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In This Issue
From Joann
Messages
Unit 141
Tournament Fix
NAPs and GNTs
Table Tips
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Welcome from the Unit President
Dear Fellow Bridge Players,
I am very excited to welcome you to Unit 141's new e-newsletter. Many exciting things are happening in Unit 141 this year and we hope that you will use this newsletter and our website (www.district4.info) to learn about them. With this newsletter and future communications, we hope to improve everyone's awareness of events and happenings in the Unit. If your friends and partners are not on our mailing list, please forward this Newsletter to them and they can click here to subscribe.
Our main goal is to make bridge fun for all participants, so let me tell you about just a few of the changes coming in the next few months.
We are making many improvements to our sectional tournaments, starting in Conshohocken (March 25-27). Our new tournament chairman, Meyer Kotkin, and our new hospitality chairman, Jane Ball, have planned a terrific weekend of bridge and hospitality. We invite you to the kickoff party on Friday night at 6:00 PM at the Conshohocken tournament site. Besides format changes, Meyer and his committee have many ideas to enhance the tournament experience. For more details, see his article below.
The Unit's annual dinner, held this year on Sunday, April 3, moves to Franco's Restaurant on City Line Avenue (next to Raffles Bridge Club). A lovely dinner follows a short business meeting, and then players compete for the Sonny Jaspan Memorial Trophy at a game at Raffles. Unit 141 subsidizes this event for all its members, so please join us.
I would love to hear from you with any suggestions about improving bridge in our Unit. Please email me with your thoughts.
Joann Glasson
President
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Messages from the Top
Good Luck from Eddie Kantar
Dear Allison, Mike, and all Unit 141 Members,
Congratulations on your inaugural edition of the Unit 141 Newsletter! It's wonderful that so many of you are interested in the greatest card game in the world! I've been an author, player, and teacher of this game for over 60 years, and I never get tired of it. How great that you will be kept up-to-date on all that's happening in your unit, and the bridge world in general. Put me down as a subscriber.
[Look for tips from Eddie in future issues of this newsletter. You can link to Eddie's website www.kantarbridge.com.]
Best Wishes from Marty Bergen
Dear Unit 141 Members,
Mike and Allison have asked me to write a few words to you, the readers of the new Unit 141 newsletter. I hope that each of you will continue to play and enjoy this terrific game. Know that a player at any level can be a champion. A champion is someone who is willing to learn, understands that bridge is a partnership game, and doesn't take things too seriously. Remember that in life and in bridge, Points Schmoints!
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What is Unit 141?
The ACBL is the national governing body for contract bridge in the United States. It is divided into 25 districts, and those districts are subdivided into units. Our Unit, 141, is in District 4 and includes Philadelphia, the western suburbs, and South Jersey down to Cape May. The primary responsibilities of a unit are to run sectionals, coordinate STaCs and other unit-wide games, and organize unit qualifiers for events like the NAPs or GNTs. Unit 141 has a storied past. Many bridge luminaries, including Charles Goren, Norman Kay, and Helen Sobel Smith lived and played within our unit. World and National Champions JoAnn Sprung, Joann Glasson, Eric Greco, Arnie Fisher, and Ken Cohen still do. Philadelphia regularly hosts nationals (including the upcoming Summer 2012) and was home to the World Championships in October 2011. Does anyone remember when Omar Sharif's Bridge Circus came to town? Participate in Unit events and be a part of our ongoing history. |
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The Tournament Fix Is In!
Part 1: The Times They Are A-Changin'
Attendance at Unit 141 Sectionals has been declining over the past few years and if you asked 10 bridge players why, it is likely that you would get 14 different answers. To reverse this downward trend and to increase the fun players have at our tournaments, the Unit 141 Board has appointed a new Tournament Committee (TC).
As a first step, the TC contacted the organizers of thriving Sectionals around the country to learn what they have tried and found successful. Unanimously, the organizers named four keys to success. In this and subsequent issues of the newsletter, I will report on what the TC learned and how we will be implementing those ideas at our Sectionals.
In Conshohocken (March 25-27, 2011), for example, we are introducing two of the four characteristics of successful tournaments. Starting times on Friday will be 10:00, 2:30 and 7:00. On Saturday, the times are 10:00 and 2:30 with no evening game. Additionally, hospitality is being ramped up significantly. There will be free breakfast and lunch every day, snacks throughout each every day, and a Friday social hour at 6:00 PM with butlered hors d'oeuvres and wine. The TC invites all Unit 141 members to attend the Social Hour to mingle with other players. You play and we feed you. Where can you beat that deal? For complete details, including directions, see the tournament flyer on http://www.district4.info/conshohocken.pdf. I know that it will be difficult to completely satisfy everyone in this large unit, but I promise that we will make our very best effort and will always listen to the Unit 141 members about their ideas for improvement. You can contact me at guymath@comcast.net.
I look forward to hearing what you think and to seeing you at a Sectional soon.
Meyer Kotkin
Tournament Chairman
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Getting to Know the NAPs and GNTs
 What are these events anyway? The NAP (North American Pairs) and GNT (Grand National Teams) are two major events sponsored by the ACBL. As the names suggest, the NAP is a pairs event and the GNT is a team event, run as a knockout. Both events start either in local clubs or at the district level. Winners are invited to play in the finals at one of the ACBL national tournaments.
How do I play in these events? In Unit 141/District 4, the NAPs start with qualification at the club level. A qualification allows you to play in the District finals for a chance to go to Nationals. The GNTs start directly at the District level, with one event that qualifies teams to play in the Nationals. Both events have multiple flights for all levels of players.
Why should I play in either of these events? Both events are open to all players, can expand your bridge skills, and offer a great way to participate in a major ACBL event. If you are one of the top three qualifiers at the district level of the NAPs, you can receive as much as $700 per player to offset the cost of traveling to the Nationals. For the GNTs, the top team in each flight will receive $1000 per team for the first two days of Nationals. An additional $400 is paid for each day a team survives in the tournament. For both events, all fees are paid.
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Table Tips: Slow Play
We all want to help improve etiquette, friendliness, and smooth play at the table. Do you ever wonder how you can help? In this ongoing series, we explore bridge "rules of the road." This month, we focus on tips that help speed
up play. Thinking during the bidding and play of a difficult hand is a normal part of bridge. Many of the problems with slow play come before and after the hand is actually being played.
1. Lead before you do anything else! If you are on lead, lead before marking a personal scorecard or entering the contract on a bridgemate. Making your lead first enables dummy to set down the cards and declarer and your partner to begin analyzing them. Are you worried that you will forget the contract? You won't, and you might even make a better lead because you concentrate on that important task without distraction. Remember also to lead face down, but know that once the card touches the table (barring some other impropriety), it cannot be substituted for a different card.
2. Eliminate postmortems at the table. This advice not only saves time, but could also save partnerships. Hand analysis at the table takes time away from everyone playing the next hand and can strain even the best partnerships. If you have a key point to discuss, make a mental note and go over it with your partner after the game. Hand records are useful tools and make it easier to recall and discuss hands after the game, so encourage your club to provide them.
3. Claim when you can, but know how to claim correctly. The basics are simple: When it's your turn to play, face your cards and state a line of play. It's not enough to say, "the rest are mine." You need to explain to the defenders how the rest of the tricks belong to you. Also know that once you claim, the rules forbid you from "playing out the cards." If an opponent insists, call the director and let him or her sort it out.
Keep these three simple tips in mind the next time you play and pass them on to others. Slow play is an annoyance to everyone and these tips will improve the game for all. |
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