August 2005 - 8

Letters to the Editor

This was the auction at the first
table:
West
North
East
South
Pass
1NT
Pass
2
Dbl
All Pass
2 doubled made two: plus 470.
East-West can take 12 tricks in
notrump (because of the blockage
in clubs), spades or diamonds, so
North-South predicted that minus
470 would be good for them. They
were right.
No pair bid a slam, but there were
enough scores of plus 480 and plus
490 to give East-West only
4 matchpoints on an 11 top.
ED RASMUSSEN
South Weymouth MA
Too bad for East-West that one
of them didn't redouble (that's
plus 640). If North runs to 3,
best defense can hold that contract
(doubled, presumably) to five tricks.

Wants to play up
To the Editor:
My partner and I are college
students and have enjoyed playing
bridge for about five years. No
doubt if we had more time and
money, we could have been Life
Masters and beyond several years
ago. Unfortunately, we do not have
the luxury of playing in numerous
tournaments, and we both still have
fewer than 300 masterpoints each.
The closest tournaments are in
Indianapolis. We enjoy playing
open pairs and have had lots of fun
against some tough competition. At
Indianapolis sectionals, however,
they run bracketed Swiss teams.
First off, except for the bottom
bracket in which we are forced to
play, these are not Swiss teams at
all - they are round-robin games.
While the people in the bottom
flight are very nice, the fact is that
based on bridge skill we do not
belong there. We are placed there
based on masterpoints (or dare I
say age and time spent playing
tournaments). And this is at a
sectionally (not nationally) rated
game. It is my understanding that
it has already been pointed out to
them that this is unfair and biased
against good young players, and I
8

do not understand why they wish
to continue pushing us away from
the game.
I do know that I won't bother
driving an hour only to be told I
can't play against the best. It isn't
worth the time, and it certainly isn't
worth the entry fee.
JOE NOLAN
Lafayette IN

Advertise!
To the Editor:
Here's an idea for membership
recruitment. What if every club had
a stick-on "advertisement" of sorts
with the name of the club, phone
number and something like "free
lessons" on it? We members could
affix them to our monthly Bridge
Bulletins and pass them on to places
where potential members might
gather, such as the local hospital
waiting room (your name and points
removed, of course).
VICKI CREAMER
La Mesa CA

Good service
To the Editor:
I recently notified you that my
masterpoint total was inaccurate by
.35 MP earned at an ACBL sanctioned club. I forwarded a copy of
the ACBLscore short printout provided by the club director to verify
my claim.
A short time later, my MP total
was credited with the correct
fractional MP and my total is once
again true. This may seem a de
minimis matter to some, but because
ACBL MPs are among the few
things I do collect, it is important
to me. Therefore I would like to
take this opportunity to express my
sincere thanks to the ACBL Club
and Member Services Department
for their good work and excellent
service provided to me as a member
for the past 18 years.
This is the first time that even a
minor oversight had occurred with

www.acbl.org

my MP total, and you acted upon
my request with dispatch and customary competence. This is indeed
impressive considering there are
more than 150,000 active ACBL
members.
MARTIN McDONALD
Calgary AB

Senior gripe
To the Editor:
I was recently canceled for
my regular Monday bridge date
because the club took part in the
ACBL-wide Senior game. I find it
discouraging that the ACBL is now
having Senior games at the club
level. Aren't there enough Senior
events at tournaments?
Having played bridge all over
the country, I have found that I
am usually the only non-Senior at
daytime club games. Why are you
discriminating against me instead
of encouraging me? What is the
purpose of a Senior club game?
GAIL HAIRE
Tampa FL
The ACBL-wide Senior Pairs
began in 1984. This year's event
attracted 12,584 players.

Missing Edith
To the Editor:
Earlier this year, we lost Edith
Dovell of Hampton VA. Edith was
a longtime bridge advocate in our
state, specifically Unit 110. She was
a member of the National Goodwill
Committee and, at various times
through more than 30 years, a
teacher, director, club owner, officer
of the Unit 110 board of directors as well as a representative to
District 6.
Even in her 80s, Edith was an
exceptional bridge player. Thanks
to her, a whole new generation of
players and directors in Unit 110
have come along and made the
Williamsburg VA tournaments
what they are today. ACBL
members all over Virginia will
miss her.
CHARLES SADOWSKI JR.
(President, Unit 110)
Yorktown VA
Bridge Bulletin
http://www.acbl.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2005
