This too shall pass! Daylight savings time (March 14) marks a full year of stay-at-home bridge for most of us, but there are not only signs of spring in the air, there are signs that a Covid-closed world will be opening up to bridge players, and to the world at large. Get your vaccinations and cross your fingers for herd immunity soon! Stay well. |
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Betsy Cutler
betsy2955@gmail.com
SECRETARY
Bill Bauer
william.baueriii@verizon.net
TREASURER
Pat Civale
pat@csa-accounting.com
DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Joann Glasson
joannglasson@msn.com
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Playin’ Around
One of the things I was looking forward to as District 4 President was having the opportunity to meet many of you at Sectionals and Regionals. In the era of Covid, time to make another plan! So when your District 4 Vice President, Betsy Cutler, approached me about partnering and scheduling play dates in each of the District’s Virtual Clubs, I was all in.
With the cooperation and enthusiasm of Club Managers, we devised a plan and scheduled dates of play for the 1st quarter of 2021 (with many thanks to Betsy for making all the connections and doing the heavy lifting here!). So far we’ve played in 9 clubs, with another 8 planned in the coming month. You might be wondering how it’s going and what we’ve learned, so I’ll share my thoughts – in no particular order.
- The Club Managers are terrific! We received a warm welcome and introduction by all of them. They have adapted well to online bridge and work hard to make the Virtual Club games a positive experience for everyone.
- Connecting with people we know from tournament play but haven’t seen in too long was great! If you’ve played regularly in tournaments, you know what I’m talking about…. time and time again your competition in events seems to be on repeat… you develop friendships with these opponents as well as expectations of seeing them at the next tournament. They’re part of your (really large and somewhat dysfunctional J) bridge family.
- Events beyond our control may have forced us to online bridge, and though virtual games lack a bit in the socializing department, players are still delighted to have bridge games on their calendars.
- BBO used to allow us to upload a photo of ourselves. This went away (temporarily, I hope) with the influx of tens of thousands of players and the advent of Virtual Club games. I miss the photos… it made the online experience seem a little more persona
- “Traveling” to all the Virtual Clubs is a breeze!
- Hearing stories about “when I was D4 President” or “back when the Lancaster Regional had tables on the tennis courts at the Host” have been great, so thanks for sharing those.
- And, it’s not easy to converse and connect with players in a Virtual Game – we would have much preferred to meet you all in person. Plus, we could only play in Open games, so missed out on meeting a huge portion of our members.
Despite the shortcomings of virtual bridge, it has been a wonderful experience playing around the District and meeting many players. Thanks for inviting us into your games… and we look forward to meeting you “in real life,” when Covid days are gone. If, by chance, we’ve missed your club, please contact Betsy - we’d love to schedule a play date.
With more vaccines finally getting into arms, you might be wondering when face-to-face club play will restart. That’s a really good question… one without a good answer. Reopening is a decision each Club Manager must make independently, but it’s a difficult decision with their first concern being your safety. Recent reports show Covid cases are down, vaccine distribution is up. On the flip side, more variants are emerging and people are letting their guard down. And so, I urge you to remain vigilant. I personally know several people who have been diagnosed with Covid in recent weeks. It’s not just a “bad cold” for some. It is still spreading, and we are all still vulnerable.
Take care and be safe,
I welcome your comments or suggestions (jeannegehret@comcast.net)
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From the District Director |
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The ACBL has moved the NABC that was scheduled for Providence, Rhode Island, this summer to next summer (2022) to replace the Washington DC NABC. The hotel that was to be the site of the DC NABC has been turned into condominiums and no other suitable facility was available in that city.
The ACBL has also canceled all regional and sectional tournaments through the end of July of this year. The ACBL will be continually monitoring the pandemic to determine when it might be safe to resume face-to-face play.
Jay Whipple has come up with yet another terrific bridge initiative. In an effort to provide a comfortable playing space for new players, he has opened the "99ers Nite Club." This special bridge club was originally only open to players in District 9 (Florida) and District 7 (Georgia and the Carolinas), but District 4 has been invited to participate and we are now able to provide this opportunity for our newer players.
For a $6 entry, the "99ers Nite Club" offers a mini-lesson before the game on Zoom, a 12 board duplicate game at 7pm that awards ACBL masterpoints, followed by a post-game analysis of the hands on Zoom. This social aspect gives new players an opportunity to meet with others in a friendly atmosphere. The games have been running at least 25 tables each evening. $3 of the entry fee is returned to our player's local District 4 club. In order to be eligible to play, you must have a valid email address with ACBL and have played at least once in a virtual bridge club.
Thirty of the bridge clubs in District 4 have signed up so far and the Nite Club has been getting very good reviews from the players who have attended. If you wish to join the "99ers Nite Club" and are not receiving a daily invitation, get in touch with your club manager and request that your local club be included. Individuals can't join, bridge clubs must enroll their players.
The 2021 Grand National Teams will be held online in early May. Flights B and Open on May 1-2 and Flights A & C on May 15-16. Start forming your teams now - more information will be available shortly on the District 4 website.
I hope that we all get vaccinated and will soon once again be able to meet at the bridge table.
Stay well.
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Because of COVID-19 related uncertainties about when tournaments can safely resume, please check the ACBL calendar listings.
Please note, in addition to cancelling all sectionals and regionals, ACBL has also cancelled all STaCs through the end of July. Therefore, the D4 STaCs scheduled for May 3-9 and July 26-Aug 1 are cancelled
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The 4Spot features fantastic contributors, on a regular rotation: |
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Larry's Learning Center by Larry Cohen:
January, April, July, October
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For Novices Only by Marti Ronemus:
February, May, August, November
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The ABC of Bridge by Dave Wachsman:
March, June, September, December
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The ABC's of bridge include Counting, and Counting leads to visualization, which leads to winning plays! This month, Dave shows how to develop a strategy that thwarts opponent's penalty double. Read and learn!
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Moderator: Nick Straguzzi
When was the last time you overcalled with a 4 card suit on the two level? How did it work for you? And did you wonder what the experts would do? Here's a tough problem with sage (though conflicting) advice. Click here to see how the experts bid this hand and, importantly, the reasons why.
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Franni Stutman Distinguished Youth Award |
District 4 is proud to announce the establishment of the Franni Stutman Distinguished Youth Award. The award is designed to acknowledge a young person who has achieved excellence in the game of duplicate bridge, based on masterpoints earned, and to nurture their efforts for continued growth and involvement in the D4 and ACBL bridge community |
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Franni Stutman, a member of Unit 141, was an avid bridge player and dear friend. Twelve of her oldest friends, with some friendships dating back to elementary school and others forged in her middle school, established the award and were joined by family members and bridge friends in funding the award and crafting its objectives.
In addition to being an accomplished bridge player, Franni also loved baking, traveling and spending time with her very devoted husband, children, grandchildren and siblings. Not only was she sweet and adorable, but her friends admired her for her sunny disposition, thoughtfulness and generosity. She would be delighted to know that this annual award of $100 will be given to a young person whose interest in bridge, skill level and enjoyment of the game has the opportunity to grow over a lifetime. The creation of the Franni Stutman Distinguished Youth Award is what her friends and family have determined is the perfect way to honor her memory.
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News from Around the Units
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Unit 112: Central New York
Betty Youmans
readsausten@yahoo.com
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Unit 112 Congratulates Its Advancing Players!
Junior Master
Ruth Bruning, Elmira
Club Master
Shirley King, Rochester
Sectional Masters
Susan Barry, Manlius
Mary Burns, Rochester
Kathy Dodd, Oneonta
Richard Ellison, Syracuse
Gillian Epstein, Syracuse
Loring Hannah, Alpine
Martha Hannah, Alpine
Susan Landholm, Canandaigua
Debra Maier, Pittsford
William Northwood, Rochester
Marjorie O’Mara, Oneonta
John Sullivan, Clinton
Barry Sutherland, Rochester
Regional Masters
Mary Ayres, Delhi
John Cullen, Rochester
Nandini Joshi, Fairport
Susan Lang, Ithaca
Joyce Lindley, Rochester
Ann Marie Lipari, Webster
Brian Merritt, Liverpool
Roger Monaco, McDonough
Judy Newkirk, Canandaigua
Barbara Shapiro, Fairport
NABC Masters
Rola Cotran, Sarasota, Fl
Nancy Geoca, Webster
Daniel Konowalow, Ithaca
Advanced NABC Master
Linda Kandel, Janesville
Bronze Life Master
David Morris, Hastings
Silver Life Masters
Rosemarie Mancuso, Utica
Stephen Mast, Corning
Ruby Life Master
Richard Hartz, Utica
Sapphire Life Master
Betty Youmans, Whitesbor
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Doreese Torrey
doreeset@gmail.com
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Hello Unit 120!! Well, February was a more than enough snowy month. We do have some news though, so let's start with some recognition. Give a virtual “HOOT HOOT” to:
NEW NABC Master Bob Reed
And the following ACE OF CLUBS report just came out and congratulations are in order for:
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Sad to report, we lost a few Unit 120 players recently.
Maureen Pesavento of Scranton 1/18/2021
Esther Robzen of Wilkes Barre 1/30/2021 and her husband 1 week later,
Sidney Robzen of Wilkes Barre 2/2021
All will be dearly missed.
Online schedule of events for March posted by ACBL is as follows:
March 6-8 Spring 2021 NABC Robot Individual Tournament
March 11-12 Spring 2021 North American Online Bridge Championship (NAOBC)
March 22-28 Stardust Week
Until next month, please stay safe. Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
See you at the virtual bridge table.
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Unit 121: Berks Montgomery
Brian C Snyder
4spadesdoubled@gmail.com
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Check back next month for unit news. In the meantime, stay well! |
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Unit 133: Lehigh Valley
Lois Fuini
lafuini@yahoo.com
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May all our players enjoy the luck of the Irish when playing in our virtual club games this month! The Board of Directors of Lehigh Valley Bridge Association is very grateful for your participation in these games that allow us to fund Second Harvest Food Bank and Lehigh Valley Active Life. Play as often as you can. The more you play the more we can contribute to our local charities. Good Luck!
New Rank Advancements
Congratulations!
New Club Masters
Bruce E. Dawson
Irv E. Keister
New NABC Master
Lee J. Stanley
“Souper” Bowl Sunday a Success!
Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in Tampa, the real winner was Second Harvest Food Bank in the Lehigh Valley. People came together on Super Bowl Sunday for a game of duplicate bridge online to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. The players raised and donated more than $650 for our local charity. Thanks to everyone who played to make this event a success!
Winners:
Open
N/S Don Swan and Richard Claussen
E/W Jeanne Gehret and Betsy Cutler
0-750
1st- Michael and Barbara Dopera
2nd- Jeff Stead and Nancy Machusick
0-150
1st- John and Carol Turoczi
2nd- Patty Squire and Silas Maynard
Congratulations to Unit 133 Winners!
2020 Mini McKenney Masterpoint Races!
0-5 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Silas Maynard
Ira Keister
Andrew Beal
5-20 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Patricia Squire
Ken Haruta
Kimberly Schadt
20-50 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Joanne Yanek
E. J. Krall
Jane Davenport
50-100 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Lee Stanley
Robert Davenport Jr.
Nelson Rabenold
100-200 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Michael Dopera
Jon Clemens
Grace Sutherland
200-300 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Beth Dimler
Craig Bailey
Rita Keiper
300-500 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Lois Fuini
Donalee Griswold
L. Irish Murphy
500-1000 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Mike Kohler
Betsy Cutler
Betty Abtams
1000-1500 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Frank Morgan
Guinevere Ritter
Arup Mukherjee
1500-2500 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Jane Havighurst
Karen Yellin
Charles Eisenhartt
2500-3500 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Stanley Yellin
Gary Hillenbrand
Bob Cole
3500-5000 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Walter Bell
Paul Irvine
Janis Wachsman
5000-7500 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
David Wachsman
7500-10,000 Mini-McKenney Masterpoint Race
Deepak Khanna
Congratulations to Unit 133 Winners
2020 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race!
0-5 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Silas Maynard
Irv Keister
Andrew Beal
5-20 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Patricia Squire
Ken Haruta
Kimberly Schadt
20-50 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Joanne Yanek
E.J. Krall
Jane Davenport
50-100 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Lee Stanley
Robert Davenport Jr.
Nelson Rabenold
100-200 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Michael Dopera
Jon Clemens
Grace Sutherland
200-300 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Beth Dimler
Craig Bailey
Rita Keiper
300-500 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Lois Fuini
Donalee Griswold
L. Irish Murphy
500-1000 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Mike Kohler
Betsy Cutler
Betty Abrams
1000-1500 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Frank Morgan
Guinevere Ritter
Jacqualyn James
1500-2500 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Jane Havighurst
Karen Yellin
Charles Eisenhart
2500-3500 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Stanley Yellin
Bob Cole
Gary Hillenbrand
3500-5000 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
Richard Claussen
Walter Bell
David Kresge
5000-7500 Ace of Clubs Masterpoint Race
David Wachsman
2020 Unit 133 Online Winners
0-5 - Lynn M. Codrea
5-20 - Patricia Squire
20-50 - Carol Turoczi
50-100 - Lee Stanley
100-200 - Edwin Fronheiser
200-300 - Beth Dimler
300-500 - Pat Saeger
500-1000 - Betsy Cutler
1000-1500 - Frank Morgan
1500-2500 - Stephen Heiss
2500-3500 - Stan Yellin
3500-5000 - David Kresge
5000-7500 - David Wachsman
Over10,000 - Deepak Khanna
The Jane Segal Player of the Year Award is given to players who are members of our district for the entire year, started the year with less than 500 masterpoints and earned the most masterpoints in District 4 events. Congratulations to Beth Dimler who placed 16th.
The Dave Treadwell Player of the Year Award is awarded to the District 4 member who earns the most masterpoints playing in District 4 events in the calendar year. It is open to all players who are members of our District for the entire year. The winner will be recognized at the Valley Forge Regional and will receive a certificate and a $100 cash prize. Congratulations to Jane Havighurst who placed 19th, to Gary Hillenbrand who placed 22nd and to Paul Irvine who placed 24th.
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Unit 141: Philadelphia
Howard Kahlenberg
howard.kahlenberg@gmail.com
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Apropos of nothing, I think that Bridge Base needs a new graphic designer. Has anyone noticed that new logo, a stylized golden letter B? If you look at it long enough, you will know what it is; however, it may take you a few seconds or minutes to realize that it is a “B”, and not a Picasso depiction of a pregnant woman.
I also vote against the video that they have in the background of the main page of the site. If you ever want a video that makes bridge players look creepy (not that we need help), I would definitely direct you to that. I won’t even go into the active ethics implications of staring your opponents down when playing a card.
The things that you notice a year into a pandemic.
In happier news, the past month in player achievements:
Congratulations to 2 new Life Masters this month:
Satya P Kunapuli of Blue Bell
Steven Schultz of Newtown
New Sapphire Life Master - Diana Oppenlander
New Ruby Life Master (1,500 points) – David Dresher
New Silver Life Master (1,000 point) - Donna Meilinger
New Bronze Life Masters (750 points) – Peggy Greenawalt, Satya Kunapuli, Bill Rumpa, Gail Ruth, Susan Schmerl, and Steven Schultz
New Advanced NABC Master (300 points) - Maureen McLaughlin
New NABC Masters (200 Points) - Barbara Bickel, Linda O'Malley, Walter Stromquist, Michael Xiong
New Regional Masters (100 points) – Avery Bissell, Linda Dutton, Carol Gahrs, William Gormley, Thomas Hare, Robert Ludlow, Susan Roseman, Pamela Scalamandre, Gayla Stewart, Sandra Stickel, Marc Topaz, and Ellen Wolf
New Sectional Masters (50 points) – Lisa Barker, Irv Braunstein, Andrew Carr, Tim Conahan, Carla Dimuzio, Elsa Gallagher, Lisa Guyer, Jane Heintzelman, Kathy Heist, Phyllis Keiles, Betty Korson, Kathleen Landay, David Laskin, Diane Luedtke, Margaret McDonnell, John O'Rourke, Susan Packer, Carole Pursell, Janice Rea, Francine Rebhun, Elizabeth Rorer, Susan Royer, John Smith, Patricia Stimson, and Eileen Vass
New Club Masters (20 points) – Nancy Adelman, Mary Carmichael, Susan Frankel, Graham Harrison, Joan Marakoff, Sue Ellen Masty, Melana Regan, Stuart Scherr
New Junior Masters (5 points) – Joseph Horan, Matt Kuhls (owner of 2 new kittens), Adeline Mackler, and Sara Sheiman
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
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Check back next month for news about Unit 168. In the meantime, stay healthy! |
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Unit 190: Delaware
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
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Want to win a Door Prize?
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Now on to March Madness with the flighted Delaware Swiss Teams, every Saturday in March. It was great fun seeing all of our friends who played on BBO in the three separate flights of the Winter 2021 Delaware State Championship Tourney on Saturdays at 10 AM, in January and February.
Now we are going to play team games and engage with March Madness, again on Saturdays at 10 AM. Players outside of Unit 190, but who have played in Unit 190 games in the past year, can play and enjoy the added masterpoint awards, if they pre-register, so come join in the fun!
For those of us who don't know everyone or don’t remember faces they haven't seen for close to a year, we are trying to connect faces to the BBO IDs. So here is the deal: send a selfie or other recent picture of yourself to Soley Kristjansdottir (siggasoley@gmail.com) together with your BBO username. By submitting a picture, you agree to have it posted or linked on the Unit 190 website with your name and BBO ID. We will post your picture AND you’ll be eligible for a door prize of 25 BBO dollars in each subsequent Saturday session in which you play. Three door prizes will be awarded to players in that Saturday team game, and whose selfie was received by midnight the night before.
Some photos have already been submitted. You can see them here. We look forward to “seeing” you online at future tournament sessions, at 10:00 EST each remaining Saturday for team games in March on BBO.
PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
CLUB MASTER: Eleanor M. Chase
BRONZE MASTER: Carol A. Niebler
SILVER LIFE MASTER: Virginia F. Kuhn
RUBY LIFE MASTER: Karen Pollak
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Let us smile as we remember our friends Andrejs Bross and Angela Jones.
For news and information about the fabulous March Madness Team Games, pictures of players, the Door Prizes, the winners of the three flights of the Delaware State Championship Pairs, the Shuffles games on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30, the February Dummy and other happenings, check out the Unit 190 website and click on the links below:
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Unit 217: Susquehanna
Jim McKeown
jcm@psu.edu
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Congratulations on the following rank advances!!
Reggie Bartram to Club Master and Marilyn Goldfarb and Robert Reed to NABC Master
Congratulations also to our 2020 Unit 217 Ace of Clubs, Mini McKenney and On-Line winners. It was a strange year, but these people persevered:
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Since our earlier sectional was canceled, we hope to hold our next tournament in Boalsburg in October. |
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