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In This Issue
Summer Bridge
Raffel Eulogy
Longest Day
Speakers
VuGraph
NAPs
Table Tips
Club News
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Summer Bridge is Here!
Now that we have celebrated Memorial Day, it's time to turn our attention to a full slate of exciting summer bridge events. When it's too hot outside, you can cool down at the bridge table. So grab your partners and teammates and get ready for:
 * Valley Forge Regional, June 17-23.
* District 4 supports the ACBL's "The Longest Day" fundraiser for the National Alzheimer's Association, June 21 during the Valley Forge Regional. See the article below for details.
* District 4 Split Regional (Harrisburg), July 22-28.
* North American Pairs (NAP) club qualifying, June-August. See the article below for more information.
* North American Bridge Championships (Atlanta), August 1-11.
For more information on each of these events, check out Upcoming Events in the left sidebar and click the links.
Here's wishing you a happy summer and luck at the bridge table!
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Eulogy for Suzanne Raffel-Gruber
Suzanne Raffel-Gruber, 87, the founder and owner of Raffles for Bridge and a celebrity in the region's bridge-playing community, died at her home in Bala Cynwyd on Friday, May 3, from complications due to leukemia.
 Sue was a mainstay in the local bridge scene since opening her club in 1964 at the Green Hill apartments. Sue never retired and could often be seen playing and running games at the current Raffles location at the Presidenal City Apartments.
A memorial service was held on May 6. Marc Labovitz, a long-time friend and associate, offered this touching eulogy:
Forgive me if my thoughts are scattered. On the day Sue passed, I was in upstate Pennsylvania organizing and running a major tournament for the ACBL. I seem to be doing a lot of that these days. The only reason I bring this up is that without Sue, I would very likely not be doing this at all. Currently, I am the club manager at Raffles.
I first met Sue in 1984. The club was a second floor walk-up on City Avenue (try that these days). Even then, Raffles was the biggest and best game in town....and I never left. I learned to score the game, when we did those things by hand, moved on to directing from time to time, to taking on more of a management role in the last years. I can still see Sue making her way into the club, barking orders: fix the calendar, update the player of the month list, get the supplies out of my car. It wasn't bossy and it always got me to smile...things at the club needed to get done and she was in no physical condition to do them.
In my mind, there were 2 great ladies of Philadelphia area bridge. Jane Segal, who is here today, taught everybody how to play this game and Sue Raffel, who provided a place to play it. Last Monday, after I saw Sue for the last time and we were still discussing details of club operation, Wendy de Chadarevian noted that Raffles was a place where you went to play a game you loved and forgot about your problems while you were there and how it could never be the same without Sue.
Last night I received an email from a newer player who is a member of the unit board of directors and head of the novice program. He has only been to Raffles a handful of times. He wrote, "I am in Florida and won't be able to make it Monday. As a new player, Sue was encouraging and always greeted me with a very warm welcome. She was a club owner who clearly loved the game and from my experience gave it her best and didn't take her members/clients for granted."
Folks might like to know what it is like to manage a bridge club. Well, it's like this:
- the food is not good enough
- what is the extra dollar for?
- why do I have to sit at that table - or play E/W?
- it is too hot or cold - frequently at the same time
Sue fielded complaints for 45+ years with dignity, tolerance, and respect. Last week, I told her that she must have had the patience of a saint and the skin of an alligator.
There are a lot of strange characters in the bridge world. I look out and see
many of you sitting here today. But all players - be they regulars, infrequent, or new; accomplished, weak, or novices; successful in life or total misfits - Sue treated them all the same. She ran an egalitarian club, and it rubbed off on everybody.
I would like to share one story: Once upon a time there was a former Kensington cop and an avid bridge player. Let's call him Walter. He was gruff, minimally educated, and as incongruous and out of place at Raffles, which had a client base of Main Line women as you could possibly imagine. Sue didn't care. She brought Walt into the fold to help manage the club and direct the games before I absorbed those responsibilities. Over time, illness took its toll on Walter and towards the end he was wheelchair-bound and restricted to playing (always at the same table).
There was another player, an avid student the game who was the
matriarch of one of the most successful and wealthiest families in the Delaware Valley. She was elegant, refined, cultured, worldly. Let's call her Bernice. Bernice was used to having things done for her.... and very precisely. Simply, Bernice and Walter were from opposite sides of the proverbial track. But at Raffles, they were equals.
Every Monday morning, Walter would arrive early. He was at the mercy of
a handicapped taxi service, and take his seat near the kitchen. A bit later, Bernice would arrive in her chauffeured Bentley to talk bridge with me before everyone arrived for the game. But first, Bernice would go to Walter, ask him what he needed, prepared and brought him lunch, and made sure he was ok. Only then would she come to me with her bridge questions.
This is both a tribute to Bernice and to the club Sue created. To me, Raffles is lot like the TV tavern "Cheers". Everybody knows your name, and everyone is equal at the bar. This is Sue's bridge legacy, and she will be greatly missed. We at the club have some big shoes to fill.
[As of June 1, Wendy de Chadarevian is the new owner of Raffles. She and Marc Labovitz look forward to continuing the high standards and enduring traditions set by Sue. We wish them well in their new endeavor. -- Ed.] |
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Participate in "The Longest Day"
District 4 is pleased to announce its participation in The Longest Day, the ACBL's nationwide fundraiser to help fuel research and support by the Alzheimer's Association. The event takes place on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and lasts 16 hours. Players are encouraged to play during the marathon event to help raise money. Through the efforts of Unit 141 member Lewis Klein, there are other ways to become involved, including direct donations, sponsorships, and the contribution of pictures.
For more information, read the District 4 flyer here.
To make a donation, you can go directly the home team website here.
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Valley Forge Regional Presents Excellent Speaker Series
A series of top-notch, free lectures will be offered during the Valley Forge Regional at 9 AM and 2 PM. The schedule of speakers and the topics is listed here. All players are welcome and encouraged to attend. The location well be well-marked at the playing site, or check at the information desk for more information.
Morning Expert Series, 9 AM
Tuesday, June 18th
Corey Krantz: "Honors Play Nicely Together"
Wednesday, June 19th
Bobbie Gomer: "Options after 1NT Openings"
Thursday, June 20th
Joseph DeColli: "How to Be a Leading Man"
Friday, June 21st
Bill Bauer: "True or False: Find Out How Well You Know Bridge"
Saturday, June 22nd
Janet Stevens: "Preempts and the Rule of 17"
Sunday, June 23rd
Rich Rothwarf: "The Two Big Questions in Constructive Bidding: Do We Have a Game? What Is Trump?"
Expert Tips at Two, 2 PM
Tuesday, June 18th
Joann Glasson: "Traps to Avoid When You Are the Opening Bidder"
Wednesday, June 19th
Ray Raskin: "Gathering Useful Information from the Opponent's Auction"
Thursday, June 20th
[none scheduled because of the team games]
Friday, June 21st
Carl Berenbaum: "Negative Doubles Can Be Flexible"
Saturday, June 22nd
Jay Apfelbaum: "To Preempt or Not to Preempt, and How High" |
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Great Bridge Viewing on Vugraph This Week
 The U.S. Bridge Championships, also known as the U.S. Trials, is going on now in Orlando, Florida and runs daily through Monday, June 10. This event will determine the two teams the United States sends to the Bermuda Bowl in Bali later in the year.
Each day, many of the matches will be presented on the BBO Vugraph. Some matches will have both written and audio commentators. The comments are both educational and entertaining.
There is no cost to watch and you do not need a BBO account. All you have to do is visit the BBO site at www.bridgebase.com and either logon with your account or "look around the site." Either way, just click on "Vugraph" and select the match(es) you want to watch. Repeat.
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NAP Club Qualifying Begins
 The North American Pairs (NAP) is a premier, grass roots event sponsored each year by the ACBL. Qualifying begins at the club level and ends with the National finals at the spring NABC. Clubs may hold club qualifying events during the months of June, July, and August. These club games award both red and black points at the sectional level. You must achieve a club level qualification to play in the District finals. More details on the NAPs can be found on the District 4 website at www.district4.info.
Please encourage your local club to host these games. Clubs that have already reported the NAP game schedules are posted on the Unit website and can be found here.
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Table Tips: Dead Time at the Table
 Last month, we talked about the importance of saving time on mechanics at the table so there is more thinking time instead. Blogger Jeff Lehman agrees that this issue is an important one. To help players diagnose if they contribute to "table dead time," he asks them to consider these simple questions.
- Do you spend time after the conclusion of one hand discussing the result of that hand ... when you could, instead, be recording your result in your scoresheet, sorting your cards, and preparing for the auction of the next hand? Note that even if other players are ready to begin the auction, they must wait for you.
- Do you consider your rebids at the time of your rebid ... when you could have considered the rebid at the time you opened the bidding?
- Do you consider what you will lead only after the auction is concluded ... when you could have begun consideration when your opponent made a bid that suggests the final contract?
- In general, are you thinking about your next play only when it is your turn to play ... when you could have been considering your play while other players are thinking about theirs?
- Do you record the contract (or perform any other administrative task) before making the opening lead or planning your line of play ... when you could have been performing the task while dummy is being tabled?
- Are you causing director calls or creating other time-consuming delays by failing to promptly alert your partner's calls, forgetting your agreements, misunderstanding who is on lead, having an incomplete or unavailable convention card, or asking questions about unalerted calls ... when you could have been attentive to all of these matters?
If you can think about any way to change a yes answer to a no, you can speed the game along and preserve thinking time for everybody.
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Club News
 June 7th and 8th is the Worldwide Bridge Contest. Many local clubs will be hosting this special game which includes scoring across thousands of tables around the world and a souvenir booklet with commentary by Eric Kokish. Please check with your local club to see if it is hosting. For more information, visit the host website here.
Raffles Bridge Club establishes two new day games for novices and non-life masters.
Tuesday afternoon (starting July 9): Non-Life Masters Game
12 PM: mini-lesson
12:30 PM: ACBL-sanctioned game for non-life masters only
Thursday morning: Novice and Newcomer Play
9:15 AM: lesson
9:45 - 11:30 AM: supervised play
The Yorktown Bridge Club now hosts the Common Game. For more information and a complete schedule, visit their website: http://www.yorktownbridgeclub.com/schedule.php.
For more information about the Common Game, visit http://www.thecommongame.com/.
Local clubs are encouraged to send announcements, schedules, updates, and special games for placement in upcoming newsletters.
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