August 2009 - 8

Letters to the Editor

against the experts.
I am very happy that I can now
play ACBL-sanctioned games online.
Duplicate bridge has given me lots
of pleasure and I made many friends
over the years. Belonging to the
bridge family has certainly enriched
my life.
BRIGITTE BROKAMP
Montreal QC

More boards, please
To the Editor:
At the recent Gatlinburg Regional,
I entered a two-session regional pairs
event and was unpleasantly surprised
to find that the event consisted of
two 24-board sessions rather than the
traditional 26 boards per session.
I was told that the approach varies
by district but is becoming more
common. I was also told that side
regional pairs events at NABCs have
adopted this practice.
I would like to take this opportunity
to (1) express my personal dislike of
this practice, (2) request that those
who set the conditions of contest explain their rationale and (3) stimulate
a discussion among the membership
about this practice.
STEVE HUHMAN
Larchmont NY

Keep the carrot
To the Editor:
During the past few months (and
years) there have been many letters
bemoaning the supposed ease of
earning masterpoints and the attainment of the Life Master rating.
Typically, the letter writer goes into
great detail about playing against
masters who treated new players with
disdain, and the winning of a tenth of
a point was a major achievement.
To me this is analogous to the tales
our grandparents told us about walking uphill to school (both ways) with
no shoes in the dead of winter.
At one time the game we love was
the "in" thing. As we all know, we are
slowly regaining some of the luster
the game once had, but it is still a
struggle to increase table counts locally and at tournaments.
One of the best motivational tools
8

is to dangle the carrot of the Life
Master rating to the newer players.
This motivates them to play more at
our clubs, sectionals and regionals to
reach the goal of LM rank. The fact
that they earned their rating faster
does not diminish anyone else's Life
Master rating, no matter how hard or
how long it took to earn it.
There are estimates that it costs
$50 to $100 to earn one masterpoint
when you count the dues, card fees,
travel expenses, etc. With the current
Life Master requirements, that means
it will cost $15,000 to $30,000 to
become a Life Master.
The new requirements, starting
Jan. 1, will increase the cost to over
$25,000. My question is, why remove
the carrot and replace it with a mortgage?
DICK HEIL
North Little Rock AR

Score adjustment
To the Editor:
I have often wondered how you
estimate the scores in the Bidding
Box. In particular, on problem two
of April's Bidding Box article (page
31), you rate 7 higher than 6, but
the grand slam in diamonds makes
only if trumps break 3-3, a prospect
whose probability is little more than
one-third.
MORTON DAVIS
El Cerrito CA
Your observation is correct. The
grand slam should have received a
lower score than the small slam.

Bridge humor
To the Editor:
I have always heard the anonymous
quote cited in the April Viewpoint
as, "I would give my left arm to be
ambidextrous."
At a recent game at our club in
northern Kentucky, my partner and I
were sitting North-South when two
newcomers arrived at our table. On
the first board, West opened 1NT.
I was next to bid and didn't hear a
point range statement from East, so I
inquired, "What is your point range?"
With a straight face and after looking at her hand, she said, "I don't

know yet. Let me count them." This
broke the tension and everybody
started laughing. Thanks, Katy (not
her real name) for adding to the fun.
TIMOTHY MARTIN
Fort Thomas KY

Apples and oranges
To the Editor:
I have no objection to online bridge
players earning masterpoints, but
they should count toward awards in
a separate category. The games are
not the same. Club and tournament
games are as different from online
games as college basketball and the
NBA.
For example, what is a long hesitation online? It could just as easily be
a transmission problem. Also, nothing prevents an online player from
referring to his convention card or
partnership agreements while bidding.
And, of course, the opportunities to
cheat are numerous - one can't ban
cell phones for online players.
I'm sure there are more differences.
DAVID GOLDSTEIN
New Brunswick NJ

Important notice
The ACBL Board of Directors
has approved new requirements
for attaining the rank of Life Master,
starting next year.
The new regulation specifies
that it does not apply to those
who are (dues-paid) ACBL members as of Dec. 31, 2009, and
maintain continuous membership in the ACBL until they become LMs. As of Jan. 1, 2010,
the requirements for attaining
LM status change to 500 total
masterpoints, of which 50 must be
gold or platinum; 50 red, gold or
platinum, 75 silver and 75 black.
IMPORTANT: This means that if
your membership is not active as
of Dec. 31, 2009, you will be required to fulfill the new Life Master
requirements. It also means that if
you let your membership lapse after
Jan. 1, 2010, before you become a
Life Master, the new requirements
will apply to you.

Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2009
