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In This Issue
April Events
President Interview
Phila Regional 2
After-School Program
Annual Brunch
10K Winners!
LIfe Masters x 3
2015 I/N Schedule
Table Tips
News
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Feedback
Send your comments and suggestions for future articles to Allison Brandt at [email protected]
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 The next big event coming up is the Unit 141 sectional at Bala on April 10 - 12. For detailed information, click
here for the event flyer. There are a number of additional April and May events that follow:
* Unit 141 Annual Meeting and Brunch (April 26)
* Grand National Teams (May 2 - 3)
* Unit 141 STaC (May 4 - 10) -- chances for silver points!
For additional information, click on the links in the articles below or the Upcoming Events section to the left. The weather is about to get better. It's time to get out and enjoy bridge!
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Annual Meeting and
Sonny Jaspan Championship Game
The deadline is near, so make your reservations now.
Details are on the Unit 141 website (and in this newsletter):
www.philadelphiabridge.info
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Unit 141 Welcomes New President and Board Members
 After serving as Unit 141 president for two years, Mike Giesler handed over the reins to new president John Dickenson at the unit board meeting on March 25. At that time, the board also elected a new slate of board officers including Vice President Dave Le Grow, Treasurer Phyllis Taxin, Secretary Sue Bailey, and co-business managers Elaine Weintraub and Jay Apfelbaum. New member Joan Warren also joined the board.
In a longstanding Unit 141 Newsletter tradition, we asked John a few questions about his bridge past and plans for the unit's future:
U141: Hi, John. Congratulations and welcome to the job. Tell us a little about your past
. How did you get started in bridge?
JD: I started playing in the 4th grade when my best friend's mother had one of her foursome call in sick. I had no idea what I was doing. They had me put my hand face up on the table and told me what to bid. I played kitchen table bridge in middle school and started playing duplicate in high school. I should be a much better player than I am considering I have been playing for almost 50 years! U141: What do you enjoy most about the game? JD: Everything. The social aspects, the mental challenge, the partnership aspect, picking up on opponents' "tells," finding a winning line of play or defense, helping advancing players to improve their game. U141: What are some of the big changes you would like to see in our unit? JD: I would like to see more social bridge players try duplicate. I think our I/N program is making great strides in this area and I hope it continues and accelerates. U141: What would you say is your "platform" as unit president? JD: Open, honest communication and working together to make the unit better. Unit 141 is geographically large and diverse compared to most other units and this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. U141: In what specific ways would you like to see unit members change or help to improve our unit? JD: One simple thing that everyone can easily do and I would like to see is for all players to treat our tournament playing areas with respect. U141: Thanks for your time and good luck this year!
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Philadelphia Regional: Big Changes Part 2
 As you might have read in last month's newsletter, the Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge (June 22-28) is undergoing a major overhaul. Last month, we introduced the exciting new schedule. This month, in Part 2 of a four-part series, we focus on hospitality.
Let's start with the hotel. The tournament takes place at the DoubleTree Hotel in Valley Forge, which has undergone a $25 million renovation in the last year. The main ballroom -- the primary playing space for pairs and Swiss Teams events -- has been completely freshened up, as have most of the other playing and eating spaces.
Players can stay at the hotel for a special bridge rate of $125/night plus tax. The room rate includes many useful complimentary features, such as wireless internet, parking, unlimited use of the hotel shuttle within a five-mile radius, fitness center, and business center.
The bridge rate expires three weeks before the start of the tournament or when the reserved block of rooms runs out, so it is important to make reservations early. If you think you might want to attend the tournament and stay at the hotel, don't wait to make your hotel reservations. Reservations are made directly through the hotel at 800-222-TREE or 610-337-1200. There is also a dedicated website for Philadelphia Regional attendees, which you can access through this link.
If you decide not to stay at the hotel, note two things: Parking is free for all visitors and the starting morning game time each day has moved to 10:30 AM to help avoid the morning rush hour.
Now a word about food! A continental breakfast, including pastries and plenty of coffee and tea, will be served every morning. In addition, lunch will be provided for all players on Saturday and Sunday. Lunch on Sunday will help players avoid the rush of the Sunday Swiss play-through.
Finally, guests staying at the hotel are welcome to visit the Unit 141 hospitality suite any night. It will be open each evening and provide drinks and desserts. More details about where and exactly when will be provided in future announcements.
If you have questions about the hotel or hospitality or need any kind of assistance, contact Hospitality Chair Allison Brandt at 215-834-5944 or
[email protected].
Next month, we'll tell you more about the Philadelphia Regional I/N program. In the meantime, if you have general questions, feel free to contact tournament chair Meyer Kotkin at
[email protected]
or Unit 141 president Mike Giesler at
[email protected]
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Unit 141 Launches After-School Program
 Unit 141 is delighted to announce the launch of a new after-school bridge program at Independence School this month. The classes will introduce about twenty students in grades 6-8 to the basics of the game and prepare them for a friendly inter-school tournament at the end of the year. The ACBL and the Unit 141 Education Fund have jointly funded the program to cover materials and other expenses. The volunteers are really excited about the prospects for this program. Look for updates on its progress in future newsletters.
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Come to the Annual Brunch on April 26!
You've been reading and hearing about the Unit 141 Annual Meeting and Brunch. Come -- all are welcome! The event includes brunch, a meeting of the board, and the Sonny Jaspan Memorial game.
The event takes place on Sunday, April 26 at Green Valley Country Club. The brunch begins at 10:30 AM; the meeting and game follow immediately
after.
The cost for the entire event is $30. For secure credit card or PayPal payments, attendees can send their email address to Joan Warren at
[email protected].
Checks should be made out to "PCBA" and mailed to:
Joan Warren c/o Raffles Bridge Club
3901 Conshohocken Ave.
Defensive Arts Center, Suite 11
Philadelphia, PA 19131
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Local Squad Scores Major Win
at Nationals
Four Pennsylvanians dominated the 0-10,000 Swiss at the New Orleans Nationals this March. A hearty congratulations to Barry Gorski, Al Bingaman, Deepak Khanna, and Bill Parks, who "so thoroughly controlled" the event that they had it "clinched after the penultimate round" according to the Daily Bulletin. Their team amassed a whopping 136 victory points and outpaced the runners up by almost 25 VPs.
The Gorski team led the field going into the second day and recorded only three losses over two days of play, by only 1 VP, 7VPs, and 8 VPs. Gorski said that they played with controlled aggression and managed to never give up "a big number."
All four players regularly attend Unit 141 Sectionals, so be sure to pass on your congratulations for this terrific accomplishment when you next see them.
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Unit 141 Team Makes Life Master Status Together
Four Unit 141 friends -- Judy Robbins, Linda DiLuco, Natalie Weinstein, and Lynn Lonker -- went to Wilkes Barre to play in the Regional last month. There, they earned gold and a very happy result. By winning the Saturday compact knockout, Judy, Linda, and Natalie all won the final gold points they needed to become life masters and accomplished the milestone together.
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Gold Team Members: Lynn Lonker, Natalie Weinstein,
Judy Robbins, and Linda DiLuco |
Congratulations to all the players on their victory and life master achievements!
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Unit 141 I/N Tournament Schedule Set for 2015
 Intermediate and Newcomer players can set their calendars for 2015. The Unit 141 I/N Committee has planned three great Sectional Teams events. The dates are Tuesday June 2, Monday July 27, and Tuesday October 20. Additional events could be added to this schedule and, if so, future announcements about them will be made. All of the events are limited to players with fewer than 500 masterpoints.
All three events are two-session Teams Events at Bala Golf Club. The cost is $90/team or $45/pair, and the price includes lunch.
Winners earn silver points.
Pre-registration is required. For questions or to register, contact Bruce Lang at
[email protected].
For more information, click these links to the tournament flyers:
June 2,
July 27,
October 20.
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Table Tips: Shuffle Seven Times
[We played in some Knockouts at Nationals and were reminded that sometimes you still need to shuffle, even in this era of pre-duplicated boards. That send us scrambling back to this Table Tips from November 2012 about the importance of shuffling a deck seven times. --ED]
 Have you ever thought that pre-duplicated "computer" hands seem more unbalanced than the ones your find at local clubs? Have you ever shook your head and said, "oh, these computer hands!" There's often a reason.
In 1992, Persi Diaconis, a Stanford mathematician and magician, and David Bayer of Columbia University proved that it takes seven shuffles to sufficiently randomize a deck of cards. This proof took Las Vegas by storm.
Decks that are shuffled fewer than seven times are not randomized and tend to have more balanced distribution. Since people tend to shuffle fewer than seven times, hand-shuffled boards are flatter and give the impression that "computer" hands are more unbalanced even though they actually better represent all possible deals.
Most people shuffle on average four times, and increasing that number to, say, five isn't going to help. The magic number is seven and nothing less will randomize the deck.
To read more, check out this
excellent article by Gina Kolata in the New York Times on both the general principle and its application to bridge.
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News from Around the Unit
Grand Life Master Ken Cohen passed the 25,000 masterpoint mark last month and we congratulate him on achieving this remarkable status.
Five Unit 141 players earned spots on the 2014 Barry Crane Top 500:
Corey Krantz (#90, 890 points),
Bruce Lang (#314, 572 points,
Craig Robinson (#384, 519 points),
Ken Chatzinoff (#418, 501 points), and
Meyer Kotkin (#424, 501 points).
Beginning April 20, Dave LeGrow will be running a new game and mini-lesson at
BCDC. The lesson starts at 6:30 PM and the game at 7 PM. Interested players can contact Dave at [email protected] or by phone at 484-433-0098.
Raffles Bridge Club has great news for newcomers. Beginning March 26, Raffles will host a special 12-board game for players with 0-20 masterpoints each Thursday at 12:30 PM followed by a Q&A period to discuss the hands. The game needs three tables of players to make it a sanctioned game, so pre-registration is required. For more information, you can visit the
Raffles website.
Yorktown Bridge Club has lunch and brunch on Thursday and Saturday. Eat lunch and then play starting at noon on Thursday. Brunch is served on Saturday before the game. For more information, visit the website:
http://www.yorktownbridgeclub.com/.
Local clubs and players are encouraged to send announcements, news, updates, or information for placement in upcoming newsletters. |
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