This month, 4Spot puts the emphasis on staying healthy!
The exponential spread of the COVID-19 pandemic makes this a troubling and dangerous time for the entire world. Older adults (and people of any age with underlying medical conditions) are at significantly higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19, which means that most of the players in our bridge playing community, which has an overall average age of 73+ years, are likely more worried, concerned and apprehensive about contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus.
Additionally, bridge players in District 4 (D4) and the entire world are likely concerned with the state of duplicate bridge now and in the future. The D4 District Director, Joann Glasson, and the D4 President, Meyer Kotkin, co-wrote this month’s President’s Message so they could talk together with one voice to the D4 bridge community.
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact your District 4 board members.
PRESIDENT
Meyer Kotkin
guymath@comcast.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
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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A Joint Message from the President
and District Director
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This article will not be a repetition of general COVID-19 precautions, actions and regulations, including the all-important social distancing, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and/or implemented by various levels of government. Instead, in this article, we (Joann and Meyer) intend to address the impacts of the pandemic on our bridge organizations, on our volunteers and on our players. However, in a Bottom Line Up Front statement of the most important point of this article, we say to you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You are members of our bridge community and we will stick together through this crisis. We will support each other and do everything we possibly can to help our players weather the times ahead.
We recognize that bridge is just a game and that the world at large and the other, equally or more important, communities you are involved with (family, work, religious etc.) are facing life altering and life-threatening situations. We do not minimize or dismiss the impacts of COVID-19 on your other life communities but because this is a D4 bridge publication, we will focus mostly on the bridge impacts on the D4 bridge community.
First, let’s talk about financial impacts on the various levels of our bridge organization. On March 12, the ACBL canceled the Spring North American Bridge Championships (NABC) scheduled for Columbus, OH on March 18-29. At the time, this decision could have had significant financial impact on the ACBL because of the hotel and hospitality commitments. However, since the Governor of Ohio announced a ban on assemblies of more than 100 people, we expect that besides any liabilities incurred up to March 12, the ACBL will not incur any further significant financial loss.
A little before the official ACBL cancelation notice, the D4 Executive Board and Tournament Chairs Melody and Mark Henderson, after continuously and carefully monitoring the burgeoning COVID-19 situation, canceled the Wilmington Regional scheduled for March 30-April 6. Bob Glasson led the D4 team negotiating with the Doubletree in Wilmington and similar to the ACBL with the Columbus NABC, D4 will have no significant financial loss from canceling the tournament. In fact, we have already rescheduled the Wilmington Regional for April 5-11, 2021 at the same location.
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D4 will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation with respect to making Go/No-Go decisions for the Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge (June 22- 28) and the Burt Garrell Syracuse Regional (August 10-16). We feel we have some time before we have to make any final decisions so these Regionals are still on the D4 Tournament calendar. However, D4 will not only abide by any government restrictions and CDC suggestions, D4 will also always put the welfare and safety of our players, volunteers and directing staff before financial considerations.
The D4 Grand National Teams (GNT) Finals scheduled for May have been postponed to a date to be determined. The ACBL has postponed the National GNT Finals until the Tampa NABC in November.
Unit 141 was the first Unit in all of the ACBL to cancel a Sectional tournament followed closely by Units 168, 112, 120 and 133. These Units should not be facing any significant losses from the cancellations.
The largest and most damaging financial impacts are on local bridge clubs. D4 has 86 sanctioned Bridge Clubs and almost all, to our knowledge, have closed their doors, respecting government social distancing regulations and suggestions. While we are not clairvoyant and no one can predict the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these bridge clubs that have significant rent obligations might not be able to survive a long period with no income but continued rent payment. Additionally, a bridge club’s directing staff whose salaries have stopped may seek other employment so that when clubs eventually are able to resume operations, there is a risk of a shortage of local directors because some will choose not to return to the local clubs. Jay Whipple is leading an ACBL and Bridge Base Online (BBO) collaborative effort to allow local clubs to transition to an online presence. The plan, as we understand it, is to set up a local bridge clubroom on BBO where current local directors and owners will run the games that will be restricted to current players at that local club. The local club will be able to charge whatever card fees they deem necessary, but you will, based upon the club owner’s discretion, be able to play only against the regulars that you played against at the brick and mortar local club. When developed, this will be a way to help support your local club and try to keep it from closing its doors permanently. Remember, local clubs are the lifeblood of our bridge organization – they are the most instrumental piece to recruiting and retaining new members.
When attending tournaments becomes routine, it is easy to forget that our Regional Tournament Committees, all made up of volunteers, put a lot of effort, dedication and time into the planning and execution of one of the D4 Regional Tournaments. Our hearts go out to Melody and Mark and all the volunteers for the Delaware Regional who saw two years of hard work go for naught:
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Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack sent out a letter to the entire Cornell Community (one of Meyer’s other communities although how he graduated is a great mystery) that we felt captured our thoughts and feelings way better than we could express them. President Pollack wrote:
I am a bridge player—not a very good one, but I do enjoy the game. In bridge, you are sometimes dealt a great hand: lots of high cards, distributed across the suits in an advantageous way. Other times, you are dealt a terrible hand. The great hands are unquestionably more fun to play, but every bridge player knows that you have to play the hand you’re dealt. Sometimes, doing an outstanding job with a terrible hand can be incredibly rewarding.
Right now, we’ve all been dealt a bad hand—and we have to play it, and play it to the best of our abilities. So many of our plans have been disrupted, leaving us frustrated and disappointed. But we can rise to meet this challenge …
It is natural to ask why this COVID-19 crisis is happening to us. For philosophers and thinkers, this question is the very definition of theodicy. Unfortunately, we don’t have answers but we recall that Harold Kushner in his bestseller,
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
, suggested that maybe that is not the right question to ask. Kushner suggests asking now that this crisis is upon us, what are we going to do about it? As bridge players we’ve all been dealt bad hands but we don’t throw the cards away and ask for a new deal. We must play on so we ask ourselves, “what are we going to do?” As bridge players, we have all been in great contracts with a bad trump break but we don’t give up. We play on after asking ourselves, “what are we going to do?” Let us tell you some of what we will do:
- We believe we speak for the entire D4 Board and all the Unit Boards in D4 when we say that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. We are here to help in any way we can and not just in bridge matters. We care about you and if you need help getting food, medical attention or just want to talk to someone, we are here for you and we will do our best to help you with your problems. We are good listeners if you want to discuss your fears or the mistakes your partners made over the years.
- We will encourage you to play on-line (BBO, OKBridge or any other platform you like). We are not going to argue whether or not on-line bridge is the same as live face-to-face play but for now, “virtual” bridge is a way to play the game with others while maintaining social distancing guidelines. You can maintain your current bridge community players and maybe even meet some new players from all over the world who are looking to play bridge. There are tournaments galore on-line and as we mentioned previously, you will soon have a chance on BBO to play and support your local bridge clubs. There is also an opportunity for online social or kitchen bridge outside of the regularly scheduled tournaments.
- If you have trouble setting up an on-line account, we will walk you through the steps or arrange for someone to make sure you successfully set up your online account to play bridge.
- We will maintain our website and monthly newsletter so we can keep you up to date on all things relating to D4 bridge.
- We will urge you to reach out to the players you have partnered with and/or played against at your local clubs and Sectionals -- not by e-mail, but by phone or video chat so during our prolonged stays at home, our players can hear a friendly voice and see a friendly face.
- We will urge you to arrange games on line with your regular partners even though had they not made all those mistakes you would be a Grand Life Master. We will urge you to make on-line games with partners who trumped your good Aces and passed you in forcing bids. We will even urge you to play on line with players at your club that may not be your best friends but who are lonely and looking to play some bridge.
We are all in this together. So now it is up to you. What will you do
?
Joann Glasson, D4 Director
(215) 310-8542
Meyer Kotkin, D4 President
(856) 986-5109
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Sectionals
May 29-31
May 30
June 5-7
June 6-7
July 11
July 11-12
July 24
Regionals
Wilmington DE
Postponed until
2021
: April 5-11
June 22-28
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North American Bridge Championships
July 15-26
November 26-December 6
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The D4 STaC scheduled for May 4-10 has been canceled in accordance with the ACBL request that all club games be canceled through May 11
GNT/NAP
Postponed: Date TBD
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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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At
Larry's Learning Center, we have declared 2020 the year of the doubles. First up: the Negative Double. Do you and your partner agree on when and how high to play them? Larry clarifies
how you should mark your convention card, and more. (And even for online play, you will want your convention card to be up-to-date.)
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Moderator: Nick Straguzzi
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ACBL and BBO Partner for YOU
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Did you see this notice from ACBL? A fun chance to stay connected with your regular partners and to try your luck with new partners, as well!
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News from Around the Units
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Unit 112: Central New York
Pat Stadelmaier
pstad145@aol.co
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CONGRATULATIONS
to our Unit 112 members on their new master point rank achievements:
JUNIOR MASTER
Lyla Brisk, New Hartford
Marlene Etlinger, Pittsford
Lawrence Ray, Rochester
Judy Dukes, Rochester
Janie Felix, Lansing
Tonia Thirtle, Rochester
Henry Etlinger, Pittsford
William Northwood, Rochester
Jeff Tonole, Ithaca
CLUB MASTER
Colleen Kaminski, Elmira
Joyce Lindley, Rochester
NABC MASTER
Dee Derosa, Syracuse
REGIONAL MASTER
Jon Davidson, Cazenovia
Dr. Susan Manning, Hector
RUBY LIFE MASTER
Bill McCoy, Rochester
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Note to players – when you advance your rank check your email from our secretary (sandjack) for a free play!
As we continue to be strong and do what we can to fight this coronavirus, please be aware of the guidance and support we are getting from ACBL.
The ACBL has strongly recommended the cancellation or postponement of all tournaments scheduled on or before May 11. This date may be changed as more information becomes available. Be sure to check the ACBL website - Check Before You Go page - for the most recent information on tournaments.
ACBL had partnered with Common Game and BBO to provide a way for us to continue playing bridge away from our clubs at 10AM, 5PM and 7:30PM (EST) daily and earn black points.
New! Event Daylong Tournaments – solo event played with robots. 18 boards and 24 hours to complete your game. Check out the ACBL website for more information.
Please note these games are a temporary solution to what is hopefully a temporary problem.
Take Care and Stay Healthy!
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Unit 120: Northeastern Pennsylvania
Doreese Torrey
doreeset@gmail.com
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Hello Unit 120. There is nothing new to report this month, but please take care and stay well!
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Unit 121: Berks Montgomery
Brian C Snyder
484-838-0977
4spadesdoubled@gmail.com
Congratulations to the following on her advancement in the ACBL Masterpoint Ranks:
New Sectional Master – Lila Gleitman
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Unit 133: Lehigh Valley
Lois Fuini
lafuini@yahoo.com
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Our thoughts are with you as we all work together to navigate this challenging time. As the COVID - 19 continues to make headlines, even the best laid plans are up for change. In accordance with ACBL’s recommendation, we have canceled our Spring Sectional scheduled for April 24th, 25th, and 26th and canceled all our club games indefinitely. We are still hopeful that it will be safe to hold our 0-100 and 0-500 NLM Tournament on May 30th. For all of us sheltered in place and missing our bridge games and friends, please try some of the many online opportunities. If you need help getting started, please email me and I will have someone contact you. Our caring thoughts and best wishes are with you and your family. Stay Well! Stay Home! Stay Safe!
New Rank Advancements
Congratulations!
New Junior Master
Silas Maynard
New Club Masters
Sandra Kowalski
Nancy Reigel
New Silver Life Master
Bagisa Mukherjee
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Congratulations!
Top Three Ace of Clubs and Mini-McKenny Winners
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February STaC Games
February STaC games at Lehigh Valley Active Life were well attended. Special thanks to Betsy Cutler for organizing the games, to Sara Gainey and Bob Cole for directing the games, and for the 114 players who supported the games. The next STaC games are scheduled for August 24, 27, 28.
Silver Point Winners:
Monday, February 24
0-750 game
N/S-Donna Meilinger and Sherry Scenario
E/W- Bryan Snapp and Dave Sullivan
0-100 game
1st Overall - 3way tie
Rosann and Lew Behringer
Laura and Nelson Rabenold
Kathy and Mike Lentz
Thursday, February 27
Open game
Bagisa Mukherjee and Paul Irvine
0-300 game
N/S Jane and Bob Davenport
E/W Nancy Trawin and Patty Fosselman
Friday, February 28
N/S Betsy Cutler and Lois Fuini
E/W Gwen Ritter and Mike Kohler
Unit 133 Spring NLM Tournament - May 30
Please join us for our third annual Spring 0-100 and 0-500 NLM tournament on May 30th at Lehigh Valley Active Life in Allentown. Games are scheduled for 10am and 2pm with an hour break for a delicious lunch. Come early to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and socialize with your fellow players. Register now with your partner for $50 per pair. The fee includes lunch, snacks, coffee/tea and entry fees. Preregistration, which is required, is currently open. Thanks to those of you who have already reserved your seat at one of our tables. Please register early! We look forward to meeting and greeting you in Allentown. For more information or help finding a partner, please contact Lois Fuini at lafuini@yahoo.com.
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Unit 141: Philadelphia
Howard Kahlenberg
howard.kahlenberg@gmail.com
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So as not to bury the lede, I hope that this finds all of you safe, and at home. And not too stir-crazy.
I apologize for the back-and-forth for the decision making to cancel the March Sectional, but in hindsight we clearly made the right decision. In case you haven’t heard, we are also postponing the Annual Brunch. We will re-schedule the brunch when the public health situation allows.
I am happy to announce
6 New Life Masters – Gerald Abelow of Cherry Hill, Donna McCloskey and Matthew McCloskey, both of Bryn Mawr, Joyce Negrotti of Berwyn, Richard Patterson of Furlong, and Rex Saffer of Broomall. Congratulations to all!
Congratulations also to the following Unit 141’ers moving up on the LM Scoring Track.
Sapphire Life Master (3500 points) – Shafik Ismail
Gold Life Masters (2500 points) - Carol Klempner and Edie McAlpin
Ruby Life Masters (1,500 points) – Patricia Andrews, Jeffrey Billheimer, Susan Morse, Joan Pfeifer, and Mordecai Schwartz
Silver Life Masters (1,000 points) - Binyamin Feibush, Joan Goldstein, and Anita Gross
Bronze Life Master (750 points) – Michael Nee
NABC Masters (200 points) - Melisa Cooper and William Petkun
Regional Master (100 points) – Michael Xiong
Sectional Masters (50 points) – Karen Hill, Hal Levenson, Amy Petersen, James Schreyer, and Shelley Weismer
Club Masters (20 points) – Susan Bergin Wilson, Phyllis Birch, Ellen Bloomgarden, Irv Braunstein, A. Richard Diederich, Brandon Fong, Sue Gallagher, Linda Grossman, Elise John, John Kelley, Lisa Madzin, Julie Meyer, Sharon O'Neill, Emanuel Ringel, Thomas Schaffer, Eileen Vass, Jay Yanoff, and Jacqueline Zelle
Junior Masters (5 points) - Carol Chiodo, Barbara Doughten, Jay Jaffe, Andrew Jin, James John, Michele Kreisler, Ed London, Stephen Markus, Christie D Meehan, Albert Michell, Anne Putney, Pamela Scalamandre, Jodee Scannapieco, Roy Schwartz, and Roberta Tretiak
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Unit 168: Central Pennsylvania
Jeanne Gehret
jeannegehret@comcast.net
CONGRATULATIONS
to these Unit 168 members on their new masterpoint rank achievements:
Sectional Master:
Mary Berwick, Leonard Crumb, Ann McCarthy, James Taylor, Kathy Taylor, Elizabeth Winger
Regional Master:
Andrea Gaines, Linda Sheaffer
NABC Master:
Willie Dilaura, Sandra Goldberg
Life Master:
Ian Cohen, Michael Mendelson, Pamela Rosenberger
Ruby Life Master:
Charles Meister
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Unit 190: Delaware
Ala Hamilton-Day
alabridge@gmail.com
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THE Unit 190 BBO Teams
Would you like to try your luck against a team of Rhoades Scholars? How
about Four Boreds Around? Or the Clubless? Maybe you want to Feel
the Bern? Like most units and clubs, Unit 190 is working hard to keep our
bridge community together while “home alone.” We have created a “virtual
bridge club” focused on team play. Using Bridge Base Online as the
vehicle for team play, our membership exceeds 80 players and 20 teams.
The competition is focused on fun, learning, and community. For more
information see BBO with Unit 190 at
bridgewebs
.com/unit190acbl.
PLAYER ADVANCEMENTS
CLUB MASTER
:
Nancy Hall
SILVER LIFE MASTER
:
Tamara Holm and Pat Tylander
RUBY LIFE MASTER
:
Francis A. Bizzoco and Carl DeMartino
GOLD LIFE MASTER
:
Trina S. Williams
EMERALD LIFE MASTER
:
Amal A. Dasgupta
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There are four things that I don’t remember:
Names, faces and telephone numbers.
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FROM THE HEART
By Anonymous
Boy, am I missing Bridge. For me, Bridge is my primary social activity. Whether it’s my local club game or an on the road tournament, I look forward to the fellowship the game provides. I love the competition but, more than that, I enjoy meeting with fellow players and exchanging pleasantries. I have zero interest in Computer Bridge. It is not, nor can it be, a substitute for Live Bridge.
As we all sit at home during this unprecedented period in our world, I would ask you to reflect on your feelings toward Bridge. Assuming Live Bridge returns to us in the near future, I hope we can all come back to the table with renewed appreciation and respect for the game and its participants.
Appreciation and respect must be given to the many hardworking volunteers who support the games and the tournaments. Appreciation and respect needs to be shown to the club owners and directors who provide a venue for us. And a renewed appreciation must be shared with our fellow players, whose support and comfort we have missed during this trying time. I am hopeful that in this time of absence the heart truly does grow fonder and when it’s over, Live Bridge comes back stronger than ever.
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I’m terrified of elevators and taking steps to avoid them.
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There are two ways of arguing with your bridge partner.
Neither one works.
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For news and results from around Unit 190, check out the Unit 190 website and click on the links below:
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Unit 217: Susquehanna
Jim McKeown
jcm@psu.edu
Please join us for our next sectional May 29 to 31, 2020 at the Boalsburg Fire Co in Boalsburg, PA.
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