January 2012 - 7

Letters to the Editor

incredible.
During the tournament, she was
always right there, reminding you of
the information you needed against
the pairs you were about to play.
During the actual playing time, she
always made sure everyone had what
they needed, whether it was three
extra espressos for Steve Weinstein, a
sandwich - anything.
When we played badly, she was always more than supportive and positive. It made me realize how much
work she has done for bridge over
many years, responsibly, tirelessly and
flawlessly.
Jan does it all with a smile on her
face, at the same time always taking
great care of Chipper the Ripper.
Thank you, Jan. We love you and really appreciate you.
BOBBY LEVIN
Henderson NV
For those who don't know, Chipper
the Ripper is Chip Martel, Jan's
husband. Martel got the nickname,
according to Levin, because he likes
to double the opponents.

Major discovery
To the Editor:
One of my great regrets is that
despite all the bridge that I played socially from the Fifties to the Eighties
- with people from Canada, the U.S.
and the U.K - no one ever mentioned
duplicate.
In the Eighties, I moved to another
province, and a new bridge-playing
acquaintance took me to the local
club. I am so grateful. Now, whenever I can, I share the message of the
challenge and the joys to be had from
duplicate with social bridge players.
I have always read widely - books
papers, publications, etc. - and I
think that is where the message has
to be found. I feel certain that if I
had come across an article about
advancing your social bridge game
to a higher level through duplicate, I
would have been intrigued enough to
learn more about it. I can't be alone.
Early on, we all read Goren, and

then I discovered Edgar Kaplan -
what a great find that was. With his
great sense of humor, studying bridge
was really fun.
MELVIE SAVAGE
Winnipeg MB

Against psychs
To the Editor:
By my definition, a psychic bid is
one that purposely misleads the bidder's partner as well as the opponents
as to the bidder's strength and/or
distribution.
As there are two opponents and
only one partner, the ratio of confused
people at the table is 2:1 in the psych
bidder's favor. In actuality, I know of
cases where the psych has confused
the psycher, but that is another story.
As a player, I have never psyched
and have frowned on partner's psychs
as an admission that the opponents
are superior players and that this is
the only way to "level the playing field
(or table)." When I play against better
players, I enjoy the challenge of trying
to do well by orthodox means.
Against weaker players, I already
have an edge, so there is little need
for taking risks that may destroy partnership confidence.
As a player and as a director, I have
seen good players psych against weak
opponents. In my view, this is abhorrent behavior. It is an attempt to turn
an already slanted table into a vertical
wall against the weaker player.
The ACBL view is that psyching is
part of the game and as such, must be
accepted. On the other hand, many a
beginner has stayed away from duplicate bridge because of ugly incidents
involving psychs by stronger players.
I have no objection to permitting psychic bids in flighted events.
However, organizations and directors
should be permitted to limit psych
bids in stratified events.
ROBERT SHUSTER
Hampstead QC
Of all the aspects of bridge that
annoy some of the members, psychic
bidding hits more hot buttons than

any other topic. The fact that psychic bidding is legal according to the
Laws of Duplicate Bridge does not
lessen the angst. It should be noted,
of course, that clubs have wide latitude in what is permitted regarding
bidding, including psychs. Thoughts,
readers?

Bids like Jeff
To the Editor:
The November issue of the Bridge
Bulletin reinforced my love for our
game. Some examples:
1. Spingold - The opponents hold
nine spades between them, including the ace, king and queen. Confidently, you bid 3NT and make ...
2. Spingold - Your partner opens
1. Holding 5 high-card points and
six hearts, you respond 1, your
two-card suit ...
3. It's Your Call - There is one perfect score among the experts, but
seven amateurs get the magic 500.
4. It's Your Call - Jeff Meckstroth
gets the worst score (among humans) at 360. Jeff can count to 13,
can't he?
5. It's Your Call - Jose Delgado and
Jeff make exactly the same bids.
JOSE DELGADO
Miami FL

Likes detail
To the Editor:
Thanks for publishing Jim Lopushinsky's description of the computer
algorithm that ACBL uses to generate
hands (September, page 7). I did not
know that time, date, etc., were part
of the algorithm and, the use of two
48-bit words, one being overflow, ➤
Letters to the editor are welcome
by regular mail, email editor@acbl.
org or fax 662-253-3187. 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.
January 2012 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2012