We have a few events on the calendar for tomorrow (Saturday) and I
wanted to be sure I knew who is expected.
There's an afternoon 1:00 PM 299er (0-300) Pairs Game (players a little
over can be accommodated)
The first session of Two Over One Game Force class is at 9:30 AM
Roy Wilson's class on the Precision bidding method is at 1:00 PM
Drop me a note if you're planning to join any of these events and I
haven't already heard from you!
Best regards,
Mojo
--
build message
Morris "Mojo" Jones
mojo(a)PasadenaBridgeClub.com
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Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
This was the view from the bridge club last Thursday morning, after the
winter storm came through Wednesday night.
Courses starting soon
Five tables are expected already for Competitive Bidding! Popular
Conventions is expected to be about the same.
/Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
First session Thursday morning, April 6, 9:00 AM, meets for six
Thursday mornings
/Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/
First session Wednesday evening, April 12, 7:00 PM, meets for six
Wednesday evenings.
Drop me a note to enroll, or use the web site form here:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment
Full schedule at: https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses
Unit Game Sunday
The Pasadena Bridge Club will be hosting the twice-monthly Unit Game for
the Pasadena San Gabriel Bridge Unit this coming Sunday, April 9. (Yes,
Easter Sunday!)
Game time is 12:30 PM, and reservations are required: contact Miriam
Harrington, (626) 232-0558, or miratpf(a)aol.com.
There will not be a lunch served, but adjacent to the bridge club are
lots of splendid lunch options: Vallarta Market has great Mexican food,
not to mention Blaze Pizza, Subway, chinese, Tastee Donut & Burgers, and
Starbucks.
Glendale Club Visiting
The Pat Abbey Regency Bridge Club that meets at the Glendale Senior
Center lost its venue for a couple of weeks. I'm happy to host their
Thursday game in Pasadena while they're unable to meet in their usual
location.
Players remarked at all the space available in our classroom! :) Happy
to have you.
/Double Dummy/ the movie
This marvelous bridge documentary has been recently made available on
PBS, and can be found here: https://www.pbs.org/show/double-dummy/
DOUBLE DUMMY is the unexpected and thrilling look at the fiercely
competitive game of bridge. The film follows the USA 1 Under 21 team
to China as they battle it out at the World Youth Team
Championships, the most prestigious event in junior bridge. DOUBLE
DUMMY bridges the generation gap and explores the game of bridge and
its growing popularity with younger generations.
Some of you may have seen the original movie from a few years ago. This
re-edited version is a wonderful watch!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from N Fair Oaks
Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
STaC Results
From Thursday afternoon, congratulations to:
* Michael Rodrigues - Sri Nagesh, 1st A, 4.04 mps
* Lisa Walker - Karmen Armoudjian, 3rd A, 2.27 mps
From Saturday afternoon, congratulations to:
* Cathy Martinet - Marilyn Conzonire, 3rd A, 1.21 mps
Sunday overalls haven't yet been compiled. To see more overall results,
there's a link on the home page for the Pasadena Bridge Club, or click
here: https://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2303501#schedule
Save the date!
*May 14*. Yes, it's Mother's Day, of course.
But it's also the date for a one-day bridge seminar with *Robert Todd*
of Adventures in Bridge <https://www.advinbridge.com/> at the Pasadena
Bridge Club.
Robert is a phenomenal bridge teacher and player. He's one of my
mentors, and I try never to miss a talk by him at a Regional or
National. His subjects are suitable for players of all levels of bridge
experience, newcomer to expert.
I'll have lots more information in coming weeks. (What better Mother's
Day present for a bridge playing mom?)
Upcoming Courses
I'm delighted to host Roy Wilson on Saturday afternoons. He will be
offering lessons and practice on the *Precision bidding system*, long
one of the most successful bidding systems in tournament play.
He'll be meeting the class at 1:00 PM on Saturdays, with the first class
on April 8. If you're "precision curious" or like to explore
alternatives to Standard and 2/1GF, you may find this worth your while.
Meanwhile I have three additional courses having their first meetings
next week:
* *Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions*, Wed. Apr. 5, 7-9 PM
* *Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding*, Thu. Apr. 6, 9-11 AM
* *Two Over One Game Force*, Sat. Apr 8, 9:30-11:30 AM
The next /Bridge Basics 1 - An Introduction/ will begin Saturday, May
20, at 9:30 AM.
For complete information on current and upcoming courses, visit this
link: https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses
"Director, please"
There was a movement some years ago to change the way we call the
director to the table. Instead of just yelling out "Director!" consider
the more pleasant "Director, please!"
Isn't that better?
Indeed, what is the correct way to get help from the director?
1. Inform the players at the table that you'd like the director to help
with an issue
2. Calmly say "Director, please" to get the director's attention
3. Raise a hand so the director can find the table who called
Zero Tolerance
Over STaC week we've had more than one instance of players expressing
anger or provoking other players.
Let this serve as a reminder that this is contrary to the Laws of Bridge
(74 and 91A), and penalties will be automatic, including score penalties
and possible ejection and suspension.
In club games, the director is the final authority regarding
disciplinary penalties. Such penalties will also be filed with the ACBL
Recorder's office.
I'll be creating an information page on the web site with more details.
Meanwhile, on this link https://www.acbl.org/ethics/ scroll down to
"View the Zero Tolerance Policy" and click to see more details. (It's at
the very bottom of the page!)
Did you know ...
... that you are not allowed to see the previously played trick if you
have turned your own card face down?
If you commonly find yourself wanting to see the previous trick, try to
develop a habit of /keeping your own card face up/ until you are ready
to continue to the next trick.
It's not just polite, it's the Law. :)
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, and Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
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Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Saturday STaC Game 0-750
I had a number of requests from players struggling to find STaC games
and needing silver points. I have permission from the tournament
Director in Charge to make the player limit on the Saturday game 0-750
points.
So if you'd like to come play on Saturday, at 1:00 p.m. for silver
points, drop me a note and make plans to come play!
We'll play 24 boards and finish by about 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Overall winners from Wednesday
Congratulations to high overall scores from Wednesday:
* Richard Halverstadt and Charo Holdo: 2nd in A, 1st in B, 6.61 silver
points
* Sadika Elewy and Tracee Dezzutti, 1st in C, 3.05 silver points
Other finishers are listed in the STaC overalls here:
https://web2.acbl.org/tournaments/results/2023/03/2303501/2303501_07.HTM
Our club provided 10 of the 36.5 tables playing on Wednesday morning in
the District 22-23 STaC.
Thursday afternoon overalls have not yet been posted. They'll be
available at this link as they become available:
https://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2303501#schedule
Best regards,
Mojo
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
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Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
District 22-23 STaC Week
"Silver" masterpoints are only won at sectional tournaments, and a
couple of times a year, the districts organize a distributed "Sectional
Tournament at Clubs" (STaC) allowing players to earn silver points
without traveling to a weekend tournament somewhere distant.
Here in the Pasadena San Gabriel Unit, there are four games nearby
participating in STaC week: three at the Pasadena Bridge Club, and
Sunday at the Arcadia Bridge Center.
Silver points are important because becoming a Life Master requires at
least 75 silver points (among other requirements!).
For this tournament, I've added a game on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. We'll
still have our social game on Thursday for players who aren't interested
in the long formal game. (The STaC game will play 24 boards in about
three hours.)
To see all of the clubs participating in this week's STaC follow this
link
<https://web3.acbl.org/stac/participating-clubs?sanction=2303501&UNITNUM=&DI…>.
There are many games at clubs in Los Angeles County. District-wide
results will be published at this link.
<https://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2303501>
Here are the STaC games locally:
Pasadena Bridge Club
* *Wednesday 11:00 AM Open Pairs*
* *Thursday 12:00 PM 0-750 Pairs*
* *Saturday 1:00 PM 0-500 Pairs*
Card fees for the STaC games (only) will be $11 to partially cover the
extra ACBL sanction fee.
For reservations use the form here:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation
Arcadia Bridge Center
* *Sunday 12:30 PM Open Pairs*
This is the twice-monthly Pasadena Unit Game, meeting this Sunday at the
Bridge Center, 333 N Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia, CA.
/Reservations are required/, and space is limited! For reservations,
call Miriam Harrington, (626) 232-0558, or write miratpf(a)aol.com.
How STaCs work
This tournament includes clubs throughout Southern California, which
includes District 23 (Los Angeles County) and District 22 (the rest of
Southern California).
In each session of the day (morning, afternoon, evening), the clubs
offering games receive sets of hands from the Director in Charge.
They're randomly dealt hands, but /all participating clubs play the
same/ /hands/.
At the end of each session, the club directors send their game results
to the director in charge, who combines them with other clubs playing
the same hands at the same time.
With all the results sorted and ranked, players have the opportunity to
win large silver point awards based on the table count of all clubs
playing in a particular session!
Did you know ...
... you can drop in for a single class of any course? You can enjoy two
hours of learning an interesting bridge topic, with no commitment, for $25.
We currently have classes in progress on Competitive Bidding, Defense,
and Improving Your Judgment - Doubles.
If you'd love to join a class, and would like to know this week's topic,
drop me a note!
See all of our great bridge courses in progress and coming up on the web
site here: https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
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Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Saturday afternoon 299er game
Last Saturday we had a few players come out for the 1:00 p.m. game, but
not enough to hold a game.
Are some of you thinking of coming but I haven't heard form you? If so,
please drop me a note!
I know if more people see pairs signed up to play on Saturday afternoon,
they'll be more interested in coming to play as well.
In fact in two weeks, on March 25, the Saturday afternoon game will be a
Silver Point STaC game. I know we'll have players for that game! Why not
grab your favorite partner and warm up for a couple of games before then?
Unit Game Sunday
*Important! This is the day our clocks change!* If you've made
reservations for the Unit Game with Miriam Harrington, be sure to remind
your partner to set their clocks ahead on Saturday evening. If they miss
the clock change, they could be an hour late for the game.
Lunch (pizza from Blaze!) will be at 12:00 and game time will be 12:30.
Reservations required please! Call Miriam at (626) 232-0558 to save your
seat.
This is the first Unit Game at the new bridge club. Let your favorite
partners and opponents know!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
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Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
I knew if we had snow on Mt. Wilson there would be an opportunity for
great views from the bridge club. Last week we were all taking pictures
out the window!
Here's a view from my Thursday morning Bridge Basics 1 class.
Snowy Mt Wilson at bridge club
And by the way, I have over five tables each in /Bridge Basics 2 -
Competitive Bidding/ on Wednesday evenings, and /Bridge Basics 1 -
Introduction/ on Thursday mornings!
Goodwill Member of 2023
That would be my face smiling from the middle of page 22 of the March
ACBL /Bridge Bulletin/.
Chip Dombrosky did a marvelous write up. Everything in the article
sounded familiar, but it was hard to realize that it was about me!
Defense course!
Defense starts this Thursday evening, 7-9 PM. It will run for eight
Thursday evenings.
This is one of the most powerful courses in the catalog, and can
seriously change how you look at a bridge hand.
The classes in this course also stand alone very well. If you see a
specific topic you'd like to explore, or only have availability for a
few classes, you might consider dropping in for the one session at a time.
Here's the lesson plan and more information:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/defense
Single classes are $25, and the full set of eight is $130 which includes
the text book.
Thursday Noon Supervised Play
Thursdays at Noon will be a supervised play session for all of my new
students, and a great time for new players (who prefer not to go out in
the evenings) to get together and practice.
As the game grows, we'll make this into a regular novice duplicate game.
Thursday Noon FTW!
Tuesday evening novice pairs
We have players coming out to play on Tuesday evenings! If you're not
there you're missing out on the fun.
I've found that a 12-board game is very popular, and finishes by 9:00
with no problem. Lots of partners available if you don't have one!
Pasadena Unit Game March 12
The Pasadena San Gabriel Bridge Unit 559 has opted to hold its annual
meeting, lunch, and bridge game at the Pasadena Bridge Club. Lunch
(pizza from Blaze!) will be at 12:00 and game time will be 12:30.
Reservations required please!
STaC week coming March 20
That's a Sectional Tournament at Clubs. We'll be offering *Silver
Points* at games during the week of March 20 through March 26.
We'll definitely have Silver Point games on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
(Open Pairs) and Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (0-300).
If there's a time when you'd like to see an additional game offered that
week, let me know! Maybe we can add a game to the calendar.
Did you know ...
... there's an *ice machine* in the break room? It's under the counter
to the left of the sink. There's always plenty of ice to go with tea
from the iced tea service, or a soda from the soda 'fridge.
I've also just added a *Primo water dispenser*, serving fresh chilled
and hot water. This will be a great replacement for the small bottles of
water that were in the 'fridge.
I'll be swapping out the "sweet tea" for lemonade soon. Arnold Palmers
for everyone! :)
Is there a soda you'd rather see in the 'fridge than what we have? I
already know there are lots of Diet Coke fans out there. Let me know
about others.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from N Fair Oaks
Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Defense class!
Defense is often considered the last of the "bridge basics," but players
at every level will benefit from taking some time to study and refresh
the logic and fundamentals of defense play.
The course runs for eight Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM, starting March 9.
I'll be sending more information shortly to the Classes email list.
Course details are here: https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/defense
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
The Doubles course running for five Saturday mornings missed its
starting session last Saturday after the Friday rain flood warnings!
We have a fine group of students for the class, though, and we'll be
starting up next Saturday, with all five scheduled sessions still on the
calendar. There's still time to join the group!
Pasadena Unit Game March 12
The Pasadena San Gabriel Bridge Unit 559 has opted to hold its annual
meeting, lunch, and bridge game at the Pasadena Bridge Club. Lunch
(pizza from Blaze!) will be at 12:00 and game time will be 12:30.
Reservations required please!
STaC week coming March 20
We'll be offering silver points at games during the week of March 20
through March 26. it's a Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC) and clubs
throughout the
If there's a time when you'd like to see an additional game offered that
week, let me know! Maybe we can add a game to the calendar.
Date set for Robert Todd
On Sunday, May 14, we're planning to have a *full-day bridge seminar*
with author, teacher, and bridge professional Robert Todd. Yes, it's
Mother's Day, but for us bridge players it's hard to imagine a better
Mother's Day gift!
I'll have fliers and a web page with topics and information soon.
New calendar on the web site
When you visit https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule now you will find
an embedded Google calendar that you can scroll around in and see the
games and classes that are coming up.
Meanwhile, Bridge Basics 1 and 2 each are attracting 5-6 tables of
future bridge players on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
We'll be offering a Thursday afternoon novice bridge game similar to the
Tuesday evening game -- perfect for players who'd rather not be out at
night. Let me know if you're interested in that game.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from N Fair Oaks
Mojo
Pasadena
Bridge Club <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
BridgeMojo <https://bridgemojo.com>
Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
All about those doubles!
I have an excellent *course starting up* for five sessions this coming
Saturday morning, Feb. 25, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: /Improving Your Judgment -
Doubles/ from Audrey Grant and David Lindop.
I recommend this class for intermediate players. This is where you can
learn how experts will use doubles in interesting and marginal
situations -- and, more importantly, when they don't.
Click here for a full description and lesson plan:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles
If you'd like to sign up, you can just reply to this email, or use the
"enroll" form on the web site here:
https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment
Following IYJ-Doubles will be /Two Over One Game Forcing/ for six weeks.
Add it to your calendar! April 1 start date.
Free novice game this Tuesday evening
The Monday evening novice game is now the Tuesday evening novice game.
We're kicking off the festivities with a free game on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Game time is 7:00 p.m., and we're always finished by 9:30 (if not a bit
sooner!).
I have lots of friendly partners available. :)
Last Wednesday for Pizza and Educational Foundation points
This coming Wednesday, Feb. 22, will be our last (for the moment) pizza
party, and last opportunity for the big points available.
Our games in February help support the Educational Foundation. And the
games pay 63% of a sectional rating!
We look to have a good game shaping up this Wednesday already. Drop me a
note to reserve your seat, or sign up on RSVPBridge
<https://rsvpbridge.com>.
New at the bridge club
I've just added some nice face clocks to the walls, so we can always see
the time of day (as well as the round timer!).
There's a bookshelf on the way that will be going in the classroom. I'm
going to be populating it with many shelf-feet of bridge books, new and
old. I'll also have several years of /Bridge World/ magazine to peruse.
If you have bridge books you'd like to add to the collection, bring 'em in!
The iced tea dispenser will change when the "sweet tea" side runs out
(soon). I'm going to have lemonade on one side, and unsweet iced tea on
the other. Perfect for Arnold Palmers. :)
I have *two great classes starting up* this week at the club:
On Wednesday evenings, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ already
has 5-1/2 tables.
On Thursday mornings, I'm starting a new series of Bridge Basics 1, 2,
and 3, from 9:00 - 11:00. Four tables are signed up, and there are
likely to be a few more students.
I'm planning to offer a new short novice game on Thursdays at noon. It
may take a while to get a few players, but it already sounds like it
will be fairly popular.
The future looks bright for face-to-face bridge. It will take a while to
reboot bridge, but I have time. :)
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
