be intimidated. Mark Henderson from Unit 190 put together this article that focuses on the ease and also the considerable advantages of online play. Plus, you'll be helping your Home Club weather these tough times.
Crossing the Bridge
By Mark Henderson
The other day at a local club game, I picked up this hand:
♠
AQ
♥ - -
♦ Ax
♣
AQJxxxxxx, red versus white, and saw a 1
♣
bid on my right. Your call is? What’s most unusual about this situation is not the hand, or the opening bid. It’s that the local club game was being played on a computer while I was sequestered in my living room.
That’s right! At a time when there are no sports, no restaurants, no concerts, no theater, and no church, we can still play bridge at the club and with the same people you have been playing with for years. What? You say that you are not computer savvy; it’s too complicated; too frustrating, etc. It’s possible you are right, but I doubt it. If you can send and receive emails, you can manage online bridge. I promise you know someone in your local bridge circle who has recently crossed this “bridge.”
Oh…and it’s not the same game. You’re right. Its better! Here’s why:
No cards to sort, no bidding boxes to fumble with, no leads or bids out of turn.
You alert your own bids to the opponents only. No unauthorized information.
Barometer scoring….Everyone plays the same hands at the same time. Results are available after every round.
And the very best feature is the excellent hand records. Every bid, every trick, and every card played is recorded for your review and analysis after the game.
It’s going to be a while before we all gather at the local club again. But duplicate bridge is bigger than ever ONLINE! For more information visit BridgeBaseOnline.com, or check with your local club.
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News from Around the Units
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Unit 112: Central New York
Pat Stadelmaier
pstad145@aol.co
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CONGRATULATIONS
Winners of the Unit 112 Sectional
2019
Trophy Races
Walts Overall Trophy
–
accumulates most points playing in Unit 112 Sectionals
1 65.15 Sam Maitra, Rochester NY
2 52.95 Roger Woodin, Rochester NY
Matson Pairs Trophy
–
accumulates most points playing in pair events in Unit 112 Sectionals
1 34.13 Sam Maitra, Rochester NY
2 27.82 Douglas Ross, Pittsford NY
McKaig Teams Trophy
–
accumulates most points playing in team events in Sectionals
1 24.21 David Hunt, East Rochester NY
2 24.21 Sam Maitra, Rochester NY
Pierce Non-Life Masters Trophy-
accumulates most points playing in Sectionals
1 19.30 Tara Holter, Rochester NY
2 17.92 Nicholas Nelson, Rochester NY
Joseph Non-Masters Trophy
–
open to players who begin calendar year with 0-20 mps
and accumulates the most points in Unit 112 sectionals and District 4 STaC events
1 5.86 Augustus Garnsey, Seneca Falls NY
2 2.77 John Cullen, Rochester NY
Clark-Cullinan STaC Trophy
–
accumulates the most points in Unit 112 Sectionals and District 4 StaC events
1 32.05 Sandra Stockton, Rochester NY
2 24.75 Betty Burns, Manlius NY
2
nd
place trophies were established in 1999 by Robert Cofer III
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Spotlight is on Betty Burns
Betty won the Cofer Award for accumulating the second highest number of mps in Unit 112 Sectionals and District 4 STaC events in 2019. Betty has been playing bridge for 75 years. She learned to play bridge during WWI when her husband was in the Air Force. She belonged to the Air Force Cadet Wives Club and they met every week to play bridge.
Betty, a Sapphire Life Master, has been very active in the Syracuse Bridge Community, heading the Syracuse Regionals and traveling to tournaments in the area. Before our pandemic, she was playing bridge three times a week in Cicero. She says bridge is good for your brain and keeps you in touch with people.
She remembers in the early days of bridge when it was a “cutthroat game” and women wore hats and men wore jackets. She has noticed a change with the “Zero Tolerance Policy." A fond memory was when Barry Crane flew in to play in their Syracuse Regional.
Betty has 2 children, 3 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. On June 19 she will be celebrating her 99
th
birthday!
Happy Birthday Betty!!
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Do you recognize this man?
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Bridge players aspire to make the
Barry Crane 500 List of Bridge Players
!
Crane was a 6-time McKenney contest champion. He was a successful TV producer. He was murdered in 1985. His murder was unsolved until last year and, May 5 2019, the accused's name was released by police.
Click here
for more information on this famous bridge player.
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Unit 112 Congratulates Dan Boye for making the top 500 Barry Crane list this year
Dan started playing bridge at Syracuse University in 1970. A girl he wanted to date called out to him as he entered the dorm lobby and asked if he played bridge. Wanting to get to know her, he responded, “No, but you can teach me!” Her lesson was Aces are 4, Kings are 3, Queens are 2, Jacks are 1, and it’s your bid! From then, on he was smitten with her…err the game.
Dan plays in one club game a year to qualify for the NAP qualifiers. Last year his points were from 2 Nationals (90), District 4 Regionals (300), Sectionals (19), and approx. 325 from 5 other Regionals.
Dan’s interest outside of bridge are Syracuse University Sports teams, Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees.
Dan greets the
Burt Garrell Regional 299er luncheon
attendees with a short lesson and tips on bridge.
He started a new partnership last year with Patty Dovell from Florida. They had a successful year. Now he’s looking forward to building their system and having continued success.
Unit 112 is rooting for you Dan…..remember your roots!
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Continue to play in your clubs Virtual Games and the Support Your Club Games provided by ACBL. Hopefully, these virtual games are a temporary solution to what is hopefully a temporary problem.
Take Care and Stay Healthy!
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Doreese Torrey
doreeset@gmail.com
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Hello Unit 120!! In the midst of the pandemic, we still have had some exciting achievements to announce. Please join me in congratulating the following:
March
New Club Master Paul Ricker Scranton, PA
April
New Silver Life Master Lynn E Gonchar Naples, FL
New Life Master Harold Soskin Scranton, PA
New Regional Master Stephen Brickel Clarks Summit, PA
New Regional Master Robert S Wojack Pittston, PA
New Club Master Edna Friedberg Clarks Summit, PA
New Club Master Jay Steinberger Tobyhanna, PA
WELL DONE ALL!!
Currently there are no face to face games being held anywhere in the Unit however, online games are still available. Check the ACBL site for schedules.
That's all the news for now. Until then, Please stay safe, stay strong, stay healthy, stay home.
See you soon at the Bridge Tables!
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Unit 121: Berks Montgomery
Brian C Snyder
484-838-0977
4spadesdoubled@gmail.com
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Sue Wessner will host a bridge cruise November 9-20, 2020.
CLICK HERE
for more information.
Congratulations to the following on their advancement in the ACBL Masterpoint Ranks:
New Junior Master – Phyllis J. Frodsham
Also, congratulations to Gilbert Deleeuw for finishing in the top 25 in the 2019 Mini-McKinney race for the 20-50 MP level.
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Unit 133: Lehigh Valley
Lois Fuini
lafuini@yahoo.com
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Many of us are living very different lives this Spring. However, even while sheltered in place, we can still enjoy the beautiful daffodils, tulips and flowering trees. When life changes, we notice things in new ways. We appreciate the many small kindnesses of our friends and neighbors - the woman who is sewing masks for everyone in her neighborhood, our member who is buying groceries for a member who has the virus, our member who is sewing masks for our local hospital, the 30 teens who drove in the car parade to celebrate their friend’s 18th birthday, or the families who made paper Easter eggs to hang in their windows so the neighborhood children could have an egg hunt. These are not the things we would usually be doing, but they are good things. Our hearts and thoughts continue to be with our bridge family and community. And above all Play in Place and Stay Safe!
New LVBA Unit 133 Virtual Game
The first ever
Unit 133 Competitive Virtual Club Game was held Thursday, April 23 at 7:15pm. This first game opportunity attracted 10 tables of players, ranging from beginner to advanced skill levels. Thanks to everyone who supported this new venture.
Winners:
1st Overall N/S - Mike Kohler and Frank Morgan
1st Overall E/W - Vince Coll and Lee Stanley
Additional games will be added as soon as more directors are trained to supervise online games. Please check the Unit 133 website for parameters and times of new virtual game opportunities as they become available.
A few things to remember in order play in the new virtual games:
You must be a member of BBO. It’s free and easy to join.
Please make sure your ACBL number is associated with your BBO account.
You will need to purchase BB$ using a credit card or PayPal.
Registration opens 2 hours before game time and you must be online 10 minutes prior to game time.
The Competitive Virtual Club Game is listed as VACB901330 with LVBA Unit 133 in the description.
Failure to follow any of these steps may affect your ability to play in any Virtual Club Game. If you need help or more information, please contact Betsy Cutler at 610-737-2545.
New Rank Advancements
Congratulations!
New Sectional Masters
Nancy Trawin
Lorena Wetherhold
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Unit 141: Philadelphia
Howard Kahlenberg
howard.kahlenberg@gmail.com
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So, over the years, I am sure that most of us have seen articles about how playing bridge can help people keep mentally sharp. Obviously, these days the mental health effects of bridge are being demonstrated like never before.
If you are like me, bridge is helping you cope with the current public health crisis in many ways. Of course, there is online bridge. I don’t believe that I have spoken to a single bridge player in the past few weeks that hasn’t said that they have been playing online, or that I haven’t seen playing on line, or that hasn’t been stuck playing with me online.
But there are other ways in which bridge is helping me, and I imagine you, in these trying times. Paradoxically, the community of bridge players feels even more of a community lately. I have talked to, texted, zoomed with, and BBO-chatted with untold numbers of bridge players the past few weeks.
Is the angst of the times making it harder for you to go to sleep at night? If you are like me (and honestly, it’s not recommended, but that’s another column), I usually fall asleep while reading about bridge (typically old Bridge World issues). Or maybe I will doze off watching some vugraph match or team match on BBO on my phone.
We don’t know when we will see each other again at a tournament or in person at a bridge club. (Literally as I was writing this, the ACBL send out an email with some guidelines about re-opening clubs and re-establishing in-person tournaments.) Personally, I would recommend an Uber-abundance of caution before we resume these activities. And while not we may not literally see each other at the bridge table for quite some time still, we still have bridge. And a bridge community.
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
A Fond Farewell to David Abuhove
District 4 has lost a serious, long-time competitor in Bridge. David Abuhove, a WWII veteran, has passed away at the age of 93. He started playing Bridge by subbing in his mother’s social game in the 1930s, then moved on to competing against the strong field in the Philadelphia region of that day, playing against the likes of Goren and Silodor. I partnered with David for a while in the early 2000’s, finally convincing him to play Michaels, the Unusual 2NT, and cue-bid raises, but he proceeded to leave me in the dust, attaining the rank of Gold Life Master, and having earned close to enough points for Sapphire Life Master.
One year, when both David and I attended the Gatlinburg Regional (although not playing together), he won the official Gatlinburg “Iron Man” award, which is presented to the person who plays either the most sessions or all of the sessions in the entire tournament. I heard that he had won it by actually playing in every session that year; that would be all morning games, all afternoon games, every Dinner Bell KO he was eligible for (until either winning, or being knocked out, I suppose), all evening games, and all late-night games! So, he basically played four and a half (the Dinner Bells were 12 boards per day) three-hour games. Every Day! Oh, and did I mention that he did that when he was at least 80 years old? It was truly a well-deserved award for a fierce and able competitor.
He is missed. – Dave Bort
CONGRATULATIONS
to these Unit 168 members on their new masterpoint rank achievements:
Sectional Master:
Gayle Cluck
Regional Master:
Diana Thompson
Bronze Life Master:
Pat Kibler
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Wacky Hands & Gadgets -
by Dave Bort
Topics presented in this month’s feature include
:
·
Leading an Ace Asks Suit Preference (or Leading a King Asks Count)
·
Robbing a Slam by Doubling at the Five Level
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Unit 190: Delaware
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
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The Unit 190 BBO Teams
Would you like to play with the
Bridgemates
?
How about forming a team, since
It’s a New Century
?
Or
perhaps try your luck against
Four Gay Blades
?
Maybe you want to meet
Mshugenah
?
In conjunction with the Unit 190 Club games, there is also team play, where the competition is focused on fun, learning, and community. For further information see the webpage tab of “BBO with Unit 190” at
bridgewebs.com/unit190acbl
.
PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
JUNIOR MASTER:
Leonard W. Schwartz
SECTIONAL MASTER:
Ian Burn, Mary M. Patrick and Susan A. Trombley
REGIONAL MASTER:
Elizabeth M. Janairo and Patricia D. Modispaugh
NABC MASTER:
Carol Bason and William Herdle
BRONZE LIFE MASTER:
Marcia H. Abbott
SILVER LIFE MASTER:
Kim R. Holm
GOLD LIFE MASTER
:
Rusty Vilk
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My summer body is looking like I have a great personality
|
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Geology rocks, but Geography is where it’s at.
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For news and information about the great things happening on BBO in Unit 190, with club games, both limited and Open, and Team games, check out the May
Dummy
and the Unit 190 website.
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Unit 217: Susquehanna
Jim McKeown
jcm@psu.edu
Congratulations on the following rank advances!!
Bruce Myers to Junior Master, Judy Barrile and Arlene Pruss to Sectional Master, Gerald Arcuri and Kathleen Arcuri to Regional Master, Sue Fletcher to NABC Master and Craig Netzley to Bronze Life Master.
Congratulations also to our 2019 Unit 217 Ace of Clubs, Mini McKenney and On-Line winners:
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This would normally be the place where I would invite you to come to our Sectional this May in Boalsburg, but as a sign of the times, we will not be having that tournament in May. We hope to postpone it to sometime in November.
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