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In This Issue
Spring Doings
Philadelphia Regional
Annual Brunch
ABA Spring Nationals
Table Tips
News
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 Step outside and it's clear that warm, sunny weather isn't anywhere on the horizon. The March newsletter, however, marks the beginning of spring and so we bring you a preview of Unit 141 spring events. Take note of the following events, particularly next the Bala sectional, coming in March, April, and May: * District 4 STaC (March 23 - 29) -- chances for silver points at clubs! * April Sectional at Bala (April 10 - 12) * Unit 141 Annual Meeting and Brunch (April 26) -- details in an article below * ABA Spring Nationals in Atlantic City (April 11 - 17) -- details below * Grand National Teams (May 2 - 3) * Unit 141 STaC (May 4 - 10) -- more chances for silver!
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Big Changes Coming to the Philadelphia Regional
 Regionals are week-long tournaments where you can earn GOLD points. Unit 141 is home to the Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge. We are very excited about the many changes taking place at this year's tournament. This month, in the first of four articles, we introduce the tournament and its exciting new schedule.
The Philadelphia Regional gets a shot of excitement under new tournament chair Meyer Kotkin and a re-energized tournament committee, including I/N chair Bruce Lang.
The tournament takes place on June 22-28 at the DoubleTree Hotel at Valley Forge. The hotel has plenty of free and easy parking for overnight guests and day visitors. For more general tournament information, including the hotel reservations, click here for the flyer.
One of the great changes this year is the new tournament schedule. One key innovation is that all morning games will start at a more convenient 10:30 AM time to help alleviate the morning traffic problem. You can click here for a complete listing of events and times, but here are some of the many highlights for players of all levels. Intermediate and Newcomer players have many options. On Monday, there is a free lesson for new players as well as a special game just for players with fewer than 20 masterpoints. Then, starting Tuesday, new I/N games begin each day for 0-5, 0-20, 99er, and 199er players. There's also Golden Opportunity galore! First, there are Gold Rush events (0-750 MPs) every day. Also, the Philadelphia Regional is the only District 4 tournament with Golden Mid-Flight events. These events are limited to players with 0-3000 MPs and take place on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Unlike years past and many other regionals, new knockouts start every day, including Saturday.
The Unit 141 renowned Dupli-Swiss will be carried over to the Philadelphia Regional not only on Sunday but as a two-session Dupli-Swiss on Thursday as well.
Aside from the many schedule upgrades, there will be a focus on pre-duplicated boards and hand records. All pairs events and every two-session Swiss will have pre-duplicated board and hand records!
Next month, we'll tell you about other exciting Philadelphia Regional tournament features. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to contact tournament chair Meyer Kotkin at guymath@comcast.net or Unit 141 president Mike Giesler at mikegiesler@gmail.com.
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Come to the Unit 141 Annual Meeting and Brunch on April 26!
Each year, Unit 141 hosts an Annual Meeting and Brunch. All are welcome! The event includes brunch, a meeting of the board, and the Sonny Jaspan Memorial game.
This year's Unit 141 Annual Meeting and Brunch will take place on Sunday, April 26 at Green Valley Country Club. The brunch begins at 10:30 AM; the meeting and game follow immediately after.
The purpose of the Annual Meeting is for Unit members to learn about current issues facing the board, ask questions, and recognize the past year's new life masters, Mini-McKenney, and Ace of Clubs winners. The game that follows honors beloved player Sonny Jaspan.
The cost for the entire event is $30. All new life masters, Mini-McKenney, and Ace of Clubs winners who attend will receive a free sectional play. For secure credit card or PayPal payments, attendees can send their email address to Joan Warren at philadelphiabridge@gmail.com. Checks should be made out to "PCBA" and mailed to:
Joan Warren c/o Raffles Bridge Club 3901 Conshohocken Ave. Defensive Arts Center, Suite 11 Philadelphia, PA 19131 Questions should be addressed to event coordinator Joan Warren at philadelphiabridge@gmail.com. |
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American Bridge Association Hosts Spring Nationals in AC
This year's American Bridge Association Spring National will be held at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City from April 11 - 17. All are welcome to attend. A full slate of both Open and New Players event, very reasonable room and parking rates, and a friendly atmosphere make it a great destination for bridge. For a look at the full schedule, click here. For additional details and contact information, click here to view the ABA website.
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Table Tips: Bidding in Tempo
 It is important to bid and play in tempo -- that is, with the same even pace all the time -- but bridge is a thinking game and some hands need time to figure out what to do.
Have you ever wondered if you can take extra time to bid or when slow bidding becomes a problem? What is the right way to bid in tempo? Here's the short answer:
* It is ok to think and then pass.
* It is not always ok, however, for your partner to bid on after you take an unusual amount of time to pass.
When your partner takes extra time to pass, it is your responsibility to do the right thing. When you have a borderline hand, it is right to pass. If your partner thinks a lot before passing, it suggests that he or she has something going -- extra values or unusual shape or something else. You can't take advantage of that information and must pass unless bidding on is absolutely 100% obvious. Taking advantage of partner's slow pass would be unfair and will likely result in a director call from your opponents.
Larry Cohen summarizes the situation best: "It is simply UNETHICAL to take advantage of your partner's tempo."
If you think that you have been the victim of a break in tempo, you are entitled to call the director. Be gentle with new players, however, who might not yet understand this complicated issue and kindly call for the director.
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News from Around the Unit
Raffles Bridge Club has great news for newcomers. Beginning March 26, Raffles will host a special 12-board game for players with 0-20 masterpoints each Thursday at 12:30 PM followed by a Q&A period to discuss the hands. The game needs three tables of players to make it a sanctioned game, so pre-registration is required. For more information, you can visit the Raffles website. Keep in mind that the Scottsville Duplicate Bridge Club hosts a weekly game at noon on Friday at the Scottsville Methodist Church near Langhorne, PA. The game is open to all players, serves refreshments, and will soon join the Common Game. For more information, contact Al Schindler at 215-639-4197 or asbtdir@msn.com.
Yorktown Bridge Club has lunch and brunch on Thursday and Saturday. Eat lunch and then play starting at noon on Thursday. Brunch is served on Saturday before the game. For more information, visit the website: http://www.yorktownbridgeclub.com/.
Local clubs and players are encouraged to send announcements, news, updates, or information for placement in upcoming newsletters.
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