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>
Most of you have heard that the Arcadia Bridge Center will be closing
shop soon, after 55 years nurturing bridge here in the San Gabriel Valley.
Zachary and I will do our best to offer games when everyone wants to
play, starting with Monday and Tuesday. We're working on plans for
Friday and Saturday in the near future.
I know for many players it will be an extra trek to get to Pasadena.
Maybe someone will consider opening another weekly game closer to
Arcadia or Duarte. There's plenty of room to grow bridge!
New games Monday, Tuesday 11:00 AM
Zachary will be directing on Monday and Tuesday at 11:00, starting right
away! April 1 will be our first game.
We'll play The Common Game <http://thecommongame.com/> hands, with hand
records and Bridgemate scoring. We'll plan to offer as many of the
special games as possible, including STaC, fund raisers, instant
matchpoint games, club championships, and NAP Qualifiers.
Our weekday start time is designed to get people on the road before
I-210 gets too awfully busy.
Add yourself to RSVP Groups
The reservation system on RSVP Bridge is designed with weekly games and
classes as "groups" of regular players and students.
When you add yourself as a group member, the weekly games will appear on
your RSVP calendar, and other players will be able to invite you to
play. You'll be able to see who has signed up to play, and you'll get a
weekly reminder email.
Once you let me know that you'd like to play, I create an account for
you on RSVPBridge. You can log in and change your profile.
Here's how to add the games you would like to follow:
* Log in to https://rsvpbridge.com/
* In the top bar, look for "My Clubs"
* Under Pasadena Bridge Club, you'll see the groups where you're
already a member
* Click additional groups you'd like to follow, and click the "Join"
button.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
This week features some great practice hands around each course topic —
well worth your time!
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"Practice Hands"
The workshop this Saturday will continue the Defensive Signals series
with "Suit Preference Signals."
Saturday morning we're inviting our Bridge Basics 2 students to come
hang out and practice competitive bidding. Feel free to join us at 9:30.
Come practice with Jane Winer and Michael Blottin.
Coming up ...
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations. (17 students already
enrolled!)
Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on *Sunday, April
14*, for a one-day seminar. We have topics and will be taking
reservations for the seminar soon! I'll be posting a flier on the
bulletin board at the club.
Three great classes will be starting up in the first week of April:
Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction,
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/bridge-basics-introduction>
Bridge Basics 3 - Popular Conventions
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/popular-conventions>, and
Improving Your Judgment - Doubles
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_doubles>. I'll announce the
full schedule to my "classes" email list very soon. You can sign
yourself up <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
for any of the classes now.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
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 played my first duplicate bridge game in 1991 at the San Jose Bridge
Club. We traveled to Bakersfield to attend a regional tournament. I
played in newcomer events, and kibitzed the pros during morning knockouts.
While practicing bidding, play, and defense, I became fascinated with
the mechanics of running a bridge game. I would follow how the boards
and players moved. Once I discovered how team games worked, I started
hosting two- and three-table bridge parties at home. I purchased a copy
of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge and read through it. (Well worth doing —
download it from acbl.org free
<http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/play/Laws-of-Duplicate-Bridge.pdf>.)
Does this sound anything like your own experience with the game? *Bridge
needs directors*, and there are opportunities at all levels. *We need
apprentices* to become game directors at our bridge club. Besides bridge
skills, you need to be good with Windows computers, and have an
excellent attitude for customer service. Talk to me. /There is no
masterpoint requirement for being a club director! (I had about 100 when
I started.)/
Silver Point Week
Three or four times a year, various districts in the ACBL put together a
Sectional Tournament at Clubs (STaC). This one is sponsored by district
22 (Southern California except Los Angeles) and district 23 (Los Angeles
County).
Participating clubs will all be playing the same hands, and results from
games in each session will be combined to produce overall results.
At our club, we'll have Open Pairs STaC games on Wednesday and Thursday
at 11:00 AM. The stratification is 0pen/2500/750.
On Saturday we'll have a STaC game at 1:00 PM, limited to players with
fewer than 750 points, and stratification of 750/500/200.
*Games at the club are limited 16 tables*, and the Wednesday game might
well approach that. I recommend making your reservation sooner rather
than later!
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
This week features some great practice hands around each course topic —
well worth your time!
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"Practice Hands"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Practice hands"
No workshop this Saturday — we'll play a 21 board STaC game. Bring your
new skillz to the game for some silver points!
Coming up ...
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations. (17 students already
enrolled!)
*Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on
*Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as
a bridge teacher and player.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
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 the time of year when the evening games and classes almost start in
some twilight, and soon full daylight. Sunset this evening is at 6:58 PM.
Soon the sun will be moving further north, and I'll have to start making
use of the blinds on the big windows to block the direct sunlight.
Our new sign will have fewer hours of visibility, but I'm still
delighted with its presence in the early evening hours.
Grand National Teams
The district final for the Grand National Teams will be held on April
13-14 at the Long Beach Bridge Club.
This is your chance to earn a seat at the GNT national finals in July in
Toronto! There are four flights:
* Championship: Open to anyone
* Flight A: Limited to 6000 masterpoints
* Flight B: Limited to 2500 masterpoints
* Flight C: Limited to non-Life Masters with fewer than 500 masterpoints
No club qualifier is required! Get your team together and make plans to
compete. Drop me a note if you'd like more information, or help putting
together a team for the event.
Oh, snap!
True or false: A card is not considered "played" until it has been
snapped against the table.
Well clearly, that's a false statement, because it's not necessary to
snap a card on the table at all! It's actually much more pleasant to
simply drop or place a card (including the bidding cards) on the table.
Our lovely green felt tables give the card a nice gentle fall.
I think snapping the cards on the table may provide some satisfaction, a
little like popping bubble wrap. But there's no reason to do it
otherwise, and it's really pleasant to not hear card snaps around the
room. If it's something you never thought about, try taking up the
challenge of not snapping.
By the way, when /is/ a card considered "played?" The answer is
different for declarer and defenders! Have a look at the /Laws of
Duplicate Bridge
<http://web2.acbl.org/documentlibrary/play/Laws-of-Duplicate-Bridge.pdf>/
and check Law 45 C. (The whole short book is worth a read!)
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
*Mojo's pick for this week*: "The Competitive Auction" on Wednesday
evening. Pick up some more tips on using the Law of Total Tricks and
Negative Doubles.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The
competitive auction"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"Strong opening bids"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Practice hands"
For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about
"Defensive Carding: Count Signals."
Note that next Saturday afternoon's game (March 23) will be a 0-750
silver point game.
Coming up ...
*Silver point games*: Districts 22 and 23 are sponsoring a Sectional
Tournament at Clubs during the week of March 18-24. We'll hold games at
the bridge club on Wednesday and Thursday, plus a limited 0-750 game on
Saturday of that week.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations. (16 students already
enrolled!)
*Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on
*Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as
a bridge teacher and player.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We had a lovely Unit Game this past Sunday. Sixty players filled fifteen
tables, and the game featured the biggest Flight C (0-300) turnout for a
Unit Game that we've had in recent memory.
The Unit provided pizza, salad, beverages, and a chocolate sheet cake
for dessert. (The cake said "2♣ Openers for Everyone" on top.) The unit
board surprised all the players by making the card fee zero dollars for
the game.
At the meeting before the game, we elected a new unit board, and honored
Mini McKinney and Ace of Clubs winners for 2023.
Office Hours and Novice Games
Zachary conceived the idea of offering time on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday afternoons when players could visit the bridge club and play
casual bridge.
Anyone is welcome, but the target audience is our students who need to
play as much as they can and develop their bridge chops.
If you've just been learning to play, we have lots of your peers on hand
from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Wednesday. If you have friends
who are just curious about the game, have them drop in and see how it's
played. Office hours are free.
*Here's my pitch for the next step*: Once you've developed a feel for
the rhythm of the game, consider joining us for the novice bridge game
on Tuesday evenings. These are short fun duplicate bridge games (two
hours), and a great way to try out the world of club and tournament bridge.
The Saturday event "Workshop and Game" includes a 30-40 minute workshop
on a bridge topic followed by a short game limited to
novice/intermediate players. (For the $10 card fee it's the best bargain
at the club!)
Spring Cleaning
The break room storage was getting a bit cluttered, as was the bookshelf
area in the class room. I spent a couple of days getting things
organized in both, added another bookshelf for keeping class book stock,
with room for more board games and bridge books.
As part of the tidying up, I have several copies of recent books and a
couple of sets of duplicate boards (numbered 1-8) that are available for
the first takers. Check it out on your next visit to the bridge club.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "The
Takeout Double"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"Obstructive Opening Bids"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Choice Between
Game and Slam"
For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about
"Defensive Carding: Attitude Signals."
Coming up ...
*Silver point games*: Districts 22 and 23 are sponsoring a Sectional
Tournament at Clubs during the week of March 18-24. We'll hold games at
the bridge club on Wednesday and Thursday, plus a limited 0-750 game on
Saturday of that week.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations. (16 students already
enrolled!)
*Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on
*Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as
a bridge teacher and player.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
We finally have iced tea back in the break room! Parks Coffee found a
few bibs and I collected about a three-month supply.
If Parks can't provide them, I'm going to look around for another
provider. I do love my Arnold Palmers. :)
I'm also working on finding smaller cups for coffee and cold drinks. I'd
rather not have styrofoam, though those tend to be the least expensive.
The paper cups don't do well with cold beverages. I'll keep looking for
solutions for our solutions. :)
LA Chess Social
Chess playing at the bridge clubWe did something really different this week.
Zachary connected with a group called "LA Chess Social" that holds
monthly chess tournaments, and a large tournament twice a year. We made
arrangements to host the group at the bridge club this past Saturday night.
I was traveling and didn't get to be there (Zachary was), and it sounds
like they had about 90 folks present for an evening of chess and
socializing. Maybe it's something we'll do regularly!
Their events rotate to different venues every month, and I'd love having
the Pasadena Bridge Club in the rotation. You can read about LA Chess
Social at this link <https://www.chesssocial.org/home>. Their Pasadena
Bridge Club event may be online for a little while here
<https://www.chesssocial.org/schedule/upcoming-events>.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/ "Simple
Overcalls and Advances"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Biddin/g
"One-level openings, 3rd and 4th position"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "Rebids by Opener and
Responder"
For this week's Saturday Afternoon "Workshop and Game" we'll talk about
"Simple Overcalls By Level."
Coming up ...
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
*Save the date!* Robert Todd is returning to the Pasadena Bridge Club on
*Sunday, April 14*, for a one-day seminar. Robert is one of my idols as
a bridge teacher and player.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
It's been a record-setting couple of weeks at the bridge club! We've had
our largest ever Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday games.
We put in a new water dispenser this week. It looks a little different
because the water bottle sits underneath instead of resting on top.
It still produces chilled, hot, and room temperature water, but the
controls take a little getting used to. The big white circle above the
spout is where you press to dispense water. And to get HOT water, you
have to rest your cup on the shelf and use both hands to press the "hot"
and "dispense" buttons at the same time. (It's a safety feature.)
Improving Your Judgment
In the catalog of available courses
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/available_courses>, there are two with
the words "Improving Your Judgment" in the title, one for making opening
bids, and one for doubles.
These courses are wonderful, because they bring up how you bend the
"rules" for taking action at the table. They help you to start /thinking
like a bridge player/ when deciding when and what to do.
When teaching new bridge players, we substitute "rules" for judgment.
The rules serve to provide a scaffolding for developing judgment. With
more experience (and some help from these courses) you will start
recognizing when it might be a good time to break the "rules."
It doesn't mean that your bridge game will instantly get better! It
might mean that you start experimenting, and get some terrible results
for a while. (That's when it's helpful to have (and be) a partner with a
great sense of humor!)
IYJ - Opening the Bidding
Let's talk about how the guidelines for opening the bidding change with
the situation. In this course we'll exercise your judgment and provide
new guidelines that can help you with decisions about opening.
We'll talk about how your seat position affects opening, when to make
obstructive (preemptive) opening bids, and when to consider making a
strong forcing opening.
Of course it wouldn't be an Audrey Grant course without having great
declarer play and defensive play tips as well!
* Six Thursday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 22
* $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* See the complete lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/iyj_opening>
* Click here to reserve your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding
Also starting on Wednesdays this week is the dynamite Bridge Basics 2 -
Competitive Bidding course. It's the follow-on to Bridge Basics 1, of
course, but bridge players of all levels will get new tools and insights
to improve your outcomes during the auction.
* Six Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, starting Feb. 21
* $115 includes textbook by Audrey Grant
* Lesson plan here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/course/competitive-bidding>
* Reserve your seat
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
*Mojo's pick*: This is the first week for two courses. Not sure you'd
like to take the whole course? Try one of these classes! If you decide
to stay, pay the difference (and keep the textbook).
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding/
"Preemptive Opening Bids"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding
/"Opening at the One Level in First and Second Position"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Two Over One Game Force/, "The Forcing 1NT"
Also on tap for Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Competitive
Bidding: Unusual Notrump"
Coming up ...
Sunday, March 3 is the *Pasadena Unit Game*, held at the Pasadena Bridge
Club, and it will include the annual membership meeting for ACBL Unit
559 (Pasadena San Gabriel). We'll be electing board members, awarding
players in the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney races, and hosting a pizza
and salad lunch!
Be sure you have reservations! Space is limited to 16 tables for the
bridge game. Contact Miriam Harrington to reserve your seat: (626)
232-0558, or miratpf(a)aol.com. Card fees still only $10.
There's a *Sectional Tournament at Clubs* (STaC) week coming up March
18-24. The club will be hosting silver point games on Wednesday,
Thursday, and Saturday.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Our friend Amy Muscoplat often makes the trek from Santa Monica to play
in one of our social or novice games. She started learning to play
bridge during pandemic by taking classes online, trying out different
teachers and curricula.
For the Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/> podcast, she recorded
a "Club Kvell" segment about the Pasadena Bridge Club, and I'm told that
the episode will drop this Thursday. I don't know what will be in it, so
I'm looking forward to hearing it as well! It's the episode featuring
Romanian champion Mihaela Balint.
Happy Lunar New Year
新年快乐
A few weeks ago our good friend and supporter Margie Lee asked if she
and friends could host a bridge party on February 7 for Chinese New
Year, and of course I was delighted!
In honor of the event, we're having club championship games all week.
It's something we get to do once a quarter -- triple the masterpoints,
and no extra card fee.
The party will be the Wednesday 11:00 AM game. We'll be serving great
chinese food for lunch (or brunch!), and can expect the game to go a
little bit beyond the usual 2:15 ending time.
Come celebrate! Drop me a note to reserve a seat, or log in to RSVP and
claim your spot. Championship games will be Tuesday evening novices,
Wednesday and Thursday morning open pairs, and Saturday afternoon
novice/intermediate.
Southern California Bridge News
I always post the monthly Bridge News on our bulletin board, but you can
always get your own copy from the District 23 web site
<https://d23acbl.org/>.
The February issue of the Bridge News is available (or will be soon!) at
this link <https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/05/current-newsletter/>.
Earlier issues are available here
<https://d23acbl.org/2023/12/02/southern-california-bridge-news/>.
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Practice Hands"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Creating extra
winners, and long-suit establishment"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Second hand play"
* Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening Lead Basics: When
to lead partner's suit"
Coming up ...
*Two Over One Game Force* is the bidding system favored by a huge
majority of tournament players these days. Your opportunity to study
2/1GF is coming on Saturday mornings starting February 17. (Not only is
this a great bidding course, it has some of the best "play of the hand"
problem solving you'll see!) Save your seat here
<https://pasadenabridgeclub.com/contact/course_enrollment>.
Our next *Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction* course will be on Saturday
mornings starting April 6. The course is live on the PCC Extension
<https://pasadena.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&i…>
web site now and available for registrations.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
I'm writing this week from the Venetian Las Vegas resort. Jane and I
enjoy our occasional three-day weekends with a little getaway.
My mailbag letter to the "Sorry, Partner" podcast was read in this
week's episode. The hosts had some fun with it. (I'm always a little
surprised when I'm named as just "Mojo" with no explanation of the
origin!) It's the episode that features bridge champion Agustin Madala.
https://sorrypartner.com/ (It's in the first 10 minutes of the episode.)
What is the bridge "Unit?"
The ACBL mission is to "promote, grow, and sustain the game of bridge
and serve bridge-related interests of our Members."
Serving this mission /at a local level/ involves dividing the ACBL into
districts. There are twenty-five ACBL districts covering North America.
Our district is number 23, including only Los Angeles county, and is one
of the smallest in both area and membership. Districts are charged with
running regional tournaments, and the two annual grass-roots events: the
North American Pairs and Grand National Teams.
Districts are divided into smaller organizations called Units. ACBL
bridge units are charged with running sectional tournaments and local
events called "unit games" or "unit championships."
Units and districts for the most part are completely volunteer,
non-profit, charitable organizations. Their boards are elected
volunteers -- mostly people who are willing to give their time to make
bridge tournaments happen by arranging for locations, directors (who are
paid), bringing food, serving as partnership chairs, or writing newsletters.
Our unit is #559 in the ACBL, and its official name is the "Pasadena San
Gabriel Unit." It includes two full-time bridge clubs, and invitational
games at some of the country clubs in the area. We're neighbors with
Glendale Verdugo, Pomona Covina, Downey Whittier, and Santa Clarita
Antelope Valley. There are nine units total in District 23. Ours is one
of the largest.
On March 3 at the unit game our unit will be having its annual
membership meeting, electing its volunteer board, hosting a party, and
giving out achievement awards for players who did well in their peer
groups with the Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKinney awards.
(Curious about the relationship between clubs and units? There really
isn't one! There are some units that also operate clubs. Ours is not one
of them. The Unit rents space from the clubs to hold Unit games.)
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "MInor suit
openings and responses"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "The trump suit,
and counting losers"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Defensive signals in
trump contracts"
* Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics:
Leading partner's suit"
Coming up ...
Next week in honor of the Lunar New Year all games are Club
Championships, which pay more than three times as many masterpoints as
regular club games!
Wednesday's game will be a full Chinese New Year party with lunch,
treats and decorations! That's the Feb. 7 game.
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
Have you been missing a travel beverage mug or something else that might
have been left at the bridge club?
I have a little bit of a "lost and found" on some tables next to the
coat rack. Next time you're at the club, take a look there and see if
there's something to claim.
We're due for a bit of a purge at the club, and I'm going to clear out
some clutter soon. It's not yet spring, but it's still a good time for
cleaning up! The "lost and found" will become empty soon.
Bridge the Mindsport
My friend Samantha Punch is a sociology researcher on the faculty at the
University of Stirling in Scotland. She's also a world-class bridge
competitor.
She founded an organization to promote "bridge as a mindsport for all"
(BAMSA), and just shared with me this article from Research Outreach:
Green baize gladiators: Bridge as a mindsport for all
<https://researchoutreach.org/articles/green-baize-gladiators-bridge-mindspo…>.
It's fascinating to see them touch on the physicality of mind sports,
and I loved what they had to say in the last paragraph about enjoying
the game at all levels of play.
Online Lesson
The ACBL has been offering "community games" on Bridge Base Online for
players under 50 masterpoints for a while now. It's difficult for new
bridge players around the country to find clubs offering duplicate
bridge games limited to newer players! (At our club, of course, we have
the Tuesday evening novice game and Saturday afternoon workshop and game.)
Each of the community games features a lesson on Zoom after the game
that covers a few of the hands from the game.
I filled in as teacher for a game on January 2, and it featured some
interesting declarer play problems.
If you're curious and in the mood for some bridge puzzles, you can see
my lesson here: https://youtu.be/81K3H4A9qqw?si=rUXkXrJyVhkgHkaY
If you'd like to join the ACBL Community Games, all the information is
at the ACBL web site here: https://www.acbl.org/portfolio/community-games/
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "Major Suit
Openings and Responses"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Notrump: the
hold up play, and danger hand"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Defensive signals
against notrump"
* Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics: The
rule of eleven"
*New on the YouTube channel*: Bridge Mini Lesson 19 "Teams of four," how
to score team games, and a little bit of strategy:
https://youtu.be/taOlq15clkE
Coming up ...
This Friday I'll be a guest director at Annandale Golf Club. Their
bridge players want to learn about duplicate bridge, so I'll be hosting
a game with a postmortem of the hands.
Lunar New Year celebration! Club Championships all week, Feb. 6 - 10.
Extra masterpoints, no extra charge.
And Wednesday's game, Feb. 7, will be a big celebration, with party
favors and a lunch, hosted by Margie Lee and friends!
I just heard that a letter from me will be in the "listener mail"
segment of Sorry, Partner <https://sorrypartner.com/> next week. :)
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
Pasadena Bridge Club Logo <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
News from North Fair Oaks
Mojo
ABTA Master Teacher
649 N Fair Oaks Ave #201
Pasadena CA 91103
(626) 247-4457
pasadenabridgeclub.com <https://pasadenabridgeclub.com>
It was a great time Wednesday evening! We had seven tables of curious
folks wanting to learn how to play bridge! It's always only some small
percentage who seriously take up the game as a hobby, but this is how it
starts.
Having the PA system made the class go more smoothly than I expected.
It's much easier to get the attention of the room and move things along.
If you're interested in auditing or assisting, I'm accepting three
volunteers for each class. You'll be there to fill a seat at a table and
participate as a student. We may not have a seat for all three
volunteers, but it's important to have you!
Turning around the bridge club
Which way is north? Geographical north is toward the antennas and
observatories on Mt. Wilson. Bridge north is arbitrary, and
traditionally the "head of the room."
At tournaments you'll find N/S oriented in the direction aligned with a
long row of tables. Generally if you're standing at table 1 North,
you're facing table 2, and 3 is the next distant, and so on.
When I first opened the club, I thought north would be in the direction
of the director's desk and the entry way. Then we hosted a North
American Pairs final, and ACBL tournament director Lynn Yokel walked
into the room to lay out the tables and instinctively laid out the room
with north toward the bulletin board and timing clock. It made sense to
me, and I kept it that way ever since -- over the objections of
geographical purists who feel that bridge club north should at least
approximate geographical north (especially when it's so obvious out the
window!).
We heard enough to decide that we would turn bridge north toward the
entry way and director's desk.
I've tried it for a few games, and it's /fine/, except ...
I underestimated how many little habits have to change with changing
north in a bridge club! The Bridgemates go to the other side of the
table. The Kleenex boxes move to the other corner. My class boards
switch sides. Players accustomed to walking in and sitting south have to
switch their familiar seat. Table 1 moves to the opposite side of the room.
Turning a bridge club north to a different direction becomes a little
like steering a giant cruise ship. We'll get there, but it will take a
while to change all our habits!
Next courses
The web site has been updated for the next round of courses. Here are
the next ones on the calendar:
* *Two Over One Game Force*, Saturday mornings, Feb. 17
* *Bridge Basics 2 - Competitive Bidding*, Wednesday evenings, Feb. 21
* *Improving Your Judgment - Opening the Bidding*, Thursday evenings,
Feb. 22
Our next /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ will start on Saturday, April
6, for six Saturday mornings. (Bridge Basics 1 is always followed by
BB2, BB3, in succession.)
Classes this week
Individual classes are available to join for $25. No need to sign up for
a full course.
My next several Saturday afternoon workshops will focus on opening
leads, starting with basic card combinations. It should be a great series!
Here are the topics this week:
* Wednesday, 7:00 PM, /Bridge Basics 1 - Introduction/ "1NT Openings
and Responses"
* Thursday, 7:00 PM, /Introduction to Declarer Play/ "Winning tricks
with spot cards, and finesses"
* Saturday, 9:30 AM, /Introduction to Defense/, "Third hand play"
* Saturday, 1:00 PM, /Workshop and game/, "Opening lead basics: card
combinations"
*New on the YouTube channel*: Bridge Mini Lesson 18, leading from a
sequence against notrump: https://youtu.be/WD0e9wI8kB4
Coming up ...
Our club has many players who enjoy celebrating Chinese New Year, and
they're putting together a celebration for the Wednesday game on
February 7. We'll make it a Club Championship so it will be worth extra
masterpoints as well!
Best regards,
Mojo, Jane, Zachary
