Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from
N Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
I had a great day playing at the regional tournament in Ventura on
Friday. My team took second in Bracket II of the bracketed teams event.
Office Hours continue to be a hit. We're thinking of expanding to
Wednesdays as well. If hosting Office Hours is something you'd enjoy
volunteering for, drop me a note. It's quite the fun thing to do.
I'm working on a "light box" sign to go in the window. I hear from the
security folks that people see our light on over the pizzeria and ask
what's going on. :)
Two Over One Game Force
November 8 will be the first in a course of six classes on bidding using
Two Over One Game Force (2/1GF).
This is the bidding system played by the vast majority of tournament
players. It's only a slight variation from Standard American 5-card
Majors, but it has it's own idioms and patterns.
Playing 2/1GF makes it easier to find slam contracts (or stay out of bad
ones) and can help find better game contracts.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7-9 PM
* Starts November 8, last class December 20, skip November 22
* $125 includes text by Audrey Grant and Eric Rodwell
* Click here to register and save your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Become a Better Bridge Teacher
You may earn an accreditation from Audrey Grant's /Better Bridge/ by
attending the Better Bridge Teacher Accreditation Program to be held on
December 21 and 22 at the Pasadena Bridge Club.
The accreditation earns you a "teacher" flag at the ACBL, and enables
you to be listed in their searchable database of teachers.
Bridge needs teachers, and you could be part of the solution!
Find the details here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/better-bridge-tap>
and see the flier here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/sites/default/files/bbtap/BBAccred-pbc-2023-…>.
Lost and found
We have a growing collection of travel mugs, a text book, and convention
cards. They're on a table next to the coat rack. Take a look and see if
you recognize anything on your next visit!
Classes This Week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
*Mojo's pick for this week*: The Thursday evening class "The Competitive
Auction" is dynamite for all levels.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The
Competitive Auction"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM /Intro to Declarer Play/ "Taking tricks with spot
cards, and finessing"
New on the YouTube channel: Side Suit Establishment
<https://youtu.be/t9UO0wuqgWw>
Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM): "*Opener's Rebid: Unbalanced
2-Suited Hands*" followed by a fun short game.
A special beginning bridge lesson
Zachary and I have been working with the producer of a new bridge
documentary series, with the working title /Bridge: The Ultimate
Mindsport/. One of their projects was to offer a beginning bridge lesson
to someone with celebrity status.
It took a few months to get a date together, but two weeks ago I was
privileged to teach Sharon Stone and three friends how to play bridge.
It was an edited version of the first class of Bridge Basics 1. I'm told
it turned out well. It might be a year before we get to see anything!
Sharon and Mojo
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from
N Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
/*Office Hours*/ looks like a big hit. It's great to be able to drop in
and play casual bridge. Zachary reported having five tables last Thursday!
Mondays and Tuesdays, 3:00 - 5:00, the bridge club will be open for
casual card play. Everyone is welcome, even non-bridge players curious
about the game.
This week is also the Ventura Regional Tournament. Good luck to everyone
heading out to play! (I'm playing in the Bracketed Teams on Friday.)
Instant Matchpoint Game
The *big game at the club this week* is the ACBL's annual Instant
Matchpoint Game, held all over North America on Wednesday, October 25.
(There's a digital version in July, but this event is only for
face-to-face clubs.)
Here's how it works: Each board in play will have a printed score sheet
tucked underneath. After playing the hand, North will consult the score
sheet, and each pair at the table will know exactly their matchpoint
award for that hand (as a percentage from 0-100).
At the end of the event, everyone will receive a lovely booklet with
expert analysis of each hand. This year the experts are champions (and
brothers) Zach and Adam Grossack.
Here's the kicker: the top score in each direction will be awarded *one
full gold masterpoint*. The remaining awards are half-red, half-black,
at 81% Sectional rating. There's even a chance to rank in the top pairs
nationally, if you have an extremely fortunate day!
Grab your partner and make a reservation for the *Wednesday Open Pairs
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation>.* Card fee for
this game will be $12, to cover the booklet and extra sanction fee.
Intro to Declarer Play
Saturday morning, 9:30 - 11:30, six weeks of play of the hand as
declarer. In the first three classes, we'll only deal with notrump
hands. The second three will be on suit contracts.
First class this Saturday, October 28. (We'll skip the Saturday of
Thanksgiving weekend.) $115 for all six classes includes the classic
/Introduction to Declarer Play/, 2nd edition, by Eddie Kantar.
This course is great as the next step after Bridge Basics. We'll put
aside bidding and focus only on making contracts!
Click here to sign up
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Novice Tuesdays 7:00 PM
Bridge is a game where mistakes and failure aren't just possible,
they're guaranteed! And that's true at *every level of the game*. (I
made some doozies in the game I played on Sunday.)
Once you embrace that fact, you're ready to succeed at bridge. The only
way to play bridge (or live life) is fearlessly!
Dive in with us for a real bridge game on *Tuesday evenings*. We play
about 12 hands, for a quick two-hour game, and I nearly always have
friendly single players seeking a partner. No sharks in the game.
You don't have to know how to keep score, or the mechanics of the game.
Everyone is happy to guide you through it, and delighted to have you
come play. Lots of new players win their first masterpoints in the
Tuesday game!
Click here and let me know you'd like to play
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation>
Classes This Week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
*Mojo's pick for this week*: Thursday's class on the takeout double. Who
doesn't need another look at takeout doubles?
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Takeout
Doubles"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM /Intro to Declarer Play/ "Sure tricks, and
establishing tricks"
New on the YouTube channel: Quick vs. Slow Losers
<https://youtu.be/ss1D5AZeDGk>
Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM): "*Opener's Rebid: Unbalanced
1-Suited Hands*" followed by a quick 12-or-so board game.
Don't forget Thursday
Let's have one more Thursday with *free pizza*, and make it a *club
championship* game. Why not?
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from
N Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Fall turns out to be beautiful at the Pasadena Bridge Club. The morning
and afternoon sunlight on Mt. Wilson is just grand.
Drop by for Office Hours
For those newly discovering the fascination of bridge, there's no
substitute for playing. Playing the game helps develop your "bridge
muscles." Your brain starts to recognize the patterns of the cards and
internalize them.
So Zach and I are *opening the bridge club on Monday and Tuesday
afternoons*, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, for casual bridge. There's no charge,
just drop by and play. We can't guarantee there will be /n/ players,
where /n/ ≡ 0 (mod 4), but we've already had lots of bridge played in
our first week.
Sure you can play online, with robots, or the typical rude internet
people, but why not grab a tamale at Vallarta and play some cards with
friendly people? ?
Free Pizza, Thursday Open Pairs
Every Thursday at 11:00 join us for 24 or so hands of bridge. For
October, I'm getting pizza from Blaze downstairs. (The pizza has been
getting good reviews!)
Let's have a special game this Thursday. I've earned another *Upgraded
Club Championship* from ACBL for recruiting members. Let's use it this
Thursday. /Lots/ of extra black points.
In fact, since next week is the Instant Matchpoint Game on Wednesday,
we'll have a *Club Championship on Wednesday* as well (but no free
pizza!). It's Club Appreciation Month.
Intro to Declarer Play
Saturday mornings starting October 28, at 9:30, join us for six weeks
focused on play of the hand as declarer.
I'm trying something new this time. My text will be the wonderful
classic by Eddie Kantar, /Introduction to Declarer Play,/ 2nd edition,
updated in 2019.
I have great hands to play. We'll spend three weeks playing notrump, and
three weeks playing suit contracts. No bidding required. It should be an
ideal course for brand new bridge players, or those who just want to
brush up their card play.
Sign up for the full course here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>.
Classes This Week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course. Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Balancing
and other doubles"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Simple
overcalls and advances"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice
hands"
New on the YouTube channel: The Dangerous Opponent
<https://youtu.be/Y7guU6kSK5s>
Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM), we've spent a few weeks on
declarer play, let's do some basic bidding topics: "*Opener's Rebid:
Balanced Opening Hands*"
About that Saturday 9:30 class — how often do you get to practice
Stayman, Jacoby, strong opening hands, and slam bidding all at once?
Here's your chance. ?
Next week, Instant Matchpoint Game
Make plans to play in the Open Pairs on *Wednesday, October 25*, for a
very special annual event, the Instant Matchpoint Game. After the game,
everyone receives a booklet that has expert analysis for every hand.
There's even *one full gold masterpoin*t to be had by winning your
section at the game.
Also, the *Sunday Unit Game* is October 22, 12:30 PM, at the *Arcadia
Bridge Center*. Drop me a note to be added to the reservation list.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from
N Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
One of the advantages of our great location in Fair Oaks Renaissance
Plaza is the security. Our property management provides a security guard
from early morning 'til very late.
You might have noticed they like to perch just outside the club's main
door — for good reason! From there they have a bird's-eye view of the
whole parking area.
I'm grateful to have them on duty, and lucky to have them nearby.
They've been very helpful during our big events! If you see Jesus or
Gabriel, give them your appreciation.
Club Championship Week
October is "club appreciation month" for the ACBL. We get to have two
weeks of club championship games. The masterpoint awards are big, with
overall awards as well as section awards.
Come out to play this week and try for more black points! All games this
week will be club championships: Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Thursday
mornings, and Saturday afternoon.
Bridge Basics 2 Starts Thursday
This is the second course in the Bridge Basics series, but even folks
who've been playing for years will find precious gems in this course to
improve their results.
*Competitive bidding* is one of the most exciting aspects of the game.
In this course we'll discuss how to interfere with the opponents and
work toward our best score.
A theme throughout the course is preemptive bids — making safe
high-level bids when our side has a big suit fit, but not much high-card
strength. You'll also learn how to use cue bids to show support and
strength for partner's suit.
Classes meet for six Thursday evenings at 7:00. Click here to sign up!
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes This Week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course. Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Rebids by
doubler"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Preemptive opening bids"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice
hands"
New on the YouTube channel: Declarer's Hold Up Play
<https://youtu.be/NwTneOOrig4?feature=shared>
Saturday afternoon workshop (1:00 PM): "*What are matchpoints?*" Let's
look at results from a matchpoint pairs game and see how the ranking is
actually determined. (Notice I said /matchpoints/ and not masterpoints.
Very different things!)
About that Saturday morning class — how often do you get to practice
Stayman, Jacoby, strong opening hands, and slam bidding all at once?
Office Hours
Starting today Zach is opening the bridge club on Mondays and Tuesdays
at 3:00 for no better reason than to play cards with friends old and new.
Casual bridge for fun, no gambling please! ? (Or heck, if you want,
take out the backgammon or mah jongg set.)
Coming up ...
In December the club is hosting a two-day workshop to train teachers in
Audrey Grant's Better Bridge program. Bridge needs teachers! Learn all
about it here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/better-bridge-tap>.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Learn and Play Bridge!
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
"We need to give people more opportunities to just play bridge," my
partner Zachary said to me the other day.
"Nothing takes the place of playing cards as much as you can."
And then he made a remarkable offer. "Let's open the bridge club on
Monday and Tuesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, for anyone and everyone to
come in and play bridge. Nothing formal, just spend some time with the
game. I'll be here."
He didn't need to offer twice!
No card fee for now, just come and play bridge. The more who come the
better, of course. We always want to have a full table if we can!
Jane suggested that it would be a great time to meet potential partners,
or to bring a regular partner to try things and work out agreements.
Let me know if you'd like to come, or if you'd just like to get
reminders of our bridge "office hours."
Great courses starting next
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
This is the second course in the Bridge Basics series. We discuss how
the auction changes when both sides get into the bidding.
If you're already playing regularly, this course will definitely level
up your game!
* Starts Thursday, October 12, 7:00-9:00 PM, six weeks
* Full course description here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* $115 includes textbook
* Sign up for class here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Intro to Declarer Play
For "play of the hand" class, I'm switching to a favorite book,
/Introduction to Declarer Play/ by Edwin Kantar, 2nd Edition, edited by
Barbara Seagram.
The book is a classic, fully updated, and fantastically easy to read.
Like the book, the first three classes will be notrump play, and the
second three suit contract play. I'm looking forward to a great fun course!
* Starts Saturday, October 28, 9:30-11:30 AM, six weeks
* Full course description here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-declarer-play>
* $115 includes textbook
* Sign up for class here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Two Over One Game Force
Two Over One Game Force (2/1GF) is the modern bidding system based on
Standard American 5-card Majors with a slight tweak.
The adjustment makes it easier to find slams, or a better game contract,
by giving the partnership more room on the bidding ladder.
While 2/1GF is only slightly different from Standard American, it does
come with its own idioms to become familiar with.
Along with bidding, the course has dynamite hands to play and defend.
Highly recommended for club and tournament players!
* Starts Wednesday, November 8, 7:00-9:00 PM, six weeks
* Full course description here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/two_over_one_game_force>
* $125 includes textbook
* Sign up for class here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Next Bridge Introduction
The next series of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will be on Wednesday
evenings, starting January 10. Look for it in the PCC Extension catalog
landing in your mailbox sometime in early December.
Best regards,
Mojo
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from
N Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We had a great busy day on Sunday!
For the North American Pairs District Final we had seven tables each in
Flight A and B, and five tables in Flight C. Everyone found something
good for lunch. (Sushi from Vallarta Market? Yes!)
Special thanks to Stephen Licker, Robert Jennings, Ron Lu, and Toban for
spending some time at the club and helping out with the event.
Thursday Open Game Starts
October 5, 11:00 AM, Open Pairs, 24 boards, and free pizza lunch this
Thursday! We'll take a short break at 12:00 for pizza. Drop me a note to
reserve a seat.
Bridge Scoring Notation
"What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
"What do you mean? African or European swallow?"
"I don't know that! Aaaauughhh!" -- the Troll from /Monty Python In
Search of the Holy Grail/.
In the US, since I started playing and recording scores with a pencil on
a traveler, we always referred to the result of a contract by either how
many tricks it made, or how many tricks it went down.
For instance: 3SN+5 (three spades by north making five).
For manually computing the score, this provides a mental shortcut. I
could compute the trick score: 5 x 30 = 150 plus the partscore bonus for
200 total.
But in Europe, and I suppose most of the rest of the world, that score
would be noted as 3SN+2. Mentally I would have a tiny extra step ((3+2)*30).
If there were no overtricks, it would be noted as 3SN=, rather than the
American form, 3SN+3.
For Bridgemates, I have an option to use "American" or "European"
scoring notation.
I've noticed that ACBL's "Live for Clubs" is currently using European
notation for results. The Common Game is doing the same thing.
Maybe this was be an outgrowth of quarantine, when we all had to play
online, and most of us played on Bridge Base Online. All of the notation
there is in European format.
In US tournaments, the Bridgemates are still set to American format,
where you'd key in "making 5" rather than "+3". As long as that's true,
I'll keep it the same in the club. It will be a slightly jarring change
if they make it.
So what do you think? Is the American scoring format to be scrapped?
It's an interesting discussion!
Classes this week
Drop in for a single class! Most of our sessions are small groups with
opportunities for lots of personal attention. It's just $25 for an
almost-private lesson.
Note Slam Bidding and Blackwood on Saturday. :)
* Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "Advancing a
takeout double"
* Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands"
* Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Slam
Bidding and Blackwood"
Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM /to be announced/ ($10 for workshop
and short game!)
YouTube mini-lesson this week <https://youtu.be/E82cytO4DhY>: "Entries
(2 of 2)" Learn about ducking plays.
Coming up ...
October is Club Appreciation Month. Let's have some club championships,
with lots of extra masterpoints! We'll start with the week of October 9.
Sunday October 8 we have a Pasadena Unit Game at the club. Drop me a
note for a reservation. 12:30 PM start time.
We have a very special game on Wednesday, October 25, the Instant
Matchpoint Game. More about that later.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
