June 2007 - 8

Letters to the Editor

It's the law
To the Editor:
In March (page 45), the Hat Lady
responded to a question about a player taking his partner's hand out of the
board after the completion of play.
She wrote that this is a "social gaffe"
that should be tolerated, and the most
one should do is suggest that they ask
permission first.
This is more than just a faux pas.
It is a violation of the "Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge," the ultimate
rules of our game. Law 7B2 includes:
"No player shall touch any cards
other than his own (but declarer may
play dummy's cards in accordance
with Law 45) during or after play
[emphasis mine] except by permission of the Director."
Yes, this is one of the most ignored
points in the Laws - I've seen players pull out other players' hands from
the board many times, and I haven't
called the director on them. However,
a bridge publication should strive to
recommend correct procedure, not
condone improper behavior. This
column is in the section targeted to
new players, and the best time to instill appreciation of the Laws is when
they're still learning.
BARRY MARGOLIN
Arlington MA

Don't mock
To the Editor:
I was offended by the sarcastic tone
of Charlene Sunderland's letter (December, page 8), which mocked the
sensible idea of actual non-smoking
sections. Her letter did not reflect the
true bridge spirit.
Her stated priority is increasing
attendance at bridge events. Following her logic, we could attract more
players if people were allowed to
smoke, eat, drink, argue and swear
at the bridge table. However, certain
standards are set so all players feel
comfortable.
She also finds other's health concerns to be "frivolous." Fragrances
and other strong scents can trigger
allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivities, migraines and adverse reactions
for chemotherapy patients, among
8

others. Is it really unreasonable to accommodate bridge players with these
and other chronic conditions?
BELINDA BROCK
Chicago IL

Time wasted?
To the Editor:
Your "Viewpoint" piece in the
December issue (page 6) raises the
question of whether time spent playing bridge is wasted.
In the early Sixties, I gave up
playing bridge. I would go to large
tournaments where hundreds of tables
of players were for the most part
unaware that the world existed. They
seemed unaware that issues such as
civil rights, the bomb and poverty
existed.
Having retired at the age of 70,
I have resumed playing duplicate.
Sadly, I find the same situation exists.
The game is still fascinating. The
people playing it are not very different from the rest of the people in
this country. Bridge is a wonderful
escape. Why don't they become part
of the world outside of bridge? It is
the world our descendants will have
to live in.
MICHAEL EHRLICH
New York NY

Sorry, Dad
To the Editor:
In 1949, when I was 13, my father,
Simon "Skippy" Becker, introduced
me to bridge caddying. During a
regional event that had many nationally ranked teams, they needed
volunteers to make up a team to fill
out a movement. I had never played
in a tournament before and I thought
it would be great fun.
Three women there to kibitz also
volunteered to play. The tournament
ended in a three-way tie. One team
had Charles Goren and Helen Sobel.
Another team featured Charles and
Peggy Solomon. My father and Norman Kay were the stars of the third
team.
My inexperienced team finished
out of the money, but we won two out
of two boards from the Goren team
(it was board-a-match scoring), two

out of two from my father's team,
and one out of two from the Solomon
team. Four newcomers who had never
met had a major impact on an important event. It was several years before
my father forgave me.
BOB BECKER
Ambler PA

Expert bonus
To the Editor:
The letters about Jim Cheney's
suggested scoring change (March,
page 11) brought to mind our family's
favorite bridge story about perceived
flaws in the scoring system.
My father, J. G. Ripstra (Life Master No. 139), was president of the
ACBL in 1957. Being from Wichita
KS, he played with the best of that
area in his time: Bobby Nail, John
Hubbel, David Carter, Willie Crook,
Red Dickerson and others. Many fine
players such as Jerry Michaud came
from this same bridge environment.
My father's favorite - but lesserknown - partner was Marty Nelson,
a fast talker from the East, a "street
child" of bridge and a genuinely
unorthodox character. One day, Marty
complained to "Rip" that the scoring
system needed adjusting. He said it
was not fair that South took a simple
finesse to make 5NT while he, also
sitting South, had made the same
contract on an intricate endplay.
Marty completely believed that his
line of play, being more complicated,
entitled him to a bonus.
How marvelous that this challenging game we all love exhibits a sense
of humor at times.
JEANE RIPSTRA LANDRY
Lawrence KS

2007
Membership
Meeting
The annual ACBL membership
meeting is scheduled for Sunday,
July 22, at 9:45 a.m. at the
Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The
meeting, which takes place during
the Summer NABC, is open
to all members. Check the onsite
Daily Bulletin for the specific location.
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2007
