January 2014 - 8

Letters to the Editor

We weren't the only players commenting on this schedule. We agreed,
on the drive home, that we would check
event times more carefully to avoid
playing until 11 p.m. We have our gold
points and don't need to spend our
money participating in some seniorcitizen endurance challenge.
I hope the tournament chairs seriously look at the numbers and see if
other players are also voting with their
feet.
CHUCK PERSON
Barnegat NJ

Earlier is better

My wife, Carmela, and I would like to
add our support for the earlier starting times at tournaments. The letter in
the October issue (page 7) stated the
case very clearly. It is much easier for
us to attend local tournaments with
the earlier starting times as it allows
us to return home and not have to pay
for a hotel room. That's just one reason.
There are many more.
JIM COLEMAN
Frankford DE

'Respect' award?

I know a diligent and loyal bridge
player who is past 90 years old, plays
several days a week and is only 3.5 gold
points short of the requirements required to become a Life Master. Travel
to regionals or NABCs has become difficult, so she may never earn her gold
card.
I propose, therefore, a modification
of the requirements for all members in
good standing by formally designating
an "honor and respect" award of one
gold masterpoint upon reaching the age
of 90 and each additional year thereafter. All other requirements for achieving the rank would remain unchanged.
I am unrelated to any possible beneficiary, a long way from 90 years old,

8 Bridge Bulletin January 2014

and need many more masterpoints to
achieve Life Master rank.
HOWARD SALASIN
Fort Washington PA
Comments, readers?

Warm welcome

Not long ago, my husband, Mark, and
I had to make an unexpected trip to
Amman, Jordan, to visit my brother,
who was hospitalized there.
Realizing it would be several weeks
before we could return to the U.S.,
Mark went online to see if there was a
bridge club in Amman. After finding
the club's website, he sent an email
requesting information.
The club president wrote to invite us
to be their guests and even picked us up
at our hotel. We arrived at a beautiful
building, owned by the 200-plus members of the club. They play Standard
American and use bidding boxes and
electronic scoring.
Everyone we met was friendly, and
they played a very competitive bridge
game. It was the holiday of Ramadan,
so play started at 4 p.m., ending close to
sundown so that those attending could
leave to end their daily fast with the
traditional "breakfast" dinner meal.
Our experience was different and
very pleasant.
DEBBIE BOROWSKY
Boynton Beach FL

Misguided?

As I read Zubair Hassan's proposal
that the ACBL "tackle the problem" of
obesity among its members (November, page 7), I did so with amusement
and disdain. To be fair, he lists good
points about obesity and diet, but his
misguided, intrusive, Bloombergian
idea that weight issues, whether real or
imagined, be addressed by the ACBL is
ludicrous.

I offer some advice to Hassan: Mind
your own business - and deal!
JAMES HICKERSON
Cartersville GA

No fat police

I do not believe that people want the
ACBL to decide what is right for them
to eat, as per Mr. Hassan's suggestion.
The ACBL is about bridge, not about
telling people how to eat. If it turns
into that, I will cancel my membership.
People should decide for themselves.
Most of the people who attend games
are adults and should be treated as
such. I have not heard of anyone dying
of second-hand sugar. Finally, there are
many fine people who bake treats for
people who attend their games. They
enjoy doing it, and people enjoy the
homemade touch.
BRIAN LINDERMAN
Plano TX

The irony of it

I don't usually write in on bridge
columns, especially about English usage, but in his otherwise fine column
in the November issue (page 53), Frank
Stewart misused one of my favorite
words (quixotic).
Mr. Stewart meant "ironic" in referring to the fact that he got to a winning notrump contract after opening
1ࡖ while his opponent at the other
table went down in a heart game after
opening 1NT. Quixotic (from "Don
Quixote") describes behavior more like
that warned against in Marty Bergen's
column on the opposite page: continuing to cuebid even after discovering
that you are missing controls in one of
the suits.
MARC ROBINSON
Troy MI

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2014