November 2017 - 35

Iowa club focuses on IMPs

By Mike Cassel | District 14 GNT Coordinator

The University Bridge
Club in Iowa City, managed by Bob Otto, is
the only club I know of
whose primary focus is
on IMP play. The effort
paid off for a team of C
players from the club
who won District 14's
GNT Flight B competition and went to the
Toronto NABC this
Eli Jolley, Scott Spitze, Eric McKee and Elizabeth Gotlund
summer.
represented District 14 in the Flight B Grand National Teams
after getting extensive training on IMPs play at the
"I don't think any othUniversity Bridge Club in Iowa City.
er club spends as much
time as I do training my
players how to play in IMP pairs and team events," Otto said. "I took particular
pleasure in seeing some success this year."
Otto's main game is his Tuesday night "bridge lab," where bidding aids are allowed at the table. Despite being held in the evening, it has become the biggest
game in town.
It is an open game, but the vast majority of players are non-Life Masters, and
reservations are required. It began seven years ago as a friendly venue for Otto's
students to hone their bridge skills. Otto sends out emails explaining how the bidding should have gone on each deal. Players getting poor results are targeted with
additional emails explaining where they went wrong.
From May through August, the club conducts pair games; the rest of the year,
except for a few special games, it's teams. "Most players prefer the team season to
the pair season," Otto said. Players who wish to form their own teams are allowed
to do so. Otherwise Otto matches them up in an effort to create a balanced field.
"It is a rare night when a team does not win at least one or two matches, so
everyone in the room goes home with some masterpoints," Otto said. The format
is well-suited to recruiting new ACBL members. Otto has recruited more than 40
in the past seven years. "IMPs is the best scoring method for new players. They
learn to get to their games and slams"

'NAP' time intrigues

By Betty Scull | Shore Bridge Club

Betty Scull, who directs Wednesdays at the
Shore Bridge Club in Atlantic City NJ, took
a flier with the club's August schedule to a
copy shop to make copies. When the technician returned the copies, she asked Scull
what it was for. When Scull explained it was
for the club, the technician paused and said,
"Oh, I think I would like Wednesday." Intrigued that her game was chosen, Scull asked why she picked that day. "Because
you have pizza and then take a nap!" she said. Not a bad idea, but of course it was
for the North American Pairs.
◾

American Bridge
Teachers' Association

Call

f o r E nt r i e s

The American Bridge
Teachers' Association
welcomes submissions
for our annual book and
technology awards.
Presentation will be made at
our annual convention,
to be held in conjunction
with the 2018 ACBL
Summer NABC in Atlanta.
Winners are determined
based on the value of the
product to bridge teachers
and/or students. A winner may
be selected in each of the
following categories:
Beginner/Novice
Book of the Year
Intermediate to Advanced
Book of the Year
Software/Technology
of the Year
(software, media, etc.)
Works published since
May 1, 2017, are eligible.
Reprints will not be considered
unless there are substantial
revisions. Authors or publishers
may contact Awards Committee
chair, Pat Harrington,
ppharrr@gmail.com for
information on how to
submit an entry.

Entries close on
May 1, 2018.
November 2017 Bridge Bulletin

http://www.abtahome.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2017