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>
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>
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>
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>
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>
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>
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>
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
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>
Card fees for all games $10
No more $15 or $13 games.
I want the Pasadena Bridge Club to exceed expectations for environment,
quality, and value. I don't want anyone to think twice about coming out
for a bridge game.
I want to make it easy for folks to visit and play as often as they
like, and I want my students to discover bridge to be a worthwhile
pastime, challenging mindsport, and a great value.
Special games, charity, and fund raisers might call for an extra dollar
once in a while, but that will be the exception, and not yet.
We still have two *Wednesday Bridge & Pizza* parties in February. We'll
be playing Educational Fund games *awarding masterpoints* *at 63%
sectional rating*! (The extra sanction fee is on me.)
Nothing else will change. Same great hands from The Common Game, Free
snacks, coffee, iced tea, and soft drinks.
Come enjoy a game on me
I've mailed a postcard to all ACBL members with 300 or more masterpoints
in Pasadena and neighboring bridge units good for a free game on any
Wednesday Open game at 11:00 a.m. (If you don't get one within a few
days, drop me a note and I'll take care of it.)
For the novice/intermediate players, read on for more news. (And if
you'd like to play in the Open Pairs on a Wednesday, drop me a note!
Your next game is on me.)
All students in current classes will also receive a coupon for a free
game (any game) at the bridge center. All full courses will include a
textbook and a free game.
Monday novice game moves to Tuesday next week
Monday evening novice games had some sentimental history for me. In 2017
I first created the BridgeMojo game, renting space in a Masonic Hall in
San Marino. That game later moved to the San Marino Center.
But honestly, Mondays aren't always a great night! For one thing, they
often land on a holiday, as will the game on February 20. And on a
personal note, moving the game to Tuesdays will give me two evenings off
-- time to give us a true weekend.
I'm committed to offering a game on a weekday evening that will allow
working bridge players to get into a real game at the bridge club, along
with a true Saturday bridge afternoon for novice/intermediate players.
Free novice game Feb. 21
To kick off the Tuesday evening novice game, the game on February 21 is
free. Come play 14 or 15 boards at 7:00 on February 21. Please drop me a
note (or use RSVP Bridge) to reserve a seat. Partners available!
*The February 13 Monday evening game is on*. Come play if you can! $10
card fee. I'll send a reminder to our players on RSVPBridge shortly.
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and attention. :)
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>
Special games on Wednesdays
It doesn't get any better than the Wednesday morning Open Pairs game at
the Pasadena Bridge Club in February!
Every Wednesday in February I'm bringing in *hot fresh pizza* from Blaze
Pizza. If you didn't know, our bridge club lives just above Blaze. I can
place the order, dash down the stairs and back, and it's still hot and
crisp. I've been enjoying their veggie pizzas and meat pizzas, but I'm
open to suggestion!
To make it even better, it's *Educational Foundation month* at bridge
clubs in February. I'm picking up the extra sanction fee, and all of our
February Wednesday Open Games will pay *double black points* compared to
a regular club game.
*Game time is 11:00 a.m.* We'll take a short pizza break, play 24
boards, and you should be back on the road before the traffic peaks on
I-210.
Our hands are *The Common Game afternoon* boards. It's a great
opportunity to compare your results with clubs all over North America.
If you're planning to play, please *reply to this email* so we know
you're coming. (You can also join the game from RSVPBridge.com
<https://rsvpbridge.com/> if you're already enrolled there.)
If you haven't noticed, the club is situated in a pretty special
location. Arriving or departing, coming from the north or east, you can
always get to the club without going through the 210/134 interchange.
Even from Glendale or the valley, you can exit to Fair Oaks before
hitting the big Pasadena merge.
Thursday class and novice game
I already have at least three tables of new bridge players signed up to
start Bridge Basics 1 - An Introduction on Thursday morning, Feb. 23, at
9:00 a.m.
Interest in the Thursday 12:00 noon novice pairs is running high as well!
If you have friends who've been looking for a weekday bridge class, let
them know soon! Try the first class free with no obligation.
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>
New courses coming up
The next round of great courses for advancing players will be starting
later in February:
*Competitive Bidding* Wed 7-9 PM starting Feb 23 (6 classes)
*Doubles *Sat 9:30-1:30 AM starting Feb 25 (6 classes)
*Defense *Thu 7-9 PM starting Mar 9 (8 classes)
You can reserve your spot in any of these classes by replying to this
email, or use the contact form here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>.
Thursday class and novice game
A new series of the Bridge Basics courses will be starting on Thursday
mornings, Feb. 23, with a *free *session of /Bridge Basics 1 - An
Introduction/.
There's a lot of demand for weekday classes and games for those of us
not burdened by 9-5 weekday jobs. There are already several future
players signed up for the class!
In conjunction with the Thursday morning classes, I'll be offering a
*novice bridge gam**e* on Thursdays at Noon. We'll play 14-15 hands, and
should be done by 2:30.
Bridge and pizza Wednesdays
I've been getting great reviews on the quality of the pizza from Blaze
Pizza on Wednesdays! Made just downstairs from the club, it comes
upstairs hot and crispy.
Join us for an *Open Pairs* game with great competition. We'll play from
11:00 a.m. and be finished no later than 2:30 p.m.
International Fund Game Feb. 4
Our upcoming *299er game on Saturday Feb. 4*, 1:00 p.m., will be a
special game with significant extra masterpoint awards.
I will have expert analyses of every hand played by bridge author Frank
Stewart. The game raises funds to support US bridge teams competing in
international competition.
Your card fee will be the same $15. I'll kick in the extra sanction fee
for the game. Come play and help support our US teams!
Web site updates
Drop by pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/> for the
current schedule, and some great pictures from the building of the club
last December.
I've added a resources page <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/resources>
with links to bridge organizations and other clubs.
The staff page <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/staff> finally has a
picture and bio of yours truly. Hopefully more to be added soon! (More
teachers and directors wanted!)
And the game results <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/game_results> page
has links to both ACBL Live for Clubs and The Common Game, offering two
different ways to view your game results.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zach
