August 2005 - 7

Letters to the Editor

July (pages 6 and 7).
I have been involved in duplicate
bridge, ACBL style, at all levels
- directing, administration, club
ownership and play - for the past
55 years. I assure you, first-time
duplicate players are making a big
step, and they are as nervous as
they can be. Every play and bid is
a problem. They have no idea what
tempo is.
Call the director on them? Try
to explain it to them? Just swallow
hard and leave them alone. They are
not trying to cheat you. They are
too scared.
A line of people who played at a
club once and never returned would
wind around the world a few times.
JERRY PRISYON
Valley Stream NY
Those same people who never
return also tell their friends
- potential ACBL members -
not to bother.

Good move
To the Editor:
I commend you for finally changing In Memoriam to eliminate
the designation of Life Master
by asterisk. Though in our bridge
community, becoming a Life Master is an accomplishment, I have
felt for years that people who did
not achieve this goal should not be
diminished in death by the absence
of the asterisk. In their own way,
each member's life touched others,
and we should mourn losing
our friends regardless of their
masterpoint holdings.
BARBARA KLEMPNER
Beachwood OH

No more stars
To the Editor:
I had long abhorred the practice
of flagging the names of Life Masters in the In Memoriam column
with asterisks, and I applaud your
recent decision to end it. I considered it undemocratic and elitist.
Perhaps there was some justification for it in the very early years of
the ACBL, when Life Masters were
few in number, but even then, the
solemn implication that they were a
August 2005

breed apart and somehow more deserving of a place in heaven seemed
ludicrous. On the contrary, years of
struggling for masterpoints against a
few rude Life Masters left me convinced that, happily, heaven was not
likely to be their destination.
I changed my mind, however,
when I became one.
MARTIN SANDBERG
Walnut Creek CA

New strats?
To the Editor:
I wish to propose a stratification
scheme borrowed from horse racing.
Strat C: no member of the pair or
team has an open regional
win.
Strat B: no member of the pair or
team has won three open
regional events.
Strat A: at least one member of the
pair or team has three or
more open regional wins.
An open regional win means first
place (including ties) in a regionally
or higher rated events without age,
gender or upper masterpoint restrictions. Wins in Seniors, women's,
mixed, Flight B, Flight X or bracketed knockout (except for the top
bracket) would not count. The qualification history span could also be
changed, from "lifetime" to "the past
10 years" or other period of time.
Winning requires consistency and
is a clear measure of expertise. The
ACBL should give this a try.
PAUL KOPELMAN
Wayne NJ

Another view
To the Editor:
I am adding a voice in favor of
the 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. schedule
at NABCs. This allows time for
winding down, including exercise,
after the second session for a good
night's sleep. Those concerned
about eating have plenty of time for
a large, relaxing breakfast and an
upscale dinner - the second session
does end at about 6:30 p.m. Given
that, a quick, light lunch would
probably be best for both health and
weight reasons. Those who don't
want to play bridge three sessions

a day might consider shows or
concerts in the evening.
BRIAN SANN
Silver Bay NY

Memories
To the Editor:
This Korean war vet can see many
things in the photo on the cover of
the June Bridge Bulletin. For sure,
they are not playing bridge! It's
probably hearts. As for the soldier
playing a card face down, I suspect
that he is just unloading the Q.
One thing for sure, it was impossible for me to get a seat in a
bridge game in my war. The two
decks of cards I took overseas came
back with the seals unbroken. The
officers were always looking for a
fourth, but I wasn't invited to sit in
- and for reasons we all know. No,
I was not bothered by that, as my
father was a West Point grad, and I
spent the Thirties on army posts.
Still, you couldn't have found a
better photo.
WILLIAM H. MINTER
Lindon UT

Surprise result
To the Editor:
An unusual result occurred on the
following board from a recent charity club championship.
Dlr: North  8 7 2
Vul: N-S  K J 10 9 5 4
982
A
 A K 10 9 4
J6
N
87
A Q 6
W E
 K J 10 5 4
A Q 6
S
 10
QJ976
Q53
32
73
K85432

Letters to the editor are welcome by
regular mail, e-mail editor@acbl.org
or fax 901-398-7754. Brevity is
considered a virtue, as is subject
matter with relevance to a majority
of ACBL members. Unsigned letters
are not considered for publication,
so please include your name and
hometown. Letters may be edited.
All letters will receive a response.

7
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2005
