A note from Pamela Gorbics
We have all heard of the side effects of Covid, but no one talks much about the side effects of avoiding Covid by staying underground for 14 months! Friday, I discovered that one such avoidance side-effect, “Covid-brain,” can affect bridge directors, too! It is fortunately temporary, and I have recovered enough to return next week! How about you? What have you discovered after so much time away from the table?
See you at the club!
Tuesday morning game
The Tuesday morning game will remain on-line through May 25 and will remain as a 0-199 game. As with our other morning games, the start time will be 9:00 am.
Grass Roots on-line weekend
Win double black points when you play during Grass Roots on-line this coming weekend (May 15-16).
There will be a $1 per person increase in table fees which will support our area’s local efforts to grow participation in a variety of events, including the Grand National Teams and North American Pairs.
District Grand National Teams
The Grand National Teams (GNT) will be run differently this year. There will be no club qualifications; all teams will go directly to the District 9 finals. To play, you must register your team no later than May 12.
To qualify, all team members must be paid up members of the ACBL and must have been residents of District 9 as of September 1, 2019. All will play free, but it is important to understand exactly how this works. Whichever member registers their team will be charged $50 in BBO$. The entire amount will be refunded in BBO$ after your team has completed one session of the event.
The details can be found in the email sent to members of District 9. If you cannot find the email, click District 9 GNP. Again, please note that your team must be registered by May 12, this Wednesday, to play in this year’s GNT.
In memoriam
Bob Lorenzen, long-time active member of our club, passed away on May 3.
Bridge trivia
Answers to last week’s questions
1. DON’T is a popular defense to the opponents’ 1NT opening. The name is made up from the first letters of DONT stands for Disturb Opponents’ No Trump.
2. One of the earlier defenses to the opponents’ 1NT opening was Astro. This name was derived from the beginnings of the family names of Allinger, Stern and Rosler. The defense to 1NT has 2C showing hearts and a minor and 2D shows spades and another suit. The eponymous cue bid, used after an opponent opens onf of a suit, shows four of the longer unbid major, five or more of the longer unbid minor and opening values.
3. The German national bridge organization created Forum D and and the French created SFF for the same reason the ACBL created are simple systems designed for newer players — just like Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC). All three systems are designed with minimal bells and wistles for newer players.
Questions for this week
1. Now that you know what the Astro and DONT defenses to 1NT are, what is the Mosher defense?
2. When are Pearson Points used?
3. What’s the Beer Card and how do you collect the sparkling beverage?
Word of the week
Schadenfreude
Definition: pleasure at someone else’s misfortune
Example: Sue hid her feeling of schadenfreude when her opponent went down in a cold slam.