June 2012 - 7

Letters to the Editor

the country.
I want to compliment the two Intermediate/Newcomer directors, Judy
Cotterman and Priscilla Smith, on
their professionalism, efficiency and
humor. Everyone was amazed at how
well the entire tournament was run.
Thanks to the volunteers in the
Memphis area who helped.
SARKIS V. KISH
Memphis TN

Had a blast
To the Editor:
I just returned from my first experience at an NABC (Memphis).
As a newer player, I felt excited but
nervous. Would I find a partner? Play
well? Have fun? The answer: Yes, yes,
yes. I loved it. I attended free lessons
and met many of the great players you
read about in the Bridge Bulletin. To
any new player thinking about attending an NABC, I say just do it!
FRED SPITZZERI
Naperville IL

Wave it
To the Editor:
I would guess that fewer than one
in 10 of our players use the ACBL
standard method for Alerting bids by
tapping the bidding box and speaking
the word "Alert."
I have, however, observed some
players with an improved method.
Using the Alert "flag" or the Alert
card, they say "Alert" while tapping
the card tray in the center of the table
with the flag or card.
Many of our senior players are
"hearing-challenged," and this method
provides a visual signal to all the players at the table. It also cuts down on
complaints from players claiming not
to be aware of the Alert.
BUDDY CARLS
Huntington Beach CA

Education needed
To the Editor:
I have an occasional partner who
has trouble with support doubles and

redoubles. At a recent club game, I
was dealer and the auction began
1-Pass-1- Dbl; Redbl (no Alert
from partner). The opponents eventually ended up in a three-level partial,
just making, a good score for them.
Although I was sure declarer couldn't
have taken any more tricks if she had
definite information beforehand about
the heart distribution, I properly
informed her when play concluded
about my partner's failure to Alert my
redouble.
Her response, uttered with a trace
of sarcasm: "It's a little late." This
declarer is a very experienced player.
I explained that I could not announce
the failure to Alert earlier because I
would be passing information to my
partner, but this explanation was met
with indifference. At this point, I felt
annoyed (which I did not express)
and discouraged. Perhaps more
education of the members is needed
about this situation.
JACK MARGID
San Francisco CA

Against disclosure
To the Editor:
To my knowledge, bridge is the only
competitive game where you tell the
opposition what you are doing. Can
you imagine a football coach telling the other side his game plan, or
a poker player telling what is in his
hand?
It's time for changes. I would like
to play in a tournament with no
exchanges. It would be fun and much
more challenging than today's game.
WILBUR NICKEL
Indianapolis IN
Comments, readers?

Final thoughts
To the Editor:
As the instigator of the comments
on discussions at the bridge table, allow me to add some extra thoughts.
I firmly believe that open discussions do more good than sweeping issues under the carpet. The discussion
in the magazine has showed that my

point of view doesn't represent that of
a marginal fraction of our community
and that it therefore warrants consideration.
This discussion could go on and on,
and some of the views expressed in
letters to the editor could be challenged. I conclude by offering one last
thought: Discussions at the table are
not a good solution for every or even
most partnerships, but in my opinion
the most important outcome of such
an exchange of opinions is that each
side has an opportunity to see the opposing arguments, which should help
in improved mutual understandings
and, one can hope, lead to more tolerance for everyone.
WITOLD PALOSZ
Cockeysville MD

Be fair
To the Editor:
I was a club owner and director
along with my wife for four years.
Nothing is more frustrating to the
director and other players than slow
play that results from discussion of
the hands. We told the players that
they should discuss the hands only after the last board of a round is played.
A number of players in our game
made notations of things that they
want to discuss. It's the only way that
is fair to all of the players in the game.
Remember that duplicate bridge
is a timed event, 15 minutes for two
boards and 21 minutes for three.
We had pre-dealt hands and handouts of the played boards.
JOHN MATTIS
Sunnyvale CA

➤
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.
June 2012 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2012