August 2008 - 7

Letters to the Editor

with the bath water.
I always try to communicate in
such a clear and accurate manner
that my partner can't misunderstand
my bid. If it happens, then I failed
to be the best partner I could be. My
partner and I always discuss causes of
these kinds of problems because good
communication is essential to success
in bridge.
Just because some players misuse
Stop cards isn't sufficient reason to
eliminate them altogether. I would
retain them.
DAVE D. STEEVES
Charlottetown PE

Stop card addition?
To the Editor:
In the days before bidding boxes, a
person often said something like, "I
am about to make a skip bid. Please
wait 10 seconds before bidding." It
was very pointed to add the phrase
about waiting 10 seconds. Without
that phrase, many people would not
hesitate unless they had a problem.
Adding the phrase helped players
learn the purpose of the skip bid
warning, and they learned to wait the
10 seconds or so before bidding.
In today's game (particularly at
clubs), I rarely see players wait 10
seconds after a Stop card. An easy
solution would be to change the writing on the Stop card to "Please Wait
10 Seconds" or, space permitting,
"Please Wait 10 Seconds Before Bidding." It would take a while to phase
the new card into bidding boxes, but
it might get people to behave legally.
BILL LANDRUM
Detroit MI

Too young
To the Editor:
I live in Maine, enduring cold,
snowy winters. What better way
to welcome spring than to attend a
regional bridge tournament at Cape
Cod MA?
Although I have been playing
bridge for more than 15 years, I am
only 52 years young, so I cannot play
in this Seniors only tournament. Yes,
I can play in a sectionally rated side
game, but all my older partners want
August 2008

to play in games where they can win
gold points.
Over the years, one topic keeps appearing in the Bridge Bulletin: How
to attract more young people to the
wonderful game of bridge. I would
think one way would be to eliminate
tournaments for Seniors only.
PATRICIA M. DAMON
Winslow ME

Fond memories
To the Editor:
What a great article about John
"Spider" Harris (June, page 6). I, too,
was a great fan of that colorful character. Spider made tournaments more
fun, and he ran them well.
I also appreciated your comment
at the end of the article concerning
friends at bridge. I am one of the
"Hat Ladies" who have been wearing
matching hats to tournaments since
1988.
We have made many friends and,
though we may not always remember
their names, we know the faces. I
went though kidney dialysis and
was encouraged and supported at
the bridge table by both players and
directors.
What a great game - and masterpoints are the least of the benefits.
BETTE BYRD
Sweetwater TX

Machlin's rule
To the Editor:
The report that Jerry Machlin was
elected to the ACBL Bridge Hall of
Fame (June, page 37) stated that the
legendary tournament director Al
Sobel prompted Machlin to become a
director but failed to mention that Al
was Jerry's uncle.
In explaining declarer's options to
an opening lead out of turn, today's
TDs fail to mention the Machlin rule.
It was Jerry's belief that declarer
should always accept this lead. He
felt that if the miscreant didn't know
who was on lead he probably didn't
know what to lead, either.
BOB MOSS
Silver Spring MD

Four passes = no play
To the Editor:
I don't like the idea of playing
passed-out deals in 1NT, as suggested
in this space (March, page 7). If you
think you can make 1NT, bid it. To
not bid it and get the same reward is
unfair. This would also mean third
seat may trap pass when they could
have opened. Playing it "for fun"
might help pass the time, but this
could be allowed only on the final
board of the session. Otherwise,
players could see all four hands being
played and know that it was a
passout. Keep the current system.
GORDON LINK
Lantzville BC

Director, please!
To the Editor:
The question of what to do with
Democratic delegates in Michigan
and Florida (the states that held
illegal primary elections) could easily
be solved by a bridge director. Score
each state as "NP," which in bridge
means the board was not played.
Each side receives the same percentages of votes (or delegates) as he or
she received in the elections of all the
other states. Problem solved!
HENRY WELTMAN
Fort Worth TX

Ever or never?
To the Editor:
Marilyn Hemenway writes in her
May column (page 52) regarding the
bridge adage "eight ever, nine never"
that it is close to the truth, but in fact
the odds are in favor of playing for a
3-1 split. It is correct that a 3-1 split
is more likely than a 2-2 split, but
we must include the fact that one out
of every four times the 3-1 split will
have the queen sitting singleton, in 
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.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2008
