- News - Pasadena Bridge Club

New Year's Eve teams
by Morris Jones 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '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 an amazing December at the bridge club. Just today we had 13 tables for a regular Tuesday club game, after 9 tables for the Monday game. This is the second week of the Gold for Good event. I think several of our players scored a little gold over the week. The unit also hosted a splendid holiday party with 13 tables of open players and five tables of newer players, many attending their first ever event like that one. New Year's Eve Teams This is a very different bridge club from the one last New Year's Eve, when we had eight teams compete in a Swiss Team tournament. About half of the teams were new players in their first ever team tournament. There were very few experienced players. I've set the "Eight is enough" points to try and make sure that our newer bridge players get an opportunity to team with an experienced pair. (Unlike the "over/under" game, you can pick your own partner and play with a friendly face across the table.) Here's how it goes. Each player is assigned a number of points based on their current masterpoint holding. Here's how the points are assigned: * 3 points: Players over 1,000 masterpoints * 2 points: Players from 200 - 1,000 masterpoints * 1 point: Players with fewer than 200 masterpoints Each team of four players (two partnerships) should have fewer than eight points. If we can't make teams from this group, we might have to bend a little here and there, but I think it will work out. /You don't have to form a team yourself,/ although you may. If you have a partnership that would like to play, or are a single looking for a team, Zachary and I will do our best to put together teammates. You can sign up on RSVP as a pair or even an individual looking for a team, or drop me a note <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/game_reservation> and I'll add you to the list. This will be a wine and cheese New Year's Eve party. We'll start about 12:00 Noon (actually 11:59 AM so it will be a "morning" game by the ACBL). Swiss Teams takes a bit longer to play, but it includes plenty of social time. We should be finished by 4:30 at the latest. Kantar Declaring Classes The last two of the Kantar classes are Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Each class stands alone, and are $25 each. We had three tables or more for each class last week, and the "aha!" moments were precious. This week: * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts Doors open at 6:30, and class starts at 7:00. If you're not on the list and planning to come, please let me know <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/contact_the_bridge_club>. Coming up ... Two great courses in January! "Play of the Deal," Audrey Grant's newest addition to the Bridge Basics series on Wednesday evenings. Thursday will be "Competitive Bidding," probably the most effective course in the catalog to improve you're score at the club games. Reserve your seat <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment> in either class. The next Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction course will be on Thursday evenings starting April 3. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Club Championships and special classes
by Morris Jones 08 Dec '24

08 Dec '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> Great things at the bridge club this week! We've had lots of big games this past week. I think everyone is enjoying getting out in December and spending the day at the bridge club! Gold for good This week is the first of two weeks available for the ACBL's ingenious charity event "Gold for Good." Here's how you do it: * Register for the week for $30 with the ACBL: https://www.acbl.org/portfolio/goldforgood/ * Play in two or more "Open Pairs" events at any bridge club (at least one face-to-face game) during the week, Monday through Saturday That's it. You can play with different partners. Your partner doesn't need to be registered. Pay the usual $12 card fee (or one card punch) at the club. At the end of the week, the ACBL will gather your two best games from the week. Your result is pooled with all of the other GfG participants in North America, and the top 25% will be awarded gold points! *The deadline to register for the first week is midnight tonight (Sunday)!* Club championship week Let's play Club Championship games all week! Tons of black points, and maybe some of us will earn a little gold as well, in the Gold for Good event. Kantar lessons this week This week on Wednesday and Thursday evening we'll have two single-topic lessons. Each class is $25, or join all four (including next week) for $85. These will all be focused on "play of the hand" topics, taken from an enormous library of lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here is the schedule: * Wed Dec 11: Entries * Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts All classes will start at 7:00 PM. "Black Friday" sale Get 5-game punch cards good for any regular game at the bridge club for $55. You can buy up to three. Cards never expire. Sale ends December 31. Coming up ... Next Sunday is the Unit Holiday Party with a great luncheon at the Arcadia Community Center. We'll be hosting about 17 tables in two sections: Open Pairs and 299er Pairs (similar to the Saturday morning games). You should already have your reservations! You can pre-pay the $30 fee at the Pasadena Bridge Club by credit card any time this week, if you like. (No credit cards at the venue.) Linda Lucas is looking for a partner for the 299er game at the Holiday Party. Here's a chance to join in! On Tuesday, December 31, we'll have a New Year's Eve party, with wine, cheese, and bridge. It will be a Swiss Team event in the "Eight is enough" format, much like last year's event. I haven't yet settled on the "1-2-3" divisions. I'll do that this week. We'll open at 12:00, start bridge at 12:30, and be finished about 4:30. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Special classes for December
by Morris Jones 04 Dec '24

04 Dec '24

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> I had a great time in Las Vegas playing in the North American Bridge Championships. I had two great days of bridge, and didn't come home with any big finishes. It was great hearing about the impact the Pasadena Bridge Club has had from friends near and far. Audrey Grant was dining next to us at one of the restaurants. She told me how excited she was about what we're doing, and I was able to introduce her to several of our folks who were also dining nearby. Group with Audrey Grant Lisa Walker, Audrey Grant, Karmen Armoudjian, Mojo and Jane I might have a new slogan for the bridge club, "The little club that thinks it's a big club." ? December has several special events to tell you about. Kantar on Declarer Play On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Dec, 11, 12, 18, and 19, I'll be offering individual classes that each focus on a different aspect of declarer play. The source material comes from a treasure trove of lessons and hands by the inimitable Eddie Kantar. Each class is $25 to attend, or you can sign up for all four for $85. There is no textbook. Here are the topics for each session, each starting at 7:00 PM: * *Entries* Wed Dec. 11 * *Loser on Loser Plays* Thu Dec. 12 * *The Avoidance Play* Wed Dec. 18 * *Ducking Plays at Suit Contracts* Thu Dec. 19 Drop me an email to sign up, and I'll add you to the courses on RSVP Bridge. Dec. 15 Holiday Party The unit is putting on a great holiday party on Sunday Dec. 15. The meal is a tri-tip barbeque from Stonefire Grill. For bridge we're going to have two sections: Open Pairs like our weekday 11:00 AM games, and 299er Pairs limited to players with fewer than 300 masterpoints, like our Saturday morning games. Reservations must be made by Thursday, December 5, so drop me a note if you are coming. You can pay in advance using cash or a credit card at the Pasadena Bridge Club. New Year's Eve Party Last year we had a great time playing a team game on December 31 in the afternoon. We're going to do it again this year, with plenty of wine and cheese, and an early start time that will let you get home or to your own NYE celebration plans. (Probably 12:00 noon.) I'll have more about that next week. New Courses in January January 8 and 9 we'll start with new courses in the Bridge Basics series, including the *first offering* of Audrey Grant's brand new /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/. Wednesdays will feature /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/, and Thursdays /Bridge Basics 4 - Play of the Deal/. Drop in on the Upcoming Courses <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses> page for all of the information. The next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will be on *Thursday evenings starting April 3*, offered through Pasadena City College Extension, as usual! Our own "Black Friday" sale! For December we're selling "5-game" punch cards for $55, a savings of $1 each over the regular $12 game fee. You can buy up to three if you like. (That's three total, not three at a time!) I'll print as many as we need. Come January they'll be $60 again, which isn't a discount, but it's certainly convenient. More next week!

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Gold for good
by Morris Jones 26 Nov '24

26 Nov '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 probably not obvious, and there's no signage, but we do have something of a *"lost and found"* table right next to the coat rack. It's getting a little rich with lost mugs, books, sunglasses, reading glasses, and even a watch. If you're missing something and visit the bridge club, it might be there. I'm planning to reset it to zero at the start of the year. Have a look at this photo and see if you recognize something. lost and found Gold for good You may already have heard about this special charity project by the ACBL. If not, let me direct your attention! During the weeks of Dec 9-14 and 16-21 the ACBL is offering the opportunity to qualify for gold masterpoints by playing at the club multiple times in the week (or weeks) of your choice. It works much like the "side game" events at a regional. Each week you can play as many as six times (Monday through Saturday) in any of the Open Pairs events at the club. The ACBL will comb through those results and take your top two best finishes. /You have to play at least twice during the week/ to qualify. Your two best finishes will be combined and merged into all other GfG participants during the week, and the top 25% will earn some gold points. To join the fun you have to register in advance with the ACBL at this web page: https://www.acbl.org/portfolio/goldforgood/ 100% of the $30 (per week) registration fee will go to disaster relief for areas affected by the hurricanes from this past summer. There's nothing to do at the club other than play. There's no extra card fee or extra reporting. It's an ingenious event, and if you're planning to play at least two games during those weeks, it seems well worth doing! Single-topic classes in December I've scheduled four single-topic classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. These classes are great for players at all levels! New and intermediate players will all find nuggets of wisdom. These will all be focused on "play of the hand" topics, taken from an enormous library of lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here is the schedule: * Wed Dec 11: Entries * Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts All classes will start at 7:00 PM. They're $25 each, or $85 for all four. Coming up ... The Unit Game this Sunday on December 1st will feature a chinese lunch before the game. Make your reservations and plan to come early for the free lunch! There are no classes on Wednesday or Thursday evenings this week, for obvious reasons! Next week we'll finish the two courses in progress: Bridge Basics 1 and Popular Conventions. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Elevator is back :)
by Morris Jones 20 Nov '24

20 Nov '24

A quick note to let everyone know that the elevator is back in service at the bridge club. The techs just gave me the thumbs up at 7:00 PM Wednesday. :) 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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Table counts and other news
by Morris Jones 19 Nov '24

19 Nov '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> Bridge game attendance is measured in "tables," with the smallest unit being 1/2 table. All of our sanction fees and such are paid "per table." The ACBL keeps a count of tables played in every sanctioned game, and they publish those counts on their web site. To find it, visit https://www.acbl.org, click Menu, Club Corner, "Visit Club Corner," and you'll see a button labeled "Club table counts." The numbers are updated on the 6th of each month. As of November 6, our club is #108 in the US. In LA County our club is #3, behind Long Beach and the Agile club, though if the bi-monthly unit games were added to the total, we would pass Agile to be #2. (Sorry Jeff!) :) And these are only sanctioned game tables — so classes and Office Hours bridge aren't included in the totals. We're doing pretty well, I'd say! Join groups on RSVPBridge You know the bridge club schedule, but when you log in to RSVPBridge <https://rsvpbridge.com/> some games seem to be missing. I've organized the club so that each weekly game has its own "group" that gets reminders and can make reservations. The first time you ask to play in a game, I add you to the "group" for that game, so you always get the reminders. You can also add yourself to other groups. Here's what to do: * Log in to https://rsvpbridge.com * At the top of the window, just below the title bar, there's a button labeled "My Clubs" * Under Pasadena Bridge Club, look for "Would you like to join any of these groups?" in script * Tap on groups you'd like to join and you'll see information and a "Join" button. (You can even join courses this way.) Unfortunately you can't "unjoin" a group, but I can remove you from any you didn't intend to join! Drop me a note. Royal STaC in progress The Open Pairs games this week are all part of the Western Conference Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC). Clubs in Washington, most of California, and the Reno area are all participating by playing the same hands and pooling their results. With the large table counts for each session, it's possible for a big game to score a bushel of masterpoints! At the end of the week, your earnings from the STaC will be converted into 25% black, red, silver, and gold masterpoints, giving everyone a little piece of the requirements to make Life Master and other ACBL ranks. Overall results are usually available about 24-36 hours after each game finishes. You'll be able to find the overall results at this link: https://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?sanction=2411509 Single-topic classes in December I've scheduled four single-topic classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. These classes are great for players at all levels! New and intermediate players will all find nuggets of wisdom. These will all be focused on "play of the hand" topics, taken from an enormous library of lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here is the schedule: * Wed Dec 11: Entries * Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts All classes will start at 7:00 PM. They're $25 each, or $85 for all four. Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! This week's Wednesday and Thursday classes are both practice hands. These are great opportunities to drop in and practice! Wednesday will be basic bidding and play. Thursday will focus on Stayman, Jacoby Transfer Bids, strong hand openings, and some slam bidding. * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 5 of 6 "Practice Hands" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/, class 5 of 6 "Practice Hands" Coming up ... Sunday December 1 is the next unit game. The Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10 cash! Make your reservations for the game. Yes, we're holding a game on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday after! The parking lot will be busy — consider arriving earlier than usual! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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One year with the Bridgemate App
by Morris Jones 12 Nov '24

12 Nov '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> Some of you know that my other hobby is astronomy, and I'm always gazing out our club windows at the Mt. Wilson observatory. Months ago I noticed a bright glint of sunlight from the 150-ft solar telescope tower that's always visible (the tower, not the glint!). I thought it was a reflection from the observatory itself, but it turns out to be an art project called Sunstar <https://www.mtwilson.edu/sunstar/>. Whenever you're in the club, take a glance out to the ridge of Mt. Wilson. Look for the white solar tower to the right of the TV antennas, and see if it's glowing brightly in different colors! https://www.mtwilson.edu/sunstar/ Extend your Bridgemate App This past week I opened the Bridgemate App on my phone to check on a game's progress, and discovered that it was time to extend the app with a subscription. That means it's been one year since I first put it into service! Those of you who also signed up for it at about the same time will find that it will soon be time to send Bridgemate a little money. I added two years to my subscription for about $7. That's not a typo! It's pretty inexpensive, and well worth supporting their work. For those who haven't discovered it yet, this is an app for your phone that will show you scores and results from games played at the Pasadena Bridge Club. You can actually see how you're doing in the midst of a game — it updates your scores between each round. But it's much more useful after the game, for seeing how you did as a partnership. (Whenever I've glanced at it during a game, I always wish I hadn't!) Search for Bridgemate in the app store of your phone, make an account with your ACBL player number, and join "Pasadena Bridge Club." It's free for the first year. There's a little more information here <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/bridgemate-app>. Royal STaC Nov 18-23 All of the Open Pairs games next week will be Royal STaC games. Clubs in several western states are participating in the Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC) for the possibility of some big masterpoint awards if you have a good game. During the week, your masterpoint wins show up as silver, but at the end of the week they'll be converted to 25% black, red, silver, and gold. Get a little of all the "pigmented" masterpoints this week! Card fees for these games will be $13 to cover some of the extra sanction fee. Single-topic classes in December December is always a little awkward for class scheduling with the holidays. It always seems best to start new courses in January. So with two weeks between the end of the most recent courses and the Christmas holiday, I've scheduled four single-topic classes on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. These will all be focused on "play of the hand" topics, taken from an enormous library of lessons from the late great Eddie Kantar. Here is the schedule: * Wed Dec 11: Entries * Thu Dec 12: Loser on loser plays * Wed Dec 18: The avoidance play * Thu Dec 19: Ducking plays at suit contracts All classes will start at 7:00 PM. They're $25 each, or $85 for all four. Classes this coming week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 4 of 6 "Minor suit openings and responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Slam bidding" Jane Winer will be hosting practice at the club for Bridge Basics 3 on Sunday morning at 9:00 AM. It's really great to get together and review the material with other classmates, and anyone else who'd like to practice! Coming up ... Sunday November 17 is the next unit game. The Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10 cash! Make your reservations for the game. Yes, we're holding a game on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday after! The parking lot will be busy — consider arriving earlier than usual! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Instant Matchpoint Game winners and other news
by Morris Jones 05 Nov '24

05 Nov '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> Congratulations to John Barrow and Sherry Hansen! In last week's ACBL-wide Instant Matchpoint Game, their 63.71% score was good enough to finish second in District 23. Joan Mesias and Jeanette Deverian were close behind, finishing third in the district with 63.51%. The full awards nationally and for each district can be found here <https://club-results.s3.amazonaws.com/production/SpecialGameResults/AIM/202…>. Why are the masterpoints different? At the end of each game, we display game results using ACBLScore, the game scoring program that's survived several decades of increasingly difficult maintenance (and hasn't been replaced!). These days, the final awards are calculated by a program called the "masterpoint engine." This happens when the game file is uploaded to ACBL's "Live for Clubs." When you see the results online, the awards will usually be higher than what was displayed at the club. There's a calculation performed by the masterpoint engine that isn't included in ACBLScore locally. In an effort to reward playing games of more than 18 boards, the board decided to apply a factor to the final masterpoint award based on the actual number of boards played in the game divided by 18. Since the open games at our club are usually 24 boards, that gives our results a factor of 24/18, or 1.33. (Sitouts don't change the factor! If you only played 21 boards as a result, it's still treated a 24-board game.) I believe special games generally don't have the N/18 factor applied, but regular club games will show about 33% higher awards when you see the results on ACBL Live for Clubs. Is it time to make a convention card? It's not just a good idea! ACBL's "General Conditions of Contest <https://web2.acbl.org/coc/AllGeneral.pdf>" require that "Each member of a partnership must have a completed convention card available" and that "Both cards of a partnership must be identical." These should be on the table and available to the opponents. This document governs ACBL events, such as tournaments or games sponsored by ACBL units and districts. Individual clubs may amend the conditions of contest, but we have not posted an amended conditions of contest. At our club, I feel that if a partnership is using any agreements that are not part of the ACBL Standard Yellow Card, they should have convention cards on hand for the benefit of the opponents. In the event of a memory lapse or disagreement between partners, the convention card becomes the document that should resolve the disagreement. Besides the documentation for the opponents, completing a convention card is a valuable exercise for a regular partnership! You may find that it improves your bidding understandings. Clearly, late substitutions and fill-ins will not have an opportunity for a lengthy system discussion, but it's still something we can do better. Note to newer players: Once you start adding conventions that are not on the Yellow Card, it's not a bad idea to start and keep a convention card with your partners! Classes this coming week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 3 of 6 "Major suit openings and responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Strong hand opening bids" Coming up ... Sunday November 17 is the next unit game. The Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10 cash! Make your reservations for the game. November 18-23 will be a "Royal" Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC) week. Points awarded are sectional rated, with 25% each black, red, silver, and gold points. Yes, we're holding a game on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Friday after! The parking lot will be busy — consider arriving earlier than usual! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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After the NAP final
by Morris Jones 29 Oct '24

29 Oct '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 big day on Sunday! Our club hosted the district final for the North American Pairs. It was a long day for me! I worked the bridge club from 8:30 AM 'til about 7:00 PM. We used the Community Room down the hall to add an extra nine tables in capacity to the club. Our own players had a great showing. In Flight B Thompson Jin and Dan Lubesnik earned seats in the final, and Joerg and Andrew Rottenbacher may get an invitation as the first alternate. In Flight C, Kim Gundlach and Toban placed 4th to qualify for the national event. Fred Register and Leslie Klein placed 5th to become the first alternate if one of the top four decline to play. Instant Matchpoint Game Here's one last reminder that the Instant Matchpoint Game will be played Wednesday (tomorrow). It's a unique event and pays big awards, including a bit of precious gold masterpoints for the winners. Card fee for this game is $15. The parking lot at the club is being resealed and striped this week, so the number of spaces available may be quite a bit lower. It's worth coming early to find your spot, and consider taking a parking spot on the streets nearby if you find one. Classes this coming week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 2 of 6 "One notrump opening bids and responses" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ "Jacoby Transfer Bids" Coming up ... Sunday November 3 is the next unit game. The Pasadena San Gabriel Unit hosts the game and provides a pizza lunch at 12:00 noon, followed by great bridge competition at 12:30. Still $10 cash! Make your reservations for the game. November 18-23 will be a "Royal" Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC) week. Points awarded are sectional rated, with 25% each black, red, silver, and gold points. We're in the midst of planning games around the Thanksgiving holiday. Do we want to have a game on Wednesday before Thanksgiving? I think we will - though the parking lot might be full of grocery shoppers! Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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Club Appreciation and Instant Matchpoint Pairs!
by Morris Jones 22 Oct '24

22 Oct '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> The Southern California Bridge News is published monthly and only distributed as a PDF on the district web site. It's usually out around the 17th of each month or so. It includes columns from the district president, our regional director on the ACBL board, and columns submitted from each of the units. You can find all of the issues from the past year and a half or so here: https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/02/southern-california-bridge-news/ I call attention to this month's issue because I tried to offer advice to clubs and groups who also might like to offer "over/under" or "pro/am" games. If it's something you're interested in, have a look at my column from the Pasadena unit. Club Appreciation Week All of our open games pay lots of extra masterpoints this week. It's our second week of Club Appreciation games, gifted to clubs as part of Jane Johnson Club Appreciation Month. This comes around every October. Instant Matchpoint Game Wed. Oct. 30 This is another special event we'll be offering next week. The Instant Matchpoint Game is a one-of-a-kind event! Instead of waiting until the end of the game to find out your matchpoint score, the matchpoints for every score have been determined ahead of time. After playing each board, NS and EW split 100 matchpoints, and you can see how you're doing in real time. In a way, you're not competing against the other N/S or E/W pairs, but against the score chart that was painstakingly developed for the game. (I don't know how it comes to be!) At the end of the game, everyone receives a booklet with expert analysis of every hand. The awards for doing well are very good, including one full *gold point *for the winning pair in each direction! As a special game with lots of printed material, the card fee for this game is $15. Last year the game took a bit of extra time to play as well, so plan for a slightly late departure on Wednesday, October 30. Make reservations early! It was very popular last year. NAP District Final The club is hosting the district's North American Pairs final game this Sunday, October 27. If you qualified in an NAP game in June, July, or August, you're invited to compete in this game for a chance to represent District 23 at the Nationals in Memphis next March. Here's an information page with everything you need to know, including how to make a reservation for the game: https://nap.bridgemojo.com/ Classes this week Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for a full course! This week starts two new courses. We have great groups signed up for both! For Bridge Basics 1, I'm always looking for "teaching assistants" who are willing to come help fill a table, so everyone gets to play. If your Wednesday evenings are free and this interests you, let me know! I'll only ever need three at most for a given class. * Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/, class 1 of 6 "Introduction" * Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions/ class 1 of 6 "The Stayman Convention" Coming up ... The week before Thanksgiving we're going to have a Royal STaC week. The games will pay like a sectional, but the awards will be 25% each black, silver, red, and gold masterpoints. Unit games next month are on Sundays, November 3 and 17. Best regards, Mojo, Jane, Zachary

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