The Philly Nationals have come and gone, and we hope you all enjoyed the experience. For those who attended, thanks! For all, enjoy a few pictures of the experience below.
The fun never stops! Next up: the Grand National Teams qualifiers in April and the Wilmington Regional, April 30-May 6. Hope to you see you there.
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Meyer Kotkin
VICE PRESIDENT
Dave Kresge
SECRETARY
Bill Bauer
TREASURER
DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Joann Glasson
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The reviews for the 2018 Spring North American Bridge Championships in Philadelphia are in and they are great! Bob and Joann Glasson (U141) and their Tournament Committee (see Joann's District Director Report for the names of the Committee members) put on one heck of a tournament with tons of entertainment and hospitality to accompany a full gamut of National, Regional and I/N events held in a good playing space. Attendance exceeded expectations and players left talking about how wonderful the tournament was including the Stroll on the Boardwalk that brought an Atlantic City Boardwalk experience to the almost 5K players from around the world that attended the tournament. Bob, Joann and the Tournament Committee worked tirelessly, diligently, effectively and efficiently to produce the best Nationals I ever attended. On behalf of D4, I want to thank them and all the D4 volunteers for their work and for making D4 proud. Well done!
It was heartwarming to see how many events NABC Regional sponsors named after D4 players past and present. I want to thank U141, my home Unit, for naming an event after me on U141 Day (Saturday, May 17). I did not deserve such a prestigious and wonderful honor but I will always treasure and appreciate it. I was so surprised that U141 named an event after me that I immediately had to look at the Philadelphia Inquirer obituaries to make sure I hadn't died. Luckily, my name was not there and like Carl Reiner, once I didn't see my name, I went and had breakfast. There were many people more deserving throughout the District who had events named after them. Honorees included Dave Treadwell, Jane Segal, Deb and John Klinger, Marc Labovitz, Charlie Gray, Bobbi Gomer, Gail Bell, Arnie Fisher, Jeanne Fisher, Fran and Al Architzel, Phyllis Wachsman, Dorothy Copey, and Bill Bauer. Each Unit in D4 also sponsored Regional events and days at the NABC. If you get a moment, read some of the wonderful tributes to, and remembrances of, the honorees in the NABC Daily Bulletins
here
.
Some top NABC finishes by D4 players included Marty Seligman (U141) who was second in the Lebhar IMP Pairs and the team of Deepak Khanna, Thomas Kriz, John and Miriam Harris-Botzum (all U133) who were second in the 10K Swiss. A couple of D4 ex-pats, who got their training while they were in D4, won the Vanderbilt Teams (Eric Greco, formerly of U141) and the 10K Knockouts (Al Shrive, formerly of U120, and Don Dalpe, formerly of U112). In one of those coincidences that probably are of interest only to mathematicians like me with no life, one of Al and Don's teammate, Saul Gross, is an old friend of mine from Cornell (U112) from before I started playing bridge. Congrats to all.
Bruce and Judy Gwaltney (U190) were invaluable members of the 2018 Philadelphia NABC Tournament Committee and after the NABC, they went right back to work on Chairing the first D4 Regional of the year in Wilmington, Apr 30 - May 6, 2018 (info and schedule
here
). The Gwaltneys have planned an exciting and fun First State Regional that also will be the first D4 Regional to run the new experimental two-day Swiss-Knockout that allows for more equitable bracketing, and guarantees everyone plays at least two sessions on the first day of qualifying - no more losing in the first session of a four-session Knockout (KO). Based upon the ideas of John Dickenson and Mike Giesler, both U141, here is how this new two-day KO format will work.
All teams that enter the event will pay the regular two-session team entry fee that will cover a guaranteed two sessions of play. The Directors will bracket the teams, based on total masterpoints, as tightly and equitably as possible with the only restriction being that there must be at least five teams (instead of the usual minimum nine or more) in every bracket. The top bracket is open to all teams that want to voluntarily play in the most difficult bracket of the event. Once the directors establish the most equitable brackets possible based upon attendance, each bracket will play a two-session Round Robin (less than nine teams) or Swiss (ten or more teams) which each bracket qualifying the top four teams for the second day KO phase. The four KO qualifiers will then pay another two-session team entry fee that will cover two sessions of play on the next day: semifinals, finals and playoff for third/fourth for the losers of the semi-final matches. Please come out and support this D4 experiment to improve the two-day KO events by making brackets that are more equitable. The ACBL is supporting this experiment by removing most of the masterpoint penalties for brackets of less than nine teams so these events will be an opportunity to win a significant number of Gold Points while playing in brackets that are more equitable. The D4 Conditions of Contest for the experimental two-day four-session Swiss-KO are
here
. D4 is soliciting comments on this new event so please try to play and let us know what you think. As always, I can be reached at
[email protected]
or 856.986.5109.
It is possible that people will ask you who is really the D4 President. Let me explain. My job on the NABC Tournament Committee was to develop the schedule of all non-National events so my job was over very early in the planning process. I had nothing significant to do to help during the actual Tournament other than to be the official D4 Chick Magnet. So, Pat Civale (U141), the NABC Volunteer Coordinator, gave me a badge that read:
Meyer Chick Magnet
. This was quite a hit at the tournament. Six 90+ year old women are knitting me sweaters because of that sign. However, many people who didn't know me thought my real name was Meyer Magnet and that Chick was just my nickname. Come to think of it, maybe I should change my name - Meyer Magnet has a ring to it. Don't bother correcting anyone who asks how D4 President Meyer Magnet is doing since I think that will now be my official badge for all future D4 Tournaments.
I hope to see everyone in Wilmington, Apr 30 - May 6, 2018.
As always, I welcome all comments and suggestions. My e-mail is
[email protected]
and my cell is 856.986.5109.
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From the District Director
Philadelphia NABC
I hope that everyone had fun in Philadelphia!! More than 10,300 tables of bridge were played at the Marriott and Convention Center, surpassing all expectations. 4,389 players from all over the world went home with masterpoints.
District 4 players scored well in all events! For a full list of players that scored in the overalls in National events, click here.
Our sincere thanks to all the Committee Chairs who worked tirelessly for eleven days to make the NABC a huge success: Bruce and Judy Gwaltney (Prizes), Elaine Weintraub and Joan Warren (Information/Tours), Allison Brandt and Mike Giesler (Player Hospitality), Debi and John Klinger (Intermediate/Newcomer), Mary Miller and Lynn Ackerman (Registration), Dan Boye, Tom Purl and Walter Mitchell (Partnerships), Dian Wise (Volunteer Hospitality), Pat Civale (Volunteer Coordinator/Finance), Meyer Kotkin (Regional Schedule), Ed Kung and Janet Johnson (Restaurant Guide) and Everett Young (Parking) and all the other players who volunteered their time and most importantly, Tournament Chair, Bob Glasson, who worked like a dog for two weeks to make sure everything ran well. He was up early in the morning and didn't go to bed until late at night, assuring that all aspects of the tournament were covered. Bob's fitbit showed that he walked 126 miles during the NABC.
ACBL Board Meetings were held on the three before the NABC and some good things were accomplished.
* A motion was passed setting up a $2M line of credit with Bank of America. There are no plans to use this in the foreseeable future, but it will be available if a need arises.
* The 2018 budget was passed by a strong majority with a $471K projected net loss. 2016 produced a surplus of $608K and 2017 produced a surplus of $586K and the Board has voted to use these funds for overdue projects . The ACBL has been dependent on an outdated AS400 computer system for way too long. We will invest a significant amount of money ($1M) to put in place a new CRM and GL system with cloud based technology, removing this dependency and enabling ACBL staff access to new marketing and member service tools. It is an extensive project that will span two years (2017 and 2018).
* The ACBL is investing $200K in increased training for tournament directors and four new employees will be hired in 2018 to work on ACBL technology. Looking forward, we anticipate 2019 to be a break-even year and for profits to reappear in 2020.
* New convention charts for use at ACBL tournaments were passed that replace the old mid-flight and super-flight charts. The new charts are clearer and well-defined for use at every level of tournament play. They are the work product of the Conventions Committee, led by Danny Sprung and Tom Carmichael.
* Masterpoint awards at Non-Life Master Regionals have been changed to 33% gold and 67% red from the old 25% gold and 75% red. This increase in gold points is designed to make the goal of Life Master more attainable for new players.
* Masterpoint awards at sectional tournaments, when concurrent Non-Life Master Regionals are held, were increased to count a portion of the NLM regional tables in the computation.
* Masterpoint awards were increased for NAP and GNT events.
* A district may, with permission, hold a regional in a contiguous district, but splitting regionals between districts is no longer permitted.
* Changes were made giving to give clubs more flexibility in the scheduling of STAC events.
* The ACBL Bylaws were updated, as was the arbitration, conflict-of-interest and whistle-blower policies.
* Fall NABC schedules were revamped to give non-senior players consecutive national events to play in and a motion to change evening start times from 7:30 to 7:00 was defeated.
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April 7-8
April 7-8
April 30-May 6
May 7-12
June 25-July 1
August 13-19
District 4 STaC
August 20-26
NAP Flight C
October 13
NAP Flight A
October 13-14
NAP Flight B
October 27
October 29-November 4
STaC
December 10-16
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Philadelphia Nationals: Enjoy the Show
Here are some pix of the games and entertainment from the 2018 Philly Nationals.
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David Berkowitz draws a crowd in the Rubber Bridge Room
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Chris Compton and Mike Passell open the Boardwalk
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A magician's bunny and funnel cake--Boardwalk night
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One of three performances by The Counterparts
a cappella
group from U Penn
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Part of the Philly 14 contest. Can you name these luminaries?
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News from Around the Units
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Unit 112: Central New York
April 7-8
Unit 112 I/N Sectional
April 20-21
Unit 112 Sectional
June 2-3
Unit 112 Sectional
July 14-15
Unit 112 Sectional
September 8-9
Unit 112 Sectional
September 29-30
Unit 112 Sectional
October 20-21
Unit 112 Sectional
November 10-11
Hop into Spring
and join us at
The Rochester Spring Sectional!
April 7 at the Knights of Columbus - 70 Barrett Drive - Webster, NY
10:30 AM & 2:45 - Stratified Open Pairs (two sessions)
10:30 AM & 2:45 - Stratified 299er Pairs (two sessions)
Players may opt to play morning or afternoon only
April 8 - 10:30 Stratified Open Swiss Teams (two session play through)
10:30 Stratified 299er Swiss Teams - one session
We will be honoring our 2017 -
Unit 112
ACE OF CLUBS
and
MINI-MCKENNEY
Winners
ACE OF CLUBS MINI-MCKENNEY
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0 - 5
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Nicholas Nelson - Rochester
Thomas Moses - Corning
Tara Holter - Rochester
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Nicholas Nelson
Tara Holter
Thomas Moses
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5 - 10
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Mahlon Hauber - Elmira
Marty Albright - Canandaigua
Darlene McDade - MS
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Marty Albright
Mahlon Hauber
Allen Presby - Unadilla
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20 - 50
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James Sutter - Rochester
Nancy Geoca - Webster
Richard Hartz Jr - Deerfield
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David Latart - Rochester
James Sutter
Nancy Geoca
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50 - 100
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Padmanabh Kamath - Rochester
William Wooster - Fairport
Mark Tevelo - Vestal
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Padmanabh Kamath
James Ertel - FL
Ann Schissel - Ithaca
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100 - 200
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John Nelson - Rochester
Debra Statton - Ithaca
Ornit Grossman - Ithaca
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Ornit Grossman
John Nelson
Debra Statton
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200 - 300
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Kathy Creveling - Rochester
George Isgrigg - Pittsford
Robert McKinnon - Elmira
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Kathy Creveling
Christine Garner - AZ
George Isgrigg
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300 - 500
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Roger Newell - Fairport
Sheila Horowitch - Fayetteville
Tom Aridgides - Manilus
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Holli Mast - Corning
Roger Newell
Stephen Mast - Corning
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500 - 1000
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Gary Gottermeier - Fairport
Stephen Pope - Ithaca
Dick Tuttle - Cazenovia
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Stephen Pope
Edythe Krauss - Ithaca
Gary Gottermeier
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1000 - 1500
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Steven Shriffin - Ithaca
Helen Keohane - Watertown
Paul Ohlbaum - New Hartford
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Jonathan Forde - Geneva
Richard Hurd - Freeville
Steven Shriffin
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1500 - 2500
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Michael Grenis - Vestal
Betty Youmans - Watertown
Judith - Slater - Old Forge
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James Carroll - Lyons
Thomas Andrews - Utica
Betty Youmans
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2500 - 3500
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Stewart Cramer - Pittsford
Mike Spitulnik - Rochester
Constance Hrabchak - FL
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Jerome Weiss - Penfield
Stewart Cramer
Constance Hrabchak
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3500 - 5000
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Celia Austenfeld - Vestal
Yvonne Limbeck - Victor
Ronald Dewey - FL
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Sally Hill - Webster
Celia Austenfeld
Ronald Dewey
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5000 - 7500
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Roger Woodin - Rochester
Douglas Ross - Pittsford
David Hunt - East Rochester
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Roger Woodin
Douglas Ross
David Hunt
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7500 - 10,000
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Sam Maitra - Rochester
Lois Sanders - Fairport
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Sam Maitra
Lois Sanders
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Over 10,000
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Dan Boye - Farmington
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Dan Boye
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Attention Newcomers
April 20 - 21
199er Tournament
- Location - 1st Floor Ballroom in the Strathallan Hotel
550 East Avenue, Rochester, NY
- Friday, April 20 Stratified Pairs 11:00 AM
- Saturday, April 21 Swiss Teams 11:00 AM
- Information - Mary Lou Lawson, [email protected] 585-265-3718
Save the Date - Thursday, May 3 - Barbara Seagram and Patti Lee will present a day-long workshop for players of all levels.
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Unit 120 Sectional
June 8-10
Unit 120 Sectional
October 5-7
Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Unit 120 held their Sectional March 2 - 4 at the Quality Inn in WilkesBarre. And it snowed - and snowed - and snowed. Gold stars are awarded to the following: Craig Bailey, Jon Clemens, Bob Cole Joe Distini, Kurt Engleman, Sara Gainey, Donald Hull, Deepak Khanna, George and Steve Mansour, Walter Mitchell, Kathleen McCarthy, Janet Morganthau, Keith Ordemann, Anne Pelak, James Post, Monique Shaikh, Grace Sutherland, Larry Taren, Victoria Tarleton, Marie Wildman, Joan Winters and Yours Truly. 22 players and one director showed up on Friday and everyone was elated when their partner walked in the door. I owe a debt of gratitude to my partner Joan who kept that car on the road and GOLD STARS TO EVERYONE. The game went on.
Friday AM open pairs - Deepak Khanna/Kurt Engleman - first in A OA
Joe Distini/Victoria Tarleton - first in B, 2in A OA
Monique Shaikh/Kathleen McCarthy - first in C OA
Janet Morganthau/Grace Sutherland - second in C
Friday PM open pairs - Kurt Engleman/Deepak Khanna - first in A OA
Steve Mansour/George Mansour - first in B OA
James Post/Donald Hull - first in C OA
Saturday AM NLM pairs N/S -
Lee Allen Fett/James Post - first in A & B OA
Janet Morganthau/Grace Sutherland - first in C
Saturday AM NLM pairs E/W -
Harold Koehler/Rita Groves - first in A, B & C OA
Marie Wildman/Anne Pelak - second in C OC
Saturday PM NLM pairs D -
Anne Pelak/Marie Wildman - first in A, B OA
Harold Koehler/Rita Groves - first in C, OB
Saturday AM Open Pairs - Judy Stein/John Schwartz - first in A OA
Joe Distini/Victoria Tarleton - first in B & C OB
Saturday PM Open Pairs - Steve Tillman/Sara Eisner - first in A OA
Debbie Carpenter/Xiang Long - first in B & C OB
Sunday Swiss Team
Deepak Khanna/Tom Kriz/ Barry Gorski/ Al Bingaman - 1 A - 5.50 silver
George Mansour/Alan Fierverker/ Steve Tillman/ Sara Eisner - 2 A - 4.13 silver
Gwen Ritter/Mike Kohler/ Betsy Cutler/ Elizabeth Abrams - 3A 1B 1C - 3.09 silver
Stephen Mast/ Holli Mast/ Xiang Long/ Debbie Carpenter - 4 A 2B - 2.32 silver
Marie Wildman/Anne Pelak/George Marcy/Fran Hofherr - 3 B 1.67 silver
Davis Forth/Gillian Chase/Leslie Sloan/ Costas Lambropoulos - .60 silver
Tim Summer/Keith Ordemann/ Freda Witmer/ Sara Gainey - .60 silver
Cecile Hund/Marcia Strittmatter/ Lee Morrison/ Nancy Hudock - .60 silver
Jim Royer, Judy Royer, Joan Winters, Fay Pacchioli - .60 silver.
Walt Mitchell/ Beth Rosenthal/ Peggy O'Keeffe/ Joann Freeman - .30 silver
THE SPRING NORTH AMERICAN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS FOLLOWED OUR SECTIONAL AND WAS HELD IN PHILADELPHIA MARCH 8 - 18 AT THE MARRIOTT AND THE CONVENTION CENTER.
The Honesdale-Hawley DBC sponsored the Friday to Sunday Side Series game in honor of Fran & Al Architzel the founders of the Honesdale Club. The Architzels loved the game of bridge and taught many aspiring players. They were past members of Unit 120 and served as president, treasurer and secretary and Al was also a member of the district board.
Beth Rosenthal sponsored the Monday - Wednesday Side Game Series. Beth runs the Bridgelady Duplicate Bridge Club and has been holding games and teaching bridge for 24 years. Her goal is to encourage good sportsmanship, good bridge and good fun.
Doreese Torrey and her friends sponsored the Daylight Gold Rush Pairs in honor of Doreese mother Dorothy Coopey. Dorothy was an avid bridge player and an active member of Unit 120. Dorothy will be remembered for her beautiful smile and her kindness to novice players.
There was a good turnout from Unit 120 and hopefully I caught the news of most of our winners.
Judy Argento, Ray Depew, Beth Rosenthal, Judy Null placed eighth in the Monday Daylight Swiss Team. Thursday afternoon side pairs Judy Argento and Ray Depew were fourth in A. Thursday evening in the side pairs Judy and Ray were first in A.
In the Wednesday-Thursday side series final - based on 17 tables, Judy and Ray were first overall. Judy was traveling around the tournament in a motorized vehicle due to a knee problem. It certainly did not impact her bridge.
Joan Winters and Fay Pacchioli picked up a pair for the Saturday afternoon Side Swiss and placed second in C.
George Mansour/Roberta Magnus placed sixth in B in the Monday B/C pairs.
Janet Morganthau/Grace Sutherland placed third in C in the Monday afternoon 299er pairs. They placed on Tuesday with a fourth place in C in the 299er pairs.
In the Wednesday morning 299er pairs, they were fifth in C. Thursday morning 299er pairs, they were fourth in C.
Fran Hofherr/Helen Tanski/ Susan Burrows/Pat Rosenthal placed fourth in the Monday daylight compact KO 4.
Bill Burns and JoAnn Mauger picked up a pair to tie for sixth in the Tuesday Side Swiss Team game. Wednesday they picked up a pair and placed second in C in the Daylight Swiss Teams.
Dave and Marlene Meyer won 3.33 pts. In the Tuesday Daylight Open Pairs with 86 tables in competition.
Bill Burns and Carole McCallum picked up a pair and came in second in the Friday Daylight Flight B Swiss Bracket 2.
Judy Argento and Ray Depew picked up a pair and came in fourth in the Friday evening A/X/Y side swiss team.
George Mansour picked up a team for the Friday Compact KO3 and they came in first for 11.70 gold.
Jody Sorrell is no longer in our unit since she moved recently but it was great news to hear Jody became a life master on Saturday in the Daylight Gold Rush pairs.
Saturday evening Side Swiss - Walt Mitchell picked up a team for 2 A.
In the same Swiss Steve and George Mansour picked up a team for 3 B.
PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
LIFE MASTER
- Gretchen Jack
The Jefferson Duplicate Bridge Club holds an active game on Tuesdays at the Jewish Community Center, 601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton. Game time is 12:15 and George Mansour is the Director. This Club has been around as long as I have been in Bridge which is over 20 years and I am sure many years before that. The club has supported many Charities over its life time and recently donated $5,000 to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund via The Jewish Federations of North America. The Club received a thank you from the President of the JFNA with a note that 100% of the donation went to the relief efforts. A gift that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.
HawlHHHHH2018 CALENDAR - April 7 - Grand National Teams - Flt. A and C
April 7 - 13 - STAC
April 15 - April 22 - Unit 120 Group Trip to Gatlinburg
April 21 - Grand National Teams - Flight B
June 1 - 3 - NEPA Sectional Tournament, WilkesBarre
July 9 - ACBL wide Instant Matchpoint Game - Gold pts
September 9 - ARCHITZEL MEMORIAL GAME, Beach Lake
October 5 - 7 - NEPA Sectional Tournament, WilkesBarre
October 13 - North American Pairs - Flight C
October 27 - North American Pairs - Flight B
October 31 - ACBL Instant Matchpoint Game - Gold pts
December 10 - Honesdale Holiday Party
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Unit 121: Berks Montgomery
Brian C Snyder
484-838-0977
April 6
December 21
Our Annual St. Patrick's Day Unit Game was held on Thursday March 22 at Sacred Heart Villa. First overall winners were Janice Repko and Bill Mawhinney.
Our next Unit Game will be the Annual Pro Am on Saturday April 21 at 12:30 PM at Sacred Heart Villa. Players with 300 or less masterpoints will be AM's and players with more than 300 masterpoints will be PROs. Players MUST sign up in advance for this game, so we can be sure we have an equal number of PROs and AMs. Sign up in the Bridge Room at The Villa or call Doris Sharpe (610) 374-7493.
An Intermediate-Newcomer Sectional Tournament will be held Friday April 6 in the Bridge Room at The Villa. This tournament is for Non-Life Masters with 500 or less masterpoints. More information can be found
here
. Lunch selections can be found
here
.
Congratulations to Keith Ordemann for achieving the rank of NABC Master.
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April 27-29
Unit 133 Sectional
October 19-21
Announcements:
We are sad to report the demise of yet another member of our unit--B. J. Steiner; we extend our condolences to her family and friends.
Calendar:
Every Thursday (for eight weeks), beginning
March 29
, 4:45 PM Brookside Country Club; Sara Gainey will be offering the third Series of Lessons (8-Series III). For details contact Sara Gainey at 610-417-5982.
Sunday, April 8
, 12:00 PM, Brith Shalom, Macada Road, Bethlehem;
Unit Game, Open and NLM events.
April 26
A mentoring team game at Lehigh Valley Active Life, 12:30 PM. Facilitator Mike Kohler-610-554-7602,
[email protected].
A more experienced player will pair with a newer player; two such pairs will comprise a team. Sara Gainey will present a brief talk on Swiss Teams (IMPs Strategies) before the game.
April 27-29, Unit 133 Sectional Tournament, Lehigh Valley Active Life. Please refer to the ACBl website http://www.acbl.org/ for details.
May 19,
NLM Sectional at Lehigh Valley Active Life, two separate Flights: 0-100 and 0-500. Lunch will be provided, further details maybe found on the ACBL website.
Achievements:
The following players recently attained higher bridge masterpoint ranking:
Junior Master
: Gretchen Reed and Robert Schundler
Advanced NABC Master
: Lois Fuini
Mini-McKinney and Ace of Clubs winners*:
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Mini-McKinney
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Ace of Clubs
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0 to 5
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Robert Dougherty
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Robert Dougherty
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5 to 20
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Lauren Dougherty
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Lauren Dougherty
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20 to 50
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Jon Clemens
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Jon Clemens
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50 to 100
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Emily David
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Rita Keiper
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100 to 200
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Betsy Cutler
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Todd Wachsman
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200 to 300
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Mike Kohler
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Mike Kohler
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300 to 500
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Freda Witmer
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Kay Hays
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500 to 1000
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Frank Morgan
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Debby Ziev
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1000 to 1500
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Peter Stoyanov
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Peter Stoyanov
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1500 to 2500
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Miriam Harris-Botzum
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Ronnie Freedberg
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2500 to 3500
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Stanley Yellin
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Stanley Yellin
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3500 to 5000
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David Wachsman
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David Kresge
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5000 to 7500
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Bill Parks
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Rhoda Prager
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*One uncontested higher bracket has not been listed.
Several members of our unit participated in the recent NABC tournament in Philadelphia; we will recognize all strong performances in the May issue of the 4 Spot. In the meanwhile, we are proud to report that all(!) the outright event-winners from our unit were newer players:
Barbara Berk, Lois Fuini,
Kay Hays, and Judith Cary
--
First
, Wed Daylight Gold Rush Swiss Teams
Bryan Snapp and David Sullivan--First, Wed Morning 49er I/N Pairs
Congratulations to all our achievers!
Thank You Very Much/
Gracias/ Danke Schön/
धन्यवाद
(Dhanya-Vaad)
/
Merci Beaucoup
:
We thank Bagisa and Arup Mukherjee for graciously hosting the Thursday Evening Club game at their home on multiple occasions. Both Bagisa and Arup also function on the Unit-Board. Their considerable versatility and talent enable them to make significant contributions on a regular basis. We thank them for the generosity with which they give of their time and energy.
On behalf of the Unit, we also express our gratitude to Arup Mukherjee (that Arup guy again?!) and Paul Irving for building the Unit's new website. Arup continues to volunteer his time and expertise for resolving concerns that might arise with the new website and has listed his email address on the Unit's home page. Again, thank you both Arup and Paul for what must have been many hours of hard work!
Come Have Fun in Allentown (Newer Players: You Are Special!):
As listed above, in the next seven weeks or thereabouts, we have several events scheduled: Unit Game (4/8), Unit 133 Sectional Tournament (4/27 to 4/29), and the newer player exclusive Unit 133 I/N Sectional (5/19). Please mark your calendars and plan on participating. Come and enjoy our hospitality and checkout our nice playing site.
Since a typical club game is a pair's game (matchpoints), most players, perhaps especially the newer ones, have not had too many opportunities to participate in team events (IMPs). We are attempting to rectify this situation through several initiatives. A mentee-mentor Swiss Team game is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, as detailed above. This is an outstanding opportunity for a gentle and guided exposure to playing in a team game event. It will also be excellent practice for the Swiss Team Event to be held on the final day of Unit 133 Sectional Tournament--Sunday, April 29. Furthermore, Chuck Campbell will gear his regularly scheduled monthly lesson on Thursday, April 19, towards team events. Also, on Thursday, April 26, right before the game, Sara Gainey will deliver a talk on "Strategy at Imps." Please be sure to take advantage of these opportunities and become a reputable "TEAMSTER." No, you did not misread, it's just that I am beginning to write with an accent as well!!
At all our Sectional Tournaments and Unit Games, we plan to have a separate NLM section and hope newer players will continue to enthusiastically participate in them.
If we do not muster enough tables (typically, a minimum of three) for a NLM event, American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) rules will obligate merging of that NLM event with the Open event. Please do not let that happen-let us not lose the steam we are just beginning to gather!
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April 13-15
Thank you to all who joined in the fun at the Philadelphia NABC. We were happy to see you there participating.
The Unit 141 Annual Meeting will be Sunday April 29 at 10:30am at Green Valley Country Club. Look for flyers in your clubs soon with details and watch your email for information. One free sectional play for New Life Masters, Mini McKenney and Ace of Clubs winners who attend. Sign-up required.
Unit 141 congratulates its New Life Masters and all those who reached new designation levels.
New Life Masters
John Albright
Ellen Berkowitz
Mark Bolotin
Elizabeth Borah
L. Irish Murphy
Joan Regenbogen
Thomas Tully
Ruby Life Master
Irene Oppenheim
Cary Breech
Silver Life Master
Jess Goodman
Ruth Peskin
Karen Pollak
Helen Walker
Bronze Life Master
David Dresher
Michael Garnek
John Pino
Arlene Rosen
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Unit 168 NLM Sectional
May 12
August 12
UNIT 168 NEWS
:
Special games in April include:
- Saturday, April 7 - Brunch and Bridge (10:30 am)
- Wednesday, April 11 - Wine and Cheese Open (6 pm)
- Wednesday, April 18 - Monthly Swiss with Dinner (5:45 pm)
- Saturday, April 21 - Continental Breakfast and Bridge (10:30 am)
- Thursday, April 26 - Bounty Game (12:15 pm)
NEW GAME!!!! 0-1000 ON FRIDAYS!
Beginning Friday, April 6, HBC is introducing a 0-1000 game on Friday mornings at 11:30am. These are pairs games with the exception of Friday, April 27, which will be Swiss Teams. The entry fee is just $5 per person through June.
Special games at Maple Grove in April include:
- April 16-20: A week of Charity games, Extra Points
- April 23-27: A week of Club Championship games, More Extra Points
- April 30: ACBL-wide Inter-club Championship - you won't want to miss this!
Come out and play with us. For partners, call Andie Sheaffer at 717-581-1003
April special games and workshops at the Bridge Boardroom are shown below:
Games:
- Saturday, April 28, 6pm: Saturday Night Special game
Workshops:
- Friday, April 6, 10-Noon: Michaels Cuebid
- Tuesday, April 10, 9:30-11:30: Card Reading
- Friday, April 20, 10-Noon: The Unusual NoTrump
- Tuesday, April 24, 9:30-11:30: Not Missing Your Games
CONGRATULATIONS to these Unit 168 members on their new master point rank achievements:
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Club Master:
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Jack Clime, Michelle Deleon, Debra Gidlund, Richard McMullin, Debra Nicodemus
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Sectional Master:
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Annie Otto
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Regional Master:
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Yaeko Shaub
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NABC Master:
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Ian Cohen, Sandy Marrero
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Advanced NABC Master:
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Janice Leuenberger, Michael Mendelson, Margaret Sobolewski
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Life Master:
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Terry Zeiders
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Wacky Hands & Gadgets -
by Dave Bort
(
from the Trenches of the Hagerstown Sectional)
A Routine Specific King-Ask
From the very popular Swiss Team Sunday game of the recent Hagerstown Sectional, red-on-white, our opponents held:
West: 6 KQ85 T942 T873 East: 2 JT963 7 KQJ965
while partner's and my hands were:
North: KQJ97543 4 QJ85 None South: AT8 A72 AK63 A42
The bidding proceeded (with the opponents silent throughout):
North
South (me)
1S 2D(1)
2S(2) 3S(3)
4N(4) 5C(5)
5N(6) 6D(7)
7N(8)
Notes:
(1) 2/1 game force, shows at least 4 Diamonds and 13 points
(2) 6(+) Spades
(3) Sets Spades as trump
(4) RKC (Roman Keycard Blackwood) for Spades
(5) 1 or 4 keycards in Spades
(6) My hand is shapely, with minimal HCPs, so partner must have 4 keycards. Since we hold all the keycards, a King-Ask is now routine.
(7) Specific King-Ask (not just the number of Kings) - specifically, shows the King of Diamonds
(8) Wow, looks like 14 tricks to me! Well, I can only bid the Grand, so that'll have to do!
At least, that's the way it SHOULD have gone. In actual cold, harsh reality, partner opened a preemptive 4S (with his 4-loser hand!), which I took to be, well, preemptive, so with only 5 "cover cards" (cards that can "cover' partner's losers) and terrible spot cards, I passed, rather than get into trouble going too high in a team game. But, at the other table, our opponents' North ALSO opened 4S (was it something in the water?), but their South got excited, bid 4N (Roman Keycard Blackwood), and upon hearing their partner show 1 keycard, they blasted to a small slam (yes, with nothing but their cover cards and small spots in their hand - not that I'm Bitter ;-). So, although both sides made 7, it amounted to 13 IMPs away, for a small net loss on the round. Guess that's Life in the Big City. At least the other North offered to shake my hand to apologize for the board. This one still stings a little, but that helped. Sportsmanship is alive and well at Hagerstown!
Redwood (or Kickback) and Keycard Responses with a Void
In a Charles Town, WV, club game earlier this year, white-on-white, our opponents missed a slam, lacking the tools to get there. Partner's and my hands were:
North: T93 QJT92 A3 JT3 South: 875 K8765 T9 Q75,
while our opponents held:
West: QJ42 A43 52 K864 East: AK6 Void KQJ8764 A92
The bidding could have gone (but didn't, with partner and me silent throughout, after my South partner's opening Pass):
West
East
Pass 1D
1S 3C(1)
3N(2) 4D(3)
4H(4) 5N(5)
6D(6)
Notes:
(1) Opener's jump-shift shows a 4-loser hand, forcing to "game" (3N or the 4-level, which could be in a minor, if there's no major-suit fit, and the controls for no-trump are not present). Opener shouldn't risk a jump in Diamonds here, because his partner could pass, if holding a minimal responding hand - better to make a 100% forcing bid, even if needing to lie a little.
(2) Showing a Heart control and bidding the most likely game, from their point of view
(3) Showing extra length in Diamonds, and bypassing the no-trump game, suggesting interest in a Diamond slam
(4) Kickback (or Redwood), 1430 for Diamonds (or 0314, by partnership agreement - as long as both are "on the same page")
(5) Shows an odd number of keycards (KCs) in Diamonds, with a void in the asking suit (Hearts), from among the responses: 4S = 1 or 4 KCs, 4N = 0 or 3 KCs, 5C = 2 KCs without the Queen (of Diamonds), 5D = 2 KCs with the Q, 5H = even number of KCs, with an unspecified, but believed-to-be-useful void, 5S = odd # KCs, with a useful void in Spades, 5N = odd # KCs, with a useful void in Hearts, 6C = odd # KCs, with a useful void in Clubs
(6) We're off a KC, partner, but since you told me I don't have to worry about my little Heart losers, and all my honors are "working", I'm going for it!
Making 6 Diamonds! It could also have made 6 NT, but hey - few pairs would find this excellent 27-point minor-suit slam, anyway! That's because, in general, many players don't have appropriate tools for minor slams. If you're using, say, 1430 for the minors, remember that you can't even ask in Clubs without three keycards in your own hand, because with less than 3, you can't tolerate a zero-keycard response. Yes, you need to have more of an established partnership to use more complex systems, but you could try to encourage all your partners to play the same gadgets!
Stay tuned next month, for more wacky hands & gadgets. And make plans to attend your local Sectionals!
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Unit 190 Sectional
June 1-3
July 26-28
Unit 190 Sectional
September 14-16
Unit 190 Dave Treadwell Sectional
December 27-31
THE DELAWARE REGIONAL
(April 30 to May 6). Are you ready? Partners arranged? Calendars marked? Convention cards at the ready? This regional, with superb hospitality, expert speakers, and an interesting spectrum of events, arrives this month. Come on down!
PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
CLUB MASTER
:
Gerry Baker
REGIONAL MASTER
:
Nancy L Jones
ADVANCED NABC MASTER
:
Richard W. Weissmann
SILVER MASTER
:
Karen Pollak
"Mistakes are part of the game. It's how well you recover from them
that is the mark of a great player." Alice Cooper
STICKERS???
Prize Chair Bruce Gwaltney, working the Registration Desk at the recent NABC, inquired where the registrant was from. Hearing Clearwater, FL, Bruce asked the man if he was familiar with the Reading Terminal Market, told him about the $5 gift card, and offered him an extra sticker for his convention card. The man politely demurred and returned to his waiting bridge pd. As Bruce was filing the card, he noticed the name on the card was that of Eric Rodwell, who had just been admitted to the ACBL's Hall of Fame. Rodwell was still talking to his pd Jeff Meckstroth, the other half of "Meckwell", one of the top bridge partnerships in the world. Now, just think of how many stickers he might have collected . . .
THE PHILADELPHIA NABC
MARCH 8 - 18
Top DSBA Award Winners
1. 66.31 Benito Garozzo
2. 58.90 Rick Rowland
3. 54.21 Richard Popper
4. 42.03 Ala Hamilton-Day
5. 36.77 Barbara Rhoades
6. 30.14 Kurt Engleman
7. 26.01 Jess Stuart
8. 24.92 Karen Pollak
9. 17.26 Mark Henderson
10. 16.33 Angela Jones
11. 16.33 Joyce Crosby
12. 14.00 Bernard Rehberg
For news and results from around Unit 190, check out the work of webmaster extraordinaire Mark Henderson and click on the links below:
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Unit 217 Sectional
June 1-3
Unit 217 Sectional
September 21-23
Check back next month for a new Unit 217 report.
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Our Monthly Feature
The 4Spot features fantastic contributors, on a regular rotation:
For Novices Only by Marti Ronemus:
January
,
April
, July, October
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Master Solvers Club
Moderator: Nick Straguzzi
Even if you don't want to puzzle over this month's puzzle, enjoy Nick's intro to learn a little fascinating holiday and calendar history. For you MSC aficionados out there, enjoy this month's special problem.
First,
click here to read the analysis of this month's problem.
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