In need of some silver? Face-to-Face bridge is returning in a fun way this month with STaC games at many local clubs. There is an announcement below, so read on for details. And, if you are looking for an opportunity to put your stellar online skills to use, call your favorite partner and sign up for the online NAP finals. You'll find the details here.
Is it all worth the effort? If there is any doubt in your mind, take a moment to hear the benefits of bridge in this broadcast forwarded to us from a 4Spot fan. Good reminder!
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Betsy Cutler
betsy2955@gmail.com
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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In recent weeks, a recurring theme I’m hearing from members is about the return of live tournament play. “Where can I go to get gold” is the most frequent question. From the moment the ACBL developed a plan to get us back to face-to-face bridge, the approach was: first Clubs, then Sectionals, then Regionals, then Nationals. And while we all thought (hoped) re-opening would move much more quickly than it has, we are moving forward.
The next opportunity for Gold in District 4 is the online NAP final. Instructions on how to register for the events are not yet available, but will be communicated when the registration process is finalized.
The games are scheduled as follows:
· Flight A: Sat & Sun – Oct 30/31
· Flight B: Sat Nov 6
· Flight C: Sat Oct 30
The next District 4 Regional is the “Bridge at the Beach Regional” in Rehoboth Beach, DE – May 2-6, 2022. A full schedule of Sectional and Regional Tournaments can be found on the ACBL website.
September saw District 4 hold its first Sectional in Wilmington DE, attracting 62 tables of play over 3 days. Many thanks to Tournament Chair, Caroline Hughes, and all the tournament staff for planning and executing a successful event.
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Memories of Tournaments Past
All this tournament talk got me reminiscing about tournaments past, reminding me of an experience at a Harrisburg Regional a few years back. I should start by saying this was in the early days of developing a partnership, one in which we had erratic results (top, then bottom… repeat often), which prompted us receiving the nicknames of “Yo Yo Ma” and “Yo Yo Pa." We often joked about needing to get to another OA meeting… that would be Overbidders Anonymous!
In this particular situation, the bidding was competitive with us winning the auction. Gulp.. a doubled contract… Uh oh! My partner was declarer. But, just as bidding cards were being re-boxed, LHO lost control of his cards. The entire hand dramatically landed on the table… with every – single – card – face up! Director Please! The ruling: The hand would stay face-up, on the table. Partner could choose the suit and card for the opening lead. The first time each of the other suits was played, Partner could select the exact card LHO must play from that suit. After the first card in each suit was played, RHO could pick up the remainder of that suit and play the remaining suit cards as desired. So it went.
Imagine, Partner – seeing 3 of the 4 hands - had knowledge of where all 52 cards were. Partner could play Kings and Queens on his Aces. Partner could finesse the proper opponent. What a great advantage for us (in this doubled contract). It seemed too good to be true!
What was the end result? Even the knowledge of where every card was couldn’t bring that fated contract home. We were down 4 doubled, for a zero. Now we were quite sure we needed a series of OA meetings!
You have to admit, this is the kind of experience you just can’t get with online bridge. Yes, the game is the same, but online is more clinical. Face-to-Face bridge has all kinds of unexpected excitement. Sometimes the excitement is uplifting, sometimes a bit of an embarrassment (I call these “learning experiences”). But, I guarantee that face-to-face play is the best way to experience epic bridge memories!
Until next month,
I welcome your comments or suggestions (jeannegehret@comcast.net)
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From the District Director |
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ACBL TOURNAMENT POLICIES
October regional and sectional tournaments that had previously been scheduled on the tournament calendar have been reviewed by ACBL management to determine the safety of staffing them.
Here's the chart: Green tournaments were approved to run. Yellow tournaments are tentatively approved to run, but masks will likely be required. This information is always subject to change, so check the tournament calendar for the most current status of tournaments.
Vaccination is required for all ACBL tournaments.
NEW WEBSITE
The ACBL launched a new website this month. Check it out when you have a minute. It's much cleaner and fresher than the old look and easy to navigate. Have patience, it's still a work in progress as the I/T department continues to update pages and provide new links. The next step in the process will be a better search mechanism.
ACBL BOARD REORGANIZATION
In 2019, I worked on the ACBL Board Reorganization Task Force, headed by David Lodge, that provided a plan to reduce the size of the Board of Directors by combining the 25 Districts into 13 geographic Regions for the purpose of representation on the national board.
The first elections for Regional Director were held this summer and in 2022, we will likely be a board of 20. Further reductions in board size will occur in 2022 and 2023 until the board is reduced to 13.
It's sad to see some of my colleagues leave the board, but a smaller board will be more efficient and is in the best interest of the organization as a whole.
KING OF PRUSSIA BRIDGE CLUB
One of the sad results of the pandemic has been that many face-to-face bridge clubs in the area have closed their doors. A group of players in the Philadelphia area have decided to buck that trend and open a member-owned bridge club in King of Prussia, PA on September 28th. Their goal is to provide a place to play now that the Valley Forge Bridge Club has closed its doors and moved solely online.
I wish them the best of luck in this endeavor. They have a brand new website that you can visit here. If you have any questions, call Mark Cohen, the new club manager, at (610) 564-8444 or email him at markacohen@msn.com.
Oh, and by the way, I am running for ACBL President next year - wish me luck!
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Sectionals
October 8-10
October 21-23
December 27-31
Regionals
Manheim (Lancaster) CANCELED
October 25-29
GNT/NAP
Flight A Oct. 30-31
Flight B Nov. 6
Flight C Oct. 30
STaCs
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District 4 STaC
October 11-17, 2021
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For the first time since Covid forced our bridge clubs to close, we’re having a face-to-face STaC (Sectional Tournament at Clubs) in October. This is your chance to compete for silver points (lots of silver points!) at your friendly local club while catching up with members you may not have seen for many months. It’s your opportunity to hold real cards again, and to alert your partner’s bids instead of your own. Check to see which of your local clubs are participating in the STaC, and when each club will be running games. We hope that everyone who is comfortable with returning to face-to-face bridge will come out to play and keep the local clubs alive.
Be aware that you will be expected to comply with all Covid-related procedures that your club has implemented (which may include pre-registration for all games), as well as all governmental and municipal Covid regulations.
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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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Rules, Schmools! Larry Cohen believes there are too many number rules out there and suggests substituting the Rule of Thinking instead. For instance, are you a fan of the Rule of 7? (Do you even know what it is?) Click here for an explanation of the rule and why, so often, logic trumps rules. |
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News from Around the Units
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Unit 112: Central New York
Betty Youmans
readsausten@yahoo.com
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News from Unit 112
Unit 112 mourns the death of our former President, DeWitt Henricks.
All online virtual club games are continuing, but the COVID pandemic continues to have a negative impact on face-to-face bridge in Unit 112. When a player tested positive after playing in a F2F game in Rochester, one Director suspended all F2F games, and another Director began requiring face masks (in addition to the vaccinations already required). Another F2F game remains closed because of the “red” COVID alert. F2F bridge attendance is approximately one-third of pre-COVID levels. The nearby District 5 Fall Regional Tournament in Buffalo was canceled.
Unit 112 Congratulates Its Advancing Players!
Regional Master
Sally Brust, Rochester
Arun Sheth, Vestal
Neelima Sheth, Vestal
NABC Master
Donald Boyce, Canandaigua
Dorothy Vents, Dewitt
New Advanced NABC Master
Azalea Noronha, Pittsford
Life Master
Ellen Hammer, Manlius
Silver Life Master
Herbert Wegener, Endwell
Gold Life Master
Frank Kunsman, Baldwinsville
Kathleen Landon, Pittsford
Barry Rudner, Rochester
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Doreese Torrey
doreeset@gmail.com
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Hello Unit 120!! Recognition is starting to increase and so are the number of players both online and at face-to-face games. That said, we had two outstanding achievements, so let's get right to them.
New NABC Master Cecily C Myers Stroudsburg, PA
New Ruby Life Master Walter S Mitchell, Jr Bear Creek, PA
Resounding applause is being sent. Please make sure you congratulate them.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't apologize for not mentioning the Honesdale Club holds a face-to-face game at the Senior Center in Honesdale every Monday at 10:30, except for Monday holidays. The club manager is Betty Hattersley. The directors are Betty Hattersley, Lee Vuvic, Bob Bryden, Fay Pacchioli, and Jim Mazeika. I understand it’s a great group although I haven't yet had the pleasure to attend myself. Please make your plans to attend! I was unaware of the game, but as the saying goes, no excuses.
Hoping you'll get a smile or two from the following:
1. What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?
PUMPKIN PI!
2. What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?
SQUASH!
3. How do leaves travel from one town to another?
AUTUMN-MOBILES!
4. What's the cutest season of the year?
AWWW-TUMN!
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Ok, enough!! Happy Fall Ya'll!
See you at the virtual and face to face bridge tables!
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Unit 121: Berks Montgomery
Brian C Snyder
4spadesdoubled@gmail.com
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Unit 121 resumed f2f bridge every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:15pm at Good Shepherd UCC church starting July 6. For partnerships or questions contact Sue Wessner.
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Unit 133: Lehigh Valley
Lois Fuini
lafuini@yahoo.com
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Please come back next month for Unit 133 news. |
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Unit 141: Philadelphia
Howard Kahlenberg
howard.kahlenberg@gmail.com
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Twenty some-odd years ago, back when I had a lot more energy (although, surprisingly enough, about the same amount of hair), I was involved in transitioning a bridge club from having an owner to being a player-run club. It can be a thankless undertaking, which is why I have so much respect for the fine folks, including John Dickenson, Mark Cohen, and Cathy Strauss (I am sure there are many others involved whom I neglecting), who have transitioned the Valley Forge Bridge Club to the King of Prussia Bridge Club.
The club, located at 215 W. Church Road in, you guessed it, King of Prussia, is running open stratified games Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at noon, I/N (0-500) games Saturday at 10:30 preceded by a 30 minute lesson, and Sunday open stratified games beginning October 10 at 12:30. For the entire month of October, the club will be holding special games with extra masterpoints awarded. Masks and proof of vaccination are required. For more information regarding the club and to sign up for emails, visit the club's website at https://www.bridgewebs.com/kop/.
Congratulations to two new Life Masters this month – Jennifer James of Doylestown and Pradip Khan of Collegeville.
Other Masterpoint achievements:
New Sapphire Life Master (3,500 points) – Sandy Bowers
New Gold Life Masters (2,500 points) – Dennis O’Brien and Deborah August
New Ruby Life Masters (1,500 points) – Evelyn Melchiorre
New Bronze Life Masters (750 points) – Frederick Holdsworth and Jean Roberts
New Advanced NABC Master (300 points) – Paul Freud
New NABC Master (200 points) - Anne-Marie Corner, Sharon Harrington, Jeffrey Pfister, Luann Toadvine, and Paula Williams
New Regional Masters (100 points) – Rodger Davis, Reesa Faeder, Joan Kellett, Harry Lonsdale, and Ellen Lustgarten
New Sectional Masters (50 points) – Candice Calabro, Stanley Morganstein, Raynel Otero, and Cheryl Zenfell
New Junior Masters (5 points) – Aniruddha Das, Shawn Hagerty, Nurit Maor, Barbara Mateer, Caroline Meehan, Paul Narayanan, Gian Singla and Susan Storb
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
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Check back next month for Unit 168 news. In the meantime, stay well! |
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Unit 190: Delaware
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
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BRIDGE AT THE BEACH SECTIONAL
October 21 to October 23
Come and join us for the Southern Delaware Sectional in beautiful Rehoboth Beach on October 21 to October 23 at the Epworth United Methodist Church. It will be an opportunity to play “face-mask to face-mask” bridge and to again enjoy the live game. Proof of vaccination is mandated and masks are required full time, except when taking a drink.
No food or drink will be provided, but you can bring your own drinks into the playing area. There will be plenty of break time, for lunch at a local restaurant, or you can bring your own and eat outside or in the church lobby.
Please join us and begin the process of bringing “live” bridge back! Make sure and bring your wheelbarrow to bring home the silver!
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2021 Delaware’s Southern Sectional
Bridge at the Beach
October 21-23, 2021
Epworth United Methodist Church
19285 Holland Glade Road
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Schedule of Events
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021
10:00 am Strat Open Pairs (Open/2000/750)*
Strat 199er Pairs (199/100/50)*
Strat 0-20 Pairs (20/10/5)*
2:30 pm Strat Open Pairs ( Open/2000/750)*
Strat 199er Pairs (199/100/50)*
Strat 0-20 Pairs (20/10/5)*
Friday, Oct. 22, 2021
10:00 am Strat Open Pairs (Open/2000/750)*
Strat 199er Pairs (199/100/50)*
Strat 0-20 Pairs (20/10/5)*
2:30 pm Strat Open Pairs (Open/2000/750)*
Strat 199er Pairs (199/100/50)*
Strat 0-20 Pairs (20/10/5)*
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021
2-Session Event
10:00 am &TBD Swiss Teams:
A/X (0-3000/3000+)
B/C/D (300/750/1500)
*Games and stratifications may be changed at the Director’s discretion.
Stratifications will be determined by the average MPs of the pairs or teams
No player can exceed the upper limit of the bracketed MP level.
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From the North via Route 1 South:
Proceed South on Route 1 make a U-turn at Shuttle Rd. (just past the outlets on your left). Take your first right onto Holland Glade Rd. and proceed a short distance to the church on your right
From the South via Route 1 North:
Follow US Route 1 North past Tanger Outlets on your left. Turn right at Holland Glad Road. The church is a short distance on your right.
From the West on Route 9 East:
From Georgetown, follow Route 9E and turn South on Route 1. Follow Route 1 South and make a U-turn on Shuttle Rd. (just past the outlets on your left). Take your first right onto Holland Glade Rd. and proceed a short distant to the church your right.
Accommodations and Dining:
There are numerous hotels and motels within easy reach and there are some very good and reasonably priced restaurants very close to the venue.
Food and Refreshments:
As always, you can look forward to plenty of food and refreshments
Tournament Chair: Partnerships:
Kim Holm Dini Romito
302-559-2023 302-448-9331
Tournament Director – Lynn Chapin
ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING ALLOWED INSIDE THE CHURCH PREMISES
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PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
CLUB MASTERS: Brian Ault and Lois B. Grieshober
NABC MASTER: Ann H. Biehn
SILVER LIFE MASTER: Robert L. Gray
Live Bridge in Dover
Clare O’Brien runs live bridge games down in Dover. The games are on Mondays at 10am and Fridays at 11am. Come join in the fun!
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The Diamond State Sectional - September 2021
By Board President Trina Williams
Portending the future of face-to-face bridge post-Covid, the Delaware Sectional emerged as the bright star. Paraphrasing author Gabriel García Márquez, we have to look to our “Love of Bridge in the time of Covid.”
The rules were strictly enforced with masks, no food, vaccination certificates, and drinks while masked, and the results were amazing! There were 15 tables Friday morning and 13 tables Friday afternoon, with 11 tables Saturday morning and 9 tables Saturday afternoon, and 5 teams on Sunday. That is about 42% of normal turnout pre-Covid. Given the constraints and these tumultuous times, this was a banner turnout! Those who attended were happy to play together, eager to chat with friends, and ready to enjoy the tournament. The rules were followed with no problems, as many embraced the safety guidelines with appreciation.
Thanks to Caroline Hughes and Kim Holm, organizers; our board of directors for having the faith to get it going and to make it work; Harold Jordan and the newly revived Bridge Studio for providing a very clean and safe place to play; and Rob Maier, ACBL Director, for a smooth-running tournament.
Join us at the Beach for the Downstate Sectional, October 21-23. The rules will be the same and we hope the turnout will be outstanding!
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Annual Meeting and the Board of Directors
At the Annual Meeting, held via Zoom on September 14th, the Nominating Committee’s slate of candidates for the next board term, consisting of Kim Holm (returning), Sally Humphrey (returning), Mark Nehra, Trina Williams, Rick Rowland and Richard Popper, was approved unanimously. Cindy Rowland offered a nomination from the floor of Don Adams. This nomination was approved unanimously and Don Adams will serve as the at-large board member for the coming term. Mark Henderson offered a sincere thank-you to the departing board members of Caroline Hughes, Eli Solomon, Brenda Vogel, Judy Cronin and Scott Freber. The continuing members of the board are Harold Jordan, Soley Kristjansdottir, Mark Henderson, Ala Hamilton-Day, William Herdle, Rohan Mandayam (appointed to fill the remainder of Debbie Schenkel’s term), and Tom Tully.
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For news and results from around Unit 190, check out the Unit 190 website and click on the links below:
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Unit 217: Susquehanna
Jim McKeown
jcm@psu.edu
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Congratulations on the following rank advances!!
Vasundara Varadan to Sectional Master and Susan Fletcher to Advanced NABC Master
I invite you to our sectional in Boalsburg, PA from October 8 to 10. I have put the schedule below, but I need to emphasize that all players must show proof of full vaccination and wear masks whenever in the playing area. We will be playing at the Boalsburg Fire Company, 113 E Pine Street, Boalsburg, PA
Friday, October 8
Stratified Open Pairs 11:00 a.m.
Stratified Open Paris 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 9
Stratified Open Pairs 11:00 a.m.
Stratified Open Paris 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 10
Stratified Swiss Teams Two-session play-through
11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
There will be no food or beverages provided. If you bring your own, it cannot be consumed at the tables. There are restaurants nearby.
Please see the full flyer. Also be sure to check either the ACBL website or the District 4 website for updates on tournament status.
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