Jo Murray with Chevy Chase bridge players Rob Rosenfeld, Fran Rumford and Nancy Zeidman

The Friendships from Bridge

One of the best things about bridge is the friendships we make.

We hope that you will join us and meet new friends in our online games on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you received this e-newsletter, you are eligible to play in our fun, friendly game. Contact Jo for details if it is your first time to play.

It's especially fun when we get to meet our virtual friends in person. Jo is back from Chevy Chase, Md., where she conducted a one-day seminar for 28 students who live in the area. It was the first time Jo had met any of them in person.

We'll tell you more about our players' recent achievements in tournaments, as well as upcoming lessons, later in this e-newsletter.

--Jo Murray & Chuck Abramo

Do You Know When to Draw Trump?

Bridge great Marty Bergen believes it is right to draw trump first only 40 percent of the time. We'll go into the details of when and when not to draw trump first in upcoming lessons.

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• Managing the Trump Suit, Part 1 - Monday, June 19, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight or 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mountain Daylight
• Managing the Trump Suit, Part 2 - Monday, June 26, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight or 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mountain Daylight
• This Year's Most Challenging Hands - Monday, July 3, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight
• Showing a Void When Partner Bids Blackwood - Monday, July 10, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight or 4:30 to 6 p.m. Mountain Daylight. Add this useful tool to your skills.
• Managing the Trump Suit, Part 3 - Monday, July 17, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight . We'll continue to polish skills on this topic.
• Reviewing Gerber and Quantitative Bids When Partner Opens 1 NT - Monday, July 24, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight
• The Ruffing Finesse - Monday, July 31, 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight

Contact Jo for reservations.Cost is $130 for a package of 5 online lessons or $30 for an individual lesson.

Congratulations to Our SV Bridge Friends

Online game director Jim Churchill (BBO: JC1946), playing with partner Linda Parsons (BBO: Lpinktown), earned 4.69 gold points in the recent Salt Lake City regional tournament.

Others placing in Salt Lake City were Susan Passovoy (BBO: SJP46), Claudie Goldstein, Nancy Mulroney (BBO: SunValleyN) and John Carr (BBO: John Carr.)

Stephanie Campbell (LaSoup) earned 1.5 red points in the recent Denver regional tournament Pro-Am event.

In our Sun Valley Bridge online game, Betty Brannan Berger (BBO: PTYGal) and Mitzi Miller (BBO: Chumico) have come in first in C in 6 games since May 1.

Congratulations to Our Online Grass Roots Fund Game Winners

1. Gary Kuchcinski (BBO: GaryKuch) & Robot
2. Betty Berger (BBO: PTYGal) & Mitzi Miller (Chumico) (also fist in C)
3. Nancy Donavan (BBO: VTSCAT) & Suzanne Donavan (BBO: SHDVT) (also second in C)
4. Elaine Pollock (BBO: Perch3) & Sylvia Miller (BBO: SJMiller)
5. Ronald Bloom (BBO: Jefegrande) & Elliott Mercer (BBO: E Mercer)

Photos of tournament winners above: At left, Jim Churchill. Top row, left to right. Nancy Mulroney, Mitzi Miller; Betty Berger, bottom row, left to right, Linda Parsons, John Carr, Susan Passovoy, Stephanie Campbell.

28 Gather for Face-to-Face Bridge in Maryland

It was a festive day for bridge in Chevy Chase, Maryland, when 28 of our online students gathered for a day of bridge. We had a lesson in the morning and a sanctioned game - the first duplicate game for many of our newer players - in the afternoon.

Not only did 28 people come for the day, but three more also joined the group for cocktails and dinner. We thank Fran Rumford (BBO: SunnyPing), her brother, Rob Rosenfeld (BBO: rr7320), and Nancy Zeidman (BBO: Nzee) for organizing the group. In an unusual coincidence, Jo and Nancy both attended Oakwood Elementary School in Hickory, N.C. Jo and Nancy's brother were classmates, and Nancy and Jo's sister were a year apart.

Congratulation to Our Chevy Chase Winners

North-South Pairs

1. Louisa Duemling & Sheila Gross
2. Edwin (BBO: EchoDelta) & Kathe Williamson (BBO: KatheGWI)
3. Lew (BBO: Retowing2) & Fran Rumford (BBO: SunnyPing)

East-West Pairs

1. John Otsuki (BBO: JOCCMD) and Tom Leachman (BBO: TLeachman)
2. Rob Rosenfeld (BBO: rr7320) & Pete Jervey (BBO: PJervey)
3. Susan Brown (BBO: Susangb) & Delancey Webster (BBO: Dlanzee)

Left top: Enjoying bridge. Left bottom: Lew Rumford and Sheri Rosenfeld. Above: Tom Leachman, Sophie Ackerly (middle) and Kathe Williamson. Photos by Lew Rumford.

In Memorium: Damaris Deere Winan Ford

Damaris Deere Winan Ford (BBO: DamarisDWF) , who divided her time between Sun Valley and Florida, passed away May 16 at the age of 96. We remember D.D. most of all for her remarkable spirit and zest for learning. She called Sun Valley Bridge a few years years ago, and said many of her friends had passed away or were no longer able to play bridge. She wanted to learn modern bidding systems so she could keep enjoying the game. She took lessons during the winter holidays and summers in Sun Valley.

When the pandemic ended face-t0-face lessons, we asked D.D. how she felt about online lessons. She said she needed to think about it. She called a few days later and said her daughter-in-law, Mary Colhoun (BBO: Petey3700), would show her how to play on her iPad and she wanted to try it. She was still taking lessons a few weeks before she passed away.