June 2019 - 8

Letters to the Editor
it a pleasurable experience. There were
many hotels and restaurants to choose
from within a $1 trolley ride, as well as
many local tours at reasonable rates.
I especially appreciated the ACBL
shuttle service that used three vans
operated by Shelly, Dwayne and Pierre.
They ran daily from 4 p.m. until after
the evening session. They went out of
their way to assist the less-able passengers, while ferrying players to and
from the convention center, hotels and
restaurants.
Nice work, Memphis bridge!
PAUL JOHNSON
Four Oaks NC
Please give Tournament Director
Peter Wilkes commendation for handling a group of grumpy players related
to a delay issue in the Rockwell Mixed
Pairs in Memphis. He deftly handled
a very stressful situation, and he had
several different people pulling him
in various directions. He was patient,
kind, respectful and (most of all) he
listened to all players, very sincerely,
and then acted to address problems
proactively.
Similarly, he listened to my partner and me when there was another
incident earlier in tournament that
involved negative behavior on another
director's part. In contrast, Peter was
very attuned to the damage done, and
he affirmed the standards the ACBL
has for its players and directors. He
showed exceptional customer service,
and he deserves to be recognized for it.
MATTHEW MORGAN
Nashville TN
I have just arrived home from
Memphis after playing four days at the
NABC. It was a nine-hour car drive,
and I had some time to reflect on the
days at the bridge table. Some were
nice, most were unpleasant. Let me
explain.
My friends and I played during the

8 Bridge Bulletin June 2019

second week of the tournament. I
believe there might have been a few of
the opponents who appeared to have
had a shower in the past day or two,
however, the majority of bridge players
I encountered had greasy hair, clothing that smelled or hadn't been cleaned
in days, and smelled of body odor. I
even noticed it going up and down the
escalators in the convention center. At
one point during the play of the hand,
I had to scoot my chair away from the
table, as the opponents' body odor was
so offensive I thought I might be ill.
This is not the first time I have encountered this issue at a bridge tournament. At Gatlinburg last year, I talked
to a director and asked if something
could be done. She had no solution.
I recall a few years ago there was a
big push by the ACBL to discourage
people wearing cologne and perfume,
as those scents were deemed offensive
to many players. I would like to propose that the Bulletin publish some
columns about the importance of good
personal hygiene while attending
bridge tournaments. A recommendation of a daily shower, clean clothes
daily, and deodorant could be a part of
this column. I am serious. I am scheduled to fly to Greenville in June, but
that will probably be my last tournament. The lack of personal cleanliness
has made it almost unbearable to attend large ACBL tournaments.
LINDA DELLSPERGER
League City TX
I enjoyed the recent article on
strange situations that directors have
faced. I would like to add a recent
incident from the NABC in Memphis.
In the Silver Ribbon Pairs, my partner
revoked at trick three, I revoked at
trick six, and declarer made an incorrect claim at trick nine! The director
did not know whether to laugh or cry.
FRED KING
McLean VA

Review, please

Here's something funny that happened to us at a club game in Brunswick ME we visited while on vacation
about 15 years ago.
The room was interrupted with loud
laughter from a table in the middle
of the room, followed by a, "Director,
please," and more laughter. The director responded and everyone returned
to their play. A moment later, the
director interrupted the game, saying
to the whole room, "I just have to tell
you what just happened." He was still
chuckling. "At this table, the bidding
went: Pass, Pass, Pass, Double."
We all burst into laughter, then eventually returned to our games. What
fun! I never did hear the ruling.
MARILYN PULTZ
Fort Collins CO

1♥?

This was Board 28 from the Appleton
WI Sectional Friday evening session
on April 5. Per Deep Finesse, the only
makeable contract is 1♥ by East-West.
What makes this even more unusual
(I have seen only one other deal on a
hand record with just one makeable
contract) is the fact that North has 100
honors in spades, and South has 100
honors in clubs. And they can't make
one of either black suit.
♠ A K Q 10 9 4
♥74
♦Q973
♣6
♠J8532
♠6
♥ K 10 3
♥AQ65
♦54
♦ A K J 10
♣942
♣ 10 8 7 5
♠7
♥J982
♦862
♣AKQJ3
LEE PRELLWITZ
Ripon WI

June 2019

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