From Our New President, Joan Warren

As the newly elected President of Unit 141, I would like to thank John Dickenson for his service  to the board and Unit 141. I appreciate the support and confidence the Board of Directors has  shown me. I think there are several important areas to concentrate our efforts this year and into the  next.

• Continue to control expenses and stem the outflow of money from the unit
• Grow tournament attendance
• Encourage unit members to volunteer at sectionals and the regional and to work on committees even if not on the Board of Directors
• Manage the interface with District 4

I look forward to hearing from the membership on ideas to improve the unit's activities.

The attendance at the January 6-8 Sectional at Bala Country Club was noteworthy, despite the  arrival of snow. The next Unit 141 Sectional is March 31-April 2 at Bala Country Club. Come  play and hopefully we will have clear roads and lots of competitive tables.

There was an impressive turnout for the I/N Sectional at Raffles on January 21, with 19 tables.  Watch for future I/N events on the PCBA website.

Andy and Art

Board member Dave LeGrow is developing a central clearinghouse to help Unit 141 cl ubs find certified directors for games. All club directors who would like to be included, please contact Dave at d_legrow@att.net for his Director Registry Form.

1. When sorting a new hand, never look at all your cards at the same time. Take the hand out of the board and lay it face down on the table in front of you. Then pick each card up separately, studying it carefully, as if you're deciding where to place it in your hand.
2. The same applies when you are Dummy. Instead of throwing four suits down quickly, it greatly adds to the fun and suspense if you take time to dramatically place cards on the table one at a time, with a flourish.
3. Dealer sets the pace for the bidding, and therefore has an opportunity. Even if you know exactly what your first bid should be, stall for as long as possible. In fact, stall whether you're dealer or not. As long as your stalling doesn't look like beginner jitters, they won't suspect what you're really up to. So stall with conviction: think "tank," with all the coffee-sipping-cryptic-hand-gesturing you can muster. Long, unnecessary pauses during an auction can result in a real bonus, the greatest time waster of all: the director call. 
4. Always, always, always ask the meaning of opponents' alerts, even if you know exactly what convention they are playing and have no intention of entering the auction. (See this as a courtesy to the opponents. It will assist them in their communication.)
5. Once a contract is set, don't exercise your right to keep all bids on the table for review. Grab your bidding cards and put them away without thinking. Then, once everyone at the table has done the same, ask for a recap of the auction. (Important: Don't forget to do this when you are Dummy.)
6. Goes without saying that when you are on lead, it's best if you take time to write the contract down in your personal score card before choosing your lead. Why should you speed things up by recording the contract while the dummy goes down? The same goes if you're Dummy. Exercise your right to record the contract before putting the dummy down (and don't forget to place those cards one at a time!).
7. If something noteworthy comes up on a hand, don't discreetly circle it on your scorecard for later review. When the hand is finished, launch into an immediate postmortem with everyone at the table. (The louder the better - North-South next door will appreciate any advice you can give them.)
8. North sets the pace. So, North: when a hand is over, do NOT reach for the Bridgemate. Write the contract and result in your scorecard first. Then and only then, enter it into the Bridgemate (make a mistake if you can so you'll have to stop, argue about it and fix it). Hand it to an opponent to accept, and then, snatch it back right away so you can read off percentages and scores before they disappear - only the most savvy bridge players will be able to resist discussing how they did. 
9. If you are following these instructions, it's likely you'll still be playing when it is time for a new round. So if someone at the next table asks for a board, pretend you don't hear them. Conversely, if the new round has started and you have not received your boards, don't ask. Wait for someone to think of passing them.
10. After the round, if you are East-West and the pair following you has finished, don't move on right away. Start a personal conversation at the table that it would be impolite to interrupt - anything - your opponents' health, their grandchildren, spouses, last vacation. The next pair will hover - ignore them. If you can't think of a topic, take out your phone and show everyone a picture of a dog. (Bonus tip: this does not have to be YOUR dog.) Once you finally leave the table, if the next East-West pair hasn't moved yet, all the better. Take this opportunity to wander off, and don't tell your partner where you're going. Make her go looking for you.