- News - Pasadena Bridge Club

Spring cleaning
by Morris Jones 05 Mar '24

05 Mar '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North 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 lovely Unit Game this past Sunday. Sixty players filled fifteen tables, and the game featured the biggest Flight C (0-300) turnout for a Unit Game that we've had in recent memory. The Unit provided pizza, salad, beverages, and a chocolate sheet cake for dessert. (The cake said "2♣ Openers for Everyone" on top.) The unit board surprised all the players by making the card fee zero dollars for the game. At the meeting before the game, we elected a new unit board, and honored Mini McKinney and Ace of Clubs winners for 2023. Office Hours and Novice Games Zachary conceived the idea of offering time on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons when players could visit the bridge club and play casual bridge. Anyone is welcome, but the target audience is our students who need to play as much as they can and develop their bridge chops. If you've just been learning to play, we have lots of your peers on hand from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Wednesday. If you have friends who are just curious about the game, have them drop in and see how it's played. Office hours are free. *Here's my pitch for the next step*: Once you've developed a feel for the rhythm of the game, consider joining us for the novice bridge game on Tuesday evenings. These are short fun duplicate bridge games (two hours), and a great way to try out the world of club and tournament bridge. The Saturday event "Workshop and Game" includes a 30-40 minute workshop on a bridge topic followed by a short game limited to novice/intermediate players. (For the $10 card fee it's the best bargain at the club!) Spring Cleaning The break room storage was getting a bit cluttered, as was the bookshelf area in the class room. I spent a couple of days getting things organized in both, added another bookshelf for keeping class book stock, with room for more board games and bridge books. As part of the tidying up, I have several copies of recent books and a couple of sets of duplicate boards (numbered 1-8) that are available for the first takers. Check it out on your next visit to the bridge club. 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, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The Takeout Double" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g "Obstructive Opening Bids" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Choice Between Game and Slam" For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about "Defensive Carding: Attitude Signals." Coming up ... *Silver point games*: Districts 22 and 23 are sponsoring a Sectional Tournament at Clubs during the week of March 18-24. We'll hold games at the bridge club on Wednesday and Thursday, plus a limited 0-750 game on Saturday of that week. Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…> web site now and available for registrations. (16 students already enrolled!) *Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on *Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as a bridge teacher and player. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Chess at the bridge club
by Morris Jones 27 Feb '24

27 Feb '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> We finally have iced tea back in the break room! Parks Coffee found a few bibs and I collected about a three-month supply. If Parks can't provide them, I'm going to look around for another provider. I do love my Arnold Palmers. :) I'm also working on finding smaller cups for coffee and cold drinks. I'd rather not have styrofoam, though those tend to be the least expensive. The paper cups don't do well with cold beverages. I'll keep looking for solutions for our solutions. :) LA Chess Social Chess playing at the bridge clubWe did something really different this week. Zachary connected with a group called "LA Chess Social" that holds monthly chess tournaments, and a large tournament twice a year. We made arrangements to host the group at the bridge club this past Saturday night. I was traveling and didn't get to be there (Zachary was), and it sounds like they had about 90 folks present for an evening of chess and socializing. Maybe it's something we'll do regularly! Their events rotate to different venues every month, and I'd love having the Pasadena Bridge Club in the rotation. You can read about LA Chess Social at this link <https://www.chesssocial.org/home>. Their Pasadena Bridge Club event may be online for a little while here <https://www.chesssocial.org/schedule/upcoming-events>. 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, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Simple Overcalls and Advances" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g "One-level openings, 3rd and 4th position" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Rebids by Opener and Responder" For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about "Simple Overcalls By Level." Coming up ... Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…> web site now and available for registrations. *Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on *Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as a bridge teacher and player. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Improving your judgment
by Morris Jones 19 Feb '24

19 Feb '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North 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 been a record-setting couple of weeks at the bridge club! We've had our largest ever Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday games. We put in a new water dispenser this week. It looks a little different because the water bottle sits underneath instead of resting on top. It still produces chilled, hot, and room temperature water, but the controls take a little getting used to. The big white circle above the spout is where you press to dispense water. And to get HOT water, you have to rest your cup on the shelf and use both hands to press the "hot" and "dispense" buttons at the same time. (It's a safety feature.) Improving Your Judgment In the catalog of available courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>, there are two with the words "Improving Your Judgment" in the title, one for making opening bids, and one for doubles. These courses are wonderful, because they bring up how you bend the "rules" for taking action at the table. They help you to start /thinking like a bridge player/ when deciding when and what to do. When teaching new bridge players, we substitute "rules" for judgment. The rules serve to provide a scaffolding for developing judgment. With more experience (and some help from these courses) you will start recognizing when it might be a good time to break the "rules." It doesn't mean that your bridge game will instantly get better! It might mean that you start experimenting, and get some terrible results for a while. (That's when it's helpful to have (and be) a partner with a great sense of humor!) IYJ - Opening the Bidding Let's talk about how the guidelines for opening the bidding change with the situation. In this course we'll exercise your judgment and provide new guidelines that can help you with decisions about opening. We'll talk about how your seat position affects opening, when to make obstructive (preemptive) opening bids, and when to consider making a strong forcing opening. Of course it wouldn't be an Audrey Grant course without having great declarer play and defensive play tips as well! * Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 22 * $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * See the complete lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening> * Click here to reserve your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding Also starting on Wednesdays this week is the dynamite Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding course. It's the follow-on to Bridge Basics 1, of course, but bridge players of all levels will get new tools and insights to improve your outcomes during the auction. * Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 21 * $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * Lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Reserve your seat <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. *Mojo's pick*: This is the first week for two courses. Not sure you'd like to take the whole course? Try one of these classes! If you decide to stay, pay the difference (and keep the textbook). Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Preemptive Opening Bids" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding /"Opening at the One Level in First and Second Position" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Forcing 1NT" Also on tap for Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Competitive Bidding: Unusual Notrump" Coming up ... Sunday, March 3 is the *Pasadena Unit Game*, held at the Pasadena Bridge Club, and it will include the annual membership meeting for ACBL Unit 559 (Pasadena San Gabriel). We'll be electing board members, awarding players in the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney races, and hosting a pizza and salad lunch! Be sure you have reservations! Space is limited to 16 tables for the bridge game. Contact Miriam Harrington to reserve your seat: (626) 232-0558, or miratpf(a)aol.com. Card fees still only $10. There's a *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* (STaC) week coming up March 18-24. The club will be hosting silver point games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…> web site now and available for registrations. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Happy Chinese new year!
by Morris Jones 06 Feb '24

06 Feb '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Our friend Amy Muscoplat often makes the trek from Santa Monica to play in one of our social or novice games. She started learning to play bridge during pandemic by taking classes online, trying out different teachers and curricula. For the Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/> podcast, she recorded a "Club Kvell" segment about the Pasadena Bridge Club, and I'm told that the episode will drop this Thursday. I don't know what will be in it, so I'm looking forward to hearing it as well! It's the episode featuring Romanian champion Mihaela Balint. Happy Lunar New Year 新年快乐 A few weeks ago our good friend and supporter Margie Lee asked if she and friends could host a bridge party on February 7 for Chinese New Year, and of course I was delighted! In honor of the event, we're having club championship games all week. It's something we get to do once a quarter -- triple the masterpoints, and no extra card fee. The party will be the Wednesday 11:00 AM game. We'll be serving great chinese food for lunch (or brunch!), and can expect the game to go a little bit beyond the usual 2:15 ending time. Come celebrate! Drop me a note to reserve a seat, or log in to RSVP and claim your spot. Championship games will be Tuesday evening novices, Wednesday and Thursday morning open pairs, and Saturday afternoon novice/intermediate. Southern California Bridge News I always post the monthly Bridge News on our bulletin board, but you can always get your own copy from the District 23 web site <https://d23acbl.org/>. The February issue of the Bridge News is available (or will be soon!) at this link <https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/05/current-newsletter/>. Earlier issues are available here <https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/02/southern-california-bridge-news/>. 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, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Creating extra winners, and long-suit establishment" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Second hand play" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening Lead Basics: When to lead partner's suit" Coming up ... *Two Over One Game Force* is the bidding system favored by a huge majority of tournament players these days. Your opportunity to study 2/1GF is coming on Saturday mornings starting February 17. (Not only is this a great bidding course, it has some of the best "play of the hand" problem solving you'll see!) Save your seat here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…> web site now and available for registrations. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

What is a "bridge unit?"
by Morris Jones 30 Jan '24

30 Jan '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> I'm writing this week from the Venetian Las Vegas resort. Jane and I enjoy our occasional three-day weekends with a little getaway. My mailbag letter to the "Sorry, Partner" podcast was read in this week's episode. The hosts had some fun with it. (I'm always a little surprised when I'm named as just "Mojo" with no explanation of the origin!) It's the episode that features bridge champion Agustin Madala. https://sorrypartner.com/ (It's in the first 10 minutes of the episode.) What is the bridge "Unit?" The ACBL mission is to "promote, grow, and sustain the game of bridge and serve bridge-related interests of our Members." Serving this mission /at a local level/ involves dividing the ACBL into districts. There are twenty-five ACBL districts covering North America. Our district is number 23, including only Los Angeles county, and is one of the smallest in both area and membership. Districts are charged with running regional tournaments, and the two annual grass-roots events: the North American Pairs and Grand National Teams. Districts are divided into smaller organizations called Units. ACBL bridge units are charged with running sectional tournaments and local events called "unit games" or "unit championships." Units and districts for the most part are completely volunteer, non-profit, charitable organizations. Their boards are elected volunteers -- mostly people who are willing to give their time to make bridge tournaments happen by arranging for locations, directors (who are paid), bringing food, serving as partnership chairs, or writing newsletters. Our unit is #559 in the ACBL, and its official name is the "Pasadena San Gabriel Unit." It includes two full-time bridge clubs, and invitational games at some of the country clubs in the area. We're neighbors with Glendale Verdugo, Pomona Covina, Downey Whittier, and Santa Clarita Antelope Valley. There are nine units total in District 23. Ours is one of the largest. On March 3 at the unit game our unit will be having its annual membership meeting, electing its volunteer board, hosting a party, and giving out achievement awards for players who did well in their peer groups with the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney awards. (Curious about the relationship between clubs and units? There really isn't one! There are some units that also operate clubs. Ours is not one of them. The Unit rents space from the clubs to hold Unit games.) 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, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "MInor suit openings and responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "The trump suit, and counting losers" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Defensive signals in trump contracts" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics: Leading partner's suit" Coming up ... Next week in honor of the Lunar New Year all games are Club Championships, which pay more than three times as many masterpoints as regular club games! Wednesday's game will be a full Chinese New Year party with lunch, treats and decorations! That's the Feb. 7 game. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Bridge as a mindsport for all
by Morris Jones 23 Jan '24

23 Jan '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Have you been missing a travel beverage mug or something else that might have been left at the bridge club? I have a little bit of a "lost and found" on some tables next to the coat rack. Next time you're at the club, take a look there and see if there's something to claim. We're due for a bit of a purge at the club, and I'm going to clear out some clutter soon. It's not yet spring, but it's still a good time for cleaning up! The "lost and found" will become empty soon. Bridge the Mindsport My friend Samantha Punch is a sociology researcher on the faculty at the University of Stirling in Scotland. She's also a world-class bridge competitor. She founded an organization to promote "bridge as a mindsport for all" (BAMSA), and just shared with me this article from Research Outreach: Green baize gladiators: Bridge as a mindsport for all <https://researchoutreach.org/articles/green-baize-gladiators-bridge-mindspo…>. It's fascinating to see them touch on the physicality of mind sports, and I loved what they had to say in the last paragraph about enjoying the game at all levels of play. Online Lesson The ACBL has been offering "community games" on Bridge Base Online for players under 50 masterpoints for a while now. It's difficult for new bridge players around the country to find clubs offering duplicate bridge games limited to newer players! (At our club, of course, we have the Tuesday evening novice game and Saturday afternoon workshop and game.) Each of the community games features a lesson on Zoom after the game that covers a few of the hands from the game. I filled in as teacher for a game on January 2, and it featured some interesting declarer play problems. If you're curious and in the mood for some bridge puzzles, you can see my lesson here: https://youtu.be/81K3H4A9qqw?si=rUXkXrJyVhkgHkaY If you'd like to join the ACBL Community Games, all the information is at the ACBL web site here: https://www.acbl.org/portfolio/community-games/ 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, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Major Suit Openings and Responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Notrump: the hold up play, and danger hand" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Defensive signals against notrump" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics: The rule of eleven" *New on the YouTube channel*: Bridge Mini Lesson 19 "Teams of four," how to score team games, and a little bit of strategy: https://youtu.be/taOlq15clkE Coming up ... This Friday I'll be a guest director at Annandale Golf Club. Their bridge players want to learn about duplicate bridge, so I'll be hosting a game with a postmortem of the hands. Lunar New Year celebration! Club Championships all week, Feb. 6 - 10. Extra masterpoints, no extra charge. And Wednesday's game, Feb. 7, will be a big celebration, with party favors and a lunch, hosted by Margie Lee and friends! I just heard that a letter from me will be in the "listener mail" segment of Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/> next week. :) Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Turning around the bridge club
by Morris Jones 15 Jan '24

15 Jan '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> It was a great time Wednesday evening! We had seven tables of curious folks wanting to learn how to play bridge! It's always only some small percentage who seriously take up the game as a hobby, but this is how it starts. Having the PA system made the class go more smoothly than I expected. It's much easier to get the attention of the room and move things along. If you're interested in auditing or assisting, I'm accepting three volunteers for each class. You'll be there to fill a seat at a table and participate as a student. We may not have a seat for all three volunteers, but it's important to have you! Turning around the bridge club Which way is north? Geographical north is toward the antennas and observatories on Mt. Wilson. Bridge north is arbitrary, and traditionally the "head of the room." At tournaments you'll find N/S oriented in the direction aligned with a long row of tables. Generally if you're standing at table 1 North, you're facing table 2, and 3 is the next distant, and so on. When I first opened the club, I thought north would be in the direction of the director's desk and the entry way. Then we hosted a North American Pairs final, and ACBL tournament director Lynn Yokel walked into the room to lay out the tables and instinctively laid out the room with north toward the bulletin board and timing clock. It made sense to me, and I kept it that way ever since -- over the objections of geographical purists who feel that bridge club north should at least approximate geographical north (especially when it's so obvious out the window!). We heard enough to decide that we would turn bridge north toward the entry way and director's desk. I've tried it for a few games, and it's /fine/, except ... I underestimated how many little habits have to change with changing north in a bridge club! The Bridgemates go to the other side of the table. The Kleenex boxes move to the other corner. My class boards switch sides. Players accustomed to walking in and sitting south have to switch their familiar seat. Table 1 moves to the opposite side of the room. Turning a bridge club north to a different direction becomes a little like steering a giant cruise ship. We'll get there, but it will take a while to change all our habits! Next courses The web site has been updated for the next round of courses. Here are the next ones on the calendar: * *Two Over One Game Force*, Saturday mornings, Feb. 17 * *Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding*, Wednesday evenings, Feb. 21 * *Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding*, Thursday evenings, Feb. 22 Our next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start on Saturday, April 6, for six Saturday mornings. (Bridge Basics 1 is always followed by BB2, BB3, in succession.) Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. My next several Saturday afternoon workshops will focus on opening leads, starting with basic card combinations. It should be a great series! Here are the topics this week: * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "1NT Openings and Responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Winning tricks with spot cards, and finesses" * Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Third hand play" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics: card combinations" *New on the YouTube channel*: Bridge Mini Lesson 18, leading from a sequence against notrump: https://youtu.be/WD0e9wI8kB4 Coming up ... Our club has many players who enjoy celebrating Chinese New Year, and they're putting together a celebration for the Wednesday game on February 7. We'll make it a Club Championship so it will be worth extra masterpoints as well! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Assistants for bridge basics class
by Morris Jones 10 Jan '24

10 Jan '24

Tonight I'm expecting about 7 tables of students for Bridge Basics 1. I'm looking for one or two people who'd be willing to fill in a table of 3 when it's necessary. It's a fun opportunity to get to hear how Bridge Basics 1 is taught, and to offer your own enthusiasm for bridge. You won't be teaching -- just participating as a student. And if there aren't seats available, you'll be on standby. Let me know if you're interested! I'll be asking the same for all six Wednesdays of this class. Best regards, Mojo -- build message Morris "Mojo" Jones mojo(a)PasadenaBridgeClub.com https://PasadenaBridgeClub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Pasadena Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>

1 0

Declarer Play Course starts
by Morris Jones 09 Jan '24

09 Jan '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> Our new window light box sign facing the parking lot is in place, and the sign maker just installed power for it. It should be visible easily at night! During the day it may show up when it's not too bright. I also have a portable PA system that I installed today. I'm going to be trying it out for the Bridge Basics 1 course starting Wednesday evening. (We had a quote for a full-featured installed PA system that was just a little above our willingness to spend!) Declarer play course This Thursday is the first meeting of /Introduction to Declarer Play/, six weeks focused on making your contracts as the declarer! The course comes with an updated classes Introduction to Declarer Play by Eddie Kantar. As an added bonus, after each class you'll be able to practice the class hands from the Pasadena Bridge Club web site! Part of what makes this course fun is that there's no bidding involved, just card play! * Introduction to Defense * Six Thursday evenings, starting January 11, 7:00-9:00 PM * $115 includes textbook * See the full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-declarer-play> * Click here to enroll and join the class <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Correcting partner Some players feel that it's their right, or even obligation, to point out their partner's errors at the bridge table. (Some even extend that to their opponent's errors.) The zero tolerance policy <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/zero-tolerance> includes as an "example of behavior which will not be tolerated": Negative comments concerning opponents' or partner's play or bidding. Far from improving your bridge results (it actually has the opposite effect), it's uncomfortable for others at or near your table. Indeed what may seem to you like a normal "bridge conversation" can seem harsh and abusive to those who can't help but overhear it. Before you give in to the urge to make a comment, or even answer a question, consider how such comments are going to affect your partner's focus on the next two or three boards. You might be giving up two or three times more matchpoints than you thought you had. (Not counting a potential ZT penalty!) 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, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Introduction" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Sure tricks, establishing tricks" * Saturday, 9:30 PM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Opening leads against trump contracts" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Balancing and reopening doubles" *New on the YouTube channel*: Low-card leads against notrump (but it starts with a discussion about alerts and explanations when playing on BBO and Zoom silliness, fast forward about 9 minutes in to get to the lesson!). https://youtu.be/H3bRrE-dPeQ In other news ... This past Sunday's unit game at the club marked the *first anniversary* of our opening day game on January 7, 2023. /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, starts on Wednesday, and with a limit of 28 students, I have 26 enrolled with PCC already! Are you interested in assisting and helping to fill seats at a table? Let me know! We have lots of offerings each week for the social bridge players, and not many have been wanting to get up early on Saturday morning, so we're going to put the *Saturday morning social/supervised play on hiatus* for the time being. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0

Take advantage of RSVP Bridge
by Morris Jones 02 Jan '24

02 Jan '24

Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> News from North Fair Oaks Mojo ABTA Master Teacher 649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201 Pasadena CA 91103 (626) 247-4457 pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com> New Year's Eve was a wonderful party! Of the eight teams we put together for the game, five had no players over 100 masterpoints! The second place team included four players who have not yet achieved Junior Master status. Congratulations to Fred Register, Leslie Klein, William Snyder, and Yuriko Bonds. As often happens in a team tournament in the "swiss" format, it's possible for every team to earn some masterpoints, since a win or a tie will be awarded. Indeed, in Sunday's event no one went home empty-handed. Working RSVPBridge You can make reservations for future games, add yourself to a game with or without a partner, and even pay card fees ahead of the game using R-bucks. RSVP Bridge is really cool! Once you're logged in, there's an important step to take: *Join the groups* that match games and events you want to hear about! (If you have trouble logging in, read a little further....) * Log in to https://www.rsvpbridge.com/ * Click on *"My Clubs"* in the top menu * You'll see groups that are available to join: o Select games or courses that you want to hear about o Click the "Join" button Once you have joined a group, the events for that group will show up on your RSVP home page and calendar. From there you can join a game or a class! If you have a correct email address associated with RSVP, here is how to *recover your username* and reset your password to your personal preference: * Visit https://www.rsvpbridge.com/ and click "Login" * Click *"Forgot username?"* and enter your email address o You'll get an email with all usernames associated with this email address. (In the username email there's also a link to reset your password.) * Click *"Need a new password?"* and give it your username (see above) o You'll get an email with a link for resetting your password to a new one. /Sorry, Partner/ Club Kvell If you haven't yet picked up on the entertaining bridge podcast Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/home>, it's a delightful way to pass time on a drive or treadmill session, or whatever! One of the new features of the show is "Club Kvell," in which players dish about their local bridge club. https://sorrypartner.com/club-kvell I could make a submission for my favorite club, of course, but then I'd just be boastful. I bet you could make a great submission for the feature and let them know about /your /favorite bridge club (whichever one that might be!). Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course. Drop me a note and let me know you're coming! *New course *starting Saturday morning: *Intro to Defense*, 9:30AM - 11:30AM. Spend six Saturday mornings learning how to work with your partner to defeat more contracts, or at least take as many tricks as you can! The course will be based on Eddie Kantar's /Introduction to Defender Play/. Register for Introduction to Defense at this link <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> if you'd like to join the course. Here are the topics this week: * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice hands" * Saturday, 9:30 AM /Introduction to Defense/, "The Opening Lead against Notrump" * Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and Game/ "Support Doubles" In other news ... I currently have 18 students enrolled in /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ starting on January 10. I'm only planning to take 28 students total, so be sure to have your friends enroll soon! Our new window sign is coming tomorrow! I'm shopping for a PA system for the main room, and a small one for the class room. I have an almost-new fast *HP LaserJet printer*, black and white, that needs a new home. Would you like a great B&W printer? $100 takes it away. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

1 0