September 2023 - News - Pasadena Bridge Club

A little help tomorrow ...
by Morris Jones 30 Sep '23

30 Sep '23

Hi all, Tomorrow is a big day at the club. I'm hosting the North American Pairs district final. I'm going to be assisting the director in the community room down the hall from the club. If anyone were available to drop in for a while to help do errands at the club, it would be a big help. I'll need someone to do things like make coffee, restock food, keep the break room tidy, and run any other errands we might need. You might get to kibitz some really good bridge players as well. All the best players from LA County will be here competing to go to the national championship. :) Best regards, Mojo -- build message Morris "Mojo" Jones mojo(a)PasadenaBridgeClub.com https://PasadenaBridgeClub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Pasadena Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>

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Improving Your Judgment - Doubles starts this week
by Morris Jones 25 Sep '23

25 Sep '23

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> Last week I suggested that I'd talk about scoring notation this week. But no! I'm pushing it to next week, because ... NAP District Final Oct. 1 We have another major event coming up at the bridge club. On Sunday, October 1, we'll be hosting the District 23 North American Pairs Finals. (The event belongs to the district, but it's worth writing about.) The North American Pairs is a big deal! It's one of two "grass roots" competitions held annually by the ACBL. (The other is the Grand National Teams.) The district final is really three finals: one each for qualifiers under 500 masterpoints, 2500 masterpoints, and Open. The qualifiers will be divided into three separate two-session games. The top four finishers in each flight (three in Open) will be invited to represent District 23 (Los Angeles County) at the Spring NABC in Louisville, KY. The top finishers also receive some travel reimbursement to make the trip! You may have qualified for the District Final by playing in a specially-designated club game, either at our club, another club, or one of the VACB clubs on Bridge Base Online. Those games are played in June, July, and August. Check the list here to see <https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/play/NAP_Qualifiers/NAP_D23.htm>, and if you're there, pick up a partner who also qualified and make a reservation for the district final! All of the information about the District North American Pairs Final is collected on the website here <https://nap.bridgemojo.com/>. If you plan to compete, I highly recommend reading the Conditions of Contest for the tournament. Improving Your Judgment - Doubles This course is guaranteed to improve the way you find and use the red X card from the bidding box. Level-up your game with your partner! First session Wednesday evening at 7:00, meeting for six classes total. Not sure? Try the first one for $25, and upgrade to the full class if you like it. Here is the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>, and here's where you can sign up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Classes this week Single classes are always available for $25. This week's offerings: * Wednesday 7:00 PM /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ "The Takeout Double" * Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice hands" * Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Strong Opening Bids" Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM "Notrump Play: Making A Plan" Coming up ... Next week (October 5) will be our first Thursday Open Pairs game at 11:00 AM. I'm buying pizza! Rally up your favorite partner and come play. There are lots of great updates to RSVPBridge <https://rsvpbridge.com> that I'll be taking advantage of, especially for managing bridge courses. And in December, the Better Bridge Teacher Accreditation Program <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/better-bridge-tap>. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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"We had a revoke!"
by Morris Jones 18 Sep '23

18 Sep '23

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> Dealing with a revoke We've all been in the situation where someone at the table failed to follow suit on a trick. (I've never done that! <cough> Yes I have.) This is known as a "revoke" or "renege." There are a few things to keep in mind when you notice a revoke: * When attention is called to it, call "director, please!" (But not if you're dummy!) * If you are dummy and you notice it /you must not say anything!/ (If I'm dummy, I adjust the card for that trick in my trick record to the side slightly, so I can come back to it.) * The offender can correct their revoke if it's caught before /they or their partner/ plays to the following trick. * Once the revoke is established, it can not be corrected! * You /may not inspect/ any previously played cards except as required by the director, When I'm playing, if I notice an opponent renege on a trick, I offset that card slightly in my trick record, so after the hand we can go back and establish what happened, with the director present. If you notice an opponent revoke, you don't have to say anything! Make note of the trick, keep playing, and let the director apply the laws at the end of the hand. Improving Your Judgment - Doubles The takeout double is the most powerful and useful call in bridge. No one can dispute that! Are you not doubling enough? Sign up for the six-week course on Wednesday evenings starting Sept. 27. Each week we'll look at more detail of doubles and how to think about them, both from the doubler's seat and their partner's seat. As with all of the Audrey Grant courses, there are always great hands with play and defense lessons to be had as well. Here is the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>, and here's where you can sign up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. 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. (Never quite true for Bridge Basics 1. It's a big class, but it's a great refresher.) This is a good week to brush up on your Jacoby Transfer Bids! * Thursday 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Minor Suit Opening Bids and Responses" * Saturday 9:30 AM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Jacoby Transfer Bids" Saturday Workshop and Game 1:00 PM "Notrump Play: Finesses of Many Kinds" ($10 for workshop and short game!) YouTube mini-lesson this week <https://youtu.be/iBiRZBf5wwU>: "Entries (1 of 2)" (There's also a funny blast from 2021 about playing online and what might happen after pandemic!) Coming up ... Today I got a preview of some features Brenda Egeland has been adding to RSVPBridge to better support bridge courses. It'll be a great management tool for me and the students! Remember Thursdays? October 5 we'll have our first Thursday 11:00 AM Open Pairs. Games are in RSVP to reserve now! Next week I want to talk a little about bridge scoring notation. (American or European?) Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Upcoming Bridge Courses
by Morris Jones 12 Sep '23

12 Sep '23

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> Great courses starting soon! We have three great bridge courses starting in the next few weeks. Our courses are geared toward working adults and students, and offered on Saturday mornings plus Wednesday and Thursday evenings. With each of our courses, you will be able to practice the hands from class at home using just your internet browser! Here are the courses that are starting up next: Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions Saturday Mornings, starting Sept. 16 This course covers the most popular and valuable bidding conventions. You'll learn Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bids for responding to notrump openings. We'll also cover very strong opening hands, and slam bidding, including the Blackwood and Gerber conventions. * Six Saturday Mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Improving Your Judgment - Doubles Wednesday Evenings, starting Sept. 27 The takeout double is the most powerful and useful call in the bidding box. Refine your understanding of takeout doubles, your role as advancer (when your partner doubles), and rebids by the doubler. We'll study many borderline decisions to help improve your judgment. * Six Wednesday Evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding Thursday Evenings, starting Oct. 12 This is the followup course to /Bridge Basics 1/, but it's dynamite for experienced club players as well. You'll learn ways to compete in the bidding to maximize your score and do better on more hands. We'll practice preemptive opening bids, overcalls, the takeout double, and the negative (responder's) double. Find out what a cue bid means! * Six Thursday Evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 * $115 includes textbook * Click here for the lesson plan <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Click here to enroll <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Our next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ series will be offered on Wednesday evenings starting January 10. (I always offer the Bridge Basics series 1, 2, and 3 sequentially for a given class session.) Best regards, Mojo

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We had a sectional!
by Morris Jones 11 Sep '23

11 Sep '23

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> It's amazing to see our little club hosting a major tournament. This is our third hosting of an event, and by far the largest in attendance. For the first time, we took advantage of the Community Room down the hall from the bridge club, where we have room for 12 additional tables, for a total of about 30 (without squeezing too much!). We hosted four full sessions of bridge, with 96-1/2 total tables over the weekend! Our biggest session was on Sunday afternoon with 18 tables in the Open Pairs, and 7 tables in the 499er Pairs. Full results from all of the Sectional games <http://live.acbl.org/events/2309379> can be found here. New signs! It took us a while, but we finally have professional signs on the lobby door and over the club main doors. Lobby glass door sign Main door sign Director table set up for the Sectional. Notice the new signage! Classes this week Anyone is welcome to drop in for a single session of any course for $25. Here are the topics at this week's classes: * Wednesday 7:00 PM *Defense* "Making a plan" * Thursday 7:00 PM *Bridge Basics 1* "Major Suit Opening Bids and Responses" * Saturday 9:30 AM *Popular Conventions* "Stayman" Saturday workshop and game "Developing Tricks in Notrump." On our *YouTube channel this week*, "Sluffing Losers <https://youtu.be/-V-QTCeqteY?feature=shared>" (The Defense class is a great one to drop in for. We have eight hands to practice defending, using all the basic principles of defense.) Teacher training coming up Become an accredited Better Bridge teacher! We're hosting a two-day seminar by Denise Hoffman on Thursday-Friday December 21-22. By completing the seminar you'll be recognized as an accredited teacher by the ACBL, and eligible to be listed in the teacher directory. It's a great credential to present to organizations like college extension programs. September /Bridge News/ The monthly newsletter for District 23 is available at this link <https://www.bridgewebs.com/acbl23/CurrentNews.pdf>, and I'll have it on our bulletin board this week at the club. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Something for your reading list
by Morris Jones 03 Sep '23

03 Sep '23

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> This past week I started a new series of Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction on Thursday evenings. On Wednesday night I was expecting 18 students. On Thursday night I had 24 in the class! I even got a round of applause at the end of the lesson. That doesn't happen often! Robots for half table I'm getting together the tools to use BBO Robots to fill a half table at the club. If I have a half, one table can have a pair of iPads or Fire tablets facing the E/W seats. The robots will play N/S. When I did this before at the BridgeMojo club, nobody liked it much. But most players at that time weren't really familiar with bridge online. It's different now — most of us know how to bid and play on BBO. It'll be an interesting experiment! As we first start out, I'll probably score the round as "No Plays" while we're trying it out. I'll only use it for the Open games. Love a good mystery? When I'm on the road, I love listening to episodes of "Sorry, Partner," <https://sorrypartner.com/> a bridge podcast by Catherine Harris and Jocelyn Startz. I enjoyed a recent episode featuring English champion Helen Erichsen, who also happens to be an author. She just released a novel /Murder By Natural Causes/, which revolves around bridge and a bridge club. I haven't read it yet, but it sounds like a good time! I love the title. :) Classes this week Anyone is welcome to drop in for a single session of any course for $25. Let me know you're coming! Here are the topics at this week's classes: * Wednesday 7:00 PM *Defense* "Interfering with Declarer" * Thursday 7:00 PM *Bridge Basics 1* "1 Notrump Opening Bids and Responses" The Saturday games will be closed this week for the tournament (see below). Next week we'll resume the Workshop and Game with "Developing Tricks in Notrump." On our *YouTube channel this week*, "Trumping in the dummy <https://youtu.be/iuk9irx4NJA?feature=shared>" Glendale Sectional *September 9-10*, with lots of seats available for the Open Pairs and 499er pairs, all four sessions! Note that this isn't a Pasadena Bridge Club event. The Glendale Verdugo Unit is renting the bridge club for their sectional, so writing me for a reservation won't work. Instead, visit the information page here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/glendale-sectional> and use the reservation link. Teacher training coming up Become an accredited Better Bridge teacher! We're hosting a two-day seminar by Denise Hoffman on Thursday-Friday December 21-22. By completing the seminar you'll be recognized as an accredited teacher by the ACBL, and eligible to be listed in the teacher directory. It's a great credential to present to organizations like college extension programs. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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