Update from the Prez
It is wonderful to see so many players returning to the club, and we want to give all of you a big hug for all you do for the club. In that regard, I would like to remind members that we still need membership renewals. The directors will be checking membership status for players and bringing around membership cards to make it easy to renew. Remember, our playing fees posted are member rates. Non-members pay an extra two dollars each game. The membership fee of $20 makes it one of the best bargains in town! --- Pamela Gorbics
Extra matchpoints at the club
Attendance at the club continues to grow. The special games this week are North American Pairs qualifying on Wednesday, June 16, and Club Championship on the 18th.
On a personal note, it has been great to see friends for the first time in over a year and to finally meet face-to-face with friends made online.
We are number 2!
Baron Barclay, the largest supplier of bridge books and supplies, recently sent an email to its customers listing ten ways to improve your bridge game. The St. Pete Bridge Club’s Two Over One Workbook was listed in second position. This is the latest addition to the Quick Reference series produced by Dar Webb and Bob Vollbracht. They also listed ten of the post popular articles from their blog. Three of the ten were written by Dar.
The Workbook is available $12 at the club or for $14 at Baron Barclay which is also where you can find Dar’s blog articles.
Help the director help you
To make the game as fair as possible, we “seed” the sections. Among other things, this means having pairs from each stratum equally split between North-South and East-West. Each table has a stratum card labeled A, B, or C. Please sit at table which matches your stratum. If unsure, please ask the director. Arriving at the club at least 15 minutes before game time really helps, too.
BBO action
North American Pair qualifying continues with Open and 0-499 games on Tuesday afternoon plus 0-499 qualifying on Thursday morning. Even if you have already qualified, this is a chance to grab some red points. On the weekend of June 19-20, the online games will be in support of The Longest Day charity in support of Alzheimer research. See the calendar at the bottom of this email for exact times.
Bridge trivia
Answers to last week’s questions
1. The first international Laws of Contract Bridge were published in 1928 jointly by the Portland Club of London and the Whist Club of New York. The first revision published under the auspices of national organizations was released in 1948 jointly by the ACBL and the British Bridge League.
2. In a basic Mitchell movement, the North-South players remain stationary. The East-West players move up one table after each round while the boards move down one table after each round. Your scores are compared to those seated in your direction. East-West pair 5 will play against North-South pair 6 on the second round, but your true opponents are the other East-West pairs.
3. A Yarborough is a bridge hand containing no honors. That is, no card higher than a nine. It is so named because the Earl of Yarborough would bet £1000 against £1 that an opponent would not be dealt such a whist hand. The true odds are almost 1900 to 1 against being dealt such a hand. Whist, by the way, is the grandfather of bridge.
Questions for this week
1. Playing at the club, you open 1NT and partner responds 2S, which promises length in either clubs or diamonds. What do you say to the opponents?
2. What natural opening bids are alertable?
3. What natural responses to partner’s opening bid require an Alert?
Word of the week
abnegate
Definition: deny, renounce
Example: Guido will never abnegate his love of opening four-card majors.