- News - Pasadena Bridge Club

Royal STaC this week
by Morris Jones 06 Jul '25

06 Jul '25

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 /grand/ seeing so many of our players doing well at the Bridge Week Regional! We had some big rank changes. You can have a great time perusing the results on ACBL Live here <https://live.acbl.org/events/2507114>. Our *Bridge Basics 1 class* filled very quickly with 25 students attending on Wednesday evenings. If you're interested in helping out new bridge students, I have a couple of things: I always need three people to be on standby to help fill an empty seat at a table. You basically become another student in the class. Recent class students are the best for this! I'm also interested to know if anyone would be interested in hosting practice sessions with Bridge Basics 1 students. (Jane Winer has been doing this to great effect over the past year!) The ideal time is probably a weekend morning, but almost any time can be made to work. Again, someone who recently attended the class is a perfect host. New courses start this week! Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 we'll start /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>/. Thursday evening at 7:00 starts /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>/. Follow either of those links for a complete lesson plan and course description. To save your seat in either new course, visit the class enrollment form here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. Each course meets for six weeks, and comes with a great textbook included with the full course. Royal STaC This Week This week the clubs in District 23 (Los Angeles County) will all be playing the same hands, and pooling their results in a Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC). This one is the variety called a "Royal" STaC. At the end of the week, The ACBL will convert all of the masterpoints into 25% black, 25% red, 25% silver, and 25% gold masterpoints. Card fees for the open games will be $13 this week, or one punch from a card and $1 extra. Classes This Week For all of our courses, you're welcome to join a single class for $25. It's a great way to get a good bite of a subject without a six-week commitment. This week's classes: * Wednesday 3:00 PM, "The Takeout Double" /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ * Wedesday 7:00 PM, "One notrump opening bids and responses" /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ * Thursday 7:00 PM, "The Stayman Convention" /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ Join us *every Saturday morning* for a free workshop at 9:30, whether you stay for the game or not! We'll study a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Each hand has interesting bidding, play, and defense to learn from. Coming up ... We have a very special game on *Wednesday July 16*, the Summer Instant Matchpoint Game. Get assigned your matchpoints at the table with each hand. I think there is a full gold point available for winners in that game! This month I'll be traveling to Philadelphia from July 19 through 29. I'll be presiding over the annual convention of the American Bridge Teacher's Association (ABTA) and playing for a few days at the North American Bridge Championships. I usually grab some of the teachers to play in sessions at the tournament. July 21-26 will be our second NAP Qualifier week. Come play for 50% black 50% red masterpoints, and get your "Q" qualifier to compete in the district final for the North American Pairs! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa

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Great summer courses starting
by Morris Jones 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

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> "The Longest Day" fundraiser event on June 21 was a great success! The tip jar for additional contributions was very full at the end of the day. We collected about $380 in the tip jar, and the bridge club is rounding up for a $500 contribution to Alzheimer's, in addition to the extra card fee contributed by the ACBL. We have some great course sessions starting up for the summer! I know it's a time when folks might plan vacations or other travel, but if you're around, it's a great time to level-up your bridge game! Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction Our introductory bridge class is offered through PCC's Extension program. The students register through PCC Extension (Pasadena City College), but attend the class at the Pasadena Bridge Club. We have another great turnout for the course! There's still room if you have friends or family interested in learning to play our favorite game. * Wednesday evenings 7-9 PM, starting July 2 * Six classes, skipping July 23 * Course fee $85, plus $15 for the textbook * Register with PCC Extension at this link <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…> Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions Learn the bidding tools and language most useful for playing games in the club or anywhere: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong 2-club openings, and slam bidding. * Thursday evenings, 7-9 PM, starting July 10 * Six classes, skipping July 24 * Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * Register at this link <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Improving Your Judgment - Doubles This course is all about takeout doubles - making them, responding to them, and figuring out where to go from there. The takeout double is easily the most flexible and powerful call you can make at the table. New players need to hunt for them and use them more! This course will help you do that. * Wednesday afternoons, 3-5 PM, starting July 9 * Six classes, skipping July 23 * Course fee $120 includes textbook by Audrey Grant * Register at this link <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> Classes This Week There's only one class being held this week, but it's a doozy! On *Wednesday July 2 at 3:00 PM*, I'll be hosting the final class in Introduction to Defense. The class is on *"second hand play,"* how to think about the card you play immediately after declarer leads from their hand or the dummy. Aside from opening leads, it's probably the easiest place to make the wrong choice! Join the class on Wednesday for $25 and improve your defense in two hours! STaC games July 7-12 For all Open Pairs games Monday through Saturday we'll be participating in the District 23 "Royal STaC." This is an event where the masterpoint awards are converted to 25% each black, silver, red, and gold points. Our open games will be combined with other open games in the district for big overall awards. All of the clubs will be playing the same hands at each session. Card fee will be $13 for that week. Closure for regional In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the tournament. Hope to see you there! Coming up ... We have a very special game on *Wednesday July 16*, the Summer Instant Matchpoint Game. Get assigned your matchpoints at the table with each hand. I think there is a full gold point available for winners in that game! This month I'll be traveling to Philadelphia from July 19 through 29. I'll be presiding over the annual convention of the American Bridge Teacher's Association (ABTA) and playing for a few days at the North American Bridge Championships. I usually grab some of the teachers to play in sessions at the tournament. July 21-26 will be our second NAP Qualifier week. Come play for 50% black 50% red masterpoints, and get your "Q" qualifier to compete in the district final for the North American Pairs! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa

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North American Pairs and The Longest Day
by Morris Jones 16 Jun '25

16 Jun '25

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> All the feedback I've received so far has been positive on the addition of "Opening Lead" to the game results. While we can't capture the auction and play of the hand in club games currently, being able to see the opening lead chosen is a pretty big deal. NAP Qualifying The first stage of the North American Pairs begins at local clubs, with games that qualify players to the district final. These are also great games for masterpoint awards and competition. This week is the first of three weeks of NAP qualifier games at the Pasadena Bridge Club. (There will also be games in the third week of July and August.) I'm expecting players from around Los Angeles to make the trip to Pasadena to get their "Q" for the district final, hoping to move on to the nationals! Card fees for the open games will be $13 during NAP Qualifiers. The Longest Day ACBL clubs support the Alzheimer's Association every year with games and activities for The Longest Day benefit. We're planning to hold our games on June 21, very close to the actual longest day of the year. The Saturday morning and afternoon games will both be Alzheimer's benefit games. Card fees will be $13, and our charity games always come with enhanced masterpoint awards! Closure for regional In honor of the July 4th holiday, and the Bridge Week Regional in Long Beach, the bridge club will be *closed Thursday July 3 through Sunday July 6*. Zachary, Lisa, and I will be in Long Beach playing in the tournament. Hope to see you there! Classes This Week If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. This week's classes: * Wednesday, June 18, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Signals against notrump contracts" * Thursday, June 19, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Practice Hands" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Our next classes will be /Improving Your Judgment - Doubles/ on Wednesday afternoon, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introductio/n on Wednesday evening, and /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ on Thursday evenings. More about those next week! This fall in October we'll be offering /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ during the Wednesday 3:00 PM class session. Our first daylight offering of the class! It could turn out to be popular. Coming up ... /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>. Next week: Club championship games! All of the open games will pay extra masterpoints, and no additional card fee. And finally, believe it or not, there will be a bridge tournament right next door in the community room by the bridge club! Our good friends at the ABA are holding a "Grade A" Tournament on July 18-20, Friday through Sunday. I'm really looking forward to having their event nearby and pledged any assistance I can in terms of supplies and help. Welcome them to the neighborhood! I'll post their flier on the bulletin board. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary, Lisa

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Special games in June
by Morris Jones 03 Jun '25

03 Jun '25

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> Liza Billington brings an interesting story from playing bridge in Santa Cruz, CA, this past month. She reported that the club turns on a feature in the Bridgemates that lets you *record the opening lead* for every contract. The opening leads appear in the game results for each hand. For an example see the game results from one of their games at this link <https://my.acbl.org/club-results/details/1243431>. I'm going to try it at a game this week, and see what you all think. I think it'll be fun. Choosing an effective opening lead is one of the most important factors in improving your game results. Let me know if you have an opinion! Zachary is taking a family vacation next week June 8, so Lisa and I will be covering the games and workshops on the schedule. Special games coming in June *North American Pairs Qualifying games*: We'll be holding games for one week each in June, July, and August. This month the games will be Monday through Friday, the 11:00 AM Open Pairs, June 16-20. NAP games pay big points as well as qualify players to the NAP District Final. Card fees $13. *The Longest Day Benefit for Alzheimer's*: Saturday, June 21, our novice game and Open Pairs games will be part of the annual "Longest Day" benefit held in June every year. Games pay big masterpoint awards, and the extra card fee goes to benefit Alzheimer's Association. *Club Championship games*: All games the week of June 23-28 will be Club Championship games. These come with no extra card fee, but pay lots of extra points, almost equivalent to a Unit Game, with overalls awarded. Classes This Week If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. *Mojo's pick* for this week: Thursday evening's class in Competitive Bidding can have a dramatic effect on your game results. We'll introduce negative doubles (also called responder's doubles), and talk about how things change when the auction becomes competitive. This week's classes: * Wednesday, June 4, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Opening Leads against Trump Contracts" * Thursday, June 5, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The Competitive Auction" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Coming up ... The big Bridge Week regional in Long Beach starts on Monday, June 30. At this time we're planning to close the bridge club on Thursday and Friday, July 3 and 4. We may also close on Saturday July 5. (I'm not sure if the Unit Game will be held on July 6.) /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start up again on Wednesday evening, July 2. The course is open for registration now, through PCC Extension. You or your friends can register online at this link <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Defense class Wed Aft
by Morris Jones 27 May '25

27 May '25

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 looking to be a great summer at the Pasadena Bridge Club. Partnerships and teams are starting for form up for the annual "Bridge Week" regional in Long Beach starting on June 30. Meanwhile we have some great games at the club, a new course starting up on Wednesday afternoon, and the summer session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ is open for registration. Introduction to Defense tomorrow! Good defense wins games. In this course, you'll develop insights into how suits are distributed around the four hands, and how to hold declarer to the minimum number of tricks they're entitled to. Review all of the "bridge maxims" for defender play and, more importantly, learn when you must not follow them! * Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, starting May 28 * $120 includes textbook by Eddie Kantar * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) Enrollment open for Bridge Introduction There seems to be a lot of interest for this summer's Bridge Basics 1 course. The next session will be starting in about five weeks, on Wednesday evenings starting July 2. This class is run by PCC Extension (Pasadena City College), so the enrollment is managed by PCC. Pass this one on to your friends! There's plenty of room, but I try to keep the class to 28 students. The class meets for six Wednesday evenings, starting in about five weeks, on July 2. To register with PCC online follow this link <https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>. Gold Points this week The ACBL is gifting the local clubs with a dusting of gold masterpoints for the second half of this week. Our Open Pairs games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, will have 25% of their masterpoint awards converted into Gold points. The amount will be normal club game amount. (It's possible even the novice games will get a sprinkling of gold too. We'll see!) No extra card fee for this event! Classes This Week If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. This week's classes: * Wednesday, May 28, 3:00 PM /Introduction to Defense/ "Leads against Notrump Contracts" * Thursday, May 29, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The Takeout Double" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Coming up ... We don't yet have a plan for club opening during the Bridge Week regional, but I'm hoping as many of you as possible will go play in Long Beach. Let me know your plans! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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New bridge courses for May
by Morris Jones 12 May '25

12 May '25

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> It's time for some new classes to start up! The next three weeks will see the start of three great courses for your consideration. We just completed a great session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ on Thursday evenings. We'll follow it up with /Competitive Bidding/, /Popular Conventions/, and /Play of the Deal/ every six weeks in succession. Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ will be held on Thursday evenings starting May 15. This is the second of the Bridge Basics course series. If you're already playing games at the club, /this is the course/ (along with Defense) that will probably have the most impact on how well you do in the results. If you're new to bridge, this is the course that starts to show how fascinating the game can be, with strategy and close decisions on every side. You'll add vocabulary to your bidding language, and tools to get to the best score. * Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 15 * $120 includes textbook * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) Improving your judgment - Opening the Bidding This course title is one of the "stealth" offerings of the curriculum. It's easy to think that there's nothing new to discuss about making the opening bid, but there are many surprising subtleties and judgment that experts use to modify their choices when opening the bidding. You'll learn guidelines and recommendations in this course that you won't hear anywhere else. And of course, being an Audrey Grant course, it includes great declarer and defense exercises. This course does not come with a textbook! (There was one, but it has since gone out of print.) The value in the course is still there. I've decided to continue offering it at a slight discount. * Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 21 * $110 for the course * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) Introduction to Defense This course (along with competitive bidding) may have more beneficial effects on your game results than any other. You will learn how to visualize the layout of cards in a suit when you can't see your partner's hand. Learn to work with your partner to take as many tricks as you can on defense. The textbook for the course is the delightful "Introduction to Defense" by Edwin Kantar, recently revised and updated by Barbara Seagram. All of Eddie's trademark humor and clear straightforward lessons are in full effect. This is the next in our Wednesday afternoon series! Perfect for bridge students who'd rather not be out at night. * Six Wednesday afternoons, 3:00-5:00 PM, starting May 28 * $120 includes textbook * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/intro-to-defense> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) Novice/intermediate program The Pasadena Bridge Club has what I believe is the best weekly program for new players in the country. We have informal "supervised play" sessions, workshops for more in depth practice, and bridge games specifically for newer players See the full novice/intermediate weekly schedule here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/schedule#novice>. Coming up ... Our next session of /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will be on Wednesday evenings, starting July 2. As usual it will be followed insequence by the next few Bridge Basics courses. Let your friends know! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Stardust week, and Bridge Basics 2
by Morris Jones 05 May '25

05 May '25

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> *If you've never been an ACBL member*, and you're playing in games at the club, it's free and easy to become a member and get your own player number. Much like joining the USGA as a golfer, and having them track your handicap, the ACBL will keep track of your progress in bridge as you climb the ranks. (They also have a great monthly magazine and lots of activities!) To get your free guest membership, visit our web site pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>, find the menu and select Resources, then look for the "ACBL Guest Membership" link. Or never mind all that, and just click on this link <http://my.acbl.org/membership/join?guest=X&club=277210&teacher=8202249> to get your free ACBL Guest Membership. Of course you can just buy a full membership, but I recommend this path. It comes with a massive discount ($29 instead of $59) on your first year of full membership! When you get your new player number, drop me a note so I can add it to the database at the club! Stardust week This one snuck up on me and I didn't get it on the calendar! But after asking, I learn that everyone wants gold points, no matter what. So all open games this week (M-F 11:00, Sat 1:00) will be Stardust games, paying regular club masterpoints, but converted to 25% gold when the game is uploaded to ACBL. Card fees for the Stardust games will be $13. Thursday afternoon novice 0-100 Effective immediately the Thursday 3:00 PM Novice Pairs is open to all players with fewer than 100 masterpoints. We'd love to have a few more folks come to play! The Thursday afternoon game is typically 12 hands, and should always be complete by 5:00 PM. It's a great place to start experiencing real duplicate bridge with other students and novice players. Come earn your first (or twenty-first, or 99th) masterpoint! Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ will be starting on Thursday evenings on May 15. This is the second of the Bridge Basics course series. If you're already playing games at the club, /this is the course/ that will probably have the most impact on how well you do in the results. If you're new to bridge, this is the course that starts to show how fascinating the game can be, with strategy and close decisions on every side. You'll add vocabulary to your bidding language, and tools to get to the best score. * Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting May 15 * $120 includes textbook * Full lesson plan here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding> * Click here to save your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> (pay at the club) Classes This Week If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. *Mojo's pick* for this week: Wednesday evening, practice two over one game force auctions. It's a treat to get to practice only hands involving 2/1GF or the one notrump forcing bid! This week's classes: * Wednesday, May 7, 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Handling the Opponents" * Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "Practice Hands" * Wednesday, May 8, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Coming up ... For those of you in our eastern realms, nearer Ontario, or willing to travel, *Tom Lill has a game on Saturday, May 10,* starting at 10:00. He's having a full day of bridge, with two sessions! He had a cancellation and is looking for a player to fill out the last table. If you'd like to play, drop me a note and I'll forward it along. Later in May we have more "Go local!" glitter points: Monday through Wednesday, May 19-21 all regular open club games will award 25% silver points. Thursday through Saturday, May 29-31 all regular open club games will award 25% gold points. No extra charge! Just a little "glitter" from the ACBL for the local clubs. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Little bits of additional news ...
by Morris Jones 28 Apr '25

28 Apr '25

Two things I neglected from the newsletter: First, if you're interested in attending Jan's workshop on Montreal Relay, would you please let her know? She has printed material and needs to have enough on hand. wickershamjanet(a)gmail.com Also, there is a memorial for Dan Lubesnik on Monday, May 5, at 1:00 PM, at Holy Cross Cemetery, 5835 Slauson, Culver City. 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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Discover Montreal Relay Wednesday morning
by Morris Jones 27 Apr '25

27 Apr '25

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> Dan Lubesnik has been a fixture at the bridge tables in Arcadia for as long as I've been here. I'll always remember him for his gentlemanly manner and the ubiquitous sport coat he wore to the bridge club. Dan passed away last Sunday the 20th. The Unit Game that day was named in his honor. Thomspon Jin and Dan Lubesnik Thompson Jin and Dan Lubesnik following their qualifying finish in the District 23 North American Pairs finals in October. Learn Montreal Relay This *Wednesday, April 30, at 9:30 AM* before the Open Pairs game, Jan Wickersham will conduct a seminar on a unique and interesting bidding system variation known as the *Montreal Relay*. It's a fascinating variation. If you and your partner enjoy tinkering with bidding systems, this one is worth your time. I won't try to talk about the system, come hear Jan talk about it Wednesday morning! (I'll be at the club right at 9:30 to open the doors.) Stunning results from April charity game Last April 16 we hosted the ACBL Charity Game #2. The game comes with big national and district masterpoint awards. The top twenty nationally, and top five in each district, get big masterpoint awards. Surprise! Our club appears to have been the only one reporting from District 23. Our district consists of Los Angeles County only. We're surrounded by District 22 which covers the remainder of Southern California. As a result, our club's top five finishers were also the top five finishers in the district! The full results are at this link <https://club-results.s3.amazonaws.com/production/SpecialGameResults/AWC/202…> (scroll down to District 23). Congratulations to *John Barrow* and *Karen Arase* who claimed first place and a cool 10 masterpoints. :) Upcoming Glitter Games in May The ACBL is converting local club game awards into 25% silver and 25% gold later this month. Bridge Classes This Week If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. This week's classes: * Wednesday, April 30, 9:30 AM /Jan Wickersham FREE seminar/, "Montreal Relay" * Wednesday, April 30, 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/ "Entries" * Wednesday, April 30, 7:00 PM Two Over One Game Force "The Choice Between Game and Slam" * Wednesday, May 1, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Coming up ... Later in May the ACBL is going to be offering more "Go local!" glitter points: Monday through Wednesday, May 19-21 all regular open club games will award 25% silver points. Thursday through Saturday, May 29-31 all regular open club games will award 25% gold points. No extra charge! Just a little "glitter" from the ACBL for the local clubs. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Charity game next week
by Morris Jones 08 Apr '25

08 Apr '25

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 love a good Arnold Palmer. I made it a point to have an iced tea and lemonade dispenser in the club when we opened. Well the tea machine didn't work very well, and Park's Coffee replaced it with another machine, but ultimately they've taken all of those products off their catalog. For quite a while, the lemonade has been so weak it wasn't really drinkable. Park's sent a tech out to adjust the machine, and *it's pretty good now*. I have one more refill of lemonade to serve. Help yourself! I'll be looking for another tea/lemonade solution sometime! ACBL Wide Charity Game #2 This game raises money for ACBL charities, and it features big masterpoint awards and a delightful analysis booklet with all of the hands from the game reviewed and analyzed. The game will be Wednesday, April 16 (a week away). Card fee will be $13. Special feature for the *Friday Social/Supervised play session* at 3:00, I'll have the hands from the charity game available to play, along with the expert analysis! Sale on 5-game tickets Let's have a spring sale! Starting April 15, until April 30, 5-game tickets will be on sale for $55 (instead of $60). Punches are good for any regular Open Pairs game, or the Tuesday and Saturday 299er Pairs. Bridge Classes This Week *Two Over One Game Force* starts this week on Wednesday evening! Come level-up your bidding to the most popular system played in our club and tournaments everywhere. Sign up here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>. If you see a topic for a class that interests you, you can always drop in for a single class for $25 without committing to an entire course. *Mojo's pick for this week*: Wednesday at 3:00 PM we'll be practicing all of the big popular conventions: Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong 2-Club openers, and a little slam bidding. It's great getting to practice them all in a concentrated setting. This week's classes: * Wednesday, April 9, 3:00 PM /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Practice Hands" * Wednesday, April 9, 7:00 PM /Two Over One Game Force/ "Introduction" * Wednesday, April 10, 7:00 PM /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "One Notrump Openings and Responses" Every Saturday morning at 9:30, we have a free workshop using a hand from Eddie Kantar's /Thinking Bridge/ series. Every entertaining hand teaches players how to think about problems in bidding, play, and defense. Coming up ... We're going to have a full week of Club Championship games at the Open Pairs sessions Monday through Saturday, April 21-26. I'm planning to hold a week of Club Championships every two months during the last week of the month. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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