Unit 141 Newsletter            March 2014
   Philadelphia Contract Bridge Association
 

 
In This Issue

  • I/N Teams      
  • April Sectional 
  • Local Clubs 3 
  • STaC
  • GNTs
  • Save the Date   
  • Table Tips
  • Club News 

    •  

    Upcoming Events
    March 1

    March 10-16

    March 20-30

    March 31-April 6

    April 11-13

    Grand National Teams
    May 2-4

    June 16-22
    Feedback 
      

    Send your comments and suggestions for future articles to Allison Brandt at allison@dovetailpress.com

    Join Button 
    I/N Teams Event on March 1 Builds on Previous Success
     
    Building on record attendance and great success at the previous I/N teams event last fall, Unit 141 I/N Chair Bruce Lang is excited to host the next of these events on March 1 at Bala.  

     

    This sectional tournament enables newer players to learn about a Swiss Teams format, while still enjoying competition and earning masterpoints. Preregistration is required, and more information about the event can be obtained at the Unit 141 website.

     

    Next Unit 141 Sectional Runs April 11-13  
      
    The winter schedule rolls into spring with the next Unit 141 Sectional on April 11-13. The weather is bound to be sunnier and warmer, so line up your partners and teammates and play with views of grass and trees.


    For more information, click to read the tournament flyer. As always, Unit 141's unique Dupli-Swiss will take place on Sunday, there will be a full slate of hospitality, and both self and valet parking will be available. A new online partnership desk can now be used to find partners or teammates for any event during the sectional.

    If you have questions or need additional information, contact Tournament Chair Meyer Kotkin (guymath@comcast.net) or Mike Giesler (mgiesler@comcast.net). 

     

    Thoughts for Local Clubs: Part 3 
      
    This month, we conclude a three-part series by Unit 141 Club Liaison April Apfelbaum. The series provides tips for club managers and owners, but the ideas apply equally to bridge players since the tips improve the playing experience for everyone.

    In Part 1, the series introduced the "Rules of the Road." In Part 2, it tackled how to help prevent and handle irregularities. This concluding section suggests ways to support directors. Anyone who would like more information or has questions can contact April at mysticalapril@verizon.net.

      

    Part 3: Supporting Directors

    * Club owners should make available a copy of the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. It can be used to support or explain a director's decision that a player might misunderstand or think is incorrect.

    * All participants should know that director's decisions are final, but that if the director finds out later that he or she made a mistake a correction can be made.

    * The proper procedure during a director call is for a director to determine who called for the director. If a defender, that person should talk first. If the dummy or declarer, then declarer should speak first. Eventually all players should have a chance to explain what they understood happened. 
      director

     

    Unit STaC Runs March 10-16   

    A unit STaC is a week-long "sectional tournament at clubs." That is, games during that week at participating clubs are run as sectional events and award silver points. Additional points are awarded for top-scoring games across the unit for each game.

    A Unit 141 STaC runs March 10-16. Most unit clubs will be hosting STaC games, but check with your local club for their schedule. For additional information, check out this link at the ACBL website.

     

    GNT District Qualifications Run on May 3-4    

    The Grand National Teams is a national teams event that culminates with the national finals at the Summer NABC. It begins, though, with district qualification; District 4 runs its 2014 qualification May 3-4 in Kingston, PA. The district qualification is played in four flights--Open, A, B, and C--and only the winning team in each flight qualifies to play at Nationals. No club or unit qualification is needed.

    For additional information, including the conditions of contest, contact information for the coordinator, and flight eligibility, check out the GNT information flyer here.

     

    Save the Date: Annual Brunch Set for May 18 

     

    Unit 141's Annual Brunch and Sonny Jaspan Memorial Game will take place this year on May 18, 2014.

    This multi-faceted event includes a regular meeting of the unit board, which is open to all members of unit. New life masters and winners of the Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs races for 2013 will also be honored. The Sonny Jaspan game follows the brunch and meeting.

    Additional information, including registration details, will follow in future newsletters and announcements.

     

    Table Tips: Alert!

    alert card Alerts are an important and seemingly simple part of bridge, but they often cause confusion. A year ago, we ran an article suggesting ways to better ask for information about an alerted bid. Since then, we have been asked for more guidance about the alert procedure, so here is a summary of the previous article plus a few tips on how to properly alert your own bids. 

    1. The official way to alert bids is to orally say "alert" and tap the table with the alert card.

    2. When an opponent asks you to explain the alert, explain the meaning of the bid rather than give its name. For example, don't say that your alerted bid is "Jacoby 2NT" (even if you think everybody knows what that means), but a "forcing heart raise" or a "game-forcing spade raise" or whatever you actually play the bid to mean. 
     
    3. The official way to ask for information about an alert is to say, "please explain." Nodding, gesturing, or pointing might get the idea across that you'd like to know the meaning of the alert, but it is not quite clear or entirely polite.
     
    4. According the rules, only request an explanation of an alert when it is your turn to bid.
     
    5. It is good practice to ask about the meaning of an alerted bid during the auction if you intend to compete. 

    For more information about alerts, alert procedures, and calls that are alertable, visit the ACBL page on alerts.

     

    Club News
     
    Card Hand on Right
    Barbara Patterson sends a reminder that Ami Bridge in Langhorne caters to non-life masters. Their fun, stress-free environment hosts games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at noon, and Tuesday evening at 6:30. For more information, visit the website at
     

    The Bridge Center of Delaware County (BCDC) is now holding a monthly Sunday Swiss team game at 1 PM. For directions and more information, visit their website at www.delcobridge.com. 

     

    The Monday evening games at Doylestown Bridge Club are now open games where anyone can play. The game starts at 7 PM and finishes by 10 PM. For more information and directions, go to www.bridgewebs.com/doylestown.

     

    Just a reminder that the North Penn Bridge Club has moved to a new location. For more information, visit http://www.northpennbridge.com/. 

     
     

    Local clubs are encouraged to send announcements, schedules, updates, and special games for placement in upcoming newsletters.
    Unit 141 Newsletter, March 2014
    Volume 4, Issue 3
    Editor: Allison Brandt (allison@dovetailpress.com)